Diadem Peak (Humble Horse) beta??

[Paul_Warner]

hey out there,

Has anyone done the N. Face of Diadem peak, up in Canada (North of the icefields)?? I geuss everyone raves about how great it is, but I have yet to talk to anyone who has actually done it. Anyway, I'm mainly interested in the descent. Since it drops into the Wooley creek drainage, does it necessitate a carryover (groan), or could a team bivi at the base and contour around to retrieve ON gear? Any beta would be mucho appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul Warner

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[forrest_m]

Paul - I guess I fall halfway between your categories, but anyway I can give you the approach/descent beta...

We attempted the route last August. We should have known better, since the temperature was way too high, but we climbed to the base of the upper couloir anyway, before turning around and running for our lives from the truly awe-inspiring rockfall. If the thermometer isn't dropping below freezing at night at the highway, you should save yourself the effort of the approach. Anyway, a week later, we did the approach over Wooley Shoulder, so we were able to check out the descent, etc. pretty well.

The short answer to your question is "yes, you have to do a carry over." That whole area is very abrupt - big flat valleys with sudden huge cliff bands. There is no way you could traverse back around without a serious epic. The good news is that the route down the backside is fairly mellow, though it's not a pushover. There are some icecliffs at the bottom that you have to negotiate. When we were on our way up to Wooley Shoulder, we ran into some guys who had turned around on the "snow walkup" route (same as the Humble Horse descent) because of danger from the seracs caused by the warm temperatures.

There are some great bivy spots close to the route, in the last rock island before the glacier. It took us about 4 hours to reach the bivy from the road, so conceivably you could leave your stuff here, and hike up the next day from the road to pack it out... we chose to roll the dice and not bring any shelter, just our sleeping bags, figuring that with the short approach if bad weather came in, we could suffer til dawn and hike out, so our climbing packs weren't too heavy. In very cold conditions, it might be feasible to do the route in a day from the car, but you absolutely positively want to be off the icefield before the sun hits the cliffs above. It is very exposed to rockfall, and because the cliffs above are so steep, you don't even hear the airborne rocks coming until they punch a crater in the ice nearby!

Good luck, it DOES look like a great route, definately on my list to come back to. If you do get up it, write up a trip report. I'm a little suspicious of the description in the Dougherty book, he makes it sound a little too casual...

[W]

I was with Forrest on this one...two other things worth a mention: the Sunwapta River crossing was pretty darn deep. On the way up, we crossed in thigh deep water that was alarmingly swift in one place. We found a better way on the descent- the stillwater "lake" just upstream of the confluence with Diadem Creek. Waist deep, but not fast at all.

Also, as you can see the route from the road, bring a pair of binoculars and glass it to see how well formed, or not, it is. As if the warm temperatures weren't enough of a clue, we also discovered after doing the approach (and then persistently going for an up close look) that the upper couloir was completely lacking ice; in its place, running water and the most vile choss imaginable. Hard to say, but I share Forrest's suspicion of the route's seeming "trade" status. A guy in Gravity Gear in Jasper, when we asked for beta, seemed sorta taken aback and showed us a helmet with a huge hole in it, a souvenir of his friend's attempt on the route. The route looks great, but not to be taken lightly either.

[verticalturtle]

I may be misinterpreting Forrest, but did you do it or just the approach. I scoped the route same time (last Aug) and it looked to be in no shape to climb. I hope this year it will be in a bit better shape.

[W]

VT-

we did the approach, then got an alpine start the next morning and climbed the initial 55 degree ice slope to the start of the mixed climbing. We bailed from there and hiked out; 2 hours after bailing the whole peak was engulfed in a thunderstorm, as were we while ensconsed up to our waist in the middle of the sunwapta river. I think we actually we there on July 30/31 if I have it written down right. Yeah, if it comes in it'd be a beauty.

[Marko]

Paul,

Yup, it's a great route! The view from the top of Alberta's N Face is puckering. We did it early/mid September '95 or '96 a week after the first fall snows. Great alpine ice, cold, and no rockfall during the climb. We brought one bag and a double bivy sack, bivied 15 minutes from the route, and did the carry over thing. The climbing is by no means extreme so the packs were no big deal.

I think forrest_m is right about contouring around the peak. There's some wild terrain.

We planned on descending the SE (I think it was) route but a huge cornice was overhanging it so we opted for the normal route (South ridge?). We got down around the lower ice chutes in the dark and ended up bivying. Should have kept descending to the meadows that night, because the next morning we were treated to the famous Rockies rock pummelling on the way down.

I can't recommend descending any of the southern routes with the sun hitting them! On the other hand, you could spend most of the day climbing the route and then most of the night rapping it. Light packs and no rockfall. Maybe also use waders for the wicked-ass cold Sunwapta crossing both ways. Starting to sound pretty good except for leaving rappel crap all over the route.

Either way, have a blast!

Mark

[Paul_Warner]

Hey,

Thanks for the beta and stories. We plan to do it in late August/early September. If it's too warm, we'll just find some rocks to climb. Keeping the options open is key to good road trippin'.

pw

[Dru]

Ok, I haven't done it, but people I know who have have basically indicated that it is an early summer-or-fall route only. Long hot days in August are not the ideal time to do it. Some continuous nightly freezing is recommended. If there is no cornice hazard, it could be easy, safe, big and fat (relative of course) in June. In Sept. expect thinner ice and more rock. In July-August maybe expect a liquid waterfall?