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[TR] - Copa Cabana, Mt. Buckner


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Rolf Larson and I climbed a line on the north face of Mt. Buckner on Sunday the 20th.

775CC.JPG

 

Friday, after bivying at the trailhead, we skinned up the road and started up the trail to Boston Basin. Coincidentally a group of 3 skiers were off to ski the north colior on Buckner that same morning.

Thrashed through the brush and above tree level by early afternoon up to within about 800 feet of the Sahale Boston col that day. Skiers continued on to make the traverse to Boston Glacier.

 

Next day some weather moved in and vis was shitty at the col. We began the traverse. Good neve, exposure, heavy packs.

 

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Traverse, Down the Boston Glacier in light north face pow and across to the north face of Buckner that day. Scoped lines.

 

Line we originally intended to climb looked too filled in with snow. Another line caught our eye that started with an ice flow then went into some snow and ice runnels. There was a direct start to this line that just looked too much like powder snow on rock.

775Both_Lines.JPG

 

After another cold night in the Bibler, Rolf roused early with his usual sunny disposition and made a brew while I kept my head stuck in my sleeping bag. We trudged up to the ice fall. After some fucking around I finally started up the ice - a fun pitch with a decent steep section.

From there we continued up steep snow and fun aesthetic mixed climbing. Here's a bad photo but gives an impression of the climbing.

775WhatAShittyPic.JPG

 

The neve was superb. Everything that looked like powder snow from the glacier was thick thunker neve. We realized we should have taken a steeper line or the direct start. About half way up the face we were able to look down at the direct start and it looked rad - with a classic ice and neve filled chimney with decent rock pro. What little girls we were for taking the conservative approach.

More fun climbing led to the of the ridge and a classic ridge traverse with exposure and amazing views of the North Cascades in winter led to the summit. We paused in the sun and descended the north coliour back to the Bibler.

 

It was only 1:30 by the time we got back to camp, so we made a brew and I told Rolf I was over spooning with him in the Bibler let's go home. We packed our shit and bolted.

 

The skiers who had skiied the north coliour the day before had been farming the north facing slope from the Boston Sahale traverse notch down the glacier that day and had kicked a bitchin skin highway back up. Thanks skiers!!

 

Got down to truck by 8:00 after a long exhausting day and had a beer. Named the route "Copa Cabana" after a friend who spent his President's Day weekend kiteboarding and drinking margaritas in Mexico with bikini babes instead of the Rolf Larson lovefest of freezing ass and killing ice.

 

Shot of the route from bro's arial photo page:

 

775Copa_2.JPG

 

 

The Copa Direct remains. If this high pressure holds someone should go crush!!!

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so, how did that narrow slot just to the left of the big buttress of your route look?

 

That was the route we were originally planning on climbing. It wasn't good. Would have been a wallow - all filled in with snow and a only couple of steep ice steps. Maybe in early season it would be good. Here's a pic attached.

 

I'm tellin' ya, the direct line (we should have climbed) would be the bomb though.

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a little clarification:

we descended the north face, not the north face couloir. the skiers also descended the north face. however, it appeared that conditions were not to their liking and it looked like they downclimbed about 1/2 to 2/3 of the face before skiing.

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That's too bad the skiers didn't get the goods on the North Face.

 

Way to get out there and do some adventurous climbing guys, looks pretty sweet!

 

It's also nice to see people trying some thrilling skiing. I know I'll head to the north side of Buckner again someday, those are great descents with super scenery.

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  • 16 years later...

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