[TR] Lane Peak - Zipper Couloir - 2/19/05

[cluck]

We headed up to Mount Rainier National Park early Saturday morning with delusions of climbing the Lovers Lane couloir on Lane Peak in the Tatoosh range. After leaving the Narada Falls trailhead with overnight packs, we ditched the excess camping gear in the meadow underneath the North Face of Lane Peak and headed up toward our intended route. We took one look at Lovers Lane and decided it was way too thin for our liking. Instead we opted for the Zipper - normally a much easier climb.

 

 

 

With the extraordinarily low snow, we encountered some spicier-than-expected conditions in the Zipper. Mostly sugar snow over rock with the occasional smattering of verglass ice. About 100 feet up the couloir we encountered a small 10-12 foot rock step that presented some difficulty. I fashioned a nuclear-blast-proof belay from 2 cams and a knifeblade and my partner set to work identifying a proper path over the obstruction. The left side was a 60 degree featureless slab covered in 1/4 inch of verglass ice. The right side was steeper but appeared to have some features.

 

 

 

 

 

After fruitlessly scraping at the snow in an attempt to uncover the hidden holds that would unlock the puzzle, my partner was stumped so we switched positions. I met with the same frustration. It was aggravating to be confounded by such a simple obstruction. Had it been summer and the rock dry – we could have easily scrambled up it. However, the same feature covered in ice and snow proved quite a challenge. I decided to don my crampons and have a try at the icy left side again.

 

By gingerly hooking one tool on the thin ice and frantically flailing my feet about in search of tiny ledges to plant my crampons onto – I managed to squirm my way over the bulge amidst a shower of cursing and sparks. Not pretty, but at least we were up.

 

Next was another 400 feet of 45-degree step kicking up the coulior. This was relatively mindless but enjoyable nonetheless. The steep rock walls towering above and ever-present giant Mount Rainier looming behind provided a very cool alpine setting.

 

 

 

About ¾ of the way up the couloir, we found ourselves cliffed out a second time. This rock cliff was about 20 feet tall and near vertical. My partner flailed for 30 minutes in a vain attempt to will his way up the rock face but it became clear that we weren’t going to be able to make it up this one.

 

 

 

What was a barely noticeable steeper section of snow last year was now an unbreachable rock wall guarding the exit. We reluctantly accepted defeat and, tails tucked firmly between our legs, began descending back toward camp and cold beers.

 

We spent the night under a clear sky with a bright moon illuminating the mountain as it sneered down at us.

 

 

[Mike_Gauthier]

Thanks for the report!

[Couloir]

Nice read Cluck. Great pics too. Good job!

[Winter]

Good job. We looked at Lane all weekend and wondered whether those dark spots in the Zipper were actually cliffs. Shitty year down low. Looks better up high.

[rock-ice]

A buddy and I climbed the fly (see picture), this weekend. There was only one spicy part of mixed about 3/4 of the way up the couliour. Otherwise just a 35-45 degree snow haul. The snow was less consolidated than I expected, still fun though.

 

Note: this photo is not current.

[cluck]

Nice! I've wanted to climb that one as well but keep getting enticed by the Zipper. I love the gulleys on the NF of Lane. They look so badass from the road but once you start climbing them, you find that they're really easy. It almost feels like cheating.

 

[Alex]

how do you top out to the summit from the top of the Fly couloir? I tried this years ago and we couldnt figure it out.

[Stephen_Ramsey]

how do you top out to the summit from the top of the Fly couloir? I tried this years ago and we couldnt figure it out.

Hi Alex,

 

Last spring, my wife and I climbed The Fly to the notch on the West (?) ridge visible in the photograph. From there, we walked uphill just a few meters until we saw a snow ramp going up and to the left (northeast?). This snow ramp led to a short vegetated chimney, which led to a ledge below a rock face. A pitch of fourth or low-fifth got us to a belay ledge on the ridge maybe 20-30' below the summit, above which it looked like 4th class. At that point we backed off because of pouring rain, and rapped back down to the snow ramp. There were a couple of rusty old pins on the rock climbing part of the route. Finally, we descended a gully on the back-side of Lane Peak down to the Lane-Denman (?) Col.

 

Sorry for the sketchy beta, my memory is hazy. Mostly I remember thrutching and scratching with my ice tools on wet chossy rock.

 

http://www.speakeasy.net/~sramsey/climbing/triplog/200405-lane

 

[cluck]

The way I would do it would be to traverse from the notch at the top of the fly around the summit block to the southeast side (near the Lane-Denman col). The standard route goes up a 3rd/4th class gulley on that side and should be pretty straightforward.

 

Last year we tried to go straight up from the notch at the top of the Zipper and it didn't look hard. We ended up turning around because we encountered some man-eating moats and there was evidence of the prior day's wet slide avalanches everywhere. But the climbing was easy - just a 35 to 40 degree snowfield with a short transition to rock at the top.

 

Here's a picture of the southeast side of the mountain after we backed off. The Zipper notch is just above and right of my head.

 

 

 

 

Finishing via the west ridge directly sounds more interesting though.

[Winter]

Can someone please tell me the best approach to the north face? Do you take the trail down opposite of Narada Falls or climb up to the road as if you're going in to Pinnacle and the leave the road? Thanks.

[Alex]

climb up to the road, walk along it until opposite of Lane, then just leave the road and bushwack to the base. the bushwack is mild and very short in a normal snow year.