[TR] Jack Mountain- NE Glacier 4/27/2005

[TeleRoss]

Climb: Jack Mountain-NE Glacier

 

Date of Climb: 4/27/2005

 

Trip Report:

Sky and I climbed and skied the NE Glacier on Jack Mountain in a long ass 23 hour day car to car.....We arrived at the Canyon Creek TH at some ridiculous hour and soon found out that Canyon Creek was running much too high to ford, so we ended up starting from the East Bank TH...adding an additional 3.5mi each way to an already ridiculous day.

Hiked up to McMillan Park where we skinned and scrambled some cliffyness to a saddle near Crater Mountain @ 7k. Skied down and around the Jerry Glacier and skinned up a steep slope to the long ridge above Jerry Lakes....variously skied, and skinned up down and all around until we were at another saddle on the E ridge of Jack Mountain.

Skied a quite steep slope down onto the NE Glacier and skied N to below the icefall....

The icefall was well intact with snow ramps abounding, and the large headwall looming above. Sky says "I think we can skin up this" and proceeds doing as said. Soon realizing that it is a bit steep and exposed for skinning we switch to more suitable gear for the situation. Above the icefall the glacier rises fairly steeply to a large bergschrund and then the steep headwall above.

The route is only a bit more than 2k vert. but wow it is big and felt like much more. We topped out on the N ridge just below the summit rocks. Wow, what an awesome location...the enormous Nohokomeen Glacier and it's impressive headwall and the summit ridge and below us the NE glacier falling away quickly nearly 6,000' to Devils Creek...truely impressive.

The ski down was more survival skiing than anything given the conditions. (see Sky's post on Turns-all-year for an eloquent description of the conditions) but suffice it to say that the upper sections of the headwall were pretty much miserable for skiing. Below the bergschrund conditions improved mildly and we enjoyed some less nerve-wracking turns.

Much more up down and all around, plus some pretty sweet corn skiing brought us back to Crater Lake. We located the summer trail which was only partially snow covered and hiked back to our shoes...barely making it by dark. 7.5 more pounding miles on the trail and we stumbled into the parking lot and a niced comfy truck cab to crash in....wow...I'm worked.

 

Gear Notes:

Brought rope, pickets and other various accoutrements, but didn't use them

 

Approach Notes:

Long, long, long.

in high water Canyon Creek is a dangerous ford at best, adding 3.5 miles each way from the East Bank TH.

[layton]

Jack is the peak you can see rounding the bend past Colonial Peak, right? Nice going!

p.s. how did colonial look and can you post a pic if you took one?

[Norman_Clyde]

Way cool. Photos, we want photos! When you two call it survival skiing, that's about WI3 for the rest of us, right?

[AJScott]

ohh man...you two sure know how to take advantage of 1 day!!! What a F'n marathon. good job, again

[skykilo]

Mike, I'll have some good photos of Colonial and just about everything else, but not until I get my slides done. Maybe I could show you something early next week. I seem to remember you once posting something about 'Skin up the NE Face of Fury, now THAT would be impressive.' Ross should post one of those photos of me skinning the icefall. When I looked down to 4000 feet of exposure I started shaking in my boots and decided to get my crampons.

 

Here's a route photo from John Roper. Who you gonna call when you need a photo of a route you can't see from ANYWHERE but the middle of NOWHERE? Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm such a dirty, name-dropping chestbeater...

 

 

[Stefan]

Jack in one day is no easy task--even with the route you took. Good job.

[TeleRoss]

There's some photos in the climbing gallery

[JoshK]

Ahh...I was confused about what route you were talking about Sky. I thought you were referring to the Nohokomeen glacier, or whatever it is called. I was getting a bit confused when you were talking about super fucking steep sections cause I remember the Nohokomeen looking rather tame. But now i see, yall did that narrower winding glacier...that makes more sense.

 

Shit, even though I probably would have been too much of a pussy to actually ski all that sketchy steep shit up top I would have loved to go beat myself up with you guys on that marataon. What a cool mountain!

 

Too bad you didn't actually summit so you'll have to return. Don't you think, Klenke?

 

Again, nice job boys.

 

P.S. Sky, I do have to say tho, that trip is pussy compared to the daunting approaches and rugged terrain of Quandary Peak, huh?

[dbb]

cool