CD or CHW

[IceIceBaby]

as ya all know I am the ultimate gaper.

So I was wondering if anyone know

1 in what condition the Colman headwall is?

2 on the gear aspect do I need 2 tools to do the headwall?

3 the traverse from the foot of Colfax/below the saddle (point 8800) toward Colman HW below the Roman Nose is it in good condition or should I scrap it?

My thought was to get to that Point (8800), camp, and decide than whether to do the C-D or the CHW the info will definitely help me to lighten my backpack and save time so all info is welcome.

[ashw_justin]

Seems like the Coleman Headwall would be a steep snow hike right now with all of the precipitation and soft snowpack. Maybe even some slides if you are lucky. I think if I was interested in the route for its aesthetic difficulty (read: ice) then I'd go later in the year. But I bet it would be technically easy to tick right now, provided that it doesn't avalanche.

[genepires]

1st question> Don't mean to be a party pooper but you will die if you try the coleman headwall right now or soon. It has been snowing alot up there. Freezing levels have been around 6000 feet all week. If the wallowing doesn't kill you, then the first of hundred of avalanches will.

 

2nd question> When the conditions are right, you will need 2 tools. Beckey and chouinard could do it with one 75 cm axe but we are mortal. 2 tools offers much more security on steep terrain. Plus there is a good chance you will need to cross a couple bergshrunds. If they open, expect steep ice.

 

3rd question> I got away with your approach once but i doubt that it is always feasable. We got lucky. Use the same glacier approach for the n ridge. Start traversing from the black butte area instead of colfax area. Make sense? There is a TR with some guys camping near the base of the headwall that used your approach though. Ask them. They had a good idea to cross the glacier in the daytime so see the fatty crevasses.

[Chad_A]

They had a good idea to cross the glacier in the daytime so see the fatty crevasses.

 

I think that might've been Oleg and I. I knew to do that, because I've been screwed before with trying to approach in the dark; what looked like it would go, wouldn't (Neri knows all about this )

 

Given the low freezing levels continuously, and the precip, I'd bet that the approach to the headwall would be a piece of cake right now. Give 'er a week to settle the snow, and it'd be golden up there, I'd guess. Like ashw said, though, you're not likely to find any fun technical stuff up there, now. Back in March, in the dry spell, there was a little to be found. Now, with some fresh up there, prolly won't.

 

Have fun up there whenever you go! Every time I go up there, I'm reminded how goregeous it is.

[IceIceBaby]

I was on baker the W/E of 5/21-22 and around 4:00 pm on Saturday, it all started. We just were at the end of the Heliotrope ridge, as the wind started to pick up around 2:15 pm but we thought that it wasn’t that bad so we continued on. Around 3:00 pm, we were leaning toward the wind in order to stay on the west Colman glacier as we making our way toward 7500 feet. The original plan of camping below the saddle was scraped as we found a seemingly refuge at the rocks outcrops in front of Lincoln peak. We dug a site and set up the tent, quick dinner and water melt and we went in to sleep, it was 4:45 pm. the tent was shaking like a piñata in the middle of Mexico City on El Dia de los Muertos. Needless to say, I couldn’t sleep as the noise was of a Sherman tank on full throttle. At midnight, I finally gave up and went outside to stake the tent down securely and the noise seems to subside a little. around 4:00 am, I woke up to my partner vigorous kicking of the tent wall and realize that the wind buried us half way up the tent walls, in snow. I asked if we still thinking on summit only to get that “go fuck yourself I am staying here” look out of my partner. We lay in for about an hour and then tunnel our way out the tent and broke camp. We started heading back down around 5:45 am. Going back was as adventure of its own, as we had a visibility of 20 feet. We manage to get on a wand trail leading us back down. By 7:30 am, we were on the bottom of the Heliotrope ridge as the sun was trying to glimpse through the clouds. We crack the beer and had breakfast. I had another fine day on the mountain.