SIBLING CREEK ROAD CONITION

[JERRY_SANCHEZ]

WENT UP TO SIBLING CREEK ROAD ON 4/22 SUNDAY AND IT WAS DRIVABLE FOR ABOUT 3 MILES IN. WE HAD TO HIKED OR SKI ABOUT A MILE IN TO REACH THE HIDDEN LAKE TRAILHEAD. THERE IS PLENTY OF SNOW ON THE TRAIL AND THE BASIN. AVALANCHE DANGER SEEMED LOW WITH THE SNOW BEING HARD AND ICY. THE ROUTE TO THE LOOKOUT WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD. THE WEATHER WAS SNOWY AND WHITEOUT BUT THE SUN DID PEEK OUT FEW TIMES. SKIING DOWN THE SNOW TURN TO CORN AND MADE THE SKIING ENJOYABLE. THE ROUTE TO SILBLING CREEK PASS TO REACH THE ELDORADO GLACIER AND BEHIND SEEMED FEASIBLE.

[goatboy]

Thanks for the route update Jerry. I assume you're describing SIBLEY Ridge (not Sibling Ridge)

I ATTEMPTED to approach Eldo Glacier via Sibley Ridge last October and I will never go that way again. Either the route descriptions I had were too vague or I am too dumb -- maybe both -- but we ended up dropping down the wrong gully into the wrong basin and ended up cliffed out on a subsidiary ridge looking across at the Triad and the clear snow slope giving access to the Eldo Glacier -- but after hours of steep talus and scree traversing to get to the wrong place, and as it was already 3 PM, with dark coming about 5 PM, we decided to bivy where we were and bag the climb. As it turned out, there was a rock bivy already built for us on the only flat spot on the ridge -- apparently, some others had followed the same route description we had.

I'm not blaming route descriptions, WE blew it -- but I am saying that even though I now know what we did wrong, and could probably go back and do better, the approach itself, as Nelson's book says, "follows a long sinewy ridge, leaving you far from the mountain." And the approach itself is FAR from straightforward, lots and lots of steep loose rock or steep grass (which would have taken crampons well), exposed in places, and easy to screw up the routefinding.

We ended up eating jiffy pop popcorn and enjoying a great sunset -- no real climbing to speak of, though. And we woke the next morning to freezing rain at 5 am.

I have never been up there this early in the year, and maybe the snowy conditions Jerry described would have sped up a lot of the loose, nervewracking traversing -- I don't know, but I highly doubt I'll go back the Sibley way again. I think I would just blitz straight up the steep but straightforward eldo creek approach.

Has anyone had a different or slightly recommended experience going in to eldo via sibley ridge? If so, please dilute my cynical and negative report with some good tales of your own.

Steve

[philfort]

I went to climb the NE face of Eldorado last October. We approached via the regular way, and met another party in the parking lot that was going to climb the NW gully, approaching via Sibley creek, and coming out the regular way (they were leaving at car at the regular lot).

We never saw any sign of them that weekend. Hmm.

[goatboy]

Yeah. Was that on the 7th of October? If so, that was me and Tony. We were bivied in the regular parking lot on friday night, then drove up sibley creek to our doom the next morning.

Were y'all the folks who had been seeking ice up in BC -- two 20-30 year olds -- or another party?

Steve

 

 

[forrest_m]

I don't know that I can dilute the cynical report... I have done the Sibley approach twice and the Eldorado/Mountaineers Creek approach like seven or eight times, so I've had ample opportunity to compare the two. In favor of the Sibley creek approach, I will say that it is incredibly scenic, and the rock and terrain on the ridgetop is neat. But if your object is to get to Eldorado, Early Morning Spire, Dorado Needle, etc. with as much time and energy left as possible, I would go Eldorado Creek every time. It's steep but direct and has an absolute minimum of screwing around on semi-technical ground.

Like Steve, our first attempt at the Sibley ridge approach floundered in complicated route finding that worked to our advantage when a sudden August storm dumped 12" of snow. (Our advantage was that we were still a lot closer to the car than we would have been had we not made routefinding errors. With our improved knowledge, we were able to get to the base of the W. Ridge of Eldo successfully the second time, but even with beta it was much more time consuming than the Eldo. Creek approach.

I kept *wanting* this approach to be better, since it starts so much higher than the Cascade River Road, but for quick access, I think its a false lead. But it sure is pretty up there.

[philfort]

goatboy,

oh, yeah, I guess that was us. Your mention of freezing rain made me think you guys went a different weekend. We did the climb on Saturday and camped high, then left Sunday morning - the weather was a little threatening then, but no precip.

I guess that's another reason not to do the Sibley Ck approach - a little known fact, but the weather is far worse in the Sibley Creek/Triad area, than in Eldorado/Roush creek!

[Tod]

I was with Jerry on Sunday and there was actually 2-3" powder above 6000'. It was on hardpack and was only on north facing slopes. Enjoyable skiing or snowboarding once the temperatures warmed up in the afternoon. It looked as though there had been a party up there on Saturday (with somebody riding a Split-Decision).

With the amount of snow that is up there right now, doing the Traverse over to Eldo would probably present some problems since the ridge would most likekly be corniced in places and some of the gullies that you have to descend, traverse under and ascend would be sketchy under moderate to considerable avalanche conditions (they are all south facing).

Other than the approach is much longer, my experience on the traverse over to Eldo from Sibley Creek was of grand scenery without too much difficulty in route finding. In some cases we were following trail along the ridge and other cases we were descending and ascending gullies and slopes that had snow (in early summer). The ridge on the way over to the Triad was holding no snow at the time so the traveling was very quick. If you have an extra day it is worth it...

Tod

[goatboy]

Yeah forrest, Good Point.

The scenery of the sibley ridge approach was STELLAR, and I got some great photos and memories, and great looks at Dorado Needle, Early Morning Spire, etc.

HOWEVER, I think I could have gotten those great views without the pack full of useless technical gear, ropes, rack, etc -- I think I WOULD go do the sibley approach again, now that I think about it -- but with a daypack on a dayhike, with only a camera and a block of cheese for company, and photos my only objective.

Anyway, I hope to try the NW Couloir another fall -- though I question if this year's snowpack will create favorable conditions come fall? I understand that (like many routes) conditions dictate everything for this NW Couloir route. I also understand that fall is a long way off and it's anyone's guess at this point.

It's just a skeleton in my closet and I've got to go get back up there!

S

[philfort]

Goatboy,

here's a picture of the top of the NW couloir from that wknd last October:

Looked like a cool climb.

[goatboy]

Phil,

I had NO idea you had x rays of the skeletons inside my closet!

Thanks for the image -- it does look like a good route, which was (unfortunately for us) in good shape the day we mis-approached.

Oh well, another lesson from the cascades..... and another route to dream about and hopefully go do some day.

I got some good days in up around Banff this winter, so I made up for the eldorado bungle I reckon.