Kraken Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 I'm not trudging up The Butt next year when I climb Denali. I'm going to do the West Rib. I would have done it this year, but couldn't get my application in time for a May or June trip. Next year, probably in May, I'm doing the Rib. Basically, I'm looking for a little feedback from people who have done it before. From what I've heard, it isn't amazingly difficult. I ice climb a lot, so i'm not too worried. Sounds like there are a few good spots to set up camps along the way as well. So, if anyone has been on the West Rib, let me know, tell me how it went, and PHOTOS...if you have ANY photos let me see them. Thanks, Clint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_johnston Posted July 7, 2005 Share Posted July 7, 2005 Clint; I just returned from a trip to Denali with Colin Haley and we were on the lower W Rib as part of our approach (descent from 14k camp on the Butt) to the Cassin ridge. The lower rib was in VERY poor and icy conditions. Basically 4000' of blue and black ice. Due to its angle this necessitated front pointing down climbing unroped around 3k. The ice domes were...ice, but easy to French tech down. But none of the plunge stepping in snow that we had heard about and hoped for. The lower "Chicken Gully" which makes up the bottom 500m of the climb was almost melted out. This has been skied but this year was a record low snow fall winter I guess. We only saw one rap station and it was 30' up a side wall and useless. Much of ice in the gully was 1000 year old black glacier ice with lots of rocks imbedded. In one spot the ice was only about 15' wide and to avoid spontaneous rock fall from above we down climbed some of the nastiest frozen 45 degree choss you can imagine. I bent one tool and dulled all my point in that section. Rock fall was very active (TV sized blocks) and we hugged the skier's right side of the gully but still felt very exposed. The lower half of the gully had a major trough and waterfall with a hose of H20 about 24" across and 12" deep flowing fast. The runout zone onto the NE fork was black with rockfall and a major schrund crossed the base of the gully with said waterfall cascading magnificantly over the ice cliff. From what I saw I'd go early in a good snow year. The upper rib is a cruise and still had good snow cover last week. It is fun to do it as an alternative the upper Butt from 14 as a day trip. More direct/shorter. no crowds and really no harder if you like fun 3rd/4th class terrain. Scott Johnston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Posted July 7, 2005 Share Posted July 7, 2005 Scott, How were the conditions on the Cassin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_johnston Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 Jedi; We didn't climb the Cassin. It is a long story and since this board is supposed to be for trip reports I don't want to bore folks with an aborted trip report In short the conditions and our super lightweight style caused us/me to bail. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraken Posted July 8, 2005 Author Share Posted July 8, 2005 Thanks Scott. Nice to get some helpful information. If there is considerable snowfall this upcoming winter, I will hopefully do the Rib. I've bought a few books on Denali and have been studying Washburn photos of the Rib so I think I know what I'm getting myself into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassgowkiss Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 i want to add that there is another option now. it's the new Babanov-Slawinski route on the face left of west rib. a lot of easy ploding with some M4 sections. they did it in 14 hours push. sounds like a good alternative. they did aclamatize by climbing west but, but you can do the same by climbing sultana ridge on foraker instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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