Prusik PEak last Sunday

[SemoreJugs]

Just curious if anyone attempted or summited Prusik this last Sunday 6/12.

We were up at Lake Vivianne and decided to bag it due to the redunkulous winds. Seemed to be 40-50mph. Even the goats were holding off on their ascent! I wanted to go (at least to check out the conditions at Prusik Pass) but my partners didnt feel like having an "adventure". I tried all methods of persuasion including the ego-challanging "pussies!", as well as the time-honored "its probably not as bad as it looks", but alas they were not budging. Our Objective was to be the west ridge. I know there were quite a few parties that also bagged it. At least 2 wanted to try the west ridge and one for South Face (Stanley and Burgner).

 

Talked to Alister and PAt? at Vivianne after they climbed the South Face on Saturday. I pumped them for copiuos beta which they graciously revealed. Nice climbing guys!

 

Anyways, I'm dying to know if the winds died down and at what time. We left around 8:30 AM.

 

Gracios Amigos

Edited June 16, 2005 by SemoreJugs

[Winter]

We met you guys up there - we bivied right down at the lake. 40-50 - maybe. I'd say more like 30, but it was freakin cold.

[dberdinka]

How much snow is up in the high country there? Have any of the lakes melted out? Thanks.

 

Darin

[TeleRoss]

We were up in Temple Canyon on Sunday, quite a bit of snow up high below Temple Ridge. We climbed Lighthouse and then made high traverse on ridge until Pogo Col. Descended down to near Lake Viviane. Some snow in that general area. Upper lakes looked quite snowy from the ridge. It was snowing pretty goodon Monday morning, although on our way out it looked like it had cleared out pretty good. Wish we would have stuck it out a little longer, but it was looking pretty grim.

We passed two people heading up the trail Monday morning near Snow Lake....how was it up there later Monday?

[AlpinistAndrew]

Climbed Prusik on Friday-Saturday (I think, or sometime that week anyway). Brought bivy gear all the way to the base of the w. ridge. Climbed the ridge, was my 2nd time, and it was more fun this time (first time I did it I had a sprained ankle). Saw a party doing the South Face. We didn't bring boots up, neither did the South Face team. Big mistake, crossiing that slope without an axe or boots sucks big time. We then went back down to snow lakes and camped, hiked out next morning. No snow until you get up to lake viviane, then plenty, but can be avoided gettting to the south face or west ridge, but definityly still plenty of snow on the back side of prusik. good times. I had never been to l'worth on a sunny wkend before, and it was ridiculous, too many tourons for my comfort.

[catbirdseat]

It helps if someone has kicked a set of steps in the snow. If you don't see prints, take the boots.

[Alasdair]

As far as the traverse over the snow goes. If you rap directly down 3 double rope rapels from the chimney on the W Ridge route you will reach a ledge system that will take you to the col at the base of the west ridge therefore missing all but 10 feet of snow which is probably now gone. Bummed you could not get your partners to go for it, it would have been fun (cold). That was me you met a Lake vivian. Did you get your injured partner out ok?

[SemoreJugs]

Yeah, there would have been a little suffering but I believe it would have been an acceptable margin of comfort and safety for me, I guess not for my partners. I guess it just goes to show that if you havent done alpine with a person often, you need to define goals and expectations before you leave the couch.

 

Anyway, your advice really helped with that IT band thing. She kept doing that stretch and was able to hike out with about 20 lbs on her back. She actually beat me to the car! I have my own knee problems going downhill. And I was carrying about half her gear with mine. We though for sure that morning that we'd be leaving our packs behind and carrying her. So it worked out! Hope to bump into you again.

[Maestro]

Taehee and I were up there Sunday morning to look around, but we had already decided not to try to climb after our companions' mini-epic on Saturday.

 

We originally planned to climb together, but they went in a day early and didn't wait for us. They reported high wind that made their rap rope go horizontal and a very difficult descent in the snow. We camped at Snow Lake when we found their tent there, and they got back to camp at 1:30 am.

 

We listened to the wind roaring overhead as it got towards morning and decided it would be in our best interest to come back another time. We hiked up to Lake Viviane just to see the place as we had never been before and as we topped out at the lake about 8:00 or so, we got hit by this Antarctic blast with blowing snow that neither of us would want to try to do our first technical alpine route on our own in. Like a previous post said, even the goats looked cold. I could imagine trying to climb with frozen fingers and feet.

 

Is it true the permit area goes all the way down to Nada Lake like a guy up there told us? I had thought it was just for the Enchantments Basin

Edited June 17, 2005 by Maestro