Lambone Posted August 6, 2001 Posted August 6, 2001 Can anyone offer any usefull beta (besides what I can read in Nelsons book)? Thanks! Quote
Mr._Blister Posted August 6, 2001 Posted August 6, 2001 Sure. The North Ridge is a better climb. How's that. John Quote
Smoker Posted August 6, 2001 Posted August 6, 2001 Not sure what the direct is, (since I don't have Nelsons book in front of me) but I was on the East ridge 3 or 4 years ago. It was early October and the short daylight hrs turned us back 2 pitches short of the top. There was fresh snow on the entire ridge. We did it in our heavy Richle mountain boots. There was some simul climbing done. The gendarms are fun to work through. We led the ridge both ways as the standard descent was iced up real good. Single set of nuts and cams to 3" with a few hexs thrown in. Lots of slings as there are good horns to lasso as you go by. We had a blast. Seemed like about 5.8 climbing but we ran out of time before the last fun pitch. Isn't the North Ridge more of a snow/mixed line? Smoker Quote
Pro_popper Posted August 7, 2001 Posted August 7, 2001 We did it last year during Labor weekend. Pretty much a scramble up along the right hand side of the unnamed pocket glacier (which I wanted to name "Used Diaper") until the sole gendarme. Place a wand there on the crest so that it is visible from the other side. It helped me in a debate with my partner which gully to climb back up after we rapped from the summit. The climb itself is neat when you climb all gendarmes. As Smoker said bring lots of slings. The last two pitches are easy climbing. If you run out of time (as several parties have) there are several ridges where you can rap. I remember that I saw just about on every ridge abondened slings. The climb was great, however, the hail storm and fog we had prevented us from the great views I was hoping for. (Although I took a same pic from my partner with the Boston G. in the backdrop just as in Nelson's book. About the rating, the notch is probably the most difficult. I noticed that if you do your traverse a fair amount below the ridge it climbing looks much easier. This labor weekend I will be climbing it again. With me a group of 9 climbers will be camping in the BB and climbing that weekend several peaks. It's going to be again a damn busy party. Quote
AlpineK Posted August 7, 2001 Posted August 7, 2001 NW face kicks butt on the N ridge. I must say I like the looks of the traverse of the dirrect east ridge of Forbidden to Torment. Quote
Lambone Posted August 9, 2001 Author Posted August 9, 2001 Cool climbing on not so cool rock. I'd give the rock a C and the veiw an A+! Quote
philfort Posted August 10, 2001 Posted August 10, 2001 Hmm.... Lambone, what's not cool about the rock?? I've heard other people say it wasn't all that great, but we just climbed it on Tuesday, and I thought the rock was bomber! I saw maybe, at most, two loose blocks on the whole ridge. In fact, my partner, from California, who climbs in the Sierras, couldn't stop mentioning how solid the rock was! (this was his first climb in the Cascades, and he came away with the impression that Cascade rock was better than Sierra rock!) We stayed generally on the ridge crest, and went over the top of all the gendarmes - maybe its looser if you turn them? Those "snafflehounds" in Boston Basin are vicious - they ate through my partner's bivi sac, and into his food bag, while he was sleeping! Then while we were climbing, they are a huge hole in his T-shirt which he left at camp. ---wait a sec--- I just noticed you started this topic too, on the 6th. That means you climbed it between now and then. Did we see you guys while we were hiking out on the 7th? We met three parties - I think 2 of them were planning on the east ridge. [This message has been edited by philfort (edited 08-09-2001).] Quote
Lambone Posted August 10, 2001 Author Posted August 10, 2001 Ya bro, that was us. I'm glad you had a great trip! I am also glad that you warned us about the rats. We buried our stuff under a ton of rocks and some how fooled 'em. Either that, or they just don't like my BO! As for the rock, Its the worst I've seen on any "clasic" alpine ridge line. I'll spare you the list of my experience, but I'd go as far as saying that I've havent seen worse rock in Montana, let alone the Sierras. But then again I am pretty new to the Cascades, mabye I'm just ignorant... I just have this thing about marginal gear, and big perched loose death blocks. Especialy when there are parties traversing bellow you. You never know when someone like officespace might sue your ass. Anyway you guys must have been moving too fast to notice the bad rock. I think you did the route about twice as fast as us! Well done. See ya next time! Quote
Lambone Posted August 10, 2001 Author Posted August 10, 2001 Oh yeah Mr. Blister, I think you are right, the North Ridge does look like a better route. Just a little more involved than we were up for. Mabye next time. Quote
hasbeen Posted August 10, 2001 Posted August 10, 2001 I'll do one better than the big hole in the shirt. Those snafflehounds actually STOLE my shirt. I set it out to dry whith a big rock on it and left for the summit. I never saw the shirt again. Quote
Mr._Blister Posted August 10, 2001 Posted August 10, 2001 I'm takin' the snakes to Boston Basin this weekend. We will get revenge. Quote
hasbeen Posted August 10, 2001 Posted August 10, 2001 Mr. Blister: If you see a snafflehound wearing an old gray t-shirt, it's mine. I'd really love to get it back if you don't mind rasslin' the bugger. Thanks Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.