conditions on the west ridge of Forbidden?

[pete_a]

I'm thinking about heading up to Forbidden Peak this weekend to climb the west ridge. Just curious if anyone has been up there in the past week or so and could provide some beta as to how the snow conditions are in the coulior approaching/descending from the west ridge. Any info would be appreciated.

Also...probably going to do it in one day..how many hours before dawn does one need to leave the trailhead in order to pull this off?

Thanks

Pete

 

[Stefan]

I have done it in a full day from car to summit to basin in the month of July. I remember leaving the car 1 hour after sunrise and getting to the basin just when we needed headlamps. I can't tell you times becuase I can't remember that many years ago......

[mikeadam]

Scott Schell did this a few weeks back from the car. You can call him for beta at:

425/888-6397 http://proguiding.com

Tim Matsui did it the same day car to car as a member of a seperate party. You can call him for beta at:

206.409.3069 http://timmatsui.com/

Like to hear how it was. Check out some routes on mixup for an alternate objective.

Mike Adamson

[dberdinka]

How long it takes will depend on the mix of soloing/simuclimbing/belaying you plan on doing. I know someone who soloed it in a little over 6 hours car to car (and I'd bet it's been done a lot faster than that), I also recall taking 12 or 13 hours high camp to high camp the first time I did it.

Assuming your in good shape, move fast and will simulclimb all or almost all of the route some reasonable times might be

2.25 hours car to high camp

1.5 hours high camp to base of coulior

.25 to 2 hours base to west ridge notch

(quick if you solo, slow to belay) if the coulior is melted out, there is an easy 3rd and 4th class gully several hundred feet climbers left. It's the left most gully, look for slings.

.75 to 2 hours notch to summit (this assumes simu-climbing,if you belay the whole thing it's like 7 pitches and ?? 3 to 4 hrs ??)

Once on top, figure at least as much time to get back down.

Enjoy

 

[slaphappy]

I climbed the East Ridge Direct this past Sunday with my lady and a party summited via the West Ridge. I spoke with them briefly and am unaware of their abilities, but they belayed 2 pitches of neve/ice in the coulior and I saw them rappel back down. It has a large crack/crevasse approximately midway. They apprached the glacier from the right and then traversed left across slabs, and then straight up to the base of the coulior. If your comfortable with the grade I would recommend the East Ridge, the approach is way more straightforward this late in the season. You may save enough time there to make up for the more technical rock climbing. However, we did not do it car to car, we had other goals that got rained out. As long as you don't have the same slow ass party that was in front of us, it should not be a problem. (I eventually climbed over them exchanging some unpleasantries, they refused passage! They added hours on to our time, and they bailed shortly afterward. There are very few places to pass a party that is uncooperative! Guess that's what I get on a holiday weekend.)

[summitseeker]

Yeah, I could see the approach couloir from Sahale Arm this past weekend and it was thin, complete with schrund part of the way up.