[TR] Dorado Needle- SW Buttress 8/3/2005

[Toast]

Climb: Dorado Needle-SW Buttress

 

Date of Climb: 8/3/2005

 

Trip Report:

Erin, Kevork and I climbed Dorado Needle on Wednesday. We started out Tuesday morning, made camp at the base of Eldorado, and did a quick recon from the summit of Eldorado Peak.

 

 

Unfortunately, the route description managed to somehow vanish from it's hiding spot, and none of us had a duplicate. Our alpine climb suddenly turned into an adventure climb at this point. Good thing I stopped by Jim's shop the week before. He gave me a helpful pointer - the starting point of the route outlined in the photo on page 153 of Selected Climbs Vol. II is INCORRECT. Jim was good enough to point out the correct route, and I burned a mental image of it. This would prove to be super helpful later. From our vantage point, we could clearly see our start. From there we'd have to wing it. As best I can tell, this is the route we took.

 

 

We woke the next morning about 4:30 to a beautiful sunrise.

 

 

After a quick bite to eat and a blue bag we were on our way. The snow was crisp and firm. This was gonna be a great day. The crossing over the Inspiration Glacier was uneventful, but we did zig zag our way through a field of several crevasses.

 

 

There are two cols to pass, one between the Inspiration and the McAllister glaciers, the other between the McAllister and an unnamed glacier that sits between Dorado Needle and Eldorado Peak. I didn't realize this was actually a glacier till I passed a crevase. Kevork gave me a dim glare. At that point I promptly slowed down and stopped plunge stepping to catch up to him.

 

The start of the SW Buttress route begins in a large alcove hidden by the prominent ridge that runs southwest.

 

 

Behind it, there was a long finger of snow that lead all the way up to the start gulley. I cut off a few minutes by scrambling over a quick Class 4 bulge on the ridge and ascended slabby rock till it ran out.

 

 

At that point, any savings I'd made was lost in strapping my crampons back on for 100' of bulletproof, steep snow that would lead us to the start gulley (we skipped the white slabs mentioned in the route descriptions.)

 

 

We simul-climbed the whole route in four leads. Kevork took the first two and suffered the worst of the routefinding puzzles. The belay station at the start gulley was absolutely horrible. Erin and I crouched the whole time ducking barrages of choss and pebbles. We lost a little time in going up a few dead ends. Howver, from what I could tell, there are plenty of other folks who've had their own route finding issues. Just remember, when you get up to the slabs, do not get sucked back in towards the gulley to the right - stay left.

 

 

It was my lead next. I was pretty sure we were way too far off to the left till somebody mentioned the word gendarme - it was right in front of me. Bingo, I suddenly remembered reading about a gendarme. At this point we were pretty sure we were on route. From there I descended benches to the left and headed up one of several gullies that pointed up toward the ridge. When Erin came up, she said she recalled reading about a black dike. I had passed several dikes of dark grey rock sandwiched between the granite. At this point we knew we were on track. Erin led up to the ridge and got the glory pitch to the summit.

 

 

 

 

We basked in the sun for a while then downclimbed the very exposed traverse back to the rap station. One double rope rap will get you onto the snow and into the safety of the glacier moat.

 

This was one of the most fun and adventure filled climbs I've done. No doubt, it is absolutely chossy, and the pro on the lower half of the climb is sketch, but the climbing is fun and varied with a whole lot of awesome exposure and killer views.

 

 

 

A quick snapshot of the full North Face of Eldorado.

 

 

Here's a pic of the NW Ridge which is also the descent route.

 

 

To my climbing partners, Erin and Kevork, thanks for the super fun outing!

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Ice axe, crampons, set of nuts, cams (three smallest TCU's, 0.5 - 3.0 Camalots, doubles in a few sizes,)lots and lots of double slings.

 

Approach Notes:

Approach via standard route to Eldorado Peak. We did not hit snow till the Eldorado Glacier. Proceed north across the Inspiration Glacier to a col that leads to the McAllister Glacier. Descend to an obvious col that leads to SW Buttress route. Pass the long ridge of rock that hides the alcove mentioned in the guide books. Start in the dirty gulley to the LEFT of the chimney.

 

See CAG Vol. II, Second Edition, page 284 and/or Selected Climbs in the Cascades Volume II, pages 151 - 157 (note error in route depicted on page 153 - see warning above.)

 

Right now the snow is bullet proof hard and steep in some places. Running water is scarce but was found at the toe of the Eldorado Glacier, along the rock edge of the Eldorado East Ridge, and near the long rock ridge that hides the start of the SW Buttress route.

[kurthicks]

is the obvious col in this picture (at base of the snow arete) the access gulley to the NW Couloir?

[benmurphy]

kick ass dude, nice...

[MCash]

Thanks for the beta. Nice photos and TR!

[Toast]

is the obvious col in this picture (at base of the snow arete) the access gulley to the NW Couloir?

 

No, it'll be more obvious if you look at a topo map. I think it's the same approach we made, but you'll end up traversing the unnamed glacier way left (i.e. south.) Nelson and Potterfield call it the Marble Creek Glacier, but it's unnamed on my map.

 

The col is due north about a mile from the tip of rock rib that runs east from Eldorado Peak. I think Nelson/Potterfield call it Dean Deak, but it's listed on USGS quads as Tepeh Towers. Note, it's labeled Tepeh in two places, the obvious col is between these two. That'll drop you onto the McAllister Glacier. From there, traverse down and left (due west) to a gap that will drop you onto the unnamed glacier that sits between Dorado Needle and Eldorado. You might PM PMS for verification. Hope that helps.

[curtveld]

Couple of quick questions for ya: Any crevasse or moat problems getting around Eldo to the Needle? Also, sounds like you bivyed at the base of the Eldo E. ridge. Any other attractive campsites between there and the route? Thanks for the great photos and info.

[nothing]

it all goes and i'm sure that there are many variations for the start. we started well left of your start - up a 70-75 deg. slab with a crack in it. it worked well and puts you up on the rib earlier. as i remember, jim's book showed the route starting even farther left than our start.

also, the best pitch on the route is to go direct to the summit in lieu of walking left up the choss gully and then following the ridge up.

[Toast]

We didn't have any problems with crevasses, but that was a month ago now. There are lots of options on where to bivy, but there was a nice spot near the second col that drops you down to where you'd start.

[Toast]

Friends tried this route and missed the start by 50'. This pic is from this weekend and show the correct start - route to LEFT in BLUE under current conditions. Note white slabs peeking out of the snow.

 

[dbb]

is the obvious col in this picture (at base of the snow arete) the access gulley to the NW Couloir?

 

Kurt- yes, in a way. At the lowest point in Eldorado's North Ridge there, between it and Dean's Spire, you can down climb and rappel about 90 meters to the glacier. That's the way Ken and I approached the NW couloir. We left a couple nuts fixed for the raps.

 

The more "standard" approach described in Nelson's book follows the way these gents went.

[philfort]

I'm sure Kurt appreciates your beta Dave, even if it is two years too late... ;-)