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[TR] Mt. Stuart- NR and upper NE Face combo 8/13/2005


OlegV

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Climb: Mt. Stuart-NR and upper NE Face combo

 

Date of Climb: 8/13/2005

 

Trip Report:

Just like to many others, the label “classic climb” is a cause of the great inspiration for me and, often is a fair judgment of my personal achievements in climbing. After my last trip to Boston Basin, and encountering the whole bunch of crappy climbing, I finally decide not to fuck around with poor rock, and get on some high quality granite of Stuart. Turns out, Pete wanted to do the North Ridge for a long time, and was happy to join me. The plan was to climb the upper ridge, bivy below Gendarme and complete the route via whatever variation we feel like at this point.

 

We leave Portland Saturday morning, hit the trailhead around 10 am and see our beautiful objective within 2 hours. View from the Ingalls Lake:

6323Stuart-panorama-med.jpg

 

From the lake - another two hours of scree/wet glacier hiking and scrambling, and we are at the base of the upper ridge. The welcoming “fuck-you” sign somewhere low on the ridge:

6323NR-Stuart-Fuckyou-med.jpg

 

At this point, the climbing becomes sweet as a fairytale. I can’t stop thinking that the route is architecturally constructed - perfect holds, awesome views and right exposure.

6323NR-Stuart-gap-med.jpg

 

We simul-climb moving very efficiently, and soon reach a beautiful crack. Pete leading the crack:

6323NR-Stuart-crack1-med.jpg6323NR-Stuart-crack2-med.jpg

 

Right before the sunset we pass two bivy sites and decide to climb farther up - past a knife ridge - to the base of Gendarme. Surprised by no suitable platform at the base of Gendarme, we downclimb back to the bivy sites and spend a chilly night at he ledges. Without sleeping bags, the night seemed long and cold. I count falling stars - four or five. We shiver wanting the night to be over. Finally, the stars slowly fade the first light strikes the sky:

6323NR-Stuart-bivy1-med.jpg

 

Next morning, we decide to skip Gendarme and try the NE face variation - left of Gendarme .The NE Face route starts low down on the east face of the NR where the bottom of the NR starts. The route skirts left the gendarme for 500' exactly as we did. Climbing without beta seems appealing to us. Traverse towards the NE face:

6323NR-Stuart-NEtraverse2-med.jpg

 

We encounter a bunch of loose untouched rock covered with moss and dirt, but get through with no problems. Then comes some awesome 5.7-5.8 climbing. Pete following the best pitch of the day:

6323NR-Stuart-sweetpitch-med.jpg

 

Feeling close victory, we hit the smooth face with a visible crack. Pete is enthusiastic about getting through this slab:

6323NR-Stuart-offwidthcrack2-med.jpg

 

Unfortunately, a perfect crack turns into off-width crack and climbing stops. Our only option is is to go around - on snow (see it on the right of the slab). Pete does one foot postholing - one foot on rock combo lead (wearing rock shoes), I follow fully enjoying his boot tracks.

 

From this tough spot, only minutes separate us from to the summit. On the way up we see a guy

fast-soloing the NR and then Gendarme. Every 5 minutes he screams on the top of his lung “somebody is going to die!!!”. Is it a death wish to the others or hysteria. I am not sure.

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Crampons, ice axe, rope, medium rock rack.

 

Approach Notes:

Ingalls lake,

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i like the authentic english as a second language feel - take that harry pi!

 

nice job, oleg n' pete - but now you gotta go back an do the whole damn ridge like real bastards!

 

you feel like vomiting watching homeboy solo the gendarme?

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As Oleg and I are nearing Ingalls lake I faintly here my name being called from a womans voice. My first thought is I'm day dreaming, woman are haunting me even as I climb. Then the voice calls again and I see a beautiful blonde sunbathing on a rock near the lake. My thoughts run wild, who can this be. My fantasies are crushed as I approach the beauty and recognize that it is Winter's wife Kristin.

 

Hi Kristin, good to see you. What have you been up to? Chris is climbing Ingalls with Jessica, that's cool. Can I get back to my fantasy now.

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Good job on the climb and nice TR! Your variation definitely sounds worth doing, but you gotta go back and do the direct gendarme finish sometime! With a rope, though. I don't know if I'd vomit watching someone solo it, but I'd vomit if I thought too long about soloing it myself.

 

I feel a bit shortchanged, though. I've done the NR several times, and never once have I seen a beautiful blonde sunbathing anywhere along the way. Nice bonus!

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Ahh but DonnV you did happen to see this blonde on the West Ridge of Forbidden. wave.gif
I remember it well. wave.gif She and her partner were glowing like newlyweds. But I distinctly remember that, as attractive and as welcome a sight as she was, she was dressed head to toe in climbing clothes and was definitely not sunbathing!

 

I simply think that Oleg's TR could be enhanced considerably by one or two pictures from this part of their climb.....

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Every 5 minutes he screams on the top of his lung “somebody is going to die!!!”. Is it a death wish to the others or hysteria. I am not sure.

 

that was "you're gonna die, we're all gonna die" followed by a cackle. hard to argue with....

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Every 5 minutes he screams on the top of his lung “somebody is going to die!!!”. Is it a death wish to the others or hysteria. I am not sure.

 

that was "you're gonna die, we're all gonna die" followed by a cackle. hard to argue with....

 

That is the best thing I have heard in a while! Just what you need to hear when your already a bit on edge cause you've been exposed for a few hours! yelrotflmao.gif

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