[TR] Mount Torment- South Ridge 8/20/2005

[denalidevo]

Climb: Mount Torment-South Ridge

 

Date of Climb: 8/20/2005

 

Trip Report:

This weekend I went to the North Cascades with Winslow Gregory Gerrish, his friend Shawn, and Kurt to attempt the Torment-Forbidden traverse. Friday night we slept at the Boston Basin trailhead. Shortly after arriving, Kurt noticed the left-rear tire on Greg's Subaru was flat, so Greg changed it out with the podunk wimpy spare.

 

Saturday morning we hit the trail at 7:20 am and made base of the Taboo Glacier in 3 hours. Getting onto the glacier was a bit tricky, involving a 10-foot ice climb to the glacier proper. We then traversed the glacier to the hidden gully leading to the South Ridge Climb. Scrambling up the gully, Greg followed the wrong chimney and got stranded. Shawn eventually lowered a rope and he was able to climb the rest of the way to the notch at the base of the South Ridge.

 

The route started right off with a few mid-5th moves; the rest was a mix of 4th, low 5th and 3rd class, with the occasional loose rock and scarce pro. Greg and Shawn led out; Kurt and I followed, simul-climbing most pitches on a 60M half rope doubled to 30M. We climbed cautiously and didn't move particularly fast. Difficulties in routefinding also slowed our progress. Greg and Shawn were a ways ahead but waited on a ledge just before the 3rd class section leading to the notch in the South Ridge. We continued on roped and, passing through the notch onto the South East face, found easy but insecure 3rd class climbing to summit.

 

We summited around 6:30 pm. At this point, we realized we weren't going to make the bivy on the ridge before nightfall and decided to rap the SE face back to the Taboo and camp in the basin. We started our descent around 7 pm. Five raps (and over 3 hours) later, we reached the glacier well after dark, and spent another hour wandering around crevasses looking for an easy exit. We eventually found ourselves back at the same spot we had climbed onto the glacier Saturday morning. I downclimbed on belay, followed by Kurt and Shawn; Greg descended solo.

 

After locating some (almost, but-not-quite) flat bivy spots on the slabs below the Taboo, we ate a quick dinner and fell asleep somewhere between 1:30 and 2 am. "Long day" doesn't describe it.

 

Sunday we were up at 7 am and hiked back to Forbidden camp where we dumped our packs and scrambled up to a view of Sahale and Sharkfin tower. Then we left Boston Basin, arriving at the car at 11:30 am.

 

On the ride out we stopped and had some awesome burgers at Marblemount Good Food. I was home by 4 pm.

 

Gear Notes:

Nuts, sm. - med. tricams, camalots .5-2, ice axe, second tool, crampons, 8mm X 60M half ropes.

 

Approach Notes:

Boston Basin, Taboo Glacier. The moat was still passable - necessary to traverse far right to cross the 'schrund and gain the upper snowfield. Then an easy traverse left to the hidden couloir. We rapped off the SE face into the moat, but were able to gain the upper snowfield with a little pendulum action. Not sure how much longer this approach will be doable. The Torment Basin side looked considerably better.

[Phil K]

Howdja like that moat at the base of the SE face? Is my stuck climbing rope still in evidence?

[denalidevo]

We did the last two rap's in the dark, so didn't see evidence of a rope.

[Juan]

This sound somewhat familiar, though Dan Smith and I left the car at 8:30 and summitted Torment at 4:30. Similar non-blistering pace. Oh to be human.

 

Sharp

[Alex]

That sounds "strangely familiar"!

 

http://www.mountainwerks.org/alexk/climb/TRTorment.htm

[jport]

We went two summers ago and found the schrund easily-passable. However, we began the climbing up an unknown gulley/ramp. Still not sure that we were on route. Seeing all the abandoned slings, it looks like every square inch of that side has been climbed. Nonetheless, it was entertaining and awesome climbing!

 

Thanks for the route description. It will be helpful the next time I'm up there.