Cassin Ridge 2006

[sobo]

[Kraken]

I've heard that there are very few good bivy spots on the Cassin too.

[W]

Sobo- Thanks, I am not very savvy with the photo posting codes. If I wanted the images to appear in the post, would I just re- edit my post and reference the URL of the attachment then, correct?

 

Re: bivis...while there are some stretches absent of good bivi sites, when the sites appear they are plenty comfortable and require very little chopping or digging. Cassin Ledge is tight but flat and has a good anchor. At the top of the knife edge ridge at the hanging glacier is the best bivi on the route, a huge, flat, protected area where it is safe to unrope; we didn't camp here as it was only a few hours out of from Cassin Ledge. Between the first and second rock band are chopped bivi possibilities, but not very much work required.Some decent boulders and cliff features exist in the 2nd rock band that would offer some protection. Upon reaching the end of the technical difficulties at 16,700, there are infinite places to find a level site from here to the top, but indeed, nothing offering any decent protection from storms.

[OlegV]

Thanks, W. Did you guys haul the packs over rock bands? How much weight did you carry? I heard, people use very little rock gear on Cassin.

[Chad_A]

Oleg-

You crazy man, you.

 

I'm going to Peru first to cut my teeth on other-than-Cascadian turf before taking a hack at that one. You're welcome to come along

 

Good luck to you, if you go, though I'd never be a naysayer and tell you that you couldn't do it.

[OlegV]

I'm going to Peru first to cut my teeth on other-than-Cascadian turf before taking a hack at that one. You're welcome to come along

???

 

Thanks Chad, when are you going to Peru? December is the best time, I heard. Do you have a partner?

[sobo]

I think I can just barely see Simpson's crevasse on the left there...

 

W:

Mostly correct. After you attach the photo and post your post, go back and click on the attachment to open the photo, then right-click on it and select "Copy Image Location" from the drop down menu to store it into your buffer. Then edit your post and select the "Image" UBB code to paste the URL into it, then re-post. That's it in a nutshell.

[W]

Thanks, W. Did you guys haul the packs over rock bands? How much weight did you carry? I heard, people use very little rock gear on Cassin.

 

We never hauled on the route. Packs weighed about 25#/each at the start. Every pitch led easily with the packs, except maybe the one pictured in photo number 1 above- I considered leaving my pack before leading it but the terrain, as you can see, is blocky and would've been very catchy on the pack- as well, there was some loose rock here.

Not much rock gear is needed- half set of stoppers and maybe 3-4 cams up to 2". No pitons. Most tech climbing takes screws, although both pitches pictured above were entirely rock pro only.

 

again Sobo for the help

[OlegV]

Not much rock gear is needed- Most tech climbing takes screws,

 

That's what I thought - the Cassin is mostly ice and snow route. I am debating whether to go in May or in June. June may have better weather, May is less ice.

[Kraken]

25 pounds huh? I suppose then you came back down into the Northwest fork and didn't descend the Buttress? How many days? How much food did you bring, what is the crux?

[OlegV]

Speed ascent - is a way to do the Cassin!

[W]

25 pounds huh? I suppose then you came back down into the Northwest fork and didn't descend the Buttress? How many days? How much food did you bring, what is the crux?

 

3 days from the bergschrund to the summit, approximately half of which was spent in bivouacs sleeping and eating. The weather was so good it made for a very chill, very enjoyable experience, with no sleep deprivation required.

We actually started out for the route from Kahiltna basecamp, to which we had returned after acclimatizing on the w. buttress, and we left there with 3 1/2 days food and 5 fuel, and most importantly- under clear skies and a very good forecast. The 25 pounds did not include rope and rack, it was the dead weight on our backs as we began climbing the Japanese couloir. The packs felt very friendly, and also this weight did include the lightweight MSR snowshoes which we used (and appreciated having) up the NE fork the previous night. The crux as noted above was the second pitch above Cassin Ledge, in my opinion. Each of the two rock bands had a fairly definitive crux pitch but again, nothing on the route extended beyond 5.fun.

[OlegV]

Maybe you mentioned already, did you climb Cassin in May or in June?

[W]

Late June. It was good then (2000), but take note that in the past several seasons it has been abnormally warm and many faces and gullies below 14,000 feet in the Alaska Range have started to show the results- lots of melt out, running water, and increased rockfall. This year the route saw many ascents from late May to mid June.