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Nightmare Needles


gyselinck

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I was more thinking the stuff on McClellan Peak, like Little Snowpatch, Fire Spire, Fire Wall, Nocturne Tower, Fantasia Tower, Cynical Pinnacle, those things. Nobody wouldn't happen to have a distant picture of any of them would they, or have been there? Theres just a sketch in the Beckey. Looks kind of like an interesting area to check out.

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Dave Stutzman and I did a traverse of the Nightmare needles back in 1980. Some very good climbing. We thought it was one of the longer ridges to traverse but it doesn't have the commitment factor. You can escape off in many places. FYI we were climbing the ridge when Mt. St. Helens blew its top.

Bob Plumb

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A friend climbed in Nightmare Needles for three days many years ago. He said it got real confusing going up the gulleys and trying to figure out just were they were - mostly short fun climbs but losts of work approaching them. He doesn't lurk on this forum but I could forward specific questions to him.

 

Off topic - I gained a new respect for old Fred and crew when we tried the Flagpole and got spanked. And Plumbbob's comments about being on the Needles when Helens blew hit home - I was on Triple Couloir and the whole frikkin' mtn avied below us. Didn't feel anything but it was too much of a coincidence.

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When Freeman and I tried the Flagpole several years ago, we found the approach, as described in Nelson, intimidating and exposed, not to mention the need to girthhitch the Flagpole's small hangers/bolts. On a second try on the flagpole, friends and I descended off the flagpole and climbed Annapurna. We found the south face of Annapurna to be a mellow two to three pitch climb. You could rap off Annapurna and climb to the base of the Flagpole from the west side. Not sure what to rate the climbing up to the flagpole from that side as I've only rapped it.

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