Ptarmigan Traverse and Dome Peak??

[justclimb]

Does any one have any beta on the gear needed for the Ptarmigan Traverse and/or Dome Peak? I'm planning on bringing crampons and ice ax, but was wondering if a rope, harness and rescue gear (pickets, texas prussik, et) was needed?

We are going as a party of two in mid August and have a fair amount of glacier experience and feel confident on some glaciers without a rope, but I don't want to take too many risks. any advise on part or all of the route would be helpfull.

Thanks Jim

[Lowell_Skoog]

I haven't heard of people having much problem with the glaciers along the traverse, so basic precautions should be fine (i.e. light rope, prussiks). Many of the peaks are class 3, but if you want to climb Mixup, Spire Point or Gunsight you should bring along some chocks and slings. I think Magic is class 3 from the SW but it's class 4 from the NW.

[Juneriver]

None of the glaciers on the route are too serious, though you will have some routefinding through small crevasses. When I went with a team of two we chose to bring a light rope with a single picket each and prussiks.

Ditto on what Lowell said about the peaks with the addition that we were glad to have a rope on Formidable as route finding was somewhat tricky and we were definitely in low-mid 5th class. We also rapped off as it appeared that many had before us.

Spire and Dome were defintely the highlights as far as peaks were concerned (didn't have enough time for Gunsight), with Spider being the only one that I would skip or attempt from the north next time.

[Jim]

I did the traverse a couple of years ago after getting rained out twice before. Personally, I would not consider going without a rope. Crampons are a must for early morning conditions, but I guess you could just time it right otherwise. I rembember stepping over a few crevasses in the fog on the way up to Spider-Formidable col. And there were some Costco-sized crevasses, with recently collapsed bridges on the way up Dome Peak. Good luck.

[justclimb]

Thanks for all the beta. It sounds like we will go with our first instinct and take our 7.8mm rope and light glacier gear.

 

Thanks again

 

Jim

[Ned_Flanders]

I did the traverse in the first week september 2001. Glacier route finding was that much of a problem except getting onto the Le Conte Glacier. There was a 20 foot vertical ice step above a chasm which was necessary to gain the glacier. We luckily brought a tool with us, so that wasnt a big problem, but it would have sucked without it.