Dragontail Peak, Backbone Ridge

Fritz · May 12, 2001

I'm planning on doing Backbone on Dragontail and need some beta. How many pitches is it. Becky sez 21, but he's been known to get kind of fuzzy in his discriptions. Select Climbs is calling it 13ish. And what about that offwith. Protected by "questionable chockstones"? How many and how questionable? Will it take #5 Camalots or #3-4 Big Bros?

How about bivi sites? Any big enough to sleep four? And finally, it would really suck to hump axes all the way up that mother. I was told that in June, Aasgard Pass would kick my "Aas" without them on the descent.

May 14, 2001

F-

It's about 8 pitches of 5.6-5.9 and a lot of running belayed 3rd/4th.

The offwidth is nothing to worry about- it's a grunt, yes, but the first part takes #3 to #4 camalots. You'll want a #5 for the middle section, and you can walk it along with you. Higher up the pitch there is other sized (#1 camalot, etc.) gear available on the wall to the left if I remember correctly. The offwidth is a straight in crack in a deep right facing corner.

Don't bother bivying- why carry all that gear? the climb is long but not that hard to do in a day. If you are determined to bivi- it would be possible in several spots below the Fin. But not sure I'd want to bivi in the middle of a rockfall prone face. The Fin is an amazing feature. Expect some routefinding here; there are several options, all of them in the 5.8-9 range. We took a good crack system on the left, then a long exposed crack/ramp across to the right and then up to finish in the chossy third triple couloir.

If Aasgard is snowed up you'll want an axe- it is steep and long with bad runouts. And the snow there seems to always be hard. Also, getting onto Backbone requires crossing a steep snow gully, and the initial descent from the summit is steep although for a only 300 feet. We went in September w/o crampons or axes- what a mistake! The gully getting on the climb was hard snow with rocks below, and the descent off the summit was steep gray ice, also with big rocks 300 feet below. A sharp rock in one hand and nut tool in the other provided a nervewracking but feasible solution to get down, but an axe and crampons would have been worth carrying at that time. In June the snow might be softer but use your own judgement and go prepared as you see fit. This was just my experience. Have fun, it is a nice route.

Jens · May 14, 2001

Great Route-- much better than the serpentine arete.

*Don't Bivy if possible

*The Wide pitch took a big bro (7 inch?) down lower and then offered a few good small gear placements up higher. Try to spot the pitch from down low as some people have gotten lost.

* The fin is a cool feature

* I would bring either crampons and a ski pole or an axe for any time of year. It will be a lot faster that way.

* We did it in 7 pitches and roped up at the base of the wide pitch

mattp · May 14, 2001

I would say that Jens and W got it right - it is a great route, the fin is really cool, and don't worry about the off width. I am not a terrifically gifted off width climber, but I found it no problem to lead that pitch, with a pack on, with no # 4 or #5 Camelot but just a single #11 hex (the pitch is not that steep and, while you may struggle a bit to slither up it, a real fall is unlikely). I climbed the route in the first week of May on an average year and it was mostly dry even then, though we had drinking water en route. However there is one point on which I would differ with the prior postings: If you bivy at the base, you can easily do the climb in a day, but the best descent would not be via Aasgard. Descend from the summit SE, soon traversing S and maybe a little SW to a gully that will take you down to the back to the col at the head of the glacier below the climb (what is this-the Colchuck Glacier?. You can then pick up your camping equipment left at the base of the climb without having to climb to get to it.

May 14, 2001

Matt-

That sounds like the Colchuck Glacier-

but, and maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, if you are advocating camping right at the foot of the route or on the moraine at the foot of the glacier- this is a REALLY BAD idea. More than one person I know has nearly been creamed by rockfall off Dragontail, while on or near the base and the moraine area, including Gary Brill. In fact, check out Jim Nelson's description and warnings about rockfall from the face. Rockfall will especially be a concern in June with melting snow.

If bivying at all, the logical bivi is Colchuck Lake, and both the Aasgard or Colchuck Glacier descents take you through the site on your way back so there is no backtracking or climbing to retrieve gear regardless. However, with a light alpine pack and no bivi gear, the lake is only about 1.5 hours give or take from the car- so with the attendant permit hassles it's just as well to not bother bivying anyway.

Fritz · May 15, 2001

Thanx for the scoop W,JENS and MATTP. I've heard stories of rockfall that has crushed a woman's helmet and killed her and all sorts of other heinous shit that has happened on Dragontail. Thus, to avoid all the nasty projectiles coming down, I was thinking of shlepping up the right side of Colchuck glacier or possibly talus on Colchucks right flank, then crossing left to get on backbone. At least that would limit some of the rockfall hazard on the aproach.

And you guys say it goes at 7-8 pitches? Is that with 50, 60 or 70 meter rope?

philfort · May 15, 2001

And how far apart are the bolts?

May 15, 2001

When you break out of the woods near the south end of Colchuck Lake, into big talus, aim uphill towards Colchuck Peak; when you gain the terminal moraine, follow it's crest until you are right across the snow gully from Backbone. Staying on the crest of the moraine is out of the way of most rockfall. Personally, in four trips up routes on the north face I've never had any rockfall incidents. But yes, stories abound. Party inflicted rockfall is especially common.

[This message has been edited by W (edited 05-15-2001).]

mattp · May 15, 2001

I don't want to sound wreckless, but I would feel quite safe going up there to bivvy on the moraine below the Colchuck Glacier, and its a nice place to camp. You would only be there for six or eight hours prior to the climb - at night in stable weather when the rockfall is at a minimum.

Sure, there have been massive rockfalls from Dragontail - one look at the face will tell you that - but when I have been there the spray zone did not extend very far accross the Colchuck Glacier and a massive event which takes out the moraine can't be considered likely. Look at the picture in the Nelson book and try to imagine what it would take for this to occur. If the extreme rockfall event is a concern, the source could just as easily be Colchuck Peak as Dragontail.

climbwhat · May 16, 2001

Rockfall off Dragontail? its almost zilch. Been up Colchuck and Dragontail Peaks twice in last three weeks. There's almost nothing comming off Dragontail right now, few fist sized rocks, sure they are dangerous. Its brown trowsers time on Asgard pass though, especially the far climbers left. To the two people who post holed down Asgard 7pm Sat with skis on packs (I'd love to hear that story) your tracks were burried in two completely seperate places at 2.00am Sunday morning from a very sporty rock fall, I reckon you heard it from your camp, everyone else around the lake did. One boulder about VW bug size made it from near top of the pass to the last rock pile immediately above yer camp in that clump of trees. We glissaded its track Sunday noon.

Thanks for all the great route info above

pete_a · May 16, 2001

Hey climbwhat,

You sound like the person to get some beta from. I was thinking of going into Colchuck Lake this weekend to do some skiing down the Colchuck glacier, but it sounds like skiing down Asgard is a no-go right now. Is going over Asgard to get to Little Annapurna and some other Enchantment ski destination going to be a hazardous waste of time? Any beta will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Hemlock · May 17, 2001

Ok, Ok, Ok. Back in the early '90's when I used to frequent the Colchuck Lake area, I once saw a garaged-sized (no shit!) block come down between the Serpentine Arete and Backbone Ridge routes. The mf-er seemed to come off from very near the top of that hill and I clearly saw it slam into the talus at the base. Never seen anything like it. Thought we'd have another mass-extinction from all the dust it kicked up. Happily, no one got the chop that time.

To_The_Top · May 17, 2001

Many years ago (12-15)in November I was at colchuck lake during a heinous rainstorm-sleet storm we saw a enormous rockfall that took out a route (not sure, Boving route or just off it)that lasted for five plus minutes with huge boulders that broke up and ended up crashing into the lake, splitting down to the lake and the moraine. It was out of the ten commandments movie. I wasn't a climber yet, but having climbed there since then rockfall hasn't happened.

Once you go around the lake half way you can turn up the talus field and bivy up above by the big boulders in the trees. Skiing the Colchuck glacier would be way easier than Aasgard, but I haven't been there this year. There is a narrow coloir that starts west of the summit across snow field and down, almost joining the col of the Colchuck glacier.

chucK · May 17, 2001

So what's it like up there right now in terms of the rock route? Anybody actually climbed Backbone or Serpentine in the last week or so? Is it still loaded with snow or not? Please feed me beta.

Chuck

Pro_popper · May 25, 2001

We will be on serpentine Sunday May 27th. Our rival dorm team of six will be whizzin backbone and adjacent around the same time. If your planning for that weekend expect to find on-going bullish parties en route.

Pro_popper · May 25, 2001

A party of eight being four teams (some chicks)will be climbing serpentine, backbone and some other routes on may 27. Expect to find lots of whizzin and trashing parties en route if you join in that weekend.

chucK · August 21, 2002

I just brought this up last night with the effortlessly cool one and thought it'd be worthwhile to update this mossy 'ol thread chock full o' beta for an excellent climb.

quote:

Originally posted by mattp:

I am not a terrifically gifted off width climber, but I found it no problem to lead that pitch, with a pack on, with no # 4 or #5 Camelot but just a single #11 hex (the pitch is not that steep and, while you may struggle a bit to slither up it, a real fall is unlikely).

Though I can't tell you for certain (since I did have a #4 AND a #5 Camalot with, which I slid above almost the entire pitch for a virtual toprope), but I would guess [Confused] that I would have been OUT OF MY FREAKIN HEAD WITH FEARS OF SEVERE TRAUMA had I led that thing with only a #11 Hex. Here's to you MattP [big Drink] [smile] .