[TR] Lane Peak- Zipper (attempt) 11/25/2005

[Alex_Mineev]

Climb: Lane Peak-Zipper (attempt)

 

Date of Climb: 11/25/2005

 

Trip Report:

Eiji and I decided to checkout the Lane peak. Since there was lots of snow in previous weeks we thought at least the Fly would be in. We left Narada Falls parking lot before 10am. Although I brought snowshoes we kicked snow on the parking lot - it seemed strong enough so we did not take them. We climbed directly up to the Stevens Canyon road in waist deep wet snow. After descending to the valley Eiji followed GPS since we were in whiteout and did not see farther than few trees ahead. We crossed the clear area mentioned somewhere as a good camping spot and in few minutes entered snow covered boulder field where each of us plunged into holes up to the neck few times. Few minutes after noon we finally reached the slope at the base of the Lane peak. Lovers Lane was bare wet rock. We kept going up staying mostly on hardcrust of avy debri. Entrance of the Zipper looked good and we could not see far into the Fly because of whiteout, so we decided to give the Zipper a try. We climbed below the first rock step. It looked wet and slippery. The snow would not hold pickets anyway and we did not feel too exposed so we decided to proceed unroped for a while. We drytooled the first step. Then was some not-so-steep snow over wet rock towards the second and third rock steps, which we also drytooled. Cleaning dirt ice and moss from cracks for pick placements took some time, but overall climbing felt terrific At the top of the third short step we could see the exit of the Zipper which was a cascade of 3-4 steep steps of rock with almost no snow on them. The Zipper at this point forks and there is a 50 degree couloir going up and to the right. Exiting the Zipper safely would take us another couple hours and it was already 1pm and Eiji had to be at home early and we did not want to downclimb what we just climbed so we decided to checkout where the right couloir ends. Another hundred feet of fun steep climbing and another vertical step at the top. After spending few minutes to figure out the awkward move we reached a little notch with a couple trees from which we could rappel into the Fly. Two rappels and we got in the Fly couloir. While Eiji was doing the second rappel the Fly released a small slide, which made us run down very quickly.

 

Lovers Lane is bare rock.

Zipper is fun and spicy, regret we did not have more time to finish it properly.

Fly is in, thick snow.

 

Gear Notes:

Take something for floatation. Otherwise you'll waste a lot of precious time on approach.

[Greta]

Take something for floatation. Otherwise you'll waste a lot of precious time on approach.

 

Would skis be sufficient? Any potential turns to be made up there? Safely.

[cluck]

Nice! I love goofing around on the NF of Lane. I hope to make it back again this year. Thanks for the update on conditions.

[Alex_Mineev]

Skis, snowshoes would work

[OlegV]

Great job on loose snow, Alex and Eiji!

[Arc]

Ditto!!!!!!!!!