Shuksan, N. Face trip report 10.24.02

[TexWood]

Completed the Hanging Glacier and N. face on 10.24.02. Decided to skip the summit scramble in favor of begining descent in daylight. Route is in solid grade IV condition. Routefinding through hanging glacier is time consiming but not difficult. Ice is hard, often dinner plating with scattered patches of lovely styrofaom. Descended via. White Salmon glacier is unnerving with more hard dinnerplating, freeze-thaw water ice, and wide crevasses, but is easily passable. No rappel was neccesary to gain the Upper Curtis Glacier Below Hell's Highway. Brush is thick, wet, and at times frozen and slippery. A thrill both ways. Overall, An ecxellent late October climb.

[Jarred_Jackman]

Way to go, I'm jealous. I climbed that route in June, but it sounds like it's a totally different and still awesome route this time of year.

[Climzalot]

Tex, forgive me for my ignorance but which route did you climb? The North Face or the Hanging Glacier? And what do you mean by solid Grade IV condition. Are you referring to the water or alpine ice rating of the climbing difficulties encountered or the commitment level of the climb this time of year. I am asking because I am considering the North Face in the next few days an would love some current info. Nice work on the route and thanks for the info.

 

cgentzel@aai.cc

[TexWood]

Hopping to clear up yr questions. Ide never been on the mountain before and used the words "Hanging Glacier/North Face" because I thought it would be clear. We followed the route as described by Nelson in Selected. We entered the N. Face at the snout of the Hanging glacier, weaving up through the glacier and some fourth class rock to gain the upper basin/plateau.

was referring to the qualities of the ice, and the condition of the glacier/route and approach/descent for this time of year, or its overall difficulty.

The angle of slope is mostly 40-50 ice, with short moves on steeper ice to negotiate the cracks, or "alpine" ice 2-3

[TexWood]

Meant to post Rack beta too. Took six screws(med and long), six pins, (2 blades, 2boogs, 2angles), and four med/lg nuts.GEAR PLACED: We ran belays all the way, about three screws/ropelength, and belayed one pitch on rock around the upper icefall. We used all the screws, and place one #3boog and one #5 Metolious nut. Enjoy.

[Dru]

Boogs? You mean like Bugaboos?

 

I understood Hanging Glacier to be the thing above and right of of the NW arete with the big scary serac dropping ice down to the head of White Salmon valley. Did you start at start of NW arete and go up thrugh the rocks to gain N face or just do regular N face start traversing left from bivy knoll to snow/ice at bottom of N face then up and right below the ice bulge to the gully and out on the crest?

[philfort]

Perhaps he traversed just below the Price glacier, then up the rocks near the Labour Day route, before ascending Winnie's Slide to the NW couloir. You know, like it says in Nelson.

[mattp]

Tex -

The confusion stems from the fact that the "Hanging Glacier" is about a half mile southwest of what is called the "North Face." The so-called "North Face" is really the NNE face of the mountain, and the "Hanging Glacier" does not descend this face but starts due north of the summit and flows northwestward dropping off a cliff overlooking White Salmon Creek. To add to the confusion, this "Hanging Glacier" is marked as "Winnies Slide" on the 7 1/2 minute map but the actual Winnies Slide is in fact on the upper White Salmon Glacier, yet another 1/2 mile southwest of this point. There is an unnamed hanging glacier on the North Face, and that body of ice is what you are referring to in your description of your trip, is it not?

[Dru]

quote:

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Originally posted by philfort:

Perhaps he traversed just below the Price glacier, then up the rocks near the Labour Day route, before ascending Winnie's Slide to the NW couloir. You know, like it says in Nelson.

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Sounds like an ascent of Beckey's obvious descent gully

[texplorer]

There's only room for one 'Tex' on this board! This guys nickname should be 'Wood' or something. . . Because and the original Tex -the texplorer!!!!!

Eat