[TR] Johannesburg- NE Butt in da quasi-Winta

[ivan]

Climb: Johannesburg-NE Butt in da Winta

 

Date of Climb: 12/21/2005

 

Trip Report:

 

a noble failure

 

made two climbs on j-berg this summer so developed a fascination w/ tryng it in winter - the weather cooperated enough to get oleg and i there but not to finish the job - the drive in was exciting - had to put on chains at mile 15 after losing momentum uphill and sliding a long way back down.

 

slept for a few hours in the freezng cold in the back of the truck friday night before setting out in subfreezng temps and 30 mph winds - the snow arete of the ne butt of j'berg looked absolutely inhospitalbe but what else to do? after eaching the base of the climb we seriously began regretting our decision to just go w/ bivy sacs - spindrift coursed like waterfalls down every gully - the rdge was beng murdered by wnds and the trees looked on the verge of snappng in half. ah well it's not like we're just gonna turn aroudn and drive home again?

 

after wasting some time on the ramp used to acces the lower face in summer we were off - enjoyable climbing to be sure - snow - rock - thin ice - brush - it's all there. the sun sets awful early this time of year though and i found myself leading a most scary pithc w/ no pro usng just thin ce and frozen moss for pics when t became dark. routefinding grew difficult and we didn't make the flat buttress that i'd hoped to. oleg grew grumpy at being dragged through such unpleasant terrain in the dark so i settled on a crazy bivy ledge at the base of a steep short cliff underneath a tree which we lashed ourselves to for the night. the wind ncreased in volence all night and by mornng with a forecast for storms the next day and the obvious realization it was going to take at least 2 mor edays to finish the route and be off we decided to descend. a most excellent time was had trying to link trees and shrubs down the buttress in a tormentng gale- dealing with the endless snags and tree-fucs - but by 3 we were back on the ground and to the car as it grew dark. on the drive home we hit rain and clouds and icestorms in the 'couve so i don't feel lie doublethinking our decision at all - woulda sucked to have been up there n a true tempest!

 

so it looks like we'll be back to settle a score later...

 

the lower part of the route

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

2 screws and a small alpne rac

 

Approach Notes:

not much snow at cascade pass - the cj glacer s dead! road open to mp 20

Edited December 22, 2005 by ivan

[Weekend_Climberz]

Nice job!!

 

It's good you didn't make it to the top though, cause winter doesn't start until 1:35pm or something today.

 

Cheers to a good outing.

[OlegV]

I think, ice is a way to go next time - both up and down. There are obvious uninterupted lines on the slope. This ice is too thin now.

[Marko]

Right on gents, definitely a noble failure! That looks like hard friggin' conditions. And then there's the wind... And bivy sacks...

 

And what's up with the glacier, do the caves go all the way to the mote?

[Dru]

That is quality suffering.

 

Why an alpine axe? Did you go with one of those and one ice tool?

[jmace]

Winter starts today at 135 pm eastern time. If I read your TR correctly you went up on Friday the 17th and came home on the 18th..? Not quite winter

 

Way to get after it though!

[Stefan]

like the last post. It is not winter....

 

but great effort and great pics!

[OlegV]

Why an alpine axe? Did you go with one of those and one ice tool?

 

We each carried an ice axe and an ice tool. I wish, I had 2 tools instead. Felt pretty insecure on ice. Ice axe did help to hook frozen moss and mud, bud in my hands did very little on ice.

[OlegV]

like the last post. It is not winter....

 

sure felt like winter to us - my bivy bag turned into frozen coffin from wind and snow drifts from above. I'm glad we decided to stay partially protected from the wind, and didn't camp in the open space

[ivan]

there's nothing quite like arguing to get your climb classified as a "winter" failure who cares? if we'd finished it then i might argue more enthusiastically - to have completed it and descended safely we'd probably have been gettng off today anyway whch would have been close enough for me!

 

i was happy w/ the 1 axe 1 tool combo meal - my axe deals wth ice pretty well and we were intendng to take the buttress anyway which i didn't suspect would have much steep ice on it.

 

the caves on the cj coulior are freaky - they do indeed go way the hell up the glacier and would serve as interestng bivy stes in heavy rain - though i'm sure the fear of being flushed out by some massive slide event would more than scare me out of them. there's a fantastc bridge above one of the caves right now that i wouldn't dare walk on.

 

thinkng i need to save up to buy a nice bibler - a tent would have made cooking and sleeping much nicer over an extra day or two.

[jmace]

I wasnt arguing I was just confused, as the TR has the climb for Today yet it was 4 days ago, and then the winter comment. No biggie

 

Cheers

[pope]

like the last post. It is not winter....

 

Far too much fuss is made over whether a climb is made during the "official" winter season (as defined by some arbitrary interval of calendar dates). Anybody who got off the couch this weekend knows that conditions in the Cascades were pretty Gol-darned quasi-Arctic, regardless of whether the official winter season has arrived. I think what's more interesting and relevant are the route and weather conditions. During a temperature inversion, for example, it is possible to climb warm and dry south-facing rock at altitude in the middle of the official winter season. It is also possible to find snowy, difficult rock in the middle of a freak summer storm.

 

Nice effort guys.

[Dru]

Well pope, if there was a little snowstorm on you as you were chopping the bolts on Town Crier or whatever at Index, in July, you still wouldn't be able to call it a winter ascent.

 

The rules of the game round here are "it has to be calendar winter to be a winter ascent". You might find "winter conditions" at many times of year but the chest beating must be saved for the times dictated by the Earth's axial tilt.

 

On the other hand in scotland you can apparently break out the tools for classic summer rock routes any time the temperature is below freezing and there is hoar frost or verglas around, even if it's in October or May, but woe betide anyone who dares touch a crampon point or pick to a climb that is "not in condition" even when it is the middle of February.

 

Their standard is subjective. Ours is objective. Ours leads to fewer debates. If you want to claim a winter ascent then climb it in calendar winter. If you just want to climb it and don't care if it is a "real" winter ascent or not then just go for it and keep your trap shut when referring to the possibly wintery nature of the ascent.

[jerseyscum]

The Natl Weather Service forecasters use the term "meteorological winter" which they say starts Dec. 1... They're scientists. On the other hand I suppose conditions in Feb. March, etc., could be substantially different that currently. The first time I saw that mt I nearly puked from fear just trying to imagine a climb of it.

Edited December 22, 2005 by jerseyscum

[MisterMo]

Got to love this place sometimes..........instead raking the shag rug and walking the dog and posting about the Seattle Seahawks or something a coupla fellaz instead go out on the cold icy gloom of Joberg in December for a good effort and a noble amount of suffering and then they come back & put up a nice TR with some cool pix and receive in return..........a bunch of niggling over whether or not it was really winter. Jesus...H...Fucking...Christ

 

BTW OP Nice TR. Cool Effort. Cool Pix

[Dru]

If somebody came in and said they had "onsighted Chain Reaction with one hang" then it wouldn't really be an onsight now, would it?

[ivan]

oleg is russian - in russa winter starts on dec 1 - does that mean oleg can claim a winter failure and i have to stic w/ a fall one?

[Dru]

Tell that to the Poles who put the beat down on Lafaille last year in the Himalaya.

 

Isn't it winter in Siberia like 300 days a year anyhow? So the only ascents worth claiming would be "summer ascents".

Maybe first summer ascent of Multnomah Falls?

[Alex_Mineev]

Good job

nice pics

I am sure you guys will make it next time

[pope]

Got to love this place sometimes....a coupla fellaz ..... put up a nice TR with some cool pix and receive in return..........a bunch of niggling over whether or not it was really winter. J...H...F...C....

 

Yeah, exactly. Few things are more lame than armchair adventure reviews....except maybe armchair adventure reviews offered by a guy with nearly as many posts as the elevation of Mt. Everest. He's probably at this moment preparing an essay arguing that the team would have succeeded if they had chosen to bring modern bent-shaft ice tools with no leashes.

[Dru]

Rules are rules.

[olyclimber]

 

Sweet picture. Nice go at it you guys. You'll get it done next time.

[glassgowkiss]

can someone draw a line where Bebie-Stoddard route goes?

[JoshK]

Winter ascent vs. non-winter ascent - stupidest convo ever. nice way to get out there guys! FWIW, if you did manage to get up to the top you would be granted full rights to bitchslap the shit out of anybody that nit-picked the dates on you.

[Stefan]

Winter ascent vs. non-winter ascent - stupidest convo ever. nice way to get out there guys! FWIW, if you did manage to get up to the top you would be granted full rights to bitchslap the shit out of anybody that nit-picked the dates on you.

 

Go ahead and bitchslap me! I was visiting the zoo and wishin I was in your shoes on the day of your attempt!