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big four


kadyakerbob

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Jason is right about the face being very big. Even though the routes are not technical the whole way, it is pretty big anyway and the descent is not trivial. For the North Rib or the gully just left, there is a good bivvy spot at about one-third height, where the rib itself starts.

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Good eye Klenke, I think you're right. Here is a black & white crop of the top, I think you can just make out the rope. I was checking out the face off and on much of the day, hoping to see climbers, but never realized they were on it.

 

climbers in spindrift

 

Both times I've climbed it the snow turned tricky (powdery or crusted over sugar) up near the top - always the crux for me. As Mat says the descent is also long and difficult - the back side is steep and takes care, then you have to get back down the north bowl, I've always ended up raping by headlamp through the cliffy trees to the west. Quite a relief to be back on flat ground.

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If the two dots in photo taken by climbaround on the 19th, are indeed the climbers, then they did not move much since we last saw them at 3:00 pm on the 18th, suggesting they bivied in the couloir. That is just speculation of course. I am looking forward to a trip report.

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haha, its a small world. I climbed it yesterday with John Cooper aka SmilingWhiteKnuckles I believe. For those of you who where debating the conditions they are great. Get it before it dumbs again. We meet up with Bill and Pete on descent. Descend the face just before the gully which was dumb, but worked out okay. Bill when you read this I have your pocket knife pm your address and I'll mail it to you.

 

a couple photos 2680nearingtop.jpg

 

2680johnrunnel.jpg

 

2680johncrux2.jpg

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All is OK for Bill and me. We had to bivvy Saturday night ~600 from the top. Shivvered for 11 hours in a cave. Started climbing again in the morning and topped out Sunday at noon. Around 3pm on the descent the Snohomish County sherrif's chopper flew over, dropping us a radio. We let them know that we were OK and asked them to call my family back.

 

John and Eric, thanks for the team work on the descent. The last rap over the cliffs in the dark was a spicy finish.

 

Many thanks to the Search and Rescue folks who waited for us near the ice caves and to the Snohomish County sherrif's office for checking on us. All very cool folks.

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If that lower pair is a climbing team, they are going around what we found to be the crux of the couloir. I'm not being critical: depending on conditions, this might well be a sensible option and I have told folks that I thought there was a detour option at that point.

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oh damn we have been outed, there was a protected belay on the left side of the coulior, its amazing how much shit comes down the spindrift coulior when there is a party climbing above you. Plus it seemed a bit contrived to climb a grade 4ish pitch when there is a grade 3ish option still in the same coulior with a better belay half a rope length to the left

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