[TR] Chair Peak - NE Buttress 2/9/2006

[catbirdseat]

Climb: Chair Peak -NE Buttress

 

Date of Climb: 2/9/2006

 

Trip Report:

Met Toast, Yesman, Marek, and Atsuko at the P&R in Seattle. After a coffee stop we were on our way to Alpental. In the parking lot, ran into a group of three from Oregon led by KadyakerBob. We were told that at least two others had already hit the trail.

 

Snowshoed in on firm crusts and left unnecessary gear near the Thumb Tack. We followed the bootpath up to the ridge to the right of where it usually goes, but it was fine. Caught up to KadyakerBob's bunch, but gave them their choice of routes. They fell in behind a party of two on the North Face, while we chose to follow a group of two on the NE Buttress (Jim P. and Ben L.). They went to the left on the first pitch while we pretty much stayed on the summer route.

 

Conditions on the route featured a one inch thick rain crust on top of about 8 inches of sugar. Under that there was good ice in places, especially any place that was steep.

 

Protection consisted of a cam, a couple short screws with screamers and a tree branch. A couple of flukes were used in snow higher on the route. The ice bulge was present in its usual place and it provided a belay with full length screws.

 

Descent was via one double rope rap the SE Couloir (a single rope rap would have sufficed). I was a bit dismayed to find that the parties ahead of us had all chosen to rap from a single piece of old faded webbing sticking up out of the snow when a much more easily inspected anchor was present a few feet above.

 

We got together with Bob's group at The Pizza Place in North Bend. A good time was had by all.

 

Gear Notes:

2 flukes, a picket, 2 short screws w/ screamers, two crappy Russian screws (courtesy Marek)

 

Approach Notes:

Follow cat track, but should have taken left onto ski track before its end.

 

In the photo, below, our route is in red and Ben and Jim's route is in green. There is a nice looking line in between someone ought to try.

 

 

Parenthetically, I should mention that I applied for the first time, a trick I learned on CC.com. I wanted to remove some old perlon cordage from a rap anchor, but didn't have a knife. I just used my ice hammer and whacked the cord using the rock as an anvil (rather than another hammer). It only took six blows to cut through it.

Edited February 11, 2006 by catbirdseat

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Nice job, Brian. Did you happen to get any shots?

[Toast]

 

A snow wallow, but fun stuff

[Stuart]

I don't suppose anyone picked up the hand-placed piton at the bottom of the descent route? for return.

Cheers

[catbirdseat]

Hmm, I didn't notice it, but then I wasn't looking for it either.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Nice TR!

 

Quick question: Do you think snowshoes or skis are necessary, or is there a good boot pack going on now?

[Gary_Yngve]

http://uw.cascadeclimbers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14520

 

I think all of Seattle will be up there this weekend.

[Toast]

The trail to the lake will be fine on foot, but you'll want flotation after that.

[catbirdseat]

The crust would be nasty on skis.

[Toast]

Good corn in the afternoon

 

[Dustin_B]

Nice work! Toast - that is how you should be spending your time off, not sitting behind a computer!!!

[kadyakerbob]

wasnt it such a beautiful day! hey guys, my friends and i ended driving all the way to banff!!! it was sick. but defeinetely need more time.

[Toast]

Damn, that's a long ass drive for a weekend

[dbconlin]

Has anyone climbed the NE Butt route and stayed on the ridge for the upper half (instead of veering left onto the face)? If so, how is/was it?

[Toast]

Haven't done it, but I'd guess it'd be covered in a thin veil of verglas and be hard to protect... doesn't sound fun to me. Why not go after something like NY Gulley if you want more of a challenge?