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


catbirdseat

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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.

 

2994NWest_Buttress_Route_drawing-med.jpg

 

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. fruit.gif

Edited by catbirdseat
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