[TR] Guye Peak- South Gully 2/19/2006

[cook]

Climb: Guye Peak-South Gully

 

Date of Climb: 2/19/2006

 

Trip Report:

The weather was so good this weekend, I arranged to come into work late on sunday and try the South Gully on Guye Peak. I've wanted to get up this route since last december when vraddict and I tried to climb it in the fog on the shortest day of the year.

 

I left the Alpental lot at 6:45am and hiked back down the road and up near Sahale ski club slope and around to the south side of Guye. The Gully begins above a large snow slope piled with avalanche debris.

 

The route was so different from last year, all the wet loose rock steps were covered with excellent hard snow, so the going was fast and easy. Last winter, we even had to climb a log in the gully.

 

The climbing was just steep enough to be fun, but never hard or scary. Once out of the gully, I continued up, dodging exposed rock steps to the south summit.

 

This was my first time on top of Guye in the wither and the summit area is too cool. I traversed north over the main summit and other sub summits. The short rock step before the final summit was dodgy 4th class slab covered with wet snow. I tried to climb this, but couldn't get a stick with my tool in the snow and ended up dropping down the gully to my right 25 feet and going back up, which was easy.

 

From there it was shin deep sinking without gaiters back to my racecar and by 10:30am I was back in the rental shop.

 

 

Guye Peak's West Face

Start of Snow Gully

 

 

Upper south side

 

Looking back from near the summit

 

Summit area

 

Chair and friends

 

Maybe vraddict will post a few photos from last year?

 

Gear Notes:

Crampons and one tool

 

Approach Notes:

No snowshoes!

[gyselinck]

Glad to see your gettin' out. Nice pictures Matt, beautiful area.

[cook]

Thanks craig, same to you man!

[olyclimber]

I give this TR three yodas.

[catbirdseat]

Cook, would you clarify something for me? Is this gully just to the right of the South Spur?

[spicoli11]

Could you ski/board back down the way you came up if conditions were right?

[cook]

The gully is to the right of what the Beckey guide calls the south rib (right hand skyline when looking at the west face). When in the gully you have the rib on your left and what I suppose is the south spur on the right.

 

Spicoli, I think its skiable, but there is exposed rock and lots of trees. I couldn't ski it because I suck.

 

This looks skiable too. Located on the east side and descending into commonwealth basin. It ends near the summit just between the northern-most two summits. This spot used to be marked by tons of old rap webbing on a tree, but someone took it this summer.

 

Thanks for the yodas Oly.