Colchuck ,Dragontail and Prussik linkup

[robertm]

With the questionable weather this past weekend a partner and I scaled back our plans in the North Cascades and headed over to Leavenworth for some crag climbing. We left seattle at 4:30 AM and as we pulled over Blewit pass the weather seemed to be holding with only some small sprinkles. We decided that we would head up the standard Colchuck route since neither of us had done it. We left the car at around 7:30 AM and and were on top around 11:00 AM. It was snowing a bit here and there but not too bad so we decided to traverse over to Dragontail up the West ridge past pandoras box. There was a gully that went up to the ridge crest and then we scrambled along the "dragonstail" on some superb scrambling rock. We continued along the crest until we hit the summit of Dragontail around 1pm. I realized I had forgotten my food so we had to ration the 4 gu packets and a handful of coffee nips that Mark had along. We tanked up on water and started looking towards Prussik peak which had just poked out of the clouds. We had brought about 120 feet of 8 mil rope and a set of stoppers, some shoulder lengths, yellow tcu, and a #1 camalot so we had plenty of gear for the west ridge. We left the summit of dragontail around 1:30 PM and glissaded into the enchantments and were at the base of Prussik around 3:30 PM. We simul climbed in our hiking boots up to the 5.7 slab and set up a belay... that was a bit tricky but found you could reach out and grab an arete on your right for balance and a semi-lieback. We finished up on the ridge crest avoiding the chimney finish and were on top at 4:30 PM. Rappeling with a short rope didn't turn out to be too big of a deal. We set up one extra rappel and did some downclimbing but in general it worked out OK. It took us about a hour to get down. We left Prussik Pass at 6PM and got to the car at 10PM. The crux of the day was the drive back over Stevens pass in a downpour and fog as thick as soup. All in all a great day in the mountains. I strongly reccomend the traverse from Colchuck over to Dragontail along the "spine"... fun and interesting 4th class scrambling.

 

Here are the pictures from the climb:

Colchuck_Dragontail_Prussik

[Jim]

Bravo! Something different, I like that.

[erik]

nice work robert....soundz like you were busy saturday....while i was lounging around sippin bourbon and thinkin of all the hard routes that i want to do.

 

then specialed told me we still had to go climbing that day!!!! i love wa pass, the alpine crag......baby hikes rule!!!!!

so does granite cracks and o/w's!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cpt.Caveman]

Cool.

 

Juan didn't you do a cool linkup via the Serpentine Ridge and W R Prusik last fall?

[Bug]

Jealous I am. But my 4 & 6 yrold daughters learned to ride their bikes without training wheels that day. I really want to do that traverse though. Thanks for the inspiration.

[joekania]

Cool report and route. I liked the pics.

[nerdom]

lucky bastard. I am always envious, being an east coaster, when I read the great TR's and see cool pics like yours! My once a year trip out your way just doesn't cut it! Be out there next week to do the Fuhrer Finger and N. Ridge of Baker!

[mtngrrrl]

Great TR and photos! I'm headed up there this weekend, so I'm grateful for the condition update.

 

Thanks!

[Lambone]

Hey, I was wondering if anybody knows what the gully on the west side of Dragontail, the one that robertm describes that goes up from Colchuck Col, would be like around now?

 

Does it melt out, or will it be ice?

[Beck]

there was no snow in that gully as of two weeks ago, just choss, if you're talkin' about the obvious gully up from Colchuck Col on W side of Dragontail

[Lambone]

yeah totaly, I been dreamin up a plan to do the NE But of Colchuck then traverse over Dragontail to Prusik...It'd be cool to leave the ice shit at home...

 

Anythoughts on this? would it be stupid to go w/o crmpons + axe?

[Cpt.Caveman]

Often the galcier is damn icy this time of year..

 

May be best to go up Aasgard or something.

 

[ 10-24-2002, 08:58 AM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[mattp]

Here is the "glacier of death," viewed from Icicle Creek last saturday, October 19:

 

[mattp]

Here is the "glacier of death," viewed from Icicle Creek last saturday, October 19:

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

Are you stuttering matt

[Lambone]

Yeah thanks, hoping to avoid that glacier at all costs and stick to the rock. Beck gave me the key info, I guess I'm just wondering if you need 'poons and axe to get down of the back side of the dragon to asgard...

 

[ 10-24-2002, 10:01 AM: Message edited by: Lambone ]

[Kyle_Flick]

Lambone, To get onto the rock of the NE Buttress of Colchuck, you'll need crampons because you're crossing a lobe of the glacier. Descending off of Dragontail's backside snowfield you'll need ax and crampons. Might be too much to do in a day though, if you're considering Prusik and returning to the car within 24 hours.

[Lambone]

damn...thanks kyle, were gunna bivi.

[JoshK]

Hey Lambone, Dave and I were on both the colchuck glacier and the snow creek glacier when we did serpintine this past weekend. The colchuck is *very* icy. I only brought aluminum crampons and a 9oz all aluminum axe and it wouldnm't have been fun to have to ascend it.

 

As for the snow creek glacier on the other side of dragontail, it was very hard snow with little bits of ice. It is much less steep however and we walked down it with crampons but no axes. It is fairly low-drama.

[Bronco]

Way to get after it Rob! Some of those photo's are excellent, but your partner looks grumpy in most of them. Did you make him carry the beer or something?

 

Good call going east of the crest, that weather you saw on Stevens was in the mountains around here all day Saturday.

[Lambone]

Robs post was from July Bronco

[Bronco]

I thought it looked familiar. I need some more coffee!

[dbb]

Bone-

 

I was thinking about this sort of linkup when we headed in to do colchuck's NE butt 2 weeks ago. I think it would totally go without crampons or an axe with the right conditions. The glacier section to get to the base of the NE butt is relatively flat (15 degrees?) and short.

 

Then again, if you brought tennis shoes and some lightweight crampons, you'd probably be better off than with heavier boots and no crampons...

 

I bet you could have a really fun glissde down dragontail's backside (up to july) with a rock in hand.

[Lambone]

the thought of tennis shoes now is making my toes cold!

 

[ 10-24-2002, 11:04 AM: Message edited by: Lambone ]

[mattp]

I agree with dbb - you probably could scratch your way accross the ice without crampons, but they don't weigh all that much and I'd be inclined to bring them.