Adams Glacier

[climbing4fun2000]

I am considering climbing Adams Glacier next year and I am receiving conflicting information. A climb guide says angles are up to 55-60 degrees, a climb report I read recently says average of 35-45 degrees. Which one is more accurate? What type of gear would you consider minumum? On a difficulty scale of St. Helens to Yocum Ridge, how would you rate Adams Glacier (maybe 1-10 would be easier)? I am sure the climb is a great one I'm just wondering if it is over my ability. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[mattp]

Early in the season, the Adams Glacier is a very easy climb but it is an icefall so watch out for holes and consider that seracs topple over sometimes. While it may feel like 55-60 degrees, glaciers just don't hang at that angle and neither do volcano's (I bet you would have difficulty finding any terrain on any of the Washington volcanos that is truly 55-60 degrees for more than a few hundred feet - even the Willis Wall on Mt. Rainier. These slag heaps just can't stand up. You could run into a blocking crevass that requires you to climb 55 degree ice but unless you went later in the season, I would be very surprised.

[Alex]

If you are doing the climb at a reasonable time of year, you can expect short sectios up to 45 degrees, snow and ice.

Minimum gear is minimum gear for any glaciated route: ice axe, crampons, anchors and the means to extract yourself from a big hole.

Difficulty on a scale of St Helens to Yocum Ridge is 5.St Helensd, not 5.Yocuma, or on a scale of 1-10, I found this route around a 4.

Thanks, Alex

 

[philfort]

Alex, your last sentence makes no sense whatsoever. Did you have a seizure while typing?

[Fairweather]

I last climbed the Adams Glacier in July 1984. I would put it on a par with Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier, or just slightly more difficult when it isn't broken up...ie: before August. This route doesn't have that "big mountain" feel that Rainier has. Remember also though that you may have this route to yourself unlike Rainier/Emmons Glacier. We took one extra tool between the two of us (didn't use it) and one screw (didn't use it) and one picket (didn't use it) but I wouldn't suggest leaving these items behind. Especially later in the season. We decended the North Ridge.

[Alpine_Tom]

I did it (with Alex) a few weeks ago, and was surprised by how quick it seemed to go. In my opinion, it's certainly more interesting than the Emmonds route. The Emmonds route just goes on and on and on... You'll need boots that you can frontpoint in. We just used ice axes, but I would have felt more comfortable with a 2nd tool.

Adams Glacier trip report

I did this climb with Alex Krawarik, June 30-July 1.

Conditions are just about perfect, but will probably be deteriorating soon.

A lot of people have been doing this route; a woman we ran into at the camp said that about eight climbers were on it on Saturday, including a couple of climbers we saw topping out around 2:00 PM. We only saw one other party of two on Sunday.

We got to the Killen Creek trailhead around 11:00, and arrived at High Camp in about 2.5 hrs. The trail was snowfree until after the PC trail, and even then snow was only in patches. There is a huge number of campsites scattered around; probably a hundred people could be camped around there without impacting each other much (unless you’re like that bunch that was there hollering and shouting until midnight.)

Interestingly, we ran into John Burroughs, the president of Cascade Designs, on Sunday, and he said that the Divide Creek trail starts higher and is a bit shorter access to the High Camp. The map appears to bear this out; I don’t know why everyone directs climbers to the Killen Creek trail.

We left camp around 4:30 AM Sunday (Canada Day!) and were at the base of the climb in about an hour. The approach is pretty obvious, and there were boot tracks to follow, but there are a number of open crevasses on the approach; it might have the most objective danger on the climb.

The glacier itself was in very good shape, very hard snow, icy towards the top. It’s a fairly constant 30-35 degree angle most of the way. It was easy to get around the obstacles on the way up. At the top are a couple of big crevasses, including a very impressive bergschrund with a 15’ thick snow bridge, but once that goes, the finish is going to be a challenge. Also, towards the top things are pretty icy, since it gets the afternoon sun there.

Thanks to whoever those guys were who were on the route so late on Saturday; they left nice deep steps in the upper part of the route, which made things much easier for us.

 

We topped out in around 6 hours; since it was my first time on Adams, I insisted on slogging the last half-mile or so to the true summit.

 

Equipment notes: I wore my leathers and hinged crampons, which are totally unsuitable for this sort of route. In fact, I managed to get one crampon twisted sideways on my boot while sidestepping on the hard surface, something I’ve never had happen before. Alex had no problems at all with his plastic boots and aluminum crampons.

We roped up, but didn’t set any pro. We just used ice axes; a second tool might have been convenient if you’re a worrier like me.

 

We descended the North Ridge, which is in (comparatively) good shape. A number of parties had climbed it this weekend, including one group we met near the summit who’d come in to do the Lava Glacier headwall, but decided it was in bad shape (it looked pretty bad.) The N. Ridge seemed pretty twisty and crumbly, with plenty of exposure, where a slip on a loose bit of rock (and there's a LOT of loose rock!) could send you on a really long ride down onto the Lava Glacier. The route didn’t look very appealing to me, but Alex thought it might be worth doing, and there were sure a lot of people on it. Start VERY early, when everything is still frozen in place.

There are several campsites near the bottom of the N. Ridge, it’d be worthwhile camping there to save some time. We descended with one party of three who’d camped at the bottom of the ridge, and they made the summit in 3 1/2 hours.

 

 

[This message has been edited by Alpine Tom (edited 07-02-2001).]

 

I pasted the trip report from an earlier cached version of the board for purposes of filing in the Trip Report Index on 2-4-04. --Off White

 

 

Edited February 4, 2004 by Off_White

[haireball]

just did this route this weekend - late season conditions = firm neve, easy cramponing and tooling up to a maximum slope of about 45'. contrary to popular practice, I like late-season glacier climbing -- I can see the crevasses! On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 5 or 6. If your navigational skills are sound, the climbing is not difficult. we flat-footed all but the steepest bits, with only an ice-axe each for hand tool. Advise carrying screws and pickets for short-roping / simulclimbing, unless you and your partners are absolutely certain you can (and have practiced to verify that certainty) catch a falling partner on just your points. It's a great route - have fun!