[TR] Forbidden-West Ridge (Late Season Route) 8/13

[cluck]

Climb: Forbidden-West Ridge (Late Season Route)

 

Date of Climb: 8/13/2006

 

Trip Report:

After years of drooling, I finally got up the nerve to have a go at Forbidden's West Ridge. I knew it was late season, but what the hell - an epic is better than staying home on a summer weekend. What a spectacular (and exhausting) climb!

 

Three of us left PDX at 6:00 AM on Saturday to drive up to Marblemount to be denied a permit for Boston Basin. Instead we settled on a dirt bivy on the edge of the permit zone. Not quite as scenic as the basin, but better than the parking lot, I guess:

 

 

Sunday we got an early start and made it to the glacier just as it was getting light. Roping up seemed unnecessary so we just cramponed up to the infamous couloir. After some very serious consideration we decided to forego the nearly snow-free couloir in favor of an alternate approach to the ridge via a fabled 4th class gulley just west of the standard couloir. While I'm certain we made the right choice, the gulley was no picnic. After 60 meters of loose, horrifying, and nearly unprotectable 4th/5th-class climbing the gulley eased back a little for another 80 meters of sandy 3rd class scrambling until we met up with the standard (but now dry) snow couloir.

 

Sandy (and grassy) 3rd class gulley:

 

Another party was struggling on loose choss in the gulley and didn't look to be enjoying themselves:

 

From here it was a simple scramble up to the notch where the fun climbing began. The West Ridge route was spectacular. Solid rock and fairly simple routefinding allowed us to simul climb nearly the whole route. We pitched out the crux section and eventually made it to the summit.

 

 

 

Not wanting to risk an unfamiliar descent down the East Ledges, we decided to downclimb the West Ridge. This was tedious and time consuming, but at least we knew where we were going.

 

Eventually we made it back to the notch and rappelled down to the glacier via 2 double-60-meter-rope rappels and a single-60-meter-rope rappel. The hanging snowfield was shedding huge ice boulders while we rapped so we sprinted accross the glacier as fast as possible. Once back on the granite slabs, it was cruise control back to the car.

 

 

One hellova long day, but it totally ed!

 

Gear Notes:

Had pickets but didn't use em since we skipped the snow couloir.

[Kyle_Flick]

Good job! We passed each other on the last pitch enroute to completing the traverse. It seemed the east ledges and the the west ridge descents took about the same time. Glad you guys had a good time.

[scottgg]

Good pictures, I like the one of jumping across the big gap! Last time I climbed Forbidden I met Jim Nelson and SmilingWhiteKnuckles on top! But I think that would belong in the "Brush with Greatness" thread.

[cluck]

I figured that was you, Kyle. Nice chatting with you. What a wonderful day to be in the alpine!