W Ridge of Prusik beta...

[scheissami]

Hey,

 

Looking to climb the West Ridge of Prusik in a couple of weeks.

-Approach? I know there's a ton of debate regarding the approach, but it seems that Snow Lake would be the best bet for someone who's not been in the area before.

-Access? I'll be going midweek...do I have a chance in hell of a permit?

-Descent? Both Nelson and Beckey say to rap the North face then traverse back to the pass. Beckey shows a 150' rap. Can it be done with single rope raps instead? Reading through some past TRs it sounded like there were plenty of possible rap stations.

-Any general advice for the climb/area?

 

I'd appreciate any input...

Cheers

[DPS]

-I did the Snow Lake approach, it was fine, easy to follow.

-Did it in a day, no need for permits

-We rappelled the North Face in 4 30 meter rappels. We had only a single 60 meter rope. The stations are set up well for this.

-I thought the route finding was a bit tricky.

[scheissami]

Thanks...

 

Any other routes in that area worth doing? 5.7 is probably my max for the alpine right now.

[Alpinfox]

 

There are innumerable "choose your own adventure" routes up in that area. Temple Ridge, etc.

 

Another alternative would be to do the easy hike/scrambles up Little Annapurna and Dragontail. You'd cover lots of ground and get lots of great views.

[MountaingirlBC]

I've done it twice and I prefer to approach from the other side. I just hate the snow lake trail. I assume ur camping since you asked about permits. I'd go in and out Aasgard but if you prefer long and boring over steep & loose take Snow.

 

No idea about last minute permits. Call the ranger station. They're really helpful.

 

Rapping off the N Face is dead easy. Just follow the rainbow of webbing. I think we did it in about 6 raps last time.

 

There's a great camp site at Gnome Tarn just below Prusik. How long are you going for?

 

Here's my tr from a couple months ago. Didn't think we needed another one here: http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/206568/Prusik-Peak-West-Ridge.html

 

Feel free to shoot me a pm if you want more info. I have loads.

[scheissami]

Sweet TR with some absolutely rad pics--I'm stoked!

 

I'm hoping to spend 3 days, 2 nights there, but it all depends on permits. I'm sorry to admit it, but the Beckey guide has too much info for me--it's hard for me to figure out what's worth doing and what's not. I'm sorta depending on Nelson's for quality recs. Temple ridge sounds fun...so does laying around doing absolutely jack shit (except climbing, of course). Any other recs for 5.easy climbs in the area?

 

Any gear recs, or pretty standard?

 

Thanks!

[ericb]

Couple thoughts on gear....don't think we needed the #3 Cam...bring a few medium hexes instead. Also - we climbed on a doubled half rope to save weight...Pitches are short.

 

Gotta dissagree with MountainGirl. Snow lake trail is only steep above Snow Lake...and not loose. Assgard is very loose. If you are going to be up there for a while, perhaps consider dropping a car, going up AG, and out Snowlake for a little change of scenery.

 

There is a Mounties basic trad climb up near there....we ran into a group the bailed on it to do Prussik due to steep snow and no ice axe....can't think of the name of it but I'll get back to you. Agree with your thoughts on Beckey...almost died attempting one of his lesser known routes on Dragontail.

Edited August 19, 2006 by ericb

[mattp]

I you are going to camp at Lake Viviane, which is one of the most beautiful lakes up there and lies right below Prusik Peak, the mileage and elevation gain is the same whether you come in via Aasgard or Snow Lake.

 

You get more high mountain scenery coming over Aasgard, but also more scree and more exposure to the weather if, say, it craps out on you and you head home in storm or something.

[MountaingirlBC]

I was saying that Aasgard is steep and loose and that Snow is long and boring.... not the other way around. Although you do end up doing more elevation on Snow.

[ericb]

Yep...see that now. Sorry for the spray. As far as the other climb up there, I just remembered it....Witches Tower, looks like there are a couple routes...5.4, and 5.7. I've not heard anything about either though.

[Rad]

Last year I buddy and I went up there with a single 50m rope, instead of a 60m rope, in an effort to save weight on the trip. We came up short on several raps and had to set intermediate anchors and do unroped downclimbing to reach rap stations.

 

I'd recommend you take a single 60m rope.

 

Have fun.

 

Rad

[Blake]

generally its a safe bet to assume that frequently done/easier-ish/cascades classic type routes can be rapped with a single 60m. (or stations have been set up by now to allow this)

[ericb]

As far as saving weight with the rope, we used a 60M x 8mm to save weight and doubled it......the climb lended itself to short pitches.

[MountaingirlBC]

i used a 60m both times

[catbirdseat]

Make sure you search for old cc.com trip reports. There are a great many of them. But don't read mine. It has too much information and could ruin your experience.

[G-spotter]

The photo of Fern sending it in wooly mittens contains much more useful beta.

[MountaingirlBC]

Free permits: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16084

[Mike_G]

Yep...see that now. Sorry for the spray. As far as the other climb up there, I just remembered it....Witches Tower, looks like there are a couple routes...5.4, and 5.7. I've not heard anything about either though.

 

We were up there a couple weeks ago and did both Prusik and Witches Tower. Prusik is definitely not to miss! Incredible!

 

As for Witches Tower, here's my two cents:

 

* Longer, but beautiful approach through the upper basin

* A bit tedious to get to the "inside col" mentioned in Beckey's book, but probably less so if you ascend to the snow covered pass west of Lil' Annapurna on easy granite slabs from the east, then contour roughly N or NW to the inside col.

* The 5.7 NW Buttress was unreachable for us because we didn't pack crampons and axe to reach the start (Beckey didn't mention the moderately steep glacier you would need to ascend or descend to get there). We didn't see any other way to reach the base of where the first pitch seemed to be, so that was out...

* There is a 5.8 route on the NE, but the line wasn't terribly obvious from the route description, and we got a bit of a late start, so...

* The option we decided on was the 5.4 West Buttress, but we made up an alternate first pitch (probably about 5.9 or 5.10-) to reach the "80 ft chimney" instead of the 4th or easy 5th scramble.

* The rock is certainly nothing to write home about, but the climb was enjoyable, especially because of its position above the col and the glacier. When you reach the bulbous summit, you feel like you're floating above the whole upper Enchantment Basin with lakes and tarns to the east, Dragontail and ridge to the West, Annapurna to the SE, and Aasgard to the North. Outstanding!

* There is a 3rd class downclimb that spirals around the South side back to the col, so no real need for a rap.

* Chances are probably pretty slim for running into other parties compared to Prusik

 

I would recommend it as an easier climb up there in a different part of the range with incredible views. Enjoy your trip!