[TR] Chair Peak- North Face in November 11/1/2006

[scottgg]

Climb: Chair Peak-North Face in November

 

Date of Climb: 11/1/2006

 

Trip Report:

You know the scenario: your milling about the Alpental parking lot, packing up for a nice fall hike, or perhaps a jaunt up one of the local classics: South Face of The Tooth, or Guye Peak’s Improbable Traverse. You shiver from a stiff breeze, which rustles leaves and prompts you to pack an extra layer. Suddenly the first rays of sunlight burst over the hills, painting the east facing hills with a fiery red glow. Chair Peak immediately catches your eye, with its east face covered in early season ice runnels and smears. What would it be like up there, you muse, nice blue ice or powder snow tediously bonded to the rock?

 

Yearning to find out, I set the date for Wenesday, but first I would need a partner…

I foresaw the cynicism that would meet my “Climbing Partners” request, but I asked anyway: Who wants to check out some early season ice on Chair Peak’s North Face? Chris Martin (aka cfire) responded, and begrudgingly agreed to a 3:00am rendezvous at the Albertsons off I-90.

The digital display read 20 degrees at Snoqualmie, and there was a stiff wind out of the north (or was it south?). Our headlamps sparkled brilliantly off the fresh snow, and the icy trail kept out attention until we started up the drainage leading into the basin below our objective. Crampons and tools were soon chewing up the icy slope leading to the base of the Northeast Buttress, and Chris led us around the corner to the base of the left facing corner signifying the start of our route. We saw some solid looking ice at the top of the corner, and patches here and there, but the route was mostly snow and snow-dusted rock. The climbing looked desperate, a far cry from the rolling 70 degree ice that I’d seen before. But Chris tied in anyway, figuring he could get some gear in the corner. I grew nauseous watching him climb: he was doing awesome, but I could tell that it was hard, and the pro was extremely sporty (marginal pins). I was relieved when he finally clipped into the slung chockstone and brought me up. He pronounced the climbing “spicy”, and turned the sharp end over to me.

The next pitch climbed into the ice we saw from below and continued past the ring piton and up to a fixed angle piton. Chris then led a simul-climbing block to just below the summit. This section was mostly moderate firm snow, but the last 25 meters was more challenging mixed climbing, but with good frozen turf sticks.

After tagging the top we down climbed to the south, then made two 60m rappels into the basin and hurried back to the trail. Car by 2:00. Awesome time!

 

 

Gear Notes:

knifeblades

[kurthicks]

Well done gentlemen.

pictures?

[Dr_Flush_Amazing]

 

I like the fuck-the-cynics-go-4-it attitude (especially since I was one of the cynics).

 

Nice work!

 

Did you take any screws with you?

[TeleRoss]

nice

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Nice work, that is awesome. I would love to see the pictures.

[Marko]

Right on Scott, way to sneak one in before the rains. Musta been nice interesting climbing.

[cfire]

I'd love to have pics as well, but seeing as how we both forgot our camera's it can't be so.

 

Great time up there on the face. The ice was anemic, but it made for some excellent mixed climbing. We did take screws and the best piece I placed on the whole climb was a 10mm srew at the base of the first pitch That was the only screw I placed as there wasn't enough ice anywhere else to put one.

 

Fun day and great weather up there.

[Farrgo]

Not that I've done New York Gully but I'd imagine you experienced conditions similar to that climb. Mostly dry climbing, with turf sticks, and if your lucky a little ice.

[pope]

Good for you. You never know what you'll get until you go check it out. I can't tell you how many times I've slopped around in the snow only to encounter total crap. But when you hit good winter climbing, there's nothing quite as rewarding. I'll never forget my first trip to Chair in winter. We were intending to climb the N Face but as we got close it became apparent that wet snow had frozen rock solid. No rain crust, no powder snow over rock, just perfect, hard snow. So we did two or three pitches up the E Face on FANTASTIC plastic snow, where every move offered a solid "thunk" on the first swing. It felt like 5.3 on front points. Then we crossed over and finished on the upper NE face where a 10' vertical ice curtain provided entertaining climbing (we belayed off of screws in solid blue ice). I've never found such favorable conditions since.

[scottgg]

Yep, fun stuff! I'd love to climb the East Face in winter, sounds like some awesome conditions Pope. Its a blast in the summer also, better than the NE Butt. Here are some pictures I dug up...

 

My buddy Aaron in front of Chair Peak a few winters ago. The face looked about the same yesterday, but the east face had a little more ice, while the north face had a little less...

This picture is to show Chris what he was missing by climbing it now Taken during a climb of the North Face two winters ago....

 

Highly recommended early season climb, now who wants to check out the Tooth's East Face?

Edited November 3, 2006 by scottgg