Joffre Enchainment

[rayborbon]

Hello,

Has anyone done this cool looking linkup? If so how long did it take. I am also interested in any beta on these peaks Matier, Rex's Pillar and Joffre.

[jhamaker]

Looking to go up there soon, all pks look fun.

Matier is a walk-up, at least in the winter.

[rayborbon]

jhamaker,

if you go before me let me know how the conditions were.

[mattp]

Joffre and Matier are most easily climbed from the col between them (Joffre via the "aussie gully" and Matier via the standard -- NE? -- ridge. Both are short climbs form the col, which is most easily approached via Cerise Creek in something like 4 hrs for a moderately fit climber carrying a day pack. Rex's Piller is maybe a mile away, down the Matier Glacier, and another relatively short and easy climb from there, or a longer but still technically easy climb can be made on the Stonecrop Glacier from the upper Joffre Lake. For the "Enchainment" (there are one or two peaks between Rex's Piller and Matier), you could approach via Joffre Lakes, climb the Stonecrop, drop to Matier Glacier, and head to the col. Then you'd be descending the more popular and easier Cerise Creek approach, with a hut waiting for you an hour down from the col.

[rayborbon]

Matt have you climbed this enchainment? How long did it take if so? Also what would you think a cool bivy could be done there before climbing Matier?

[ 04-10-2002: Message edited by: rayborbon ]

[mattp]

I haven't done the enchainment, but I've been up there skiing quite a bit. I've climbed and skied Slalok (Rex's Piller) as a day trip twice, and it took maybe eight or ten hours. I've climbed and skied Matier from the hut a couple of times (it's an easy half day trip from there and the hut itself is not more than two hours from the car if you have a light pack). So I would guess that you could do all three in a day, but if you are like me and you like camping I'd get a head start on the trip and go up to Joffre Lakes (the upper lake) the night before and do the trip from there. But the lake is only two or three hours from the car (probably forty five minutes for some of the guys who lurk but rarely post on this site) and lots of guys would not think that worth it. The upper portion of the Joffre Glacier (above the icefall) is flat, and you could find a nice place to dig a hole and bed down if you wanted to watch the sunset from somewhere up high.

[rayborbon]

Cool thanks matt. I dont care about the robot climbing ninja lurkers I'll take some whiskey if I go.

How about those climbs on the NF of Joffre? Ever done them. Couple of those couloirs look nice. When do you suppose the season is for them? Wondering if I could safely climb one of them routes in mid May.. Maybe my hopes are way to high on that though

[mattp]

Those couloirs, (more likek chimneys at the top if they are the ones I am thinking of), face slightly east and get morning sun. They might be OK in may sometimes...

By the way: here's N. Face of Rex's Piller.

[rayborbon]

Couloir with chimney sounds even better

Nice photo.

[Dru]

Hey Ray i did the central couloir on Joffre a few years back. cool climb but probably better when cornices are not falling down it. there is a trip report on that climb on www.bivouac.com actually there are a lot of TRs on Matier and Joffre on bivouac.com cause it is our version of the Snoq/Wash Pass areas, quick road access to alpine summits

here is a pic a guy name Brian Wawro took of Matier summit ridge

[Don_Serl]

rayborbon:

i presume you've got alpine select, and are looking at route 67, page 232. i think kevin's pretty accurate on timing; you cld likely do it in a VERY long day - or, if you wanted to enjoy yourself, with one bivy. go as light as u can to have the best time - there's nothing much technical (altho you'll do half-length raps a cpl times on the N ridge of joffre).

i'd suggest starting with the couloir on tszil (photo pg 231, not numbered), then do the west ridge on rex's (3rd/4th, 1 or 2 roped easy pitches, very exposed and scenic). the stonecrop face is more direct, but verges on boring - altho it's perhaps the best bum-shuss i've ever done in proper conditons for descent.

then carry on as kevin describes. probably cld bivy on rock in the hartzell/matier col - way warmer than on snow. do the NW face on matier (#63) so u don't have to carry rock gear for the W buttress. climb the australian couloir on joffre (photo pg 223, not numbered). descend the NW ridge to the mid-ridge notch, then bail W down the gully to the matier glacier; stay high over the shoulder to avoid the icefall on the glacier (photo pg 64).

this'd be good from may onwards; i've been up the W ridge on rex's via tszil in june; easy day return from the road. take half a dozen nuts and slings; you don't even need crampons if u do it early when everything is snowy. and blow off the helmet - you're on ridges and snow-faces... carry food instead.

it's possible to climb it in reverse, and i REALlY like the complete N ridge of joffre (summer or winter), but there is more, better climbing counterclockwise.

enjoy, don

[Don_Serl]

oh yah, forgot to mention: the central couloir on joffre NE face was 1st climbed in june, so spring is OK, altho u take your chances with the cornices. autumn is more fun - 10p of fine alpine ice, altho it's drying out to rubble in a cpl places some summers nowadays. u'll be fine from bivy to summit to car in a day in summer; gotta climb fast to do that in autumn without getting caught by dark. wld help to have done the descent before too...

[layton]

Necro and I tried the Central Coulior last fall. Looked like it was in great shape, even with a previously low-snowfall winter.

If you must know why we didn't climb it......we left B'ham at mignight for a round trip outting. When we got to the Chevron and McDonald's in Cloverdale on HWY 15 (heading for 1) we saw a spectacluar car crash. Necro ran for the phone while I spend some lovely time dealing with hysterical drunk kids and holding a bleeding, drooling, blood-snoring, dying kids smashed-in head in my hands, then filing police reports in the back of the squad car...

...We made it to the bottom of the coulior, but unforetunatle the shock wore off so we had to go home and puke.