[TR] Mt. Stuart - Ice Cliff Glacier 1/28/2007

[Colin]

Trip: Mt. Stuart - Ice Cliff Glacier

 

Date: 1/28/2007

 

Trip Report:

My brother, Booth, and I climbed the Ice Cliff Glacier today after skiing in to the base of Stuart on Saturday. There was a tiny bit of ice climbing necessary over the ice cliff, but it was otherwise just step kicking and the cornice was non-existent. Conditions for travel are generally excellent, with a fairly consolidated snowpack (the crust supports footsteps in some places). The trail up to the Colchuck Lake junction is beaten in to the point that skis or snowshoes are not necessary, but they were nice beyond there. The NE Face did not look to be in condition, but the conditions for doing winter rock climbs, like the N Ridge or Girth Pillar are about as good as they ever get.

 

The temperatures varied widely throughout the trip. The water bottles that we left in the car (in Icicle Canyon) were frozen solid, the valley bottoms in the shade were covered in hoar-frost, but we climbed the summit ridge shirtless in the sunny, balmy, weather!

[suckbm]

do you have a picture that shows the NE face by anychance?

[kevbone]

Killer dude!

[Weekend_Climberz]

Yeah, let's see some photo's. Sounds like the snow is shaping up pretty well. :tup:

[skykilo]

This is interesting. I think that Pineapple Express made the Ice Cliff Glacier a wholly different gig. It took a BIG dump and looks to have plenty of blue glacier ice exposed even on the easy ramps on climber's left. Maybe that's changing with more spring snow.