NE Couloir on Colchuck conditions?

[goatboy]

NE Couloir on Colchuck

 

Hello,

 

Anyone have recent photos or route condition reports for NEC on Colchuck?

 

**Due to confusion in the past, I want to clarify that this is the route to the climber's LEFT of the North Buttress Couloir and the the RIGHT of the standard Colchuck Glacier Route.**

 

THANKS for any wisdom anyone can provide.

Edited May 18, 2007 by goatboy

[pup_on_the_mountain]

AlpineMonkey reported the previous weekend that there was a big cornice at the top (left exit out of the NE couloir).

We saw the same thing yesterday. Further, there might be a decently big schrund at the entrance to the couloir as well.

 

I'll check my pics from yesterday to see if I got one with the NE couloir in it (I'll get to them tonight).

[goatboy]

THANKS A LOT, Pup!

 

What were you doing up there, by the way?

[pup_on_the_mountain]

NBC on Colchuck. Surprisingly, we were the only ones there (on Sunday - we went car-to-car). I was expecting at least a few parties with the road being open. There might've been some parties in there on Saturday though.

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Sorry Goatboy.. I didn't catch the NE Couloir well in any of my pics. The best view I got of the entrance schrund is this one (you can also see the exit cornice, but it is not clear):

 

 

 

I thought the cornice blocking the left exit was a sizeable one. Also, there was a ton of loose, windblown snow on the summit plateau. We were consistently sinking to our thighs till we were some ways down from the summit on our way down. It was the deepest snow that we encountered the whole day, and was quite annoying .

 

A team of eight people were up there Saturday doing the glacier route (my buddy talked to them at the trailhead). Apparently, they saw a bunch of stuff falling off the "couloirs" (not sure which one though). There was some spindrift pouring on us when we were in the NBC, but things were quite stable other than that on Sunday.

[goatboy]

Thanks for the update, "Pup"!