skykilo Posted June 22, 2007 Posted June 22, 2007 Trip: Triad - Kumquat Couloir Date: 6/20/2007 Trip Report: Firstly, an apology to Ross, but only because I have great man-love for him. The facts persist: Roper suggested this couloir to me in April '05 before we had ever discussed it It's not my fault that you're busy playing rock monkey in Yosemite. Shit's going down in the Cascades, baby. Enough of this sentimental tripe.... Here is the photo that Roper sent me: From the col to the wraparound is 2.6k of bidness. Damn that thing needed a good skiing. I made four attempts between January and April. The first one saw my dumb ass shivering in the woods of Marble Creek Cirque with Casey and Jason, maybe a mile and a half from Cascade River Road, realizing that it wasn't going to happen that way, then waiting by the creek until dawn. Priceless quote from a hopeless Hummel: "I think I'm getting the flu." Can we go home now? Shortly thereafter, nursing a Beck's and meditating on maps, I noticed the crease of Lost Marbles Couloir dropping into the cirque from the Hidden Lake Peaks area. That was the subject of the photo assault. A worthy line in and of itself. Topos don't lie. Eric and Pete get honorable mention for exploratory suffering down a debris-filled Lost Marbles Couloir to look around the cirque before running home with our tails between our legs. Ross and I skied incredible blower down Lost Marbles Couloir; then I spent hours being as scared as I've been climbing a windloaded deathtrap. Anyway, good conditions and coverage on Da SLoop sealed the deal. It was time to drop the marbles again. Dan, Phil, and I left the Eldorado Trailhead at 6 am and charged the steep hike to the talus fields. Dan just migrated to the great northwest from Colorado. "What do you think about Johannesburg?" A little more slogging and it was finally time to change into ski boots. Several marmot sightings and the possibility of some scrambling down from Eldorado-Triad Col had us putting our shoes into our packs. Finally at the ridge crossing below Eldorado, the Triad looked farther and higher than my wishful thinking would have had it. East Dick and ET Col Two hours later, we ski from the high saddle next to the East Dick in the photo above to get around the lowest rock on Little Richard. Dan does some approach skiing. Another marmot sighting, a mistaken col, and some deep slush step-kicking put us in prime position for a game of marbles. What are conditions like at the top? The views are vertiginous: A very steep 4k separates us from the bottom of the cirque. The snow has a nice melt-freeze crust with corn on top, but there is also a disconcerting unconsolidated two feet loaded below that from last weekend's weather. I wouldn't even consider dropping into this puppy if I hadn't climbed it previously. It also helps to have skied a steep slope with similar aspect the day before. We have a rope and time, so I decide to make some test turns over the steep top roll on belay. It seemed all right. "All right, Phil, take me off belay!" I stuff the rope into my pack and enjoy the special ambiance of Marble Creek Cirque. Dan and Phil get to "free it." Dan skis with Early Morning Spire and Dorado Needle in the background: Be sure to click this one and try to get a feel for it: How's it going up there, Phil? A little lower, after lots of sluff management and exposure ogling, we head leftward to get in the gut. Dan skis toward the gut; Phil waits on its other side. Phil, all in there. In the gut, now that we've lost elevation, the snow is really great corn. I can't get enough of those exhilirating post-stress turns. Show 'em, Dan.... We're all very wired at the bottom. What a line! Now we need to climb 2.3k to the col. At the col, I spot a nice rap station and the ledge-scramble to get there isn't too bad, although the skis on the back didn't help. Tennis shoes are nice. Later. Whence comes "Kumquat"? Well, the Triad's FA party actually called it "Three Dicks." Kumquat Couloir starts from the saddle just west of the western summit, which is the lowest, AKA "Little Richard." Three Dicks has been diluted to Triad, so we'll make a Kumquat of the Little Dick's Cumshot Couloir. I didn't coin it, but I won't name its perpetrator, either. It's too good to keep secret. Gear Notes: Lose the marbles in the head; keep the marbles in the sack. Approach Notes: Damn near impossible Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted June 22, 2007 Posted June 22, 2007 (edited) Trip: Triad - Kumquat Couloir The first one saw my dumb ass shivering in the woods of Marble Creek Cirque with Casey and Jason, maybe a mile and a half from Cascade River Road, realizing that it wasn't going to happen that way, then waiting by the creek until dawn. Priceless quote from a hopeless Hummel: "I think I'm getting the flu." Can we go home now? I lied, I wasn't sick (translation: I was a pussy). I just wanted to get the f@#% out of that valley. Way to kill it Edited June 22, 2007 by AllYouCanEat Quote
TeleRoss Posted June 23, 2007 Posted June 23, 2007 Nice work!!! bummed to have missed out on this one..... ...but WHAT THE FUCK??? I leave town for a couple of weeks and you wankers are skiing on a rope??? Quote
skykilo Posted June 23, 2007 Author Posted June 23, 2007 I was the only wanker to ski on a rope. Touché, most prolific Cascades ski-rapper of TC fame. What you been climbing lately? Quote
G-spotter Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 omfg for immediate release to teh sickness hotline Quote
philfort Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 Yeah, Sky was all scared so he wanted a rope Not like the cool cat styling it in this photo: How's it going up there, Phil? Quote
Serenity Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 No cliff huck? Rope? Helmet too? Geez...no MSP sponsorship for you! Quote
kevbone Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 Belay on bitches! thats awesome That is awesome.....what is with the rope? Quote
Weekend_Climberz Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 The nerve of some guys, don't you know it's summer alredy. Sick Quote
skykilo Posted June 25, 2007 Author Posted June 25, 2007 Belay on bitches! thats awesome That is awesome.....what is with the rope? The top featured a very steep roll, up to two feet of windloaded snow from last weekend's storm below a crust, and a moat at a choke point just below the roll. I was concerned enough about stability that it seemed like a fine idea to make the first couple jump turns on belay, especially so that I could stomp 'em extra hard to test the snow and see if I could make anything go. Taking a ride isn't an option there: atop very steep, sustained slopes perched above a 1,000+ ft cliff. After a few turns I was satisfied with the stability, so I had Phil take me off belay, untied, and stuffed the rope into my pack. Phil and Dan both skied the whole thing ropeless. Several hundred feet below, at a steep choke between a runnel and rocks, the crust had melted and managing the sluff from each turn became vital. (See the photo looking up at Phil - about there.) Through that section, I resorted to pedal hop turns landing solely on the uphill ski, so that I could safely watch my sluff go without giving it any chance to carry me. I could have clarified this more in my original post: The snow has a nice melt-freeze crust with corn on top, but there is also a disconcerting unconsolidated two feet loaded below that from last weekend's weather. I wouldn't even consider dropping into this puppy if I hadn't climbed it previously. It also helps to have skied a steep slope with similar aspect the day before. We have a rope and time, so I decide to make some test turns over the steep top roll on belay. Quote
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