Crossing Austera Ridge?

[RideT61]

I'm planning on doing some climbing on the north end of the Eldorado Ice Cap and am wondering if anyone knows the best way to cross Austera Ridge from the south to the North Klawatti Glacier. If I have time, I'll just climb a route that look fun and decend the other side, but if not... any ideas?

[RideT61]

Not exactly the fluury of responses I was I was hoping for. Well, here is part 2 then, does anyone know if the glaciers (Mccallister, Inspiraion, Klawatti) are broken up enough that I should consider approaching via Thunder Creek instead. There will definitely be more bushwacking but it is a bit shorter and may save time if the glaciers are getting beat up.

[klenke]

From a solo trip to Austera Peak on August 20, 2004:

"GreenT made mention of the dubious notch crossing between the McAllister and the Klawatti glaciers, so I approached it with some trepidation (I had not taken any special gear). As it turned out, he had painted an uglier picture than what I discovered. I walked the snow ramp right of the lowest notch as we had done back in April. The place where we had managed to ski over the top of the rocks had now receded to a bouldery wall. I easily spotted GreenT's route over (12 feet of Class 4) but I didn't see much moat issue with it. The snow butted up with the rock there quite snugly. He says another few weeks and it will no longer be manageable. I wouldn't say that. I think it will last the remainder of the season and into fall. I chose a loose gully right (SE) of his crossing. My gully was easier for getting up to the bouldery crest but I had to do a mid-5th step-around to get to the other side--to his crossing--so his way was probably better anyway. The downclimb on the other side was Class 4 for 20 ft to blocky snow. I re-placed my crampons on my boots and stepped up onto the snow blocks. There was a moat/crevasse just below the snow blocks but I found a way to the left and glissaded the last 50 feet." (Source)

 

[milosh_k]

I have just been in this area and breakup is not so bad. You will go very quickyl across inspiratoin glacier. Crevasse are very obvious and exposed to ones eye but moats are alos so expanded to present problmes in places.