[TR] Chair Peak - NE Buttress 9/9/2007

[octopuswithafez]

Trip: Chair Peak - NE Buttress

 

Date: 9/9/2007

 

Trip Report:

scottp and I set off as a couple of "off the couch" alpinists and decided to do the NE route as a mellow alpine trip. Couldn't ask for better conditions.

 

 

We hit the trailhead around 7 AM, just before the Snow Lake hordes arrived ( there were about 30 cars already in the lot ). we decided to take the new trail up which resulted in a bushwhack across some very nice blueberry patches (yum!). Finally got to the talus fields and headed up to the ridge

 

 

Passed by a solo hiker who had camped on the ridge the previous night and then made the base. Looking up from the base we headed up the protrusion the left to gain the trees and then onto the reddish band ( with nice cracks for a gear anchor ) and then onto the last band of trees. We did past a bolted anchor more to the right of where we were climbing. We also allowed a soloist with a mountain rescue hat on to pass on by. I am not sure I'd want to be below a party on that route. The rock was mostly solid but definitely enough loose stuff to make me glad for my helmet.

 

 

 

Note bolted anchor in the middle right of photo , we were more left of the normal route.

 

At the base of the summit block, the soloist is on top.

 

Your humble reporter in the obligatory summit photo. While we where chatting w/ the soloist on top, a third party arrived from the western route, A pro guide ( Martin ) and his clients. They said with some work, that side has some potential.

 

Coming down the rap chimney to the scree field on the south side of the buttress, faster than downclimbing/rapping the route. Although care should be made when descending to the rap station to make sure its clear of other parties, its a shooting gallery for dislodged rocks.

 

The hike back had us passing 72 hikers and 10 dogs from the source lake trail fork to the cars...

Back at the car at 2:30

 

car to car : 7:30

 

 

Gear Notes:

Small rack ( a few cams to 2" , set of stoppers)

several runners

rap slings

 

Approach Notes:

pretty straight-forward on the old snow lake trail to the ridge and then cutting across the talus up to the base of the climb

Edited September 11, 2007 by octopuswithafez

[spotly]

Looks like fun. What's the rating on this route? How many pitches? I'm familiar with the summer approach to The Tooth but have never been up the trail to Snow Lake. Looking at this pic from SummitPost, it looks like the easiest way to reach the NE Buttress and East Face routes would be to go straight up the talus from Source Lake? What is the "standard" approach to these routes?

 

Thanks

 

 

[octopuswithafez]

I think the route rates at a 5.5/5.6, but that's about a couple of moves on the third of four mostly fourth-class pitches. We approached via the new Snow Lake trail but the better route is from the source lake overlook and up through the talus to the notch east of the base of the climb. Plus I would climb over with my pack and then do the rap down one of the two chimneys, otherwise you'll have to scramble up from the scree to the base of the climb again. You'll see some webbing up high on pins, those are rap anchors for the winter route.

Edited September 10, 2007 by octopuswithafez

[catbirdseat]

I've been up there before and never could find the anchor that's supposedly there. We soloed that section anyway.

 

If you have two ropes it's probably faster to go down the NE buttress because then you can do it in two raps.

[spotly]

If you rap the north side chimney, doesn't the base of the NE Buttress route fall in line with the route back to Source Lake?

[catbirdseat]

I think the chimney is on the south side.

[ScottP]

I've been up there before and never could find the anchor that's supposedly there. We soloed that section anyway.

 

If you have two ropes it's probably faster to go down the NE buttress because then you can do it in two raps.

 

That I remember, there's a ledge with bolts is closer to the base of the route and a little further out on the East Face. I believe the bolts Mike pictures weren't there the last time I was. Then again, that was about 8 years ago...

 

Going down the southern chimney descents seems neither faster or slower than descending the route with two ropes (I've done both). The traverse under the east face back to the base to get our packs went pretty quickly.

 

 

Spotly's "north side chimney" might be refering to the right hand option of the first pitch (?).

 

 

[spotly]

Spotly's "north side chimney" might be refering to the right hand option of the first pitch (?).

 

Nah. Just repeating what he said in the TR. Perhaps he meant south, which would make sense given the comment about having to climb back up to the packs.

 

Coming down the rap chimney to the scree field on the north side of the buttress, faster than downclimbing/rapping the route.

 

I've wanted to do a route on Chair but couldn't make much sense out of the approach info I've found so this is good stuff. That scree field above Source Lake "looks" like a straight shot up to the base. Now to prod one of my climbing partners into having some fun

[octopuswithafez]

Spotly's "north side chimney" might be refering to the right hand option of the first pitch (?).

 

Nah. Just repeating what he said in the TR. Perhaps he meant south, which would make sense given the comment about having to climb back up to the packs.

 

Yeah, my bad, it was the south side, I fixed the TR

Edited September 11, 2007 by octopuswithafez

[Rad]

Chair is a lovely peak but the rock is total choss. Wear helmet, beware loose rock, and move fast in the firing zone.

[catbirdseat]

Spotly's "north side chimney" might be refering to the right hand option of the first pitch (?).

 

Nah. Just repeating what he said in the TR. Perhaps he meant south, which would make sense given the comment about having to climb back up to the packs.

 

Coming down the rap chimney to the scree field on the north side of the buttress, faster than downclimbing/rapping the route.

 

I've wanted to do a route on Chair but couldn't make much sense out of the approach info I've found so this is good stuff. That scree field above Source Lake "looks" like a straight shot up to the base. Now to prod one of my climbing partners into having some fun

Our party of four climbed the route today in about 9 hours car to car. We enjoyed it.

 

From the end of the Source Lake Overlook trail climb up a talus slope to the left of a stream bed. The talus gives way to a dry stream bed which you climb steeply until you emerge into yet another talus slope. You will reach cliffs that block your path. Bear right and find a faint bootpath heading up heather slope and into trees. The route trends right until it emerges in the basin below the Thumb Tack. Watch out for bees and enjoy the huckleberries.

 

We decided to do the same "winter rap route" because I wanted to show my buddy Larry so he'd be familiar with it in case he wanted to do the North Face this winter. There is no anchor at the top of the chimney and you can't reach the one with the three pitons. We downclimbed to a chockstone anchor with a cave and did a single double rope rap followed by more down climbing.

 

Having done both descents, I can say that rapping the route is to be preferred.

 

Here I circled the anchors which we didn't use. We belayed from a small tree below and to the right of the bolts and had to do about 10 m of simulclimbing to reach the tree.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2007 by catbirdseat