kurthicks Posted November 8, 2007 Posted November 8, 2007 not a route that I know of. from the approach, it looked like it just seeps out of the wall and doesn't connect to the upper snow slopes. I'd be terrified to try to mixed climb on that rock. it might be a fun little (90m?) ice route when it touches down though. Quote
dylan_taylor Posted November 8, 2007 Author Posted November 8, 2007 Yep well there it is in a slightly closer view. Looks like potential fun if it fills in better. I can't remember how deep of a groove the ice was coming from where it disappears from view. Looks thin. Quote
Colin Posted November 8, 2007 Posted November 8, 2007 Roger Strong and I went and climbed the Cosely/Houston route on Tuesday. I was really impressed by how high-quality the ice was, especially so early in the season. Really nice route in general I thought - the nice waterfall curtains surrounded by amorphous choss were quite reminiscent of the Canadian Rockies. Conditions were almost identical to the photos that have been posted - Cosely/Houston in good shape, and the Polish Route not touched down. Considering how much ice was formed, with only relatively small snowfields feeding them, I have a suspicion that Colfax Peak is creating great ice routes because it has a particularly high geothermal heat flux. Just a theory... Quote
dylan_taylor Posted November 8, 2007 Author Posted November 8, 2007 Considering how much ice was formed, with only relatively small snowfields feeding them, I have a suspicion that Colfax Peak is creating great ice routes because it has a particularly high geothermal heat flux. Just a theory... Interesting idea, but I wonder if it could be something else... The higher you go on colfax, the less steep the average slope angle. Perhaps because of this, the upper N face (and small pocket snowfields) get a little more exposure to solar radiation - at least at this time of year. Despite the small size of those snowfields, post-storm accumulations near ridge-top are bound to be both significant and short-lived (do to frequent temperature fluctuations from warm SW flow to cooler NW flow). Topography is a critical parameter in heat flow distribution. One might suggest that even though Colfax lies close to a volcanic center (but still separated by several miles), it - being a topographically significant peak - would dissipate geothermal energy at a greater rate than flat ground - or for that matter, valleys and depressions - therefore causing Colfax (and virtually all other mountains) to have a lower than average geothermal heat flux. Quote
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