Traversing 3 Sisters

[rocky_joe]

So I'm really interested in doing a double traverse of the Sisters in a few weeks with a few buddies. I don't have much alpine experrience but am really intrigue by the idea of it. I have read a few guide books and am looking for some beta on how to go about the saddle between middle and north sister. I want to go up the south ridge route on the N. Sister.

[sweatinoutliquor]

1. What's a double traverse?

2. Can you define what you mean by "I don't have much alpine experience" cause the summit area of North Sister isn't a good place to be for someone totally new to alpine climbing.

 

p.s. Welcome to the site!

[warrior1515]

looking for some beta on how to go about the saddle between middle and north sister. I want to go up the south ridge route on the N. Sister.

 

Honestly, just walk or ski. They are close together and I believe that col is around 8000ft and each peak is just over 10,000ft

[rocky_joe]

yeah, i wasn't planning on crawling. i'm looking for beta. like how technical the climb is, should i rope in, which ridge i should take to get to south ridge from middle sis. etc.

 

sweatin: double traverse is a traverse times two. so start at south sis, climb all three to the far north side of n. sis and then retrace to south sis trailhead.

[ivan]

that's a long ways to cover in a single day

 

assuming you're young, the best advice is to do stupid things w/ a head towards not being so stupid as to get yourself killed - i.e., take chances, think often on the dangers you're exposing yourself to and learn from your mistakes.

 

have fun.

[Couloir]

Rocky Joe, I agree with Ivan, not only is that a long day, but why do it twice like that?

 

If it were me, and it may be me this year, I would start at Pole Creek TH and do North, Middle, South, Broken Top and if you're crazy, like like these cats , Bachelor. Then car shuttle back to Pole Creek. They did it in 15 hrs. That would be a little fast for me though.

[rocky_joe]

yeah i wasn't planning on doing it in one day. two was my goal. and i hadn't really though about broken top.

but i'm really just looking for an answer to my questions:

1. what is the best (safest) way to get from the north descent of middle sis to the south ridge on n. sis w/out having to snowshoe down to the timberline?

2. What are the best (safest) ways to attack the n. descent/ascent of n. sister?

[kurthicks]

1. what is the best (safest) way to get from the north descent of middle sis to the south ridge on n. sis w/out having to snowshoe down to the timberline?

2. What are the best (safest) ways to attack the n. descent/ascent of n. sister?

 

1. walk directly between the two. scramble up the west side of the S ridge of North Sister. easy until the "terrible traverse".

2. Go up the N. Ridge from below the Thayer Glacier. walk/scramble the ridge and gullies towards the standard chute used for the S. ridge ascent. don't die on the horrid, loose rock (see below, taken from ~9200' on the north ridge of N. Sis)

 

Edit: Doing this in winter will easily add 12 miles or more of road walking/skiing. you'd better be skiing if you're planning on doing this in the winter. it's the only way it'd be close to feasible during the winter...

Edited February 27, 2008 by kurthicks

[dinomyte]

Dude:

 

These guys all know what they are talking about. My understanding is that the most common marathon is, in from Pole Creek and up the SE ridge of North Sis, down and up the obvious ridge between North and Middle, cruising down the South side of Middle past Camp Lake and up the North side of South. Throw in Broken Top and or Bachie if you are a glutton.

 

Additionally most marathons are done in, I dunno, August or September, when there is a decent trail on the Traverse of North Sis.

 

As someone who has been on that Traverse in deep snow, and when it was bare, I would recommend waiting till September. In snow, it's steeper than shit, and more than a bit unnerving for a newb!

 

Read some TR's on my site (www.lebre.net), traditional mountaineering, cascadeclimber.com, and this site. All these will give some photos and show you a bit of what to expect.

 

Good luck.

[sweatinoutliquor]

sweatin: double traverse is a traverse times two. so start at south sis, climb all three to the far north side of n. sis and then retrace to south sis trailhead.

 

Gotcha... Sorry, I haven't heard of anyone doing it that way. If you start at S. Sister and work your way north, the technical difficult will become incrementally harder with each summit. The route from the top of middle, down the N. ridge to the saddle, and back up the S. ridge of North is pretty clear when you are there. Technical difficulty on the ridges is pretty low, although the scree can make it a pain in the ass. Once you get to the part of north sister where you have to traverse around the camel's hump you will start to get a taste of the exposure on this part of the route, and I would suspect that from this point to the summit, a fall from any point would be a long one. The terrible traverse is indeed terrible, and although I have never done it in the summer, I never wish to either (search for some TR's in the "Oregon" forum for photos). People do solo N. sister, but they are generally pretty experienced and I think it's pretty common for them to rap from directly below the summit down the "bowling alley" pitch, even in the summer time.

 

Like I said, if you approach the route from the south you will be gradually stepping up the difficulty, but you will also be insuring that you have a great and memorable trip (the top of south sister alone is quite beautiful). I second the recommendation that you should consider including broken top, rather than reversing your route. Why climb the same stuff again when you can knock off another one!? Good luck and be safe out there.

[dinomyte]

I would point out that people generally do North first, so as to avoid attempting the most technical portion of the climb when dead-tired.

 

Though I typically prefer to let folks do the research and make up their own minds, in this case I feel it would be irresponsible of us not to suggest that you first try it in the fashion most often followed.

 

Just my opinion.

[Joe_Poulton]

Think of this way, know the basics first. i.e. the "descent route" than spice it up. Like on Mount Hood it's easier to find the pearly gates in a white out if you've walked it before...I agree with Dinomyte....

[rocky_joe]

thanks guys for all your advice. definitely some good stuff to consider here.

 

oh and i get the feeling that some people might think i want to solo this...i don't. i'm no where near competent enough to solo anything that is more than a hike. the whole idea of doing this is up in the air, but i figured that i'd make sure i don't get in over my head. thanks for all your responses, i've definitely gained a lot of perspective on what it is gonna take.