[TR] Sherpa Peak - NorthRidgeIV58 9/14/2008

[Know_Fear]

Trip: Sherpa Peak - NorthRidgeIV58

 

Date: 9/14/2008

 

Trip Report:

Sorry for the long TR, but I think this route is worth it. And the beta that I could find for it is poor. Some rainy day in the near future and/or before the next alpine rock season I will post more details about the approach, etc. at www.summitpost.com. Send me a PM if you need it sooner.

 

Background:

 

By Northwest (OR/WA) standards Sherpa North Ridge is an excellent alpine rock route. The rock is solid, the setting/exposure are great and most importantly the ratio of good climbing to hiking is high. Protection, jamming and friction are excellent. Having climbed extensively in the West for 20+ years (10 in the NW) – I’m sort of an alpine rock junkie. I think this route is more interesting than other, more popular rock routes in the region, e.g. Dragontail Serpentine Ridge, Mt. Stuart Upper N. Ridge, Prusik W. Ridge, Forbidden W. Ridge, or Triumph N.E. Ridge. It lies just outside the Alpine Lakes permit zone, so no permit or visit to der F.S. station is needed.

 

Route:

 

We climbed the entire N. Ridge. There are roughly three sections. The lower ridge is easy 4th/5th class. We tied in, but didn’t place gear and climbed in our approach shoes. The first section ends with a 25m rap to a notch from slings. The second section is steeper and has many options. We climbed several good 5.7 to 5.8 pitches just left/east of the ridge. We passed several, fun looking 5.8 to 5.9 options. The objective is the top of the large tower which sits two-thirds of the way up the ridge. From that tower - rap 25m from slings to a notch and the “knife edge ridge” mentioned elsewhere. This is more like a knife edge bridge (4th class). The final section has two short, but steep 5.8 pitches followed by several blocky steps. Some steps are 5.8+ but short, and bouldery. The “marginal rock” mentioned by Nelson/Potterfield is actually quite good and only marginal relative to the rest of the rock which is very good. It’s not possible to give the number of pitches because we simul-climbed some, many were short to reduce rope drag and there are variations. We spent about 10 hours on the route. You could bypass the first section. The photos I found online appear to be bypassing the second section as well.

 

Descent:

 

Now the not-so-good news. The descent sucks. In our haste we went right for the descent. I had read to “make two short raps to the S.W., then traverse toward the east…” We saw slings and started down. After a short rap, then a long one. We down climbed then rapped again. Crossing to the east seemed improbably. So, we continued down. Long story here… In retrospect we should have scouted from the summit. Maybe rap’ed toward the S.E.? Somebody needs to post a photo w/ the descent route clearly marked. Crampons/axe are not needed to descend from Sherpa-Argonaut Col in late season (mid Sep).

 

 

Gear Notes:

GearlogisticsIusedoneeachcams5to35theredandyellowAliensacoupleofstoppersand6shoulderlengthslingsAnchorswererocksortreesonthelowertwosectionsAsingle50mropeisfineATRthatIreadsaidthatitsdo-ablecartocarinadayGiventhelengthoftheroutethecomplicatedapproachanddescentandthelackofbeta-IsuggestthreedaysIenjoyagoodsandbagnowandthenbutifyoudothemathyoucanseethisisalongoneBesidesyoumightaswellsavorthisoneThereslotsofwateronthenorthsidebuttherewasnoneontherouteandnoneabovetreelineonthesouthsideReturningviaSherpaColtoabiviisprobablythebestbetThereareplentyplacesatthebaseoftheridgetobiviifyouprefertocarryoverRapingstraightdowntheuppersectionandsecondgullyisconceivable

 

Approach Notes:

ApproachTheapproachislongbuttotalelevationgainisreasonableMorethanhalfoftheapproachisofftrailandunmarkedwhichmakesitdifficultNelsonPetterfieldIIIYouloosereferencesontheforestedapproachandrandomcairnsleadtowardroutesonStuartetcItseasytogetsidetrackedWhenindoubterrtowardtheeastThereisadescentclimberstrailalongMountaineersCreekBeyondthattherearealotofdownedtreesandextensivetalushoppingAspiringclimbersshouldscouttheapproachbeforeyoucommityourpreciousvacationtimeAfterseveralattemptswemanagedtohikefromtheStuartTHtothebiviinunderfourhoursItsanother15to2hoursoftalushoppingtothetoeoftheridgePlanon15Xto2XthistimeonyourfirsttryWeaddedsomecairnscoloredtapewhichIwouldntnormallydobecausethisroutedeservesmoreascents