Need Dragontail N E Coulior info!!

[Dane]

Looking for detailed pictures and line drawing topos and personal descriptions of the route climbed (pitch by pitch) for the upper part of the NE Coulior on Dragonatail. Distant and on route pics appreciated.

 

Something like 10 parties climbed in in Nov and Dec. Must be some good photos to share.

 

I'm working on an info piece for Dragontail and will share the topos, pictures and info with all involved, obviously giving credit to any contributions. These are the perspectives and area I am most interested in. But anything in the upper gully/headwall or in the area just before breaking out of the gully on to the north face would be appreciated. Any pictures on the traverse? Thanks!

 

 

This is an enhanced and cropped version of a picture originally taken by Ade of the upper gully and headwall.

 

[Dane]

Any one care to draw a line where their climb went though the upper portion of the gully?

[AlpineMonkey]

 

My memory is now fuzzy about the route and I cant say what others did, but here is my speculation.

 

At least the first party and second party climbed the red line I drew in the picture.

 

At least some of the other groups hooked right on the headwall and either climbed the green variation or the purple variation I drew in the picture. At the time I was in the couloir, it just made sense to me to go straight up at the bottom rather then veer right, there was an ice slot. Other parties were forced to go right because by the time they climbed the route, the thin ice in the slot was no longer there. It just made sense to go right then. This would have avoided a few hard moves and possibly the crux (?) for the first two parites, but the line quickly connected back to the red line and to my knowledge all parties climbed the last pitch of the upper wall. Some may have found it easier then others because conditions were changing exteremly quickly on the route, or they are just better climbers?.

 

I highleted the yellow line because it is possible that someone went that way too...I guess, but it just didn't seem logical to me at the time (I was obviously looking for the "easy" way up. I doubt anyone went that way.

 

The climbing was harder then I expected, but I am in no way a master at mixed climbing or "hardcore". I work 5 days a week, climb ocassionaly on weekends, and climb about 3 mixed routes a year...We'll at least this year I did...Cant remember if I did a mixed climb last year or not, I dont think I did. Anyone with any skills might have different opinions.

 

 

 

[Dane]

I have obviously missed the bit of snow and the tiny arete where the routes join, between the upper and lower mixed pitches of the left hand route. Dave sent me a good topo that points that out.

 

Couple of comments in the original TRs made me wonder what routes people really did.

 

Ade:

"Several of the steps lower on the route had melted out and were

running with water. The final pitch had a reasonable amount of

ice but it was very wet and delaminating. I wouldn't even give

it an M grade in those conditions, it was more like thin ice

climbing on poorly adhered wet ice."

 

 

Dane:

The "final pitch" of what we did is more like 300+ feet long, so more like TWO final pitches unless they were useng a 300' rope. Although we made it one pitch by climbing most of it together, which was "entertaining" at the time, but not something either of us had plannned on or really wanted to do.

 

Craig's (Alpine Monkey):

"John, your pictures don't do the route justice. Those last two pitches are a little spicey, don't you say? We brought 5 cams (.4 to 3, used em all), 3 blades (used), 2 baby angles (didnt use), 5 nuts (I placed one), and two shorty screws (completely pointless). Lots of fun, very good route."

 

"That traverse you mention was hard, but I had a good piece in. I was more scared on the 2nd pitch."

 

jashamster:

"On Saturday we placed exactly two cams on lead.

A few other cams were nice for the two belays we set up.

Took blades, didn't use. Not enough ice for screws."

 

Coldiron:

"Yes, I thought the pro looked pretty decent, particularly with stubby screws for the steep ice. I also saw lots of placements for small cams(esp. C3 or TCU 000-1, and KB's."

 

Dane:

"John Frieh mentioned to me from his climb, "The M5 is easy too... more like M4." On our ascent I found two places got my attention while following, the beginning and the end of the upper headwall gully because of the lack of ice. In between those two points something more like WI 2+ or 3 and M3. Mixed grades are suppose to relate to rock. M3 being 5.7, M4 being 5.8 and M5 being 5.9. Obviously top roped, parts of it felt like 5.9 or M5 to me."

 

"Pro wasn't that easy to attain on our ascent and most that lead at a 5.7 level would have had their hands full in the upper gully."

 

 

All that said it is obvious to me now there is at least two distinct routes to start the upper "headwall" of the NE Couloir, right side and left side.

 

Not all that easy to see in this smaller version but the gully we climbed is hidden just above and left of Craig in the picture.

 

 

Climb to the end of the snow on the left and if there is a decent amount of ice spilling over it, the gully suddenly appears.

 

 

The start is a very obvious over hanging corner off a snow belay with decent anchors. You'll generally be climbing steep snow to this anchor.

 

 

That pitch is steep and looks like this from the belay....with no extra camera tilt. Not a pitch you'd likely forget.

 

 

Easy enough to see the change of direction between our picture where we went left of the rock island at the top of the gully and Ade's picture where they went right at the rock island and ontothe easier snow slopes above.

 

 

 

Above the initial gully entrance you get a tight gully that breaks out on to a little arete and changes over to the right hand gully and a small snow field. The YouTube video shows this section clearly. The gully above again tightens down and gets more difficult as you progress. It finally opening a bit at the end becoming almost a face while stil following a vertical crack and flake system. The ending is a distinct horizontal flat. I hooked both tools there, standing on rock with monopoints and peeked over, onto a easy angled snow slope with Craig comfortably sitting in belay. The traverse on the North face and a bit more climbing gets you to the rappel boulder and down the south side gully. The climbing is every bit as spectacular as it looks. (wet or dry I suspect) Any less snow or ice when we were on it and we'd been rock climbing. Awesome mixed in the conditions we had. Snow slog for the most part in the lower gully with a few short ice/mixed steps ending in some steep (55+) snow.

 

Daniel and Dave's pictures.

 

 

 

 

N side traverse and up to the rap boulder and decent gully

 

 

Here is the line I believe we took @ M4 AI2+/3. The tight corner is right facing and not easy to identify in this picture on the lower half. As the face widens and changes exposure you can more clearly see where we finshed in the picture. Either way a fun adventure!

 

Anyone have a reference for the first ascent of the left hand line in winter or for that matter since it isn't the obvious summer line...that referenece as well?

 

 

 

[AlpineMonkey]

I'm 100% certain the line we climbed was this:

 

 

I set two blades at the second red square to belay you through the crux, we then simulclimbed to the top. This is exactly where Party 1 Set their belay (as seen in this video) and where all other parties met up with our route. In the video someone says we came up here and points to the right, all other parties came up the gulley to the left of where he points.

 

[video:youtube]

 

[Dane]

Good enough..thanks Craig.

 

Dave agreed with you as well.

"Yep, exactly right. At the end of the first headwall pitch I went up over the snow arete into the right hand couloir option and made a belay with some cams on the right hand wall. That is where John's little piggies started to freeze as I scooted up the easy snow to the base of the 2nd mixed pitch."

 

Thanks guys, I'll edit out my misinformation above.

 

BIG thanks to Dave, Daniel, John and Craig for helping me sort this all out in my own mind. I hope this tiny bit of info helps others that want to get on the route. I'll be back time and again. When it is in good condition, a line well worth the effort!

[jshamster]

Jeez...that was like 3 1/2 months ago.

All I can recall at this point is that we had a great time on a really fun route.

Shit ton of snow climbing to some cool rock climbing with sharp pointy things on our hands and feet.

Oh yeah, it was really windy. Especially in the rappel notch.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

Cheers.

Jimbo

[Ade]

 

We climbed the red line taking the green variation. I think the ice climbed by the first couple of parties was long gone by the time we got there. From where the green line joins the red it's a single rope stretching pitch of 60m to the top. There really isn't any other obvious way out other than to climb the corner.

 

Although this was months ago and to be honest I don't hold the route in as high regard as it seems everyone else does. I had a fun time but of all the lines I've climbed this winter I'd put it somewhere near the bottom; lots of step kicking for 1-2 technical pitches, iffy gear and doesn't end in a summit.

 

[Dane]

 

"I don't hold the route in as high regard"

 

Good reason for that...we simple didn't climb the same route, or have even remotely similar conditions.

 

 

[dbconlin]

I believe Scott, Luke and I took the red line with green variation also in May 2007. The climbing was difficult (I thought) with unconsolidated snow over shitty rock and little opportunity for pro.

 

I looked through my photo archive but unfortunately nothing shows it particularly better than any of the photos already posted.