[TR] Crown Mountain (North Shore) - Crown Couloir aka Crater Couloir 12/6/2009

[G-spotter]

Trip: Crown Mountain (North Shore) - Crown Couloir aka Crater Couloir

 

Date: 12/6/2009

 

Trip Report:

Sweet alpine travelling on the North Shore. Snowpack like rock, no need for flotation, just traction on the steeps. Hard to kick steps, snow too hard.

 

Graham Rowbotham and I left the Grouse parking lot around 7:30, were in the lodge before 9, and at the base of Goat by 10. We put on crampons there and met a party coming back who had left at 5 and climbed the Crown Couloir and summited around 9. They told us we were "too late" and that the route was falling apart. Ummmm WTF. The route gets morning sun and then goes into the shade.

 

Dropped down to Crown Pass then down into Hanes Valley and cramponed over to the couloir, which begins south of Widowmaker.

 

North face of Goat from the base of the Couloir. looks like some awesome mixed potential in the right conditions. Les MacDonald did some really obscure summer rock route here in the late 50s.

 

Graham below the route, goes up on the left.

 

We found excellent bullet hard snow in the couloir with one short WI2 ice step of maybe 20m. Took me longer than Graham because I was getting serious crampage in both legs until I ate a can of sardines. Sardine power took care of the electrolyte imbalance and tasted good too. Also the strong northeasterly was just rushing up this thing so we had a tailwind near the top. I heard Squamish had gusts to 90kmh. It might have been almost that windy on Crown.

 

Graham in the narrows.

 

The WI2 step. Easy peasy but the first ice of the season for me.

 

We topped out around 1ish. Graham went to tag the summit while I sat in the sun and just out of the wind in the Crater Rim rocks and ate more food and tried to thaw out.

 

Then reversed the normal route to Crown Pass and slogged back thru the Grouse hordes to the tram. Stopped off in the lodge for beer and ho soup, 3:30 ish. Took tram down, back at car 4:15 ish and home in da Wack by 6. There was a big lasagna in the oven waiting for me to arrive!

 

Waiting to download.

 

Anyways since the ice is still thin in Hope and Lillooet, and there is breakable crust in the Sea to Sky and Cascade alpine, it seems like the best solution is the North Shore alpine where conditions are ideal. I suspect that the Lions, Harvey etc are all in prime, once-in-a-decade climbing conditions right now so get some!

 

This was my first time up the Crown Couloir in winter conditions. It is a classic moderate alpine outing. The overall angle is not as steep as Harvey's NF ramp but the WI crux felt a little more sustained tha the normal conditions on Harvey. Overall probably easier than Harvey but a much longer approach unless you take the tram up.

 

Gear Notes:

Two tools and crampons.

good opportunities for short screws in the ice, pickets if you want them but you don't really need them.

 

would be good for one long axe and one tool too. Due to the lower angle for most of the way you are using your spike with only a couple sections on the picks.

 

Approach Notes:

Grouse Grind is officially closed so there are fewer people on the trail. Only got passed by 4 hikers this time which is a new low for me.

 

No need for snowshoes. Ski conditions = barf.

[giza]

That's one helluva moustache!

 

Looks like a fun day

[LostCamKenny]

serious crampage in both legs until I ate a can of sardines. Sardine power took care of the electrolyte imbalance and tasted good too.

nice job there Ole - kippered snacks or a different brand?

[gertlush]

I always like seeing trip reports from the North Shore, amazing just how much is back there.

 

We need a sardine emoticon for posting, mods? I'm a mussel man myself ...

[G-spotter]

 

Brunswick sardines in mustard sauce. 89 cents a can at Superstore? Hard to find this flavour at other stores. some IGAs have them but for $1.49 a can.

 

The tomato sauce ones are good too. Old Cassin soft iron pins are very good dual purpose spoons/pro.

[marc_leclerc]

The tomato sauce ones are good too. Old Cassin soft iron pins are very good dual purpose spoons/pro.

Dru once reemed me out for bringing a fork when I had already brought a pin...

[Pete_H]

That sounds really gay - not that there's anything wrong with that.

[ALLCAPS]

 

THAT LOOKS FUCKING FUN

[dberdinka]

Les MacDonald did some really obscure summer rock route here in the late 50s.

 

 

Les MacDonald did numerous really cool climbs on Mt Shuksan during the 50's and early 60's as well. A 20 pitch climb on Lake Anne Butte, the Labor Day Wall on the summit pyramid and maybe most impressive of all a horseshoe traverse of Nooksack Tower, Nooksack Ridge and Jagged Ridge. Burly! He also climbed the Colehead Wall Direct with Hank Mather during the same time. I think some of that stuff was as hard as anything being done in the Cascades at the time. He's my hero.