Choada_Boy Posted December 7, 2009 Posted December 7, 2009 Trip: Sumallo Cirque - Zero Gully PSA Date: 12/6/2009 Trip Report: So, I marched into Sumallo Cirque yesterday to take a look at Zero Gully. Again. I chose Scandinavian comfort over the exhaust-free roar of my truck for the commute, so I had to park at the 3km sign and hoof it the rest of the way. The gate at the second bridge was wide open, with no sign of lock or pin. People had driven past there a bit, and I was on hard snowmobile tracks as far as the final road leading up into the cirque, managed about 1/3 from the car in approach shoes. Bitterly cold, felt like my teeth were going to freeze at times, and I wore almost all of my clothes on the approach, being glad that I'd thrown in some mittens at the last minute. Staggered and lurched up breakable crust and increasingly thickening and concerning windslab on a poorly consolidated layer of sugar until 5100' and the avi debris under the route. The route was loaded with new and wind transported snow, the winds were screaming up high, and the spindrift was coming down everywhere, and without a partner to dig for my corpse, I turned tail. Would have been beautiful 2-3 days ago, IMHO, but it's still there. Routes around Hope are coming in nicely, Mouse Trap had the most ice of what you can see from the road. Gear Notes: iPod Shuffle Void Spirit Approach Notes: Anyone know how long that road in is? I took about 5.5 hours getting to where I did, at a moderate pace, but if you went faster it would take less time. Go right at every opportunity. Don't get suckered into going straight at the end of the last spur, take the hard right uphill, it's much easier than bushwhacking around the corner. Quote
G-spotter Posted December 7, 2009 Posted December 7, 2009 We were thinking about Sumallo but figured the new snow was teh suck. Good to hear we were correct! How did the ice below the NF of Silvertip look? Quote
Choada_Boy Posted December 7, 2009 Author Posted December 7, 2009 you have the worst goddamned luck! But the best effort! Can't strike out if you don't step up to bat!! Quote
Choada_Boy Posted December 7, 2009 Author Posted December 7, 2009 We were thinking about Sumallo but figured the new snow was teh suck. Good to hear we were correct! How did the ice below the NF of Silvertip look? Silvertip is east of the notch east of Rideout, correct? If so, the ice looked anemic. There was a nice fat piece up high on the western aspect of that peak, but it would be a major slog to get to it. All kinds of steep ice all over Rideout but very endangered from above, at least yesterday. Quote
Mtguide Posted December 9, 2009 Posted December 9, 2009 Re approach notes: From where you turn off the main highway, it's approx. 10 miles to the end just before the basin of the cirque. Quote
G-spotter Posted December 9, 2009 Posted December 9, 2009 Re approach notes: From where you turn off the main highway, it's approx. 10 miles to the end just before the basin of the cirque. I am pretty sure you mean km. I have walked it a couple times and it is not 10 miles! Quote
Choada_Boy Posted December 9, 2009 Author Posted December 9, 2009 I figured about 7.5mi to the heart of the cirque using Google Maps. Felt like a 15mi day... Quote
G-spotter Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 About three weeks too early for Sumallo Cirque routes as of today, although undoubtedly you could have scratched up if you like 2 inches of hoar frost over frozen gravel. Of note is a huge new rock slide that came off the north face of Silvertip in the general Redlining the Fun Meter area. Probably happened in may/early June. Quote
jmace Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 I thought we could at least relive the near death experience after dodging the boxes full of wood someone lost on the hwy then deciding to drive the truck over the quad trail embankment into the creek which nearly ended up with a roll over The 1.5 hours of digging and 4 wheeling to get back out of the creek, which somehow managed to rip my tire from the rim and fill it up with mud and rock The two kids who managed to flip their quad break their limbs and were standing in the middle of the road in shock. The 9km of driving 5km an hour with one wailing beat up 15 year old girl and her 16 yr old broken arm and ribs moaning boyfriend packed in to the truck. Then the longest wait ever for the ambulance all the while watching the truck slowly sink to the ground as the tire deflated...which meant creative jacking and blocking for an hour to get the tire off... What a day... Quote
G-spotter Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 See that's exactly what I meant when I predicted that "conditions would be EPIC" Quote
G-spotter Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 At least the gate was open both going in and coming out. Busting through a locked gate would have been the extra straw. Quote
jordop Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 Answer: 50:1 Question: How many times one leaves the house to go ice climbing but does not actually climb ice, versus how many times one leaves the house to go skiing but does not actually ski. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.