Dragontail: Backbone vs. Serendipity

[IceScrewed]

I have a friend visiting from out of state and we have an Enchantment permit for the 2nd week in July. In addition to the S Face Prusik and N Ridge Stuart I was thinking we'd do either the Backbone or Serendipity on Dragontail. So what's your opinion on which is the more fun route?

Edited April 22, 2010 by IceScrewed

[summitchaserCJB]

Call me a noob but I've never heard of Serendipity but I am going to do Backbone. Perhaps a microcosm of the local mindset?

[DPS]

I think you may mean Serpentine Arete? I haven't done Backbone, so I can't compare the two, but Serpentine had a few good pitches and a whole lot of scrambling. I felt the NE Buttess of Colchuck right next door was a much better route. Many more technical pitches, better rock, minimal amount of 4th class.

[AlpineK]

Yep Serpentine Arete is the climb. It's fun. Serpentine does have more scrambling then Backbone Ridge.

[summitchaserCJB]

Ohhhhhhh....I have done SERPENTINE ARETE!

[genepires]

backbone is a more fun route. if you are doing stuart and prussik, then backbone will make a fine addition. those three in one trip would be a stellar trip.

[Sol]

In my opinion, neither of those ridge routes offer much sustained or aesthetic climbing. Maybe check out these two.

 

But summiting D-tail is pretty cool, Backbone w/Fin for sure.

[IceScrewed]

My apologies. My friend is from the Jackson area and we've spoken of doing the Serendipity Arete on Mt Owen--which my feeble mind got confused with Serpentine Arete!

Edited April 22, 2010 by IceScrewed

[summitchaserCJB]

NP- summiting dragontail was awesome! Worth it!

[ivan]

backbone is a far superior route to serp arete, however, in that n-hood you might well prefer the colchuck balanced rock as your final piece

[mountainmatt]

It all depends on what you can lead and how many days you want to hike versus climb.

 

A couple of the classics are:

South face of Prusik

West face of Colchuck Balanced Rock

Backbone with Fin on Dragontail

Complete north ridge of Mt. Stuart

 

This set of climbs does cover a range of hiking distances within the enchantments though. If you wanted to do several climbs in one area, use the hike as a rest day, then repeat, I would suggest looking into other climbs. Although I have not done them yet, Solid Gold and Der Sportsman are on my list and appear as 4 star classics in the new Leavenworth guidebook. Acid baby is also supposed to be a nice climb near Asgard pass. There also as been route development on CBR, Sherpa, etc. Just depends on what you are looking for.

 

That being said, the enchantments are awesome! Enjoy your trip and post a TR so all of us weekend warriors can drool at our desks.

 

 

 

 

[goatboy]

Serpentine is worth doing if you're looking for a relatively easy route with a few good pitches, and covering lots of terrain.

 

Backbone is much more sustained at a technical climbing (versus scrambling) level and is thus more committing, plus has several honest 5.8/5.9 pitches (as opposed to the hardest pitch(es) on Serpenting being a few moves of 5.7.

 

Having said that, BB is a good route, Serpentine is pretty mediocre other than offering an interesting route up a huge, complex massif.

[Off_White]

If you're looking for a moderate Dragontail route I'd advocate for the Gerber-Sink north face, overall far more entertaining than Serpentine. I think we did the Hidden Couloir finish (across the ledge at the base of the fin and across more ribs trending up and right, nice position, decent rock, and entertaining climbing. You could easily do the Fin finish as well.

 

NE Buttress is a great long moderate adventure as well, but the guidebook info over there is vague when it isn't completely wrong.

[IceScrewed]

O.W.

Hmmm, the Gerber Sink is an interesting idea. I did the Triple on Memorial Day 30 years ago and just remember feeling like a sitting duck as the rocks came down the Hidden and I had to guess which way they were going to bounce. How's the route finding on the Gerber Sink below the Fin. Rockfall issues from other routes or in general?

[Off_White]

Well, its probably been 25 years since I was on it, but I recall classic line-of-least-resistance climbing up short walls on solid rock, with everything feeding into a 5.7ish slabby back and foot chimney that was running with water. You wind up in that talus basin above the Hidden Couloir. We had no rockfall at all, though harmony was interrupted by one bold and prominent turd left on a ledge.

 

Memory is fallible, but I remember the whole package being much more enjoyable than Serpentine, even though there's nothing quite as sweet as the couple of crack pitches on the pillar. You're much less likely to have another party on the route with you, a huge plus in the alpine world if you ask me.

[IceScrewed]

Well, sounds like Gerber Sink it is (the wet chimney being an irresistible draw)! Don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. And now I no longer need to figure out whether the BB vs. Serpentine is the less enjoyable route.

[Dane]

The Fin (great climbing) or third class ledges (spectacular position) as the finish to the G/S are both well worth the effort. The climbing below is both fun and moderate. Route finding is easy and the chimney can be avoided by the obvious corner

 

Best part is the G/S is "the" plumb line on the face.

 

 

A favorite: Eric's picture of Lucie on the Fin.

[IceScrewed]

OK...now I'm psyched!

[Pilchuck71]

That picture ia awesome!