[TR] Kulshan - North Ridge 8/6/2010

[danhelmstadter]

Trip: Kulshan - North Ridge

 

Date: 8/6/2010

 

Trip Report:

Andy Traslin was stoked to ski the North Ridge, and I had a festering idea about skiing it ever since skiing the Park Headwall last week. A few emails exchanged, and the deal was sealed.

 

We left the parkinglot around daybreak, and took the low route on the glacier. This proved to be a mistake, and we end-ran many crevasses, and took a cirticuous route to the base of the North Ridge.

 

Me low on the Coleman Glacier

 

The bergshrund crossing looked intimidateing as hell from afar --thin brigdes and overhanging) but proved to be more than adequate. The lower face was fat and smooth. The transitional and relitevely low angle face was all snow. We snacked there and witnessed a large rockfall event comeing off the wall a little ways over from us, The rocks mostly hit the far wall of a crevasse with severe force.

 

We traversed a little around to the climbers right of the standard North Ridge arete, to a variation on the east side of the arete, this is the variation that Sky Sjue and Dave Brown had skiied back in 07. And it is the same variation I had climbed and downclimbed when I skiied the route back in 08. The snow here was a little more wet -- probalbly due to it's east early sun hit aspect. This was all ice when I last was there in 08.

 

Andy

 

Cloud began to roll in from the west as we reached the ice... It was a couple pitches, and in excellant condition. Large serac fall fell to our left.

 

 

Andy slogging on the upper mountain

 

The clouds cleared in and out, then mostly sunny and breezy on the summit. The south east side of the mountain was the clearest, while the north and west aspects were being pounded with thick orographic clouds. After talking about possibly bailing down the CD, we decided on descending back down the North Ridge.

 

Andy recoils the rope on the summit in preparation for use lower down.

 

The clouds parted brefily and we were blessed with an amazeing bluebird window, and we shredded the upper mountain.

 

Andy skis off the summit.

 

Then the clouds enshrouded us once again at the top of the ice step. I belayed Andy a pitch, then he took the rope and rapelled a pitch. I cleaned the ice screws and downclimbed it all free solo.

 

 

The clouds were thick, I switched to skis at the bottom of the ice step variation. The snow was steep here and sluffed readily.

 

Just below the ice step and above the Rosevelt Ice cliffs.

 

We took care to follow the boot pack on the transitional slope. We found the lower face -- still in clouds, and we shredded it -- the skiing was fabulous despite the visibility.

 

Andy in the clouds

 

Out of the clouds! We found a direct route back through the heavily broken maze of the Coleman Glacier.

 

Thanks Andy! A great day in the hills, made more rewarding than usual by a fantastic partner, and a little anxiety thanks to the clouds and ice.

 

Traslin, stoked.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2010 by danhelmstadter

[old codger]

Thanks for an excellent post. Sounds like a good adventure. The fog added some risk to the adventure. It makes committing to the line more difficult.

[Atraslin]

Epic day.I finally got to ski the dream line on the North Face.I've

been staring at this for years from across the border while skiing the slopes of Seymour.We escaped the whiteout and the downclimb, and the lower of the ice section.

[alecapone]

Hells yeah!! Nice line guys!

 

How do you think it would go on a snowboard right now?

 

 

 

 

[mtraslin]

Good one Guys....

What a route to on sight....Can you use that term in skiing?

 

Can Am challenge....

[i_like_sun]

Hells yeah!! Nice line guys!

 

How do you think it would go on a snowboard right now?

 

 

 

 

My thoughts exactly, Mr. Capone

[alecapone]

I was kidding. I'd put my eye out on that thing.

[Atraslin]

I put a video together from the trip.

 

[i_like_sun]

That video was great!

[hefeweizen]

Good one Guys....

What a route to on sight....Can you use that term in skiing?

 

Can Am challenge....

 

I think you can use that term in skiing, but it generally refers to skiing a route that you didn't ascend first.