Gaucho Argentino Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 (edited) Trip: Mesahchie Peak / Mesahchie Ice Fall Coloir - Date: 10/2/2010 Trip Report: On Sat 10/2/10, Shannon and I went to climb the Mesahchie Ice Fall Coloir. This was my first ice climb (it was supposed to be Observation Rock the w/e before climbing with KKKK, but we found snow http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=980254)… And it is my first TR on cc.com, so we’ll see how I do. For full disclosure, Shannon organized this climb, and we took pictures with his camera. Here are a link to his site where you can find them, and a trip report he wrote himself. http://picasaweb.google.com/shannonpahl/MesahchieIcefall http://mountaineersforums.org/forums/99692/ShowThread.aspx#99692 Weather was coming in on Sunday, so together with reports of chossy rock, we left the rock part to the summit open as an option… We took off on Sat 7 am to Easy Pass from Seattle. All the way we were driving under clouds, and a little rain, although the forecast called for sunshine all day long… we were like “what the f…?!!”, until like 5 miles from the pass, where the clouds suddenly disappear and a perfect shiny Sat morning received us at the TH. Yuuhuuu !!! Gearing up, up we go at ~11am… Easy trail to Easy pass, plenty of time, so easy pace. We run into a lady that had a dog the size of a cow, asked him for a ride up, he did not want… Up to easy pass From the W most point of the pass before a sharp turn going downhill, start traversing. We look up, and it looked to cliffy, so we decided to traverse at ~6500’… wrong move, lots more of scree. Go up to 6800’ and traverse all the time at this altitude, and you’ll make it in no time to Mesachie Col. We camped below the col at ~3p, and were eating and enjoying the views of Black Peak, Logan, the fall colors until like 7p. Time to nap for an early start… There is not a really flat spot, and Shannon says he cannot really sleep if it is not flat. We plan to get up at 5… SPAM for dinner :-)) 6.30 am (10.5 hrs later), Shannon (who supposedly could not sleep on this “uneven” terrain), wakes up and says it might be a good idea to start climbing :-))… One more slice of SPAM and we are spamming uphill to the col, down to the glacier (interesting down climbing to gain the glacier, with a beautiful moat waiting for you, but doable)… Glacier traverse, beautiful morning, perfect temps, solid ice below the crampons, what else could you ask for? Shannon went for the first pitch, to break the ice in the lower broken glacier… lots of fun, ice screws went in like babies… Shannon leading pitch one I went for the second pitch of the climb and my first pitch on ice ever, more ice screws, dude, it’s awesome !! From there on we simul-climbed the upper solid snow section, pickets in here, very solid, to the base of the coloir, where there was only an icy bridge on the right to gain the upper part. Shannon let me lead this last part: one more ice screw here, and up the steep coloir we go… Starting the pitch in the coloir Got to place a beautiful nut and one cam on the rock on the sides, good feeling to have some solid protection, not a good thing to slide all the way down to the bottom of the coloir. One rope length and we start simul-climbing, Up in the coloir one more rope length, and we are at the top of the notch in the ridge. Beautiful views of the mountains around, of the valley with the fall colors and the clouds filling it up, Shannon enjoying the views... Lunch, and start traversing to your left towards camp, maintaining as much the elevation as possible, you’ll end up in front of your camping spot. By this time we were into the clouds, with not much visibility, but traversing at 6800’ made the way back to Easy Pass much easier than the way in… At the car at 6p, Wet Burrito at 8p, home at 9.30… Thanks, Shannon, for a great trip, Buddy, overall a difficult to forget first ice climb… Gear Notes: -40m half rope. -5 ice screws -3 pickets (4 would be better) -a few pieces of rock pro will help in the upper part of the coloir Approach Notes: Side hilling is kinda annoying... Edited October 9, 2010 by Gaucho Argentino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Nice job Gaucho! I wish I could have joined you guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teh Phuzzy Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 very nice. looked like some fun glacier travel and beautiful alpine meadow viewing. just a little jealous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonpahl Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 nice TR, fun climbing and good company :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtveld Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 (edited) Great call for a late season route. And with Spam, anything is possible! And great larch color in shots #6 and 7 Edited October 9, 2010 by curtveld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Larry Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 looks great; anyone interested in this climb or something similar PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonpahl Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 This climb makes for a good reliable late season climb - somewhere around September or early Oct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowell_Skoog Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Thanks for this report. It's nice to see people enjoying this climb. My brother Carl and I enjoyed it when we did it in September 1984. (Time flies!) Here are some pictures from our climb. I don't think I've published these before. Carl crossing the Mesahchie Glacier toward the pocket glacier. I've seen photos from the 1970s showing the icefall much thicker than shown in this picture. It's even thinner today: Carl's photo of me on the first pitch through the icefall. Lots of fun steps to climb: After we swapped the lead I followed Carl up an easy ramp: Carl's photo of me in the upper couloir. I'm struck by how much the couloir has shrunken in the past 26 years. It used to be 50-100 feet wide, even in September: Carl belaying in the couloir: We climbed to the summit along the foggy east ridge. Here's Carl near the top: I enjoyed your photo of SPAM for dinner. It looks like our tastes in food are similar: Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaucho Argentino Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 Hi, Lowell... I'm kinda new to climbing in the NW (less than 2 years), but read quite a bit about the Skoog brothers in many climbs and first ascents, thanks for your comments and your pictures... Sorry to read about your brother's accident in my country, my friend... Great picture of him with all the cans of food, everyone bitches me about the weight of my SPAM, but everyone loves an slice of hot fried SPAM after the long day !! (I actually take a small frying pan, the ones for making one egg)... :-))... Again, thanks for your pictures and never surrender... Gaucho A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Love those Messner/Habler sweaters! Nice reports guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlympicMtnBoy Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Nice now and then TR, even with SPAM! Welcome to the board Gaucho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonpahl Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 wow, the ice looked nice and phat back then, thanks for the pix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaucho Argentino Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 And now that I look more carefully, check out at the Skoog's "Ice Tools"... Dude, back in the day climbing might have been even more sketchy :-). It would be cool if you or anyone else in cc.com could put together pics showing climbing with gear from 30-40 years back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Carl is using a Lowe Hummingbird with a circular adze and what looks like a North Wall Hammer (Chouinard). It was pretty much state of the art in the early 80's. I have both these tools and occasionally use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowell_Skoog Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 And now that I look more carefully, check out at the Skoog's "Ice Tools"... Dude, back in the day climbing might have been even more sketchy :-). It would be cool if you or anyone else in cc.com could put together pics showing climbing with gear from 30-40 years back... Here's a link to a thread about ice axes. If the link works right, it should take you to a post with pictures of my wooden ice tools from the early 1980s. The two 50cm Chouinard Zero tools are the ones I used on the Mesahchie climb. My brother Carl was using a Lowe Big Bird and a Chouinard Alpine Hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spionin Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 nicely done! great first ice climb/lead, and a fun report! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaucho Argentino Posted October 13, 2010 Author Share Posted October 13, 2010 Thanks, V-Girl... Slowly getting there with the help of good climbers around... I still need to get help to compose pictures with sharks jumping out of the ice in my posts, though ;-)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaucho Argentino Posted October 13, 2010 Author Share Posted October 13, 2010 And thanks for the link to the ice axes, Lowell. They are awesome. Talk about saving one or two ounces, these babies look heavy !! Still I was thinking more on pictures of real climbers on steep sections of ice in the Cascades in the near past (60s to 80s) with these "ice tools", without the super-duper tools we have these days. I believe they will look bad ass ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Wow, Carl looks about 12 years old in that last picture. Nice report Gaucho and thanks for the historical perspective, Lowell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainsloth Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 cool route! thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared_j Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I know it's a mega low-snow year and all but have to ask... Anyone have perspective on whether this is "in"? Maybe looking like Sept / Oct conditions now?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_Sjolseth Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Taken on 8/1/15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off_White Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Lovely picture, but it makes me sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaucho Argentino Posted December 19, 2018 Author Share Posted December 19, 2018 On 8/10/2015 at 1:08 AM, Tom_Sjolseth said: Taken on 8/1/15 Hi Tom, sorry to bother after so many years, catching up with WA after being away for a while... so, the couloir is in the very left side of your pic, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaucho Argentino Posted December 19, 2018 Author Share Posted December 19, 2018 On 8/11/2015 at 3:40 PM, Off_White said: Lovely picture, but it makes me sad. Off-W, why the pic makes you sad? Glacier used to be much bigger, I guess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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