Le Piston Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Trip: South Early Winters Spire - Southwest Couloir Date: 6/4/2011 Trip Report: More of a conditions report on a well known route. My usual climbing partner was concerned about avalanches with the recent warm weather, so I decided to try the Southwest Couloir solo...hoping that an early start would see me up and down before things warmed up too much.I left home about 1:30 a.m. and arrived at the trailhead about 5:00. The snow was firm, so the snowshoes stayed in the car. The approach trail was easy to follow. The couloir was in perfect shape...no chockstone, no ice, nice step kicking snow!There was snow all the way to the top of the couloir, and just 20 feet or so of 4th class scramble to the summit. I shared the top with a couple of guys named Nick...enjoyed the company! I had lugged up all sorts of gear, so we set up a rappel, but the downclimbing was faster and solid. The late morning snow was softening, so there was a little postholing until we got to tree line. The Nicks were kind enough to give me a beer back at the cars...great guys. Thanks! The weather and views were stellar. Now is the time to climb the route. Gear Notes: Took a picket, rope, rock rack and only used it for balast and one rap that wasn't needed (new rope needed stretching). For current snow conditions my Venoms worked perfect, better than ice tools...especially for the downclimbing. Approach Notes: Better make it early, unless you enjoy character building postholing. The trailhead parking lot is still snowed under, but plenty of roadside parking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatcomboy Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Good choice. That's a fun climb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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