SLJ Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 (edited) I didnt' quite know where to put this post, so as it is a question about a route, whatever... Do you need glacier travel gear for this route or not? Edited July 2, 2011 by SLJ Quote
RaisedByPikas Posted July 3, 2011 Posted July 3, 2011 Well depending on when you go there is a short stretch of the glacier that's pretty broken up and tooks us a bit to figure out how to get through. We had a party member fall off a snow bridge down to another snow bridge 5 ft down so glacier gear is advised. Quote
genepires Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 (edited) assuming you are already bringing a rope, the amount of gear to qualify as glacier travel gear is almost trivial and mostly can be used for technical portions of the climb anyway. if you are climbing a technical route anyway, you extra weight would be a pulley and a couple short prussiks per person. (assuming you would bring a belay device, a couple biners, a cordelette and a picket per person anyway) Side note. A piece of gear that is not thought about much but might be crucial is a small metal bladed shovel. If there is a need to clear the lip so that the victim can climb out (like when the rope cuts in far into the soft, weak, late day snowpack) using a axe will take a long time and possibly cut the rope if you are trying to clear the area around the rope. better to use a shovel to clear an area to the side of the loaded line. Though what matters more is the knowledge to be able to use the sparse gear you bring. Good luck, get ready for a long hike in and share the stoke when you get back. Edited July 4, 2011 by genepires Quote
SLJ Posted July 4, 2011 Author Posted July 4, 2011 Ok, that pretty much answers the question, thanks. Quote
selkirk Posted July 5, 2011 Posted July 5, 2011 Was up there a few years ago in a low snow year, and was surprised by the "snowfield" coming out of the crater. In some years I guess it's an easy walk in and out, but we ended up finding about 20ft of blue 55deg ice to get into the crater, and about a 250+ ft of 50 to 60 deg ice getting out of the crater. The other option getting out was a 20 to 30 ft vertical step, followed by more moderate slows. The ice was difficult to protect (too hard for pickets, but too aerated for good screws), so it made a bit of a spicy climb with overnight packs on. None of us had a 2nd tool, though it would have been welcome. Was a stellar route, but it's not completely benign. Have a good trip Quote
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