Sherpa Peak

[JensHolsten]

Hey guys. Just wanted to link a recent blog post I wrote about climbing the left coulior on Sherpa Peak's NE face and then the east ridge to the summit. It's been done many times before and skied to boot, but the current conditions have it in stellar climbing condition. I really, really enjoyed every inch of the route, so if you are looking to get warmed up for the winter ahead, check it out!

 

http://jensholsten.blogspot.com/2011/10/suprise-suprise.html

[JasonG]

Is this the same route we climbed in this TR from a few years ago? We were stopped a body length from the summit by a snowy slab, but had a blast on the ridge itself (the couloir was just a slog in the spring).

 

Nice to hear that it is a good climb on the other end of the summer, and thanks for the blog post!

[JensHolsten]

Same route...the cooler is by no means difficult, but the schrunds made things interesting. Also, a lot of rock outcroppings in the cooler that are buried in the spring, forced us through ice runnels and gave us a bit of mixed climbing. The snow in the rest of the coulior was perfect neve and ice. The upper ridge was the best part of the climb for sure...I wouldn't have made the summit either if I just had my boots and crampons. It was cool to hang them at a gusty belay with clouds swirling all around, change into icy rock shoes and surmount the summit block...my partner could not climb the feature in his boots and did not summit (he didn't bring rock shoes).

[cam yarder]

anyone had a look at the northeast couloir of dragon tail lately?

[JensHolsten]

Just took a lap up the NE cooler on Argonaut...conditions were incredible...water ice, mixed climbing, neve, snow of all sorts...I've scampered up this feature in the past, but it is now in incomparable shape! Really, really good...bet the NE cooler on D-tail is ready to go.