[TR] Enchantments - Colchuck - N Buttress Couloir to N Buttress 12/6/2011

[downey]

Trip: Enchantments - Colchuck - N Buttress Couloir to N Buttress

 

Date: 12/3-4/2011

 

Trip Report:

Last Sunday my buddy Chris and I climbed Colchuck. Due to leaving in a hurry, we didn't gather any beta other than a couple good topography maps for approach/descent. Having that said, I'm pretty sure we climbed the North Buttress Couloir to N Buttress.

 

*the character of the route makes it hard to describe.. lots of choices and options for routefinding so my best beta is to just follow your nose.

*camera tilt unintentional

 

Route:

The climb started in the rightmost of two obvious couloirs on Colchuck (NBC). You can't get a good view of the NBC until you’re pretty much underneath it.

One noteworthy detail of our climb is a 25m traverse left into another couloir which eventually led to the rocky broken ridge. Once we gained the ridge it became apparent that speed was more prudent than taking pics.. sorry. About 7 hrs from start of route to summit.

 

Descent:

Straightforward jaunt to Stuart-Colchuck col. Might be more exciting in icier conditions.

 

Conditions:

We encountered long stretches of highly variable snow climbing (from deep wallowing to wind-hammered) connected by shorter sections of snowy rock and ice. We solo’d most of it aside from a few 50-100’ pitches of easy 5th and a couple blocks of simulclimbing on the ridge .

 

 

Gear Notes:

We brought 4 or 5 screws (didn't use them) and a single rack from blue metolius tcu, .4-2 C4 (used all), wires, and a few pins (used one blade). Since we didn't know what to expect we brought twins but only used one - this worked great since the cruxes were short.

 

Approach Notes:

Solid bootpack to Colchuck Lake: about 3-4 miles on a road to 3-4 miles boot packed trail.

 

Edited December 7, 2011 by downey

[mpug]

Awesome TR as usual. Proud send guys!

[Gaucho Argentino]

Sweet, Buddies!

Please, couple of Qs for some beta if you do not mind:

The road is gated, right (at least this is what the Ranger told me on the phone?

How is the dirt road from the Icicle to the TH (snow or not?)?

From the TH to Colchuck lake? (you mention "bootpack", is it all snow already?)

Up Assgard Pass?

Thank you !!

GA.

[downey]

Thanks!

 

Of course I don't mind.. that's what this place is for

 

road 7601 is gated at Icicle Creek Road. I haven't done much skiing in mountain boots but would consider bringing them to cash at the Trailhead for the ski back down 7601 (not for flotation but to cut down on travel time back down the car at the end of a long day). I welcome suggestions on this topic. Ski's above the TH doesn't seem worth it to me with a solid boot pack already set all the way to the lake.

 

Someone ahead of us broke trail from the head of the lake en route to TC. No idea about Assgard pass... probably at least some postholing in talus but you'll have to go there to know for certain.

 

Have a good trip!

 

OTHER ICE:

While i'm at it, I didn't see much ice coming in at all on other routes on Dragontail . There were some short but cool looking ice/mixed options on the Eastern flank of Colchuck - near the col. ALso, I noted some nice ice options up to a few pitches on the approach to colchuck lake (East side of the drainage.. Cannon mountain around 4500' elevation?? ish) that looked to be worth exploring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gaucho Argentino]

Thanks, Buddy!

One last I forgot: how about Assgard pass? Is snow covered like to ski it down, or not that much yet? We were actually thinking in D-Tail with some skiing in the bowl up there :-)

Cheers!

GA.

[downey]

GA,

Might want to bring your rock ski's for Asgard pass. Doesn't seem quite worth it to me.. I'd wait for it to fill in a bit more. I didn't make a mental note/pics of Asgard though but that's what I'd guess based on my general impression of conditions up there.

hope that helps,

B

[Gaucho Argentino]

Buddy, thanks a bunch for the beta !

With the dry spell of the last days, and the weather coming in on the W side of the Cascades, we are trying to find anything with snow and sun, but it seems we'll have to climb, not ski :-)

Thanks again, Dude, I appreciate your advice!

Cheers,

GA

[ScaredSilly]

Nice ... looks like some wallowing ;-).

[ezra]

Hella good pics! Thanks!

[goatboy]

What do you mean when you refer to the Stuart/Colchuck Col? The col atop the Colchuck Glacier?

[downey]

haha.. typo. ment colchuck dragontail col (climbers left of colchuck). my bad!

[downey]

how do i edit my TR? don't have the option

[ezra]

Looks very very nice!!!