Dragon Tail TC Beta

[mzvarner]

By now I know that ice is not to be expected in the runnels. I am wondering if any one knows of a good picture showing the two other variations in relations to the runnels? I would like to have a picture to compare to the mtn when standing at the lake.

 

Thanks

Edited February 7, 2012 by mzvarner

[sdizzle25]

I hopped on tc for the 1st time last weekend, got shutdown by the runnels, though I am not sure the bypass would have been much better for a climber of my ability, though it looks like the party that posted the TR handled it just fine. they are fairly obvious once you are at the base of the runnels, which is also obvious (if nothing else there are 2 fixed stoppers there, one we rapped off. the 1st couloir goes up and to climbers right, the exit back to the second couloir will be one of the few options you have at that point. Going onto the West/nw face can be done at several points through the 1st couloir right now, though right now the face is about as appealing as runnels. thin ice and dry rock are the name of the game up there. none of the options are super obvious from the lake-hence "hidden" couloir, though you might get some glimpses of the 1st variation exit if you know where to look.

[DPS]

I climbed TC back in February 2000. The runnels were completely dry so we climbed to the top of the Hidden Couloir. Three 60 meter pitches of pretty sustained 5.7 rock (our estimation of what it would have been in summer in rock shoes, felt much harder in crampons) lead to the North Face bowl - 60 degree rock slabs with 1/4" of snice. We should have unroped, but simu-climbed the entire bowl hoping for pro. None was found. We climbed three more pitches of 5.7 rock to exit into the third couloir. Came back in April of 2003 and found the runnels well iced. It was far, far easier than what we climbed 3 years before. Passed Dave Burdick and Eric ? on the route.

Edited February 8, 2012 by DPS

[montypiton]

best ice on that face is generally April - June. The most ice I've ever seen between the Hidden & second couloirs was the first weekend in June of about '99. The whole junction was one fat blue bulge and my partner and I cursed ourselves blue for hiking in geared for a rock route...