[TR] Johannesburg - CJ Couloir + East Face 7/30/2012

[YocumRidge]

Trip: Johannesburg - CJ Couloir + East Face

 

Date: 7/30/2012

 

Trip Report:

Johannesburg, the “savage peak with a high epic potential”, which is made of scheisty schist…

 

The seed was planted by OlegV in da winter a while back:

 

 

And later by Ivan; the good friends they are and have a good taste in this life.

I had to get up on the J-burg again and hopefully to make more upward progress than last year with Ivan on the NE Butt - his secret object of infatuation :

 

 

 

I somehow talked my friend Brad into driving over to the North cascades to climb some vague peak he never heard of, except for its famous 10 min approach - I am proud that my marketing skills are seriously improving these days . The hard-to-resist 10 min approach to the base of J-burg has its price to pay for later on, however.

 

We left PDX and arrived at the Cascade Pass p-lot at 2 a.m. After getting a couple hours of sleep we teamed up with Buckaroo who was eager to climb the CJ couloir to the col and down the same day.

 

The Cascade river is fairly active this year with no snow bridges left to cross on, so we took the green diagonal gully next to the old avy path down to the river rather than starting at the usual hairpin turn.

 

 

 

It was not clear in the morning, so here is the pic showing the 3200’ CJ couloir taken from Forbidden last year:

 

 

Starting up at the base of the couloir:

 

 

Brad passing through the constriction:

 

 

Higher up in the couloir:

 

 

Some sections were steeper than we expected. Brad is approaching one of the upper crevasses:

 

 

At this point we decided to rope up – Brad’s crampons had developed biting issues just before he fell 10’. We then simul-climbed the last section through the cornice and found some bona fide ice in the process.

 

 

Simul-climbing the last section to the col:

 

 

That took good screws:

 

 

At the CJ col looking over to Formidable:

 

 

After a 20 min break and dropping some gear at the col, Brad and I went up the East Face to the summit ridge while Buckaroo got some zzz at the bivy.

 

 

We traversed over the snow finger to the base of the infamous “white granite staircase” that supposedly represents the most solid rock on the East face of J-burg (thanks to Buckaroo for the pics):

 

 

Although we had a rope with no pro between us for a while, it was quickly packed away when I barely missed a few objects coming down on me from above. Some of those objects were kewl though. As was this piece of turquoise schist:

 

Myself high on the white granite staircase:

 

After reaching the heather benches, we traversed north and up through the snow bowls towards the east ridge:

 

 

This is where I suspect we made our first routefinding mistake and went too far north (right). I would appreciate if someone who has actually climbed the route will clue me in on this one.

 

We encountered some loose exposed class 3 and 4 as expected and that took a while to get used to or is it just me being retarded?

 

Sometimes we had bright moments too, so that our minds were able to rest for a while:

 

 

The loose class 3 and 4 transformed into the equally loose but much steeper terrain which was not expected:

 

 

 

This is where the best part begun. Brad, being a 5.11 climber, shouted from above: “class 4 my ass” which made me ponder my slim chances for survival. I suggested that he better rig some kind of anchor and toss me the rope if he does not want to see the blood spot down below at the col :

 

The anchor was 2 fixed angles in the bolder on the summit ridge. I did not realize at the time we were so close the summit ridge. The actual summit was however a long way to go and did not seem to be anywhere near the promised class 2-3 with cairns and wandering around the gendarmes. Probably because we topped out on the summit ridge too far north.

 

Brad on the knife edged summit ridge (the summit is behind the steep snow slope in the distance):

 

The best option might have been to traverse and then climb up the steep snow on the north side by the junky looking grey tower, although I am not sure if anyone has actually done that. Our estimate was another 2-3 hours. With the dodgy forecast for the next day, the descending at this point seemed like the better idea. “The descent” was a nerve-racking combination of rappels and downclimbing pretty much the same way we came up, except we did not traverse over back to the white granite staircase but took the direct line straight down to the bivy site at the col.

 

 

Room with a view:

 

Moon over Formidable:

 

Next morning we downclimbed the couloir back to the car. 4 hrs.

I will always take steep downclimbing over the extensive hiking, searching for the elusive Doug’s Direct and am not particularly looking forward to the 657 switchbacks of the Cascade Pass trail. The Sill gl. Ice cliff seems to be very peaceful these days and during the two days we were up there, we did not notice any calving or ice avalanche activity. The glaciers are steadily recessing and the previously powerful ice cliff is now reduced to this remnant:

 

Buckaroo took the cl.3 bypass option for the descent - the rib between Cascade Peak and the CJ couloir. The same 4 hours to the road from the col:

 

 

Gear Notes:

3 screws, 2 pickets, a small alpine rack

 

Approach Notes:

P-lot

[genepires]

good one to have ticked off.

[dougd]

Nice work Nastia.

 

J-berg, finally...

 

d

[OlegV]

Great job, Nastia and Brad! So, the upper ridge is loose and unprotectable?

[pink]

The everlasting gobstopper good job, and great partner Brad is a fit solid dude...

[KaskadskyjKozak]

J-berg, finally...

 

Umm, unless I understood the TR, there is still some unfinished business left on J-Burg for our intrepid divchynka...

 

 

[Otto]

Really nice TR and photos, thank you. That "Room with a view" shot looks like a painting, beautiful.

[Phil K]

Great job, Nastia and Brad! So, the upper ridge is loose and unprotectable?

 

That's a fact. The “class 4 my ass” might be avoidable, but it is mountain goat terrain for sure.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Great job, Nastia and Brad! So, the upper ridge is loose and unprotectable?

 

That's a fact. The “class 4 my ass” might be avoidable, but it is mountain goat terrain for sure.

 

A friend of mine climbed CJ couloir a few years ago. He lost a contact lens and did not proceed to the summit. His partner went up and according to my friend, he knew exactly where his partner was the whole way up and down based on the sound of falling rocks.

[Bronco]

Great TR and photos. It's funny how most of us have our nemises mountains that, despite multiple attempts, don't allow us to set foot on the summit.

 

This caught my eye and I'm a little curious. Was the left crampon in this photo detached at the toe? If not, what did you determine was the cause of the crampon issue?

 

Regardless, that's a scary place for a tumble, glad he was able to self arrest.

 

At this point we decided to rope up – Brad’s crampons had developed biting issues just before he fell 10’.

 

[ivan]

it's death to go up there!!!

[dougd]

Someday, when I grow up, I wanna do climbs like this!

 

d

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Someday, when I grow up, I wanna do climbs like this!

 

Are you sure about that? :-)

[YocumRidge]

The “class 4 my ass” might be avoidable, but it is mountain goat terrain for sure.

 

Agree. We traversed over through the snow bowls for too long until dead ended and too late, and it was so comforting to get some relief from the exposure. Should have cut up much earlier in one of the better looking gullies leading to the summit ridge.

[YocumRidge]

This caught my eye and I'm a little curious. Was the left crampon in this photo detached at the toe? If not, what did you determine was the cause of the crampon issue?

 

Regardless, that's a scary place for a tumble, glad he was able to self arrest.

 

At this point we decided to rope up – Brad’s crampons had developed biting issues just before he fell 10’.

My understanding there was some glitch when Brad swaped mono- front pieces for the dual ones (used on J-burg) which did not align well with the connecting bar. As you can also see, the front pieces lack the anti bot plates which he badly wanted to have on in that couloir.

 

[YocumRidge]

it's death to go up there!!!

 

For you - yes, but you are an unicum who keeps coming back there for more...

[dougd]

Someday, when I grow up, I wanna do climbs like this!

 

Are you sure about that? :-)

 

Well, I mean no disrespect, I can see it's a handful... If I ever do, I'll be sure to do a TR on it.

 

d

[Buckaroo]

The snow was perfect styrofoam even later in the day with the sun hitting it. I think the couloir is at such an angle the sun has less detrimental effect.

 

I actually got no ZZZ's. The bivy ring is not that safe. As I was watching you guys rocks came down 3 or 4 times, most of them away from the bivy. At one point I was adjusting my crampons at the bivy, preparing to go down, and heard a whistling noise. I looked up just in time to see this watermelon size rock come screaming in at terminal velocity. It came smoking in about 10 feet above my head, I had just enough time to flinch as it obliterated on the talus behind me. Wouldn't want to be sleeping there if anyone is on the East face.

 

The bypass is perfect. Wet mossy smooth rock but surprisingly some good holds with the strata in the right direction. Sort of wandering route finding, might be difficult in the dark. But it starts 1000' below the col right where the couloir necks down and starts to become exposed to the Sill glacier. Then it comes back in another 1000' down, right as the exposure ends. I still think there is significant exposure here in the couloir because this glacier is sitting on wet polished slabs and it's sort of broken up.

 

This mountain is still unfinished business for me. It would be nice to climb the NE buttress and then just come down the East face. The couloir is def the way to descend now that I know the bypass. Doug's direct is way more miles and hours and also entails routefinding and some 4th/5th downclimbing.

 

I'm pretty sure the route goes left around the grey tower, the question is how do you get to the left side of it.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

This mountain is still unfinished business for me. It would be nice to climb the NE buttress and then just come down the East face. The couloir is def the way to descend now that I know the bypass. Doug's direct is way more miles and hours and also entails routefinding and some 4th/5th downclimbing.

 

I'm pretty sure the route goes left around the grey tower, the question is how do you get to the left side of it.

 

Out of the three times I've summited J-Berg, I have never once needed to downclimb more than class 3 on Doug's Direct. Also, the routefinding is next to trivial and a virtual roadmap can be found somewhere in the archives on this website. FYI. I will have to check to be sure, but I believe it took us ~4 hours to do the Doug's Direct descent the past two times I was up there (I just verified.. it took 4.5 hours to go from the CJ Col to the parking lot the last two times I was up there - the first time, someone in my party had a medical emergency we were taking care of, so it took us like a day). More mileage seems like a small price to pay to avoid getting crushed by falling ice/rock in the CJ (I do not know about the rib variation, because I haven't been on it). This is more crucial in the afternoon when things are warmer, when most people are more likely to be descending. YMMV.

 

Also, I don't think the E Ridge is that bad.. out of the three times descending the E Ridge, I made one single rappel (ie one rappel ever - mainly due to the fact that we wanted to take a more direct line). We didn't use the rope at all on the ascent the one time I ascended it. I can understand people needing to make rappels in there, and I can also understand people roping up for the ascent of the E Ridge because it does get sketchy in spots, but with good routefinding, I think most people will find it manageable, especially those that have climbed in the N Cascades any amount of time. I didn't even think it was really any more loose than any other mountain I've been on in the Cascades (except maybe Prusik or Stuart or similar peaks). I can honestly tell you that there are maybe two areas on the entire E Ridge where I encountered climbing more difficult than class 4.. and it never got harder than 5.0.

 

I'm only offering this advice so that future readers of this TR have more than one opinion. I personally think descending the CJ should not be taken lightly, especially in the afternoon, and especially in later season.

 

As always, take all beta with a grain of salt and YMMV.

 

Congrats to YocumRidge and team on a great climb, and I hope you guys get back up there some day to do that ~1 mile ridge traverse to the true summit.. the views from up there are amazing.

[Buckaroo]

It took me 6+ hrs on Doug's direct so apples to apples. You are losing and gaining elevation also.

 

The couloir is quite a bit safer with the bypass. Still probably not quite as easy as Doug's. And there is some exposure anywhere in the couloir, after all it is a gulley. But I don't think Doug's is hazard free either.

 

In late season the couloir gets icy and I can imagine coming off the NEB and wanting an easier descent. Like the time me and Jameserous climbed the full N ridge of Stuart and descended the Cascadian instead of the planned W ridge. Sometimes you just have had enough exposure and take the longer/easier way.

 

Maybe I didn't go exactly the way you did, but I thought I was following the description you speak of. There was some 5.0 on the East side of the crossover point near the top.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Thanks for the reply, Buckaroo.

 

I would venture to guess that if you found any class 5 whatsoever, that you gained the top of the Doug's Direct one gully too early (closer to the Triplets than Mix-Up). In no way, shape, or form could any of the Doug's Direct I've taken now three times have had anything more than class 3 (some people might call a move or two class 4). Trekking poles in hand the whole time - not kidding, it's really easy!

 

Next time I'll have to try the rib descent. I'm curious now.

[YocumRidge]

Thanks for the input, Tom!

Having never done the Doug's Direct, I did have a few waypoints to track it down in case of the aggravating ice fall in the CJ couloir which was not the case for us.

 

4.5 hrs from the col via the DD is stout; I am fairly sure it would take me closer to 6 hrs but then again I suck at hiking descents.

 

[Off_White]

I share Tom's take on the C-J Couloir being nothing to take lightly, especially as a summer season afternoon descent. When things go wrong they can do it all at once with no warning.

 

I've only been up the NE Butt once, and we came down by descending the south side directly, which involved at least one pitch of roped down climbing and we may have made one rappel too. We had a pretty cush unplanned bivy once we were down, in a patch of ankle height greenery surrounded by old dried wood - very cozy with an all night fire. We completed the descent the next day by traversing west and going back over the shoulder of Johannesburg, then down steep forest to come out by near the parking for Eldorado. I seem to recall the time was reciprocal - 9 hours from the car to the summit and another 9 hours from the summit back to the car. That East Face - Doug's Direct sounds like a better option to me.

 

 

Crappy photo of where we emerged from the south face, with Galen still coming down the snow cone, I swear I heard munchkins sing that happy song about being out of the woods once we got off the rock.

 

 

[Alex]

when i climbed the e ridge, we went pretty much straight up from the staircase, no travering n. it ws never more than class 4, we never roped up. so i think you went too far right.

 

cj col to the car via dougs direct circa 4.5 hours sounds spot on to me