[TR] Shuksan - Fisher Chimneys 8/11/2012

[Major Major]

Trip: Shuksan - Fisher Chimneys

 

Date: 8/11/2012

 

Trip Report:

Here's the trip report on video:

 

Gear Notes:

30 meter rope

pickets

axes

no pro

 

[Devin27]

Wandered into your video at the base of the summit block. Nathan is Magua? Not sure I see the resemblance

[zub]

Kickass editing, timely commentary, accurate documentary. A+

[Water]

Wandered into your video at the base of the summit block. Nathan is Magua? Not sure I see the resemblance

 

look closer. Le Renard Subtil. Nathan is probably just a Christian name from when Lieutenant-Colonel Munro publicly flogged him.

[cookiejar]

Nice video! We climbed Sulphide Glacier on the same day and I saw members of our team in the video. 3:46-3:50. I'll probably climb the Chimneys later this season or next season. I heard the entrance to the Chimneys is hard to find. Any tips? Thanks.

[Major Major]

I would defer to Water on specific tips. It definitely feels counter-intuitive at times when navigating the chims. Don't be afraid to take it slow. Water, any specifics you can provide to cookiejar?

[Water]

cookiejar.. hmm well i will admit two things that helped

1) gps

2) someone in front of us

 

that said it isn't some brain science to do it. I fretted over that aspect after having read so many train wrecks in that section (lake ann to top of the proper chimneys). The google map satellite shows the trail and is actually quite accurate as a starting place.

 

-you never lose elevation in any place where the route-finding is unclear. the only place I saw elevation loss was on clearly demarcated paths along route. And it was only for 10ft or something. You start to lose 30+ foot, wrong way I'd say.

 

-starting off from lake ann... its all obvious trail until you get to a small gully that can be a stream if there is melt from above. you go up at this point scrambling for 50ft (approx) and regain clearly demarcated trail. if you find yourself trying to traverse slabby rock with a cliff below, you need to go up before this. so 1st, you get a mini thing of climbing thinking 'this is it.. but it is just a mini preview..you have more trail ahead.

 

-from there I you are traversing talus/snow field. At the end of that a moat (when we went..dry later season I am sure) and you begin the chimney area in full. Almost the entire portion has clear foot/goat/climbers trail. Any time you are evaluating which way to go and one way has all green vegetation that looks undisturbed and the other has bare rock and they seem similar difficulty, opt for the bare rock. if its vegetated it means it is not the way.

 

-midway up there is a trail that veers more out towards lower curtis glacier and i think a bivy spot (i did not investigate). something to keep in mind.

 

-there are sections where you can probably go 3 or 4 different ways in the same small area. you will end up in the same area above. the climbing is all about the same, one will be slightly easier one will be slightly harder.

 

-if you feel like you've ever moved above class 4 scramble territory, you're off route, imo.

 

-it sounds more complex than it is if you pay attention to some basic tenets and environmental clues.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2012 by Water

[cookiejar]

Thanks for the tips!