[TR] Dragontail Peak - Triple Couloirs and Gerber Sink 3/9/2013

[The Cascade Kid]

Trip: Dragontail Peak - Triple Couloirs and Gerber Sink

 

Date: 3/9/2013

 

Trip Report:

Colin B invited me to attempt the Gerber Sink yesterday. When we arrived at Colchuck lake around 07:00, we watched John F and Daniel H bailing off the route. Conditions on the approach were great, but the mountain was largely free of ice and with little snow.

 

We made a group attempt at the Triple Couloirs. The second couloir likewise has no ice. Not even a little bit. Collective memory said there was a mixed bypass, but even after colin scratched around for a while, we didn't find it.

 

Looking at old photos, we were in the right place, with 0 snow where there's usually a ramp. Oh well. We bailed.

 

Sunny day, good people. 13 hrs car to car. There were many cars at the trailhead, which was not surprising with the good forecast. On the other hand, we didn't see many people at the lake. A group of skiers/climbers from Bend, and some other more local friends. Where'd everyone go?

 

[Photos, video, and subjective take at Mountain Lessons .]

 

Below, the start of the first, most of the second, and the end of the third couloir divide the center of the face. The Gerber Sink connects snow runnels just right of center starting just to the right of the low point on the face.

 

[img:center]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8510/8546522414_3361014293_b.jpg[/img]

 

Gear Notes:

Two tools, 1 rope, 1 nut, one bootied pin.

 

Approach Notes:

three with snowshoes, I without, no real problems with ether approach. Skis not recommended unless you're going skiing.

[dave schultz]

When you say the "second couloir likewise has no ice" on the TC does that mean that you climbed through the runnels? Or did you succesfully bypass the runnels via the variations to arrive at the second couloir? Or did you mean that the runnels were free of ice?

 

I was there about two weeks ago (http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1099313/TR_Colchuck_Triple_Couloir_Att#Post1099313) to find little to no ice in the runnels, and we didn't even waste our time searching for the bypass around it.

 

Side note, did you see evidence in the first couloir of the snow bollards from two weeks ago?

[sparverius]

Thanks for the update on conditions. I've been wondering how things were looking up there.

[ColinB]

The runnels have no ice. Can't say on the 2nd couloir as we didn't get to it. Definitely no sign of your bollard in the couloir as the snow was pretty damn deep there. I think that the bypass didn't have much snow as we found a pretty thin snowpack just above the runnels.

[telemarker]

Why not climb it using the 3rd option, climbing to the top of the Hidden Couloir out onto the NW Face, then connect with the 3rd couloir? Sure, not the classic ice of the runnels, but at least you get to top out on D-tail.

[bedellympian]

It was nice to meet all of you guys Saturday. I was the skier from Bend you talked to. The skiing was fantastic from the Colchuck/Dragontail col, almost made up for skinning in on all that rough terrain. Nice blog post too!

 

Also, we ran into two parties on the way out... One had climbed the NE Buttress(?) of Colchuck (5.8 in summer) and thought it was a first winter ascent (can anyone confirm or deny?). Another group was headed out to climb Sherpa Pk. So that explains some of those cars.

[The Cascade Kid]

Didn't climb through the runnels, didn't successfully bypass them due to lack of snow/ice for even the bypass. No ice anywhere. And with as much spindrift as whips around that thing, of course there were no snow bollards left.

[The Cascade Kid]

Why not climb it using the 3rd option, climbing to the top of the Hidden Couloir out onto the NW Face, then connect with the 3rd couloir? Sure, not the classic ice of the runnels, but at least you get to top out on D-tail.

 

b/c 3C's was a spur of the moment backup, and all of our beta was from memory and now from an extensive review of available TRs.

 

Speculation... but I bet the north face may fave most more difficulties than usual in the low snow.

[JensHolsten]

A lot of talk about the "low snow" on Dragontail...seems really typical to me, if not more covered than in the past few winters. The reality is, I've only seen the face in really good ice condition once in the winter. I've seen it fat for a two to three week period every spring for the last five years though...These spring cycles of warmer, wetter, calmer storms followed by sunny, long days are what will bring the north face into condition. We are just now starting to see that cycle begin. I would guess things are going to be shaping up nicely in the next month or two...true winter season climbs in the Stuart Range usually (not always!) involve scratchy mixed, thin ice, and sugar snow. Connect the frozen moss clumps, get gear when you can, and mixed climb like you mean it!

 

Good work up there guys!

 

Bedellympian: My friend Shaun and I ran into you on the way out after climbing the NE Buttress of Colchuck...super fun to see folks out getting some this weekend. What beautiful weather!

[kevino]

How far along is the road melting out now?

[The Cascade Kid]

How far along is the road melting out now?

 

sporadic dirt for about 3/4 mi, then snow covered

[The Cascade Kid]

Jens, that's the spirit.

 

Didn't mean to imply low snow in some global warming year-long trend kinda way. but looking at old photos of the TCs and the north face, it's clear than when the routes are in good nick there's usually more and more-consolidated snow.

 

Nice work on Colchuck!

[Verticolorful]

bedellympian: I just posted the TR of Jens and I on the NEB check it out!