Dorado Needle and Early Morning Spire

[Cpt.Caveman]

Those things look pretty cool. A lot cooler than the books make them look like with b+w photos...

 

I especially like the looks of the Dorado Needle. Wayne have you climbed the Cauthorn Pilling route on that? or anyone else?.. Looking at how long it takes a human being to climb that thing and how easy or hard the descent off it is.

 

 

[JoshK]

Agreed. Dorado needle looks awesome in person. That got added onto my list laste time I was on Eldorado. From the looks of it, that entire McAllister glacier area looks very cool and probably not very oft-traveled.

[JoshK]

Oh, and to try to answer part of your question...I think the decent off dorado needle should be fairly straight forward. You guys that did the NW coliour on eldorado maybe didn't go far enough over on the inspiration glacier to see it, but you can tell from there that the mcallister glacier runs very high up that SW(?) side of dorado needle. There is actually a moderate 3 pitch(?) climb on that side of the needle. From my vantage it looked like it would be a pretty straightforward downclimb+rappel back to the mcallister.

[forrest_m]

caveman, I've done both the routes you mention. well, we tried to do the cauthorn-pilling, I think we ended up doing our own thing further left (north?), anyway, there'about 50 potential lines along that face. I've actually talked to three parties that have done routes there, all different, but all about the same grade, i.e. 5.8-5.9. the only thing we all remember in common is the "a cheval"move on the ridge. the descent is trivial, really, one double rope rappel off the top gets you onto the snow, then... summit to camp at eldo-deacon's tower col in about 15 minutes.

 

early morning spire is a different kettle of fish. we summitted in an almost-whiteout, but the descent down the gully back towards the base looked bad (think big snow blocks on slabs), especially since we were camped up on the inspiration glacier, so here's what we did: EMS sits a bit in front of the ridge that has dorado needle as it's highpoint, connected to it by a narrow spine. We scrambled down the spine to the lowpoint (15 min), made 1 single rope rap off the north side from a fixed station, then kept following the spine back uphill, eventually up a narrow snow gully to the dorado needle ridge. (1/2 hour). we followed this rock ridge south (towards dorado needle) for several hundred feet (5.easy but wet), then headed straight down the snow (60 deg for 150 feet, then gradually mellowing out), following the slope down to eventually join the very bottom of the d. needle descent. if you have good nav. skills or clear conditions, I highly recommend this as a descent because it saves you having to climb back up to dor. needle col from way down in the valley, but it would be hard to pull off without a map, as there are several subsidiary ridgelets that could easily misdirect you.

 

I thought the rock on dor. needle was better quality than EMS, but the line on EMS is much more classic.

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

Thanks forrest. That sounds like good info for EMS. The photos always made it look real menacing, until I saw that it was not totally vertical.

[Stefan]

Standard route off of Dorado Needle is via the north ridge until you come to steep snow (180 feet) on the east (may be melted) and then you have to contend with a bergschrund to access the McAllister Glacier later in the year. The north ridge is low but solid class 5. The NW side of Dorado Needle could be in the class 3-4 range.

 

Early Morning Spire best way off it is probably through a minor class 5 climb just north of Marble Needle (8401) and south of Praying Mantis (8360+). Go over Marble Needle and down the SW towards the McAllister. There is a minor class 4 section to get down off of Marble Needle. I have seen Beckey's route around the 8000 foot pass north of there and it did not look appealing with all the glacial breakup on the western slopes of McAllister.

 

I did these both last year. Though, not up the standard tough routes.

 

Edited December 11, 2002 by Stefan

[Cpt.Caveman]

Danke stefan. Wayne when you read this let me know what you think. Didn't you and Harmon climb one of those things?

 

 

[COL._Von_Spanker]

the only thing we all remember in common is the "a cheval"move on the ridge

 

I read about the infamous "a cheval" move in Becky's book and was quite curious what that move entailed.

 

I've been wanting to get up dorado needle as well, i was back there earlier this to climb it, but ended up climbing other stuff instead.

[Cpt.Caveman]

RE: i was back there earlier this to climb it, but ended up climbing other stuff instead.

 

A lot of people do things like that. I do too.

[Greg_W]

Once again, this board has prompted me to crack open the Beckey guide and go, "shit that looks like a great climb." Have to add one or both to the list.

[Dru]

A cheval = French for Ride'em Horsie! Straddlin an arete with a leg on each side. If the arete is sharp, use Kevlar undies to avoid an uncomfortable rash.

[COL._Von_Spanker]

Kevlar undies to avoid an uncomfortable rash

 

or a little astroglide

[forrest_m]

yeah, I remember reading about it too, and I figured, well, in rock shoes and all, I'm sure you can just walk across. I mean, the thin section of the w. ridge of pigeon spire in the bugs was originally an "a cheval" move too, and now everybody either just walks across the top or smears the slab with the knife-edge as a hand rail.

 

so imagine my surprise on dorado needle when I found myself astraddle the ridge, scooting across 6 inches at a time, like the way you might go across a slippery log over a stream. actually, the problem is more or less the same, at the "a cheval" the ridge is very narrow, but in cross section it is like a spade (from a deck of cards), i.e. it cuts under on both sides just below the crest, so there'nowhere for your feet. it's not a big deal, I mean it's only about 5 feet long, but it is memorable.

 

[Greg_W]

Sounds spicy!!! Cool

[Dru]

I hear there is a cheval (actually I think it should be "au cheval" if I remember Grade 12 right) on the top of Springbok Arete too getting off that beast. Rounded and polished so better to saddle up than try and hand traverse or something like that.

[dberdinka]

The 'cheval off Springbok is a bit unique in that it descends significantly. Quite terrifying when you first look at it. I straddled out of fear and nearly cut the jewels off. Dull it is not.

 

So what are the "classic" chevals in the Cascades?

 

Descent off Les Cornes (Springbok)

SW Buttress of Dorado Needle

SE Arete of South Early

 

What else qualifies?

[TimL]

North Ridge of Stuart

Angels Crest on the Chief

 

are a couple that come to mind.

[Dru]

? Where do you au cheval on Angels Crest?

[TimL]

After the towers and before the last 2 pitches I think. Could be thinking of another climb.

[thelawgoddess]

i know it's a sport climb, but i always thought "ride 'em cowboy" was a fun one. and it features multiple rides to boot!

[JoshK]

I can think of many many places in the cascades where I've had to "au chaval" across a wet log

[Dru]

Tim you must be thinking of the whaleback arete you would need 16 foot long cowboy legs to au cheval it.