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[TR] Mount Stuart - Ice Cliff Glacier w/ Sherpa Glacier ski descent 5/21/2013


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Posted

Trip: Mount Stuart - Ice Cliff Glacier w/ Sherpa Glacier ski descent

 

Date: 5/20/2013

 

Trip Report:

Aaron S and I linked up for a great trip up Mt. Stuart today.

 

We left the parking lot at a touch before 4AM and made decent time on dry trail up to the first switchback heading up to Stuart Lake.  From there, we dropped to the creek and crossed and then followed the cairned boulderfield trail up into the basin below the N Face of Stuart.

 

Climbing conditions on the Ice Cliff were just about perfect.  Firm snow on the ascent, and only a slight groan from the Ice Cliff the entire time.  We topped out in the sun then proceeded to lounge around on the false summit for a good while before making our way up the final 800' or so to the true summit.

 

The ski down the Sherpa Glacier was on good corn.

 

We botched the deproach a bit and wound up following the creek for a little ways.  It would have been better to find our up route, but we didn't lose that much time.

 

Back to the parking lot at 6:15.  An excellent day out!

 

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Posted

Sorry no this was yesterday and we returned at 6:15PM. 2:15 RT would be some feat!

 

KK.. we crossed on the left side of the 'schrund. The main problem on this route was getting past the schrund. There was a rock section that I started up but backed off because my skis kept on hitting the rock above me. Without skis, that would have been the logical way to go but instead I excavated with an ice axe for 25 minutes.

Posted

Nice job Tom, looks like fun! I need to ski off Stuart one of these days!

 

The last time I was up there from that side (not counting skiing on a good snow pack last Feb), I found it was much easier/faster to pick up the trail on the right bank of Mountaineers Creek rather than scrambling the cairned boulder field route. It didn't really become a trail until after you were in a ways around where the boulder field starts. Is that trail gone? Or just still hard to find?

Posted

kevino.. I would bet with this cold weather that the Sherpa Gl will be decent (skiable) for another two weeks or so.

 

stewart.. I can't speak for Aaron, but I personally thought the boulderfield path was easier than the "trail" that parallels the creek. We went in the boulderfield and out the "trail".

Posted

Cool, it may have overgrown a bit since I was last in from that side several years ago. It may also be that my partner once took a header between two house sized boulders in the boulder field and I thought I was gonna have to carry his body out till he popped back up a minute later.

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