Steven B Posted August 22, 2013 Posted August 22, 2013 Hey all! New to this forum but not to climbing. I was planning on summiting Mt Banner, just south of Thousand Island Lake in the Sierra Nevada's, near Mammoth, in a month from now (weekend of Sept 20th). I will be making this trip solo, so was planning on climbing up from the southwest saddle which is suppose to be class 3 terrain according to summitpost. I've been to Thousand Island Lake numerous times in every season, and figured I should climb Mt Banner at some point. From what it seems, hard packed ice/snow would be the only challenges to get to the top when ascending from the southwest saddle. I'm thinking just crampons and ice axe. Any reason to believe I'll need more technical gear than that? Thanks to everyone in advance! -Steve Quote
NateF Posted August 22, 2013 Posted August 22, 2013 You might check with Mammoth Mountaineering for beta & local conditions Quote
Steven B Posted August 22, 2013 Author Posted August 22, 2013 Thanks Nate I will check that out! Quote
Steven B Posted August 23, 2013 Author Posted August 23, 2013 Great thank you! I'm hoping to summit before sunrise to get some great photographs, I'm excited! Quote
toolnut Posted August 25, 2013 Posted August 25, 2013 Banner Peak is a fun and easy scramble. From Lake Catherine, you'll be on snow until you reach the saddle between Banner and Ritter. Above that, you'll likely be on scree all the way to the summit. I've done it with hiking poles and no crampons, but if you're planning a pre-dawn ascent, crampons and an axe are probably good. You shouldn't need any other gear. The route from Lake Catherine to the summit is Class 2. The Class 3 route is on the east side from Lake Ediza. Have fun and be safe. Quote
Steven B Posted August 26, 2013 Author Posted August 26, 2013 Thank you very much for the info! Good to know I'm bringing just enough, if there's anything I hate it's excessive gear! Quote
Steven B Posted October 8, 2013 Author Posted October 8, 2013 Hi all! Just wanted to add closure to this thread. I did my summit attempt on Sept 21st and got caught in a large storm that ended up dumping 1 to 1.5 feet of snow over night at my camp at Garnet Lake. The weather seemed fine when I started out at 5 that morning, but got progressively worse by noon. I had completed navigating through the sloping rock field pass that separates Thousand Island Lake from Lake Catherine (I saw no safe route from Garnet directly to eastern route with a steep angle of approach combined with loose scree) and was just starting on the steeper portion with hard pack to the summit when I decided I should turn around. I got back to camp around 4pm during the hail storm and just weathered the snow/thunder until morning. A tiring day but I know to come prepared during the fall season in this area so it was pretty fun overall. Some things I wanted to pass onto others climbing this peak: Crampons/ice axe/helmet are a must. You will not need them until you reach the base of the last climb at this time of year, but there is simply no way to kick-step or get around the ice if you wanted to goto the summit. I also did not realize how much I hate navigating boulder fields of this variety, I'll take snow/ice any day over that again. I'm thinking of trying again in Feb. The view at Garnet Lake the next morning was just stunning however and made the trip worth it regardless. When else are you going to get a picture like this in September?? [img:center]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/stea1thviper/DSC_4002_zps89d38e3c.jpg[/img] -Steve Quote
JasonG Posted October 10, 2013 Posted October 10, 2013 Great photo! Such a spectacular spot, it's on my list. Quote
Steven B Posted October 11, 2013 Author Posted October 11, 2013 Thank you! It was a great deal of fun. Not the most technical climb, but perfect for someone of my level for a solo effort! Quote
John_Scurlock Posted October 13, 2013 Posted October 13, 2013 Beautiful photograph. By coincidence I was down there on September 18-20 (working out of Bridgeport) photographing glaciers for Portland State University; I worked from south of Whitney on up to the north of Molo mountain, and covered the Ritter range on the 19th. I finished up the project early in the day on the 20th and headed north around 10 am, knowing there was a storm/weather change forecast for the 21st which would likely cover the glaciers with snow and put an end to what I was trying to accomplish. I see from your image that things did get pretty well covered. Here are three photographs of Banner from the 19th: Mt Ritter and Banner Peak From The East Banner Peak From The Northeast Banner Peak From The Northwest Quote
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