Partner to climb\ski Whitehorse in Darrington ...

[itsacarr]

Hey im a novice climber ... in other words I have not had alot of wintertime climbing experience; especially of the Whitehorse nature. I will be in Darrington for 2 weeks a week from now and the house im staying at is no more than 3 miles away from the base. I have been staring at this mountain for 2 years now, one of the most gorgeous mountains I have personally ever seen and would really love to try and climb it and maybe ski if possible some of it. If this is not possible, find something else of this nature to do in Darrington. Any comments\questions etc. would be great, thanks.

 

Adam

 

[itsacarr]

Hello out there ..

[Billygoat]

I might be interested. A couple a friends might like to go as well. Looks good from the Beckey guide. I have little experience with the area. Send me a PM with names and numbers and we'll see what we can get together. Goat

[Billygoat]

Rainier Burgdorfer claims it is a tough one. Considering the shape I am in , we'd definately have to spend the night. I'd be psyched though. He does recommend good snow pack down to 3,000 feet to avoid a brushy start. Ice axes, crampons and a rope are needed if we want to summit. Do you have a avalanche transceiver so they can find your body should it be necessary?!

[mattp]

I have skied it in the Spring, when the "snow gulch" route was skiable all the way from the summit to perhaps five hundred feet feet above the base of the mountain. At that time of the year, it is a GREAT ski outing. Right now, that route is probably not the way to go because the lower part of the gulch will be rocky and a pain in the neck, followed by some bush thrashing up to at least 4,000' or so -- so you should probably look at the (regular) lone tree pass route. If you are lucky enough to find a relatively painless transition from carrying your skis to skinning, it might be OK. Watch the avvy hazard and snow conditions, though. The route travels on just about every aspect, and traversses some steep slopes in the alpine zone. The summit icecap is really cool and the summit pinnacle itself is easy enough but never-the-less quite exciting.

[Billygoat]

Thanks Mattp for that excellent beta! How about the Three fingers next door?

[mattp]

The road to the Three Fingers trailhead was open just a couple of weeks ago, and it is probably still open. The hike is a little rough, though probably easier than the hike up to Loan Tree Pass, and you certainly start a lot higher. The route may overall be a little simpler though I believe the total distance is probably more than Whitehorse and when I went up there last Fall we lost the trail and wandered around for an hour or more. If you were to try this one, you might want to look at climbing via the glacier rather than following the trail around from Tin Pan Gap, though be wary of early season (not very well filled in) crevasses. Both these peaks are pretty cool.

[Billygoat]

Good stuff. Hey Mattp, maybe you and I should go. Itsacarr has gone MIA Sounds like the burl factor is present, better get going on those crunches ya think Feb-march better infill?! BTW Mattp, do you practice business law?

[mattp]

Billygoat-

I'd gladly go up there with you and, yes, later in the winter is better for Whitehorse at least, though the road to Three Fingers is usually blocked some time early in the winter. I wouldn't describe either one as "high" on the burly scale, but both are certainly bigger outings than going to Heather (Skyline) Ridge -- Whitehorse and Three Fingers are more like "moderates" on the N. Cascades burlieness scale. I'll be ready to ski some time after Jan 1. I do simple incorporations and stuff but I don't really practice in the area of business law.

 

 

[itsacarr]

I apologize for my absense I am definatly still in .....school (finals)\work\packing has cought me off guard. I am leaving for washington Tomorrow ... I apologize again for my absence but in about another 24 hours I will be free and clear to actually begin interacting with the world outside of college finals lol. Tty all tomorrow ... this climb is sounding more and more exciting no less

[Bill_Simpkins]

Watch out for Avy. It's a huffer too. Tons of elevation gain, about 6000 feet. I reccomend in Winter camping on the Knoll before the first hazardous slopes if you are going the Lone Tree Pass way. Bring a beacon. Rope up. Watch out for the crevasse about 30 feet below the summit on the final steep snow section. There are more before too. I have also encountered lots of moating right at the summit. I never have roped up in later summer, but I would in Winter and Spring. It's a good one. Highly suggested. Check out the upload linkabove.

[Alec]

I've also been eyeing Whitehorse for awhile. I'd like to join ya'll for a good climb and ski down. Keep me posted.

[Billygoat]

Well, here we are again. Yes MattP, some time after January first is the soonest I could go. Some associates and I would like to start a Design/Build company with up to ten partners. Any opinions how to set that up? Thanks Mr Simpkins for the detailed info. I will be sure to heed your warnings. Great photo also ! Definately looks like a serious bushwack until some more snow piles up. Itsacarr, if you are in Darrington now, can you get your hands on a digital camera and post a current shot so I can see where the snow is?! Have you done any reconnaisance Alec, sounds good. Where are you? I went up to Table Mountain and did some laps Monday. Beautiful conditions. Had a blast, flailed a bit cause I had trouble getting my powder head on and I am completely out of shape, but on the whole I was totally worked by the end of the day. on the last run I had an interesting thing happen. I threaded my right ski through an overturned tree's rootball. Stopped me dead in my tracks How I did not break or dislocate something I will never know. Broke the hold down for my voile three-pin binding. luckily I was able to tighten the springs on my heel throw to hold me in so I could ski out. There are some nasty things lurking under this late, early season snow cover Got me to thinking about the pros and cons of either going lite and trying to do it in just one day or taking a bunch of gear and enjoying ourselves for a while.

Edited December 26, 2002 by Billygoat

[Alec]

I'm in Seattle. One day outing would be nice due to lack of gear to carry and ski with. But days are short and we would need a real early start which may be hard on the beginning bushwack section. Coverage low down is also a consideration. After the first is best for my especially if we need 2 days. AL