Greg_W Posted January 11, 2003 Posted January 11, 2003 (edited) David Parker and I climbed the North Face on Friday; met skisports and partner. It was fun - my first ice climbing experience. Thanks to David for letting me lead the final pitch to the top. Sweet weather and nice views. Perfect day. FINALLY I GET A FUCKING PAGE TOP - FIRST OF '03! Edited January 11, 2003 by Greg_W
David_Parker Posted January 11, 2003 Posted January 11, 2003 Got some digital pics to post. Give me a few days. I was really surprised to see no evidence of previous ascents this year or at least since last time it snowed a bunch. Anyone else actually been up it? It is thin for the first 75-100 feet, but basically a crusty snow climb from there unless you purposely venture off route to find verglass on the exposed rock bulges. In/out access was the finest conditions I've seen. Forget snowshoes! Go get it before it snows a bunch.
Lambone Posted January 11, 2003 Posted January 11, 2003 (edited) Nice Greg, that's a very worthy first Ice route...allthough too bad there wasn't much ice. We also did it this morning. The weather was nice, temps were nice, and we beat the hordes. Getting up at 3:15 paid off..., there were four parties on our heels (sorry about all that snow I sent down guys...went right when I shoulda went left.) Along with the suggested gear list, we also found some cams (up to #1 camolot) usefull for the belays, and especialy on the first pitch (kinda thin, but easy and fun). Rock gear was more usefull than screws. We only found a few good stubby placements, but used each cam at least once, and a few pins. Of course, that's all changing as we speak...Great route, two thumbs up, don't know why I've waited so long... Edited January 12, 2003 by Lambone
jja Posted January 11, 2003 Posted January 11, 2003 What time did you start the 1st pitch Lambone? We were at the first belay at like 8:30 and waited a bit for the party in front of us before they decided it wasn't for them. By the by, we talked with some guys who did the butt, and they said there was a good deal of ice/firm snow with not much rock - go figure. Great day and most importantly, cluster fuck free!!
Lambone Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 (edited) I think we started around 7:30, and we toped out at about 10. My partner wanted to bail once he saw that first pitch, but I was all about it, it looked intimidating, but turned out to be pretty easy, the pro was nothing to write home to mom about... There were two guys behind us, but we couldn't see anyone come up after that. On our way down we watched 6 or 7 climbers on the NE Butt at once. That whole basin was a freakin circus today. It was odd to hike up there in the pitch black, feeling all alone and out there, only to return to a mob scene. But everyone was having fun, and thats cool So did you guys climb also? Edited January 12, 2003 by Lambone
jja Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 Yeah, we passed about 6 people on the ridge to get to the start of the first pitch only to find a pair already on it and another party of two waiting. But we lucked out big time! The leader of the two waiting made a few moves then backed off, and offered us the pitch. Thanks guys !! Then the people we had passed started to show up, so when we went up there were 6 people at the belay - but I didn't see anyone else come up behind us, so I don't think any of that group did the route. Just glad we motored on the approach and passed all those people. Agreed - the rock moves looked much worse than they were, but I would of liked something more than a questionable #1cam nonetheless.
jja Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 oh yeah, barry - you rock as a partner, and uhm - I've got one of your biners. (send me your address and I can drop it off when I'm in Tacoma)
scot'teryx Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 Lambone said "I heard from a friend of a friend who said that his friend told him that his partners ex-girlfriends brothers freind went up there and said the ice was too thin. Then again...he was also a friend of Scot'teryx...so take report that with a grain of salt. " Wow, sounds like I have more friends then Lamb Boner!
cracked Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 Me and Eric8 did the NE buttress today. We wanted to beat the crowds, so we arrived at the trailhead at 4 (am). We then proceeded to lose the entirely obvious, essentially paved track and wander around in the woods for an hour. Wait, it gets better! After about an hour, Eric says "Hey, I see a light there! Must be some people camping near the lake!" Two minutes later, I notice the light moving...I look closer, and it's a snowcat! We managed to walk in a circle, convinced we were heading up the valley! So after cussing ourselves roundly as idiots, etc, we headed up the trail again, only to lose it again! THIS time, however, we follow the compass, to make sure that we wouldn't walk in a circle. After a while of bushwhacking, we see headlamps, and hear voices. We thrash in that direction, to find the trail! There were several people ahead of us. Eric immediately set off to try to pass them. Suffering from stupidity (I didn't eat enough) and a slight stomach bug, I lagged behind. Still, I gained on the others, to pass them. One was KJ (sorry, don't know your avatar), his partner, and a guy from Stone Gardens that I seem to run into everywhere (what's your name?). We put on crampons just before heading up the couloir leading to the ridge. With that, we plodded to the base of the buttress, while everybody else (with the exception of one party) headed to The North Face. Anyways, Eric led the first pitch, while I froze. I strugged up the pitch, having not touched my tools in a month, only to be rewarded with the screaming barfies. Once I recovered, I led off through substanceless powder snow, hooking trees, etc, to belay off of two questionable pins. Eric let me have the third pitch, through interesting mixed terrain, including drytooling and solid snow , though without protection, only to run out of rope 20 feet from the interesting ice step. I belayed from one bottomed-out screw, and one screw in hollow ice. Eric led off, up the ice step, protected by one entirely useless screw (I removed it by tapping the ice apart with my hammer) and a bad knifeblade hammered up into a mini-roof. I then proceeded to freeze at the semi-hanging belay while Eric tried to construct a decent anchor for several hours (kidding! it only felt like that). I followed the ice step, happy to be moving again, and we scrambled to the top. We descended the descent couloir, and glissaded down to source lake. For two guys whose experience consists of two days of bouldering at the Big4 ice caves, we thought it was a respectable performance, not counting the fuck-up during the first hour. Conditions were good, with no avalanche danger, whch has undoubtedly changed by now.
highclimb Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 climbed it today(saturday): good conditions interesting mixed climbing on the first pitch. nice hard snow on the middle section and the steep ice step toward the top of the route was in and really nice. have at it! Aidan
Lambone Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 Cracked, We silently slipped by as you were walking circles in the woods, wondering what you could possibly be doing...but mostly just glad that we were able to pass you. Nice job on a cool looking climb. Is that your bright orange pack? You can see that thing for miles.
cracked Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 I was debating whether to take my Arc'teryx or the orange pack. In the end I decided on the orange, as everyone knows me for that pack.
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 Nice work everyone. It goes to show inversion layer may mean suffering on the walk in and out but does not necessarily mean it will put all mixed or ice routes out of commission. Eh there j_b? GregW, who cares if there was not a whole lot of ice on the route? I am sure there was some and that the fun was genuine. Got some nice climbing in myself in another spot.
Greg_W Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 Good point, Ray. It was a great day and I learned some new shit. Besides, we missed the herd. Didn't look like anyone had been up that side yet.
j_b Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 yep, good work everyone. I am jealous. I am not going to argue I was right, because I may well have been wrong As someone pointed out, the inversion fluctuated through the week. The temp gradient seems to have peaked the day before we were having the exchange you are referring to. As we were talking it seems like a high pressure was settling over eastern washington which reestablished a decreasing temp. gradient with elevation. It sounds like conditions were optimum by friday and started 'deteriorating' again yesterday. Anyhow, it's an interesting topic and perhaps someday we might be able to determine how strong of an inversion is acceptable for climbing the snoqualmie peaks, how do alpental temps correlate with Chair peak temps, etc ...
Dane Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 (edited) Conditions on Wed 1/8/03 at around 11AM. Loooked a little thin to me then and I like thin It was running water with less than 2" of ice on the bottom in the best of places and wouldn't hold a pick well enough for my huevos and my 3 pins. Doesn't mean it couldn't be done, just that I didn't do it. Nice climb guys! Neat thing about alpine climbing, when they are in they are awesome. This one looks sweet! Edited January 12, 2003 by Dane
slothrop Posted January 12, 2003 Posted January 12, 2003 nice job, eric8 and bolt_..., uh, i mean, cracked. keep it up, all this fine climbing is motivating my ankle to heal faster.
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 It looks thin in those photos but good to go. j_b (inversion layer babbler) shut up. People were climbing shit like Guye Peak the day you babbled about mixed routes not being climbable or in good shape. Get over yourself. Nice photos.
Dane Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 "It looks thin in those photos but good to go." Everything looks "good to go" sitting in front of a computer screen. Laughed my ass off about someone saying a simple little cascade climb was "too thin" last week so went and looked myself.....with John breaking a trail hip deep from the fog up to get my sorry ass in there. Same trail most followed later in the week I suspect. I brought a short axe and a chacel...hell, I have soloed Takakkaw and Cavell with the same tools, how hard can a grade 2+ be? Well dude from where I was standing and took a piss, it looked a little thin to me. I am a lot less likely to criticise anyone's comments now. I'll go look and not be so full of myself next time when i rack up. Ya it would have been "good to go" on Wed, with a couple of short tools, a small rack of rock gear and the stones to walk in and then run it out. For all I know it was even harder on Friday or Saturday. Good posibility that there was even more ice than Wed. Either way, those that did climb, did good getting up Chair this week. Anyone else is just another wanker with a key board IMO.
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 Hey Dane, I'm soo sorry you took offense to comments about your photos. Of course everything looks good to go in front a computer screen. But you have to take what many respond to it with a grain of salt sometimes. You crack me up. I don't really care what you soloed and what boots you are wearing. Last time I checked rob and I climbed chair peak just before xmas last month, although not up the NF. Next time we'll all walk on eggshells for you.
Dane Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 (edited) "Of course everything looks good to go in front a computer screen" Glad you could pull that one out... Ray. Make sure to introduce yourself, I'll be around. Edited January 13, 2003 by Dane
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 13, 2003 Posted January 13, 2003 I just quit climbing the other day so you wont see me around. Except here on these boards. Climbing scares me too much so I wont be doing it any more. I'll stick to other things like beer drinking and women chasing instead.
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