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[TR] Clemenceau Icefield - Various Climbs 7/20/2014


Mark_L

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Trip: Clemenceau Icefield - Various Climbs

 

Date: 7/20/2014

 

Trip Report:

On July 18, 4 Canadians and 3 Americans converged in Golden, BC on the residence of David P. Jones and Joie Seagram for the latest installment of "David P. Jones' Flying Circus". Our plan was to spend 2 weeks in the Clemenceau Icefield area where David was planning to do some research and take pictures for his upcoming guidebooks to the Canadian Rockies.

 

After a 120 km drive along the shores of Kinbasket Lake, we arrived at our helicopter pickup site where we were met by Mark of Alpine Helicopters along with David's friend Colby and a client that he was guiding up Mt. Clemenceau. By coordinating with other parties, we were able to save a considerable amount of cost for what is usually a prohibitively expensive helicopter ride into this remote area.

 

After 3 flights, the group was all assembled at basecamp on a shelf above the Cummins Glacier. Over the next 2 weeks, a number of summits were attained including Tusk Peak by the SW ridge, Shipton (peak 3030)by both the N Ridge and by the NE Face (FA by Robb Schnell and Mark Landreville), Mt. Clemenceau via the W Face/W Ridge, Irvine, Morrison, Sharp and the NE ridge of Mt. Shackleton.

 

We were picked up and flown out on August 2, just as the weather was deteriorating again.

 

SW ridge of Tusk Peak on the right skyline.

 

[img:center]http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/500/Tusk01.jpg[/img]

 

Approaching the couloir to the SW Ridge of Tusk Peak.

 

Tusk02.jpg

 

Jim Ruch in the couloir.

 

Tusk03.jpg

 

Carl Diedrich on the rock step on the SW Ridge of Tusk Peak.

 

Tusk04.jpg

 

Jim high on Tusk Peak.

 

Tusk05.jpg

 

Carl and Jim on the summit of Tusk Peak.

 

Tusk06.jpg

 

The East Face of Mt. Clemenceau.

 

Tusk08.jpg

 

Looking North from Tusk Peak. Duplicate Mountain in the foreground.

 

Tusk07.jpg

 

A July storm made for a brief interruption in the climbing.

 

camp02.jpg

 

Drying out and preparing to climb Mt. Clemenceau.

 

camp03.jpg

 

Crossing the Clemenceu icefield toward the West Face of Mt. Clemenceau.

 

clem01.jpg

 

Delightful Canadian Rockies scree.

 

clem02.jpg

 

The West Face of Mt. Clemenceau from high camp. The route weaves around icefalls to reach the ridge on the left and then goes to the upper summit glacier.

 

clem03.jpg

 

Team Canada at Clemenceau high camp. L-R, David Jones, Lyle Rotter, Gord Bose, Robb Schnell and Jeff Nazarchuck.

 

clem04.jpg

 

Team Geologist Jeff, shows some prehistoric ripples in the ocean bottom.

 

clem05.jpg

 

Getting a predawn start on the Tiger Glacier.

 

clem07.jpg

 

Bypassing some seracs on the way up to the W. Ridge.

 

clem08.jpg

 

Jim and Carl happy to be above the worst of the crevasses.

 

clem09.jpg

 

Team Canada leading the way over the Bergschrund.

 

clem10.jpg

 

The final summit ridge of Mt. Clemenceau.

 

clem12.jpg

 

We climbed one at a time to the fragile summit cornice.

 

clem13.jpg

 

Heading back down the summit ridge of Mt. Clemenceau.

 

clem14.jpg

 

Happy to be back over the snowbridges by noon.

 

clem15.jpg

 

Returning to base camp.

 

clem16.jpg

 

Robb at the start of the NE face of Mt. Shipton.

 

shipton01.jpg

 

Crossing the bergschrund on the NE face of Mt. Shipton.

 

shipton02.jpg

 

Above the schrund on the white highway to the sky.

 

shipton03.jpg

 

Robb showing how they do it in Banff!

 

shipton04.jpg

 

Mark on the Summit of Shipton.

 

shipton05.jpg

 

Pic Tordu from the summit of Mt. Shipton.

 

shipton06.jpg

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Standard glacier/rock/ice gear. Knifeblade pitons essential for rappel anchors. Pick up the single malt scotch at the duty free before crossing the border.

 

Approach Notes:

If you don't coordinate your heli flights with other parties going to/coming from nearby locations, the cost is prohibitive. Otherwise the approach involves crossing water and horrendous BC bush.

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