ldr66 Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 (edited) Trip: Dragontail Peak - Triple Couloirs Date: 4/20/2015 Trip Report: Like many of you, we'd been envious of all the activity on Dragontail until we finally got our turn. TC was in probably as good as shape as it can get. The ice was so good that when we got to the first runnel we decided to keep on going and soloed up the first pitch to the usual belay spot. The second pitch was equally delightful! The rest of the climb went without a hitch and a big thanks to all the folks on the GST (Gerber-Sink Thruway) the day before who left a staircase up the last half of the third couloir. Fun story of the day...my partner dropped one of his nice new BD gloves about a hundred meters from the top, only to find it waiting for him at the base right where where we put our crampons on. Left the car at 4am and topped out at 11:30am to blue, windless skies. Gear Notes: 3-4 screws, 2 pickets, 3 cams and a few nuts. Used most of it. Approach Notes: Easy as can be! Edited April 24, 2015 by ldr66 Quote
Buckaroo Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 Thanks for the TR, and nice pics How long were the cruxes and what would you rate them? Quote
ldr66 Posted April 28, 2015 Author Posted April 28, 2015 (edited) If you belay at the beginning of the first runnel, it's about two full pitches to the next couloir. I'd rate this first pitch at WI2 when we did it (solid, easy ice at 60-70 degrees). In the first photo Jordan is about 2/3rds the way up this first pitch. This brings you to the second belay, an obvious shallow alcove on your right (.5 and .75 Camalots work well here). From there, the second pitch traverses up, slightly left (see the next photo above) and then goes straight up to the narrow runnel (next photo) to the bottom of the second couloir. I'd put this pitch at WI2+ (75+ degrees with some small rests) and was more solid water ice than the 'snice' found through the rest of this section. It's all considered easy by ice climbing standards. But given that it's not always easy to hone your skills and gain confidence on ice here in WA, "easy" is not necessarily that easy. And then there's the exposure factor, but that's always a part of alpine climbing. The second runnel getting between the second and third couloir is much shorter and less steep...more of an afterthought once you get through the first one. Have fun! Edited April 29, 2015 by ldr66 Quote
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