Cpt.Caveman Posted January 20, 2003 Posted January 20, 2003 Bummer. The only good thing is that it's not a full day to get to that thing and you can always go back Quote
robertm Posted January 20, 2003 Posted January 20, 2003 I too thought the first couple of pitches were the best up the gully -- thought provoking but with reasonable protection. I have climbed it a couple of times now and think it might be more exciting to head right rather than left as the buttress steepens. There is a ramp that leads out onto the N face where there usually is a 20m 80 degree ice cliff that forms between the N. Face route and the butress. After climbing that you head right and finish up at the top of the N face. Quote
fleblebleb Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Yeah, that was exactly the spot Ray! Â I lead up to it with Tim simulclimbing a ropelength below me, and the only pieces I had were a stopper 30' below the step, a completely worthless picket I had put in further down mostly to see how it felt, and a bush down by Tim. If the "ice" had fallen off the step when I pulled on the tools I would have ridden 60' to the stopper, and I had been unable to determine whether it was sitting between two solid rocks or a solid rock and a loose block. If it had blown I would have gone for a 300' ride onto a waist-high bush, probably pulling it and Tim along with me and ending up in Chair basin. Not my game. Â So I downclimbed back to the stopper, equalized it with another stopper and put a screamer on the result, but still couldn't shake the concern with the block. I had tried putting a pin close to there which was kind of interesting - placed it halfway, whacked it once and it disappeared into the crack up to the eye as the crack widened. Â Then I went sideways to the right and put in a three piece anchor (two stoppers and a cam) and brought Tim up and he gave me a belay. I debated whether to try going straight up the slurpee on the step or go to the far left and bash snow and verglas directly below the trees. There was absolutely no option 10' left though, not that I could see. I climbed over to the left but before starting the steep section Tim pulled me back and we decided to go down. All in all it was a fun time though, interesting lesson in when not to climb snow and ice Quote
sverdina Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Did the NE Butt on Sat. It was the us that pulled the blue & purple slings from the ice (acually my follower as he thought I had set up the abalakov). The initial gully was interesting with one relatively desperate move over a rock step. The snow on the face was a thin layer of mush over slabs offering little in the way of purchase and protection. The abalakov was still present, though the quality of the "ice" was questionable. The rotten ice-step featured running water & required another desperate off-balance move on highly suspect ice screws in order to reach the relative security of the gentler slopes above. A fortuitous horn above the small trees to the left provided a comfortable belay. A final slope of more mushy snow lead to the ridge below the summit. Â Conditions were marginal at best & I do not recommend attempting it at this time. Quote
klenke Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 I heard you guys climbed it without ice tools too. What hardmen you are! Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Conditions were marginal at best & I do not recommend attempting it at this time. Â I gathered that from the information written by TimL and flebleble from the day after your climb. Quote
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