[TR] Sherpa Peak - West Ridge 9/26/2015

[Kyle_Flick]

Trip: Sherpa Peak - West Ridge

 

Date: 9/26/2015

 

Trip Report:

On 9/26/15, Bill, Noelle, Iak and I climbed the west ridge of Sherpa Peak in a couple hours from the base/notch of the route and quickly descended off it in cold, windy conditions with fading light back to our bivy at 7400'. We found water in a rock glacier remnant about 100' west of the large flat bivy rock. We did it in 3 pitches with a scramble along the ledge system to the last pitch. Oddly we found a pair of 5.10 size 12 climbing shoes at the beginning of the ledge traverse.

I've considered the best approach for the route is usually with a link up of Mt. Stuart, but otherwise the second best approach is from Ingalls Creek.

 

Gear Notes:

Small rack up to 3"

 

Approach Notes:

Variation 1 up Mt. Stuart,cross over the ridge to the east at 6000' into Variation 2 below Sherpa works very well. Timed right you can hump your bivy gear up to the high camp at 7400' and run up the mountain the same day. Short work and you're back at camp for dinner.

[Woodcutter]

Nice, do you have any photographic evidence that you weren't really on the couch!

[Dinonuggetz]

Yeah I hear Kyle just sits at home and watches the Seahawks nowadays...

[deanolin]

Nice, do you have any photographic evidence that you weren't really on the couch!

 

Yeah Kyle, Pictures or it wasn't climbed.

[Kyle_Flick]

Dang, one of these days I'll figure out how to post pix on this forum. Will the pix of the trip that our teammate posted on Facebook suffice?

[MichaelKnoll]

Hi Kyle:

 

Questions:

 

1. So on this trip you traversed over from Stuart at 6,000 feet instead of coming up from Ingalls Creek?

 

2. Can you give a more precise location of your bivi site? On the USGS 7.5' topo, I see a flat spot about 350 meters SSW of the Stuart-Sherpa col, about 50 meters SE of a tiny pocket glacier, the basin immediately south of the Stuart-Sherpa col. Is that your bivi site?

 

3. To get from the summit of Sherpa back down to the Stuart-Sherpa col, you retraced your route back down the West Ridge, right?

 

4. How did you descend from the bivi? Right down to Ingalls Creek?

 

5. How difficult was the route finding on the traverse from Stuart to your bivi site?

 

Regards,

Michael Knoll

 

 

[Kyle_Flick]

Michael,

1. We came in from Ingalls. 2. You've nailed the bivy spot. 3. Yes, retraced the route and used the rap stations. 4.Yep, returned the same way we ascended (Variations 1 & 2). If traversing from the summit of Stuart, I would bivy higher, i.e., below the snowfield from the false summit (water and easy traverse over to the base of the route).

Have fun and look forward to your TR--with pictures!

Edited June 27, 2016 by Kyle_Flick