[TR] Lane Peak - The Zipper 11/21/2015

[ajpederson]

Trip: Lane Peak - The Zipper

 

Date: 11/21/2015

 

Trip Report:

Lina and I headed down to Rainier park with ice gear and touring gear with the intention to decide on what we would do when we got there based on how things looked. From the parking lot at Narada Falls it looked like there was snow and ice in The Zipper, so we headed that way.

 

The snow on the approach in was thin, so there was a lot of exposed boulders and brush.

 

Hiking in.

 

Bushwhacking to the base of the route.

 

Once we were in The Zipper we found a few short pitches of ice, which were great for getting Lina her first leads with ice tools. Further up we got to a point where I've usually climbed around a big chock stone to its right. There wasn't any ice and my dry tooling skills are limited, so we had to get creative. I was able to climb a short bit of ice then squeeze through behind the chock stone. I then hauled up our packs and belayed Lina through the hole. It was kind of a fun way to get past that obstacle.

 

Rope going up through the hole.

 

After that it was just nice steep snow to the top of The Zipper. We wanted to make sure we made the gate closing and to try beat the rush of people from Paradise down the road, so we headed out rather than going for the summit. The hike out was interesting, as the normal descent gully is a stream and frozen rocks right now.

 

Descending the frozen stream.

 

The rest of the hike out was uneventful and the day was capped off with burgers at Bruno's.

 

This was the thinnest conditions I've ever climbed this route in, and it added some unique challenges on the approach, descent, and on the route. Overall a lot of fun and a great day in the mountains getting Lina her first ice leading.

 

Gear Notes:

Brought a couple short screws, and some rock gear. No screw placements, maybe could have found a couple spots for a picket if we brought one.

 

Approach Notes:

Bushwhacking and barely covered boulder fields.

[montynet]

Thanks for the report. We were inspired by it and tried it yesterday. Update on conditions, deeper snow, more ice pitches but still thin. One thing that confused me though was weather I was doing the zipper or lovers lane as based on route description and pictures I was never sure what it was but assuming that rock obstacle is the zipper as you mention then we most likely did the zipper.

[ajpederson]

Top of Lovers Lane involves a rappel down into the Zipper to finish up.

[APE]

We got on it Saturday as well. Approach is still fine without snowshoes (of course we still carried them -- d'oh!), especially making use of the trail that descends from the Narada Falls parking lot.

 

I chickened out on leading around the side of the chockstone, which was almost entirely dry. So we squeezed awkwardly through.

 

montynet: if you were the party of three which started the first pitch as a party of two came up behind (that was us), and which mentioned "long legs and gumption", then you were on the Zipper.

[ajpederson]

The squeeze with ice tools was unique, and kind of fun.

[Specialized]

Gumption. I'm so glad my vocabulary sticks in peoples brains!