[TR] Lane Peak - Fly Couloir 12/19/2015

[max_leitner]

Trip: Lane Peak - Fly Couloir

 

Date: 12/19/2015

 

Trip Report:

Since taking a beginning alpine and glacier course last Spring I've been itching to get out an experience some steep snow in the Cascades. In spite of getting out as often as possible in the Cascades over the last 9 months only a couple outings offered (what I consider)steady, moderate, steep snow.

 

My buddy Tim, who possesses some ice/mixed experience, was game to check out Lane Peak and see if we felt it could go. We left Seattle around 7am arrived at the entrance shortly before 9am only the learn that the gate at Longmire would not open until after 10am. Around 10:30am we arrived at Narada Falls parking and were soon on our way.

 

The approach was smooth but we were unable to find any sort of snow bridge to cross the tatoosh creek. After a little more searching we found a couple fallen logs to scoot across.

 

 

At the base Lane we transitioned from snowshoes to crampons and I quickly learned the joys of climbing in winter conditions.

Graciously, Tim let me break the route and earn the alpine experience I was looking for. We wallowed through belly deep snow for most of the climb. Occasionally, the snow would firm up and for 10 yards or so I could kick some solid steeps, look back at Tim, smile, and let him know the climbing was getting easier. Then I would promptly sink back down and resume the upward swim.

 

 

 

 

Eventually, we reached a fork in the couloir and erred to the right since the left lead to what appeared to be mixed step that Tim felt was above his grade. It didn't take long before the our decision led us to a cliff. We downclimbed to the fork, checked our beta, and checked the clock. By then it was 2:45 so we decided against taking a closer look at the mixed step and began descending the way we came up. The quality of the snow made downclimbing the route pretty simple.

 

We returned to the Narada Falls at 4:50. A ranger was waiting nearby Tim's car to lightly chastise and let us know they'd wait a few minutes for us at the gate.

 

 

(my camera was getting foggy but this is the best photo of the 'fork' where we turned right, and found ourselves cliffed out near the tree in the center. Off-camera to the left the couloir continued but time and a possible mixed step turned us around)

 

Gear Notes:

We brought and never used 60m rope, ice screws, 3 pickets, and a few cams.

I found my crampons were nice but I'm not sure whether or not they were 100% necessary.

[Alex]

nice effort. but yeah, I never attempt stuff like this these days when it's dumped 2-4 feet of new in the last week, especially with freezing levels near 1000-2000, it's just a wallowfest. Generally, the alpine snow climbs tend to be in the best shape after a longer period of settled weather, hopefully with some warming too to make the snowpack more stable.

[ScaredSilly]

Down climbing???? Should have bum slid that sucker - way more fun.

[The Cascade Kid]

learn to ski!