Drew_Jones Posted October 5, 2001 Posted October 5, 2001 I'm planning on doing Sloan this weekend. Probably Corkscrew route. Anyone been up there recently? Beta would be appreciated. Also wanted to thank Summitseeker again for the heads up on the Shakelton presentation last night. It was awesome! Drew Quote
dberdinka Posted October 5, 2001 Posted October 5, 2001 Everyone seems to be implying that the glacier is pretty broken. There is a variation of the Corkscrew route that avoids the glacier all together by approaching from the back side. I descended this way after climbing the west face (chossy) and found it to be decent scrambling and pleasant travel. I believe I took the Bedal Basin trail (could have the name wrong) to under the west face. From there meadows and ridges lead up and around the peak to a small snowfield under ramps that intersect the Corkscrew Route not far from the glacier. Could be a good late season alternative, check Becky book for details. Quote
Alasdair Posted October 5, 2001 Posted October 5, 2001 The Glacier may be a little broken but it certainly does not present a routefinding problem for anyone who has been on a Glacier before. Look at it before you get on it and plan a route through. Apart from a couple of switchbacks it should be very straitforward. Quote
Drew_Jones Posted October 5, 2001 Author Posted October 5, 2001 Thanks for all the input everyone. I'll let you know how it goes. Have a great weekend, Drew Quote
Alasdair Posted October 6, 2001 Posted October 6, 2001 I was there last month. The glacier is no problem. It will be quite icy. Plan on ice axe and crampons. The only hard thing about it is the approach (it sucks). Enjoy. Quote
Jman Posted October 6, 2001 Posted October 6, 2001 Sorry, no real beta here, but... The other week I was scoping out the glacier from Glacier Peak (was considering this an alternative to GP). It looks pretty nasty - all broken up, it may be difficult to navigate. But then again I was viewing it from quite a ways away, so maybe these words are just meaningless drivel. Anyway, from what I remember the guide books say it can be tough in late season. Do it and let us know how it goes. Guess I'm kinda slow on posting. Didn't get a chance to see A's post above before I finished this. Whatever the true conditions, have fun. [This message has been edited by Jman (edited 10-05-2001).] Quote
philfort Posted October 6, 2001 Posted October 6, 2001 I was there a month ago. Best bet for crossing the glacier was to hug the rock wall below the east face. Some rockfall potential, but it was straightforward. Quote
Drew_Jones Posted October 8, 2001 Author Posted October 8, 2001 Didn't summit. We underestimated the approach time and were looking at whiteout conditions on the glacier. On the bright side, we did get to whack lots of wet bush. Found a great bivy spot near the north ridge and watched the sky totally clear up. Woke up to frost everywhere, then made a quick descent in light rain. Drew Quote
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