[TR] North Sister- Thayer Glacier Headwall 5/31/2004

[CascadeClimber]

Climb: North Sister-Thayer Glacier Headwall

 

Date of Climb: 5/31/2004

 

Trip Report:

Dave and I were trying the Triple Traverse/Three Sisters Marathon. We got spanked by snow conditions, but had fun on North anyway.

 

Climbers on the Southeast Ridge

 

Dave downclimbing from the summit.

 

North is in great shape right now: Lots of snow, minimal choss.

 

Long winded TR with more pics

 

Gear Notes:

Walking axe, helmet (a must), skis and rando boots for descent. We skipped the rope, though I wouldn't advise unless you're very comfortable on rimey AI2+ with exposure.

 

Approach Notes:

Trail is dry to Soap Creek. Firm snow at night to the moraine. Awful postholing on the headwall.

[cluck]

Nice work. Also enjoyed the long-winded versions of both TRs at your site.

[skyclimb]

It is amazing that line is still in on middle sister-northeast couloir.

Last winter I don't thing the ice pitch came in at all, and it looks rollin right now! Sweet pics.

[CascadeClimber]

It was totally melted out two weeks ago. Either freeze/thaw, or the storm caused it to reform.

 

-L

[chelle]

Nice TR (both versions). Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves and had fun hanging with us dirtbags at the grasslands.

[gapertimmy]

nice work loren, great pics. hey i saw that you guys rapped down the bowling alley on the 1st go-round, are there some slings easily accesible up there?

[CascadeClimber]

nice work loren, great pics. hey i saw that you guys rapped down the bowling alley on the 1st go-round, are there some slings easily accesible up there?

 

The first time we made belayed downclimbs. There is a large rock that appears to be (relatively) solid that we slung and equalized with a picket. I pulled the gear and Hannah belayed me down from below. So yes, you can get gear in the crux of the Bowling Alley, but I didn't see anything in-situ.

 

Thanks again for the shuttle offers, Tim.

 

-Loren

[gapertimmy]

anytime!

[Pandora]

Excellent! Glad to see I'm not the only one caught napping on the job

[letsroll]

glad to hear that somebody made it up that damn mountain via thayer headwall. I was up there on the 30th and was swimming in powder from the morain up to the constriction in the headwall as well. No crust just powder. The avalanche debris that you climbed through happened on the 30th. It came down just as I was about to go up (I was about 20ft away from the avi), scared the Sh#t out of me. Then another larger avi happend to the left of the constriction. I was flanked my avi's and decided to get the hell out of there. My plan was to top out North and head to the route you took a pic of on middle. Sweet looking route up that mountain. Looking to attempt soloing both routes some time soon. This time with out any avi's. Has anybody boarded the Thayer headwall or anyother of the east facing slopes on North? They all look like b#$chen lines.

[boonecounty]

I believe if I am not mistaken that the climbers on the South East Ridge are none other than Richard Pumpington and Billy. It is a sweet pic and makes the sister look very exotic.

[CascadeClimber]

I believe if I am not mistaken that the climbers on the South East Ridge are none other than Richard Pumpington and Billy. It is a sweet pic and makes the sister look very exotic.

 

I'm pretty sure it was two from a party of four or five who intended to climb the headwall also, but were dissuaded after watching us wallowing above them at dawn.

 

If you confirm that it's someone you know I can send over the full-res versions of the two pics I took (one is portrait, one is landscape).

 

-L

[MisterBeer]

Yup, that looks like Pumpington. I heard he onsighted the route!

 

Nice pic. It makes the Sisters look like the Himalaya.