Choada_Boy Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 (edited) Climb: Three Fingers-FWA East Face Couloir Date of Climb: 2/19/2006 Trip Report: Three Fingers East Face Couloir a.k.a. "The Last Hurrah" a.k.a. "Journey to the Heart of the Spirit World" Darin Berdinka and myself climbed the East Face Couloir on Three Fingers. We believe this to be the first winter ascent of the route, which was a fine climb in a spectacular alpine setting, positioned as it is underneath the complex east face. We chose to forego any summit bid, deciding instead to traverse steep sugar snow above a 1500' abyss and descend mysterious snow slopes on the North side of the mountain. One rappel was made on the descent from a picket set as a deadman. No spirits were met at the Heart of the Spirit World, which was a good thing from our perspective. -Justin Thibault oops...picture HERE Edited February 20, 2006 by Choada_Boy Quote
Ade Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 Nice job! I went for a look see at that a while back but never got back to have a go at it. Ade Quote
olyclimber Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 Awesome. Could you post a picture with your line on it? Quote
ashw_justin Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 I heard some folks went out to ski it a while back, but it wasn't super cooperative.(?) Quote
layton Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 sweet job! -how was the hike? -temps? -What about the ice on the east face? looking fwd to Pete and Rolf's TR on the E.F. of whitehorse, and if anyone did the EDM. Quote
catbirdseat Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 Nice work! Got any more pictures? Quote
mattp Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 I think that would be the right hand line in this shot: Quote
JayB Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 -What about the ice on the east face? You mean this stuff? Maybe someone going for the FA could pay Scurlock a few hundred to drop some avy-charges on the snowslope the day before... Quote
JoshK Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 I heard some folks went out to ski it a while back, but it wasn't super cooperative.(?) I think Sky and some other folks I don't recall have had his eye on this coulior for a while - if I remember correctly. So are you going to tell us what the climbing was like? Looks like just snow from the pics I've seen. Any ice, rock, etc? Quote
JayB Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 Congrats to the FWA party on the climb, and compliments to Scurlock on the photos. Easily the best shots of the East Face I've ever seen. Those shots of the rimed-up hut were wild. Quote
Choada_Boy Posted February 20, 2006 Author Posted February 20, 2006 Gear: 10 screws, 5 cams, a selection of nuts and tricams, 6 pitons, 2 8.2mm x 60m ropes, 4 quickdraws, 2 pickets, and a bunch of runners. Seeing as the NE Face wasn't in, we only used the 2 pickets and five runners and had the pleasure of carrying the rest all day long. A third picket would have been nice... Quote
jordop Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 Nice jorb and another to yous and Scurlock, the Larry Flynt smut peddler of Cascade alpine climbing photos Quote
rat Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 nice to meet you pervs. fine work. and congrats to all who got out to enjoy the stellar weather this weekend. Quote
dberdinka Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 I would also like to point out that we set a Home-to-TR SPEED RECORD as well in that "Choada Boy" must have posted this TR within 27 seconds of walking through his front door. Way to go Choada Boy! It was a great trip to a beautiful mountain even if we didn't make any summits (Doesn't an FA require reaching the top?). I'll post some photos at some point in time. Big fat lines of much seriousness back there waiting to be done by better climbers than us. Oh..someone had hauled skis up to that area earlier Saturday or maybe Friday. We followed their tracks into our bivi. Didn't see their tracks near the mountain and never saw them but their car was still in the lot when we got back. Who drives a red civic hatchback? Quote
Choada_Boy Posted February 21, 2006 Author Posted February 21, 2006 Well ensconsed into the Land of the Non-Spirits, I can say I am at least well spirited after a trip to our local purveyor of intemperance. Dos mas, por favor!!! When's your next fix, oh father to be? Quote
mattp Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 Oh..someone had hauled skis up to that area earlier Saturday or maybe Friday. We followed their tracks into our bivi. Didn't see their tracks near the mountain and never saw them but their car was still in the lot when we got back. Who drives a red civic hatchback? That'd be a couple friends of mine. Twisted individuals who, like you (I presume), think it is a pretty cool area. You don't want to ask questions. Quote
magellan Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 Way to get it done! I've sat cross-valley before in winter, watching avalanche after avalanche explode off of that east face. Quote
dberdinka Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 That'd be a couple friends of mine. Twisted individuals who, like you (I presume), think it is a pretty cool area. You don't want to ask questions. That would make sense as they absolutely nailed the approach. Did you know there is a fairly good trail leading up to that area? So where in the hell were they? Quote
mattp Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 I don't know what their specific objective was, but quite possibly they were simply exploring/skiing/hanging out in the basin up below Salish. I tell you: they are twisted individuals and one of them, in particular, has been up there several times with no real climbing intent even though he is a climber. Weird, huh? (He has in recent times talked about the NE Buttress of N. Three Fingers, the face on Salish Peak, etc., though.) Quote
Weekend_Climberz Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 Way to get it done. Guess I've been missing out on the Scurlock porn, I need to wipe my screen off now. Quote
DirtyHarry Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 Such is the way of things winter climbing in the Cascades. Lots of rad lookin' shit back there, though!! Quote
lancegranite Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 Congratulations on a fine ascent, now how about that line to the left?.... Quote
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