Chair Peak- North Face

[Crackman]

Climbed the north face of Chair Peak Sunday morning with my partner Steve. A month ago my first attempt at the route was cut short due to time and weather. In our favor this time, we had snowshoes, clear weather, and an earlier start. Working against us, were warmer temps, less stable snow, and bigger crevasses.

 

We arrived at the trailhead late Sat night from Portland. Tried to grab a few hours of sleep, which was interrupted by snowcats and horn-honking partiers in the neighboring parking lot. Finally getting some REM, we didn’t awake till the third back-up alarm at went off at 2:45am. Half dead, we jump started ourselves with coffee, OJ, and Red Bull. Finally started up the trail at 4am.

 

Snowshoes were a must for the approach. With cloud cover all night the snow had stayed soft and heavy.

 

By the time we reached the ridge extending from the NE buttress, the sun was up and the sky clearing. We dropped our extra gear. That’s when somehow I made the mistake of leaving my sunglasses behind but taking my headlamp --just perfect for a bright sunny day of climbing.

 

Snow was much firmer after we crossed the ridge and began traversing up and over. The crevasse at the base of the north face had grown considerably since my last visit but was still offering passage via a couple thin bridges. We did the climb in two long running-belay pitches. Conditions changed constantly throughout the climb. At times we had the pick of one tool ½ inch in ice and the shaft of the other buried to the hilt in snow. Occasional pro was a mixture of small stoppers, pickets, and trees.

 

We summited at 11am. Beautiful views of Rainier, Baker, and Stewart greeted us. Ok,Ok, so we opted not to go the final 50ft to the true summit, figuring we better start down before the avi risk got any worse. Sure enough the south-east side was pretty soft by then. There were several small releases nearby as we descended. Got back safe to the car by 2:30.

 

This route won’t be in too much longer. I’d recommend getting an early start on a clear night, returning before the sun does its dirty work.

[Rodchester]

"bigger crevasses"

[mattp]

"Creep cracks" and moats are often call crevasses and bergschrunds. Many knowledgeable climbers use these terms incorrectly.

[Necronomicon]

Is this the highest moral order? Regardless of whether or not the proper nomenclature is applied to a particular phenomenon, the impact on your life is still the same: pain, be it figurative or literal. Who care? Call them all "Cah Holes", I'll know what you're talking about.

[goatboy]

Yeah.

 

Terminology-weenies like me actually enjoy the natural history of glaciers, snowpack, etc.

 

Functionally, glide cracks, moats, crevasses and 'schrunds all present similar challenges and one often employs similar (or identical) strategies when crossing them (i.e. snowbridges, climbing down in and out the other side, a flying leap, etc).

 

But it's true: A glide crack or a moat is different from a crevasse or a 'schrund --the former is found in a permanent snowfield, the latter is found on moving (i.e. "live") glaciers.

 

You can fall in all of them equally, however!

 

Check out this website about glide cracks

[Norman_Clyde]

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa. I am aware that a bergschrund is technically where the head of a glacier separates from its headwall, due to actual movement of the entire glacier rather than settling of the snowpack. (I'm talking about my 4/27 post re:Chair.) But I figured that "bergschrund" was more descriptive, while technically incorrect. I should have known I would never get away with this linguistic infraction, not with you glaciologists checking up on me.