Thanks guys!!

Dana sounds like a nice one.

Luciano136 wrote:Thanks guys!!

Dana sounds like a nice one.

Good choice.

Another voice for Dana.

Rob, what is Kindergarten Couloir?

Vlad.

Vladislav wrote:Another voice for Dana.

Rob, what is Kindergarten Couloir?

Vlad.

I actually had my eye on that one as well (just for me then). It's on Checkered Demon.
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.p ... _id=151235

You know your wife better than us, but I for one wouldn't want to take a beginning climber up Dana, especially without a rope. 1000' of 40 degree couloir is going to feel really exposed at the top. Think of it this way, would you have her solo the U-Notch, because it's pretty much the same thing.

fatdad wrote:You know your wife better than us, but I for one wouldn't want to take a beginning climber up Dana, especially without a rope. 1000' of 40 degree couloir is going to feel really exposed at the top. Think of it this way, would you have her solo the U-Notch, because it's pretty much the same thing.

If she has good steps and the snow isn't too hard, she does fine. I recently took her up Thor Peak's SE couloir, which had a few steep sections (40-45degree) as well. She's done the Baldy bowl a few times too (and avy gulch on Shasta).

If we are halfway up and she doesn't like it, I guess we can always turn around.

Luciano136 wrote:

Vladislav wrote:Another voice for Dana.

Rob, what is Kindergarten Couloir?

Vlad.

I actually had my eye on that one as well (just for me then). It's on Checkered Demon.
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.p ... _id=151235

Thanks Bruno,
I assume it is the left one on this picture.


As for Dana, it does feel exposed and steep on the top third of the climb. It felt very safe though when I did it last year as a snowclimb. I would not do it later in the season when it becomes neve/ice climb.
Vlad.

Pretty sure it's the left one Vlad. The other one looks much steeper (if you can even call it a couloir). I'd do Dana in the next month most likely. I just tell her not to look down

In your quest for the fun and steep consider picking up a copy of:
Backcountry Skiing California's Eastern Sierra
by Dan Mingori & Nate Greenberg

http://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-Skiin ... pd_sim_b_1

[url]http://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-Skiing-Californias-Eastern-Sierra/dp/0979264464/ref=pd_sim_b_1[url]
It's a visual feast and will give you a TON of ideas on trips.

Have fun and good luck!

Vlad & Bruno - yes, Kindergarten is the left couloir on Checkered Demon. Did it with Miguel Forjan & co. in Sept. 2005, under quite different conditions of course (hard neve and brief sections of ice). I thought in terms of steepness it was about the same as the Dana Couloir. Access is more difficult because of the rough road and routefinding.

The right couloir is the 'Checkered Demon' couloir proper. It's more of a mixed / alpine ice thing you would do in the fall (haven't done it myself, looks nasty )

In that same area, Basin Mountain's east couloir is fairly relaxed, maybe 35-ish degrees. If the fourth class / easy fifth section to the summit is more than you're looking for you could always downclimb / glissade back down the way you came.

rhyang wrote:or the Kindergarten Couloir ? How is the road ? I think my forester should get to the trailhead for Basin if there is not too much snow still by the time 108 opens in a few weeks (crossing fingers) ..

Hey Rob, a bit dated but info nonetheless here

Fatdad:

Dana is 35-40 degrees with a short scramble to the top and an easy walk down to the car. It was my first couloir in 1993. Two years later, it was my wife's first couloir.

The U-notch is a minimum of 45 degrees and bulges can be up to 55 degrees. The bergschrund is big enough to swallow a car, if not a bus. Crossing the snow bridge, when there is one, is never trivial. Without a snow bridge, the bergschrund requires climbing some serious technical ice. Once at the top, there is no easy way back to camp.

These two climbs are not "pretty much the same thing."

Carbo wrote:Dana would be a good first climb. However, maybe I am slow but I need more than two hours to reach it

agreed. also the Dana Couloir is alot longer than it looks

tiogap wrote:

Carbo wrote:Dana would be a good first climb. However, maybe I am slow but I need more than two hours to reach it

agreed. also the Dana Couloir is alot longer than it looks

How long would it take to get to the couloir for a slow to average hiker?

More like 3-4 hours. Plus she might want to rope up on the couloir so don't start at noon