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North Pal-Northeast Buttress

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 12:10 am
by mchin
I'm looking for information on this route. Secor(The High Sierra) describes this route between the U-notch and The Doors of Perception, as 5.6. It climbs,"...the obscure, obtuse open book above and right of the bergschrund of the U-Notch Coulior."
Secor also mentions the rock as being light gray.

Has anyone done this? How easy is it to find? What is the quality of the rock? Anything else you want to pass along?

Thanks! :D

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 12:57 am
by The Chief
Yup...5.6/7 alright!

But, and a very big BUT! Take a good hearty look what lies directly above the route and what you will top out on.

Ya wanna die... seriously????

Open this photo up and take a good serious look....

http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/526623.JPG

If ya do it in the Winter when everything is frozen in place yu'll be fine.

Do it in the Spring through Fall, yur going to get bombed on.

Look at this one showing a completely different venue....

http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/326385.jpg

Notice that pile of rubble at the base of the route....yup.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 1:00 am
by Misha
What Chief said. I witnessed a lot of rockfall there in August

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:38 am
by DanielWade
Hey Chief, was that second picture taken recently? I was hoping to head up and check out the U-Notch in a few weeks but it does not look good in that picture.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:56 am
by The Chief
Pics are not mine...borrowed from the NPAL page for ref to the OP.

I hear that both the U and V are min ice and still much neve with bridges on both the shrunds if that's what yur wondering.

Haven't been up there in three weeks so no recent beta for ya... sorry.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:05 am
by DanielWade
Well I'm glad to hear those pics are not recent, it looked awful. I'm heading up there in October to see how it is. We'll take the ice gear with us and hope for the best. If the route is no good, the back up plan is to climb the Swiss Arete on Mount Sill.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:13 am
by bobpickering
I did that route ten years ago. I recall loose rock, getting off route, and thinking what we did was 5.8. The Swiss Arete is a much better route.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:44 pm
by bobpickering
Hey, Chief! What do you know about Doors of Perception? Thanks!

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:17 pm
by mchin
Chief - mucho gracias, I think I see what the objective hazard you are talking about, above the route.
Does the Doors of Perception have a similar hazard?
We're going next week, and the Swiss Arete is our first choice. I've done North Pall via U-notch and from the W and was looking for an alternate route w/similar difficulty.

Cheers!

PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:11 pm
by The Chief
My beta is concerning the Doors of Preception.

I recommend that you get on the Swiss A and enjoy yourselves. It is a far safer climb with hardly any potential for rock fall.

The DR is a fun straight forward 2-3 P Old Skool 5.6-8 corner route that I did ten years ago in the very early Spring when the shit up high was frozen. Again, this it is a formidable & sustained Old Skool Steck/DR line that should not be taken lightly.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:05 pm
by mchin
Chief, just to make sure I got you, your beta is on Doors of P. The Northeast butt is lookers left of Doors and roughly merges with the top of Doors. From your photo NE butt has the same loose, talus above it as the Doors route, from which your cautionary comments derive.

Am I reading this correctly?

In any event, I've decided to talk my partners out of NE butt for this fall. We hope to have a fun time on SA on Sill.

Thanks again.