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Has anyone been up to North Peak in the Tioga pass area recently?
How is the ice forming up on the couloirs?

Cheers
SH

I think the ice will come 'in' later this year (October or so). I will be in the area on Sunday hopefully for those ridges..if all goes as planned will post up here with what I find..

no ice yet but fun fairly easy climbing, leave early.

Thanks for the update Rossi! Could you get a picket in? When was this? Thanks again Rossi!

VM, thanks for the update this weekend. I hope to head in there early in the week. If I can check this from the cell just before it will be handy. Thanks again!

I'll also post conditions for Dana and NP as soon as I can from my trip (Sun - Wed ish)

Scott

Conness in background, North in mid ground yesterday 8/18:

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WOW! Look at #2 in the middle. Looks like it goes all the way to the top. First time since '06. Might just have to run over there next week and have a go at it. It is the steepest of all three btw. A consistent 65 to 70 Degs. But, gets bombed much more than the other two.

Just a note, with this being the heaviest snow season on record for the area, don't expect it to melt out in order for the layered Sierra Bullet Ice that lies below all that neve, to come about this season. The sun's angle is dropping and no longer affecting these couloirs.

Gee, when I soloed the middle couloir, I measured it at only 45-49 degrees. The left one comes in at 40-42 degrees.

bobpickering wrote:Gee, when I soloed the middle couloir, I measured it at only 45-49 degrees. The left one comes in at 40-42 degrees.

Did you "top out" or just finish at the typical half way point where the neve/ice in most years dies?

The final 200 or so feet steepen out at the bulge some 100's below the top to around 70plus degs and involves some mixed work to gain past the bulge.

Did you do the entire couloir in ice or snow Bob?

Bob... did you climb the entire Middle Couloir?

The Chief wrote:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
WOW! Look at #2 in the middle. Looks like it goes all the way to the top. First time since '06. Might just have to run over there next week and have a go at it. It is the steepest of all three btw. A consistent 65 to 70 Degs. But, gets bombed much more than the other two.

Just a note, with this being the heaviest snow season on record for the area, don't expect it to melt out in order for the layered Sierra Bullet Ice that lies below all that neve, to come about this season. The sun's angle is dropping and no longer affecting these couloirs.

Are you saying ice couloirs might not come 'in' this year? I hope they will. I believe U notch/V notch will be in VERY soon if not half in by now. Seems like those get the ice a lot earlier...I remember them being all ice last year in September.

Vitaliy M. wrote:Seems like those get the ice a lot earlier...I remember them being all ice last year in September.

That is because they are east facing.

All three of the N-Peak Couloirs are north facing.

So Bob, did you climb through the thin ice (when it has been in) on upper "Hour Glass" on the Middle Couloir?

The Chief wrote:

Vitaliy M. wrote:Seems like those get the ice a lot earlier...I remember them being all ice last year in September.

That is because they are east facing.

All three of the N-Peak Couloirs are north facing.

Since Feather couloir is east facing you think it would be a good idea to go there in the beginning or mid October for the best bet to get on real ice (due to this heavy snow year and all)? I heard that on most years some people get ice there in September, but I think this year it will be delayed a bit....thoughts?

Yes, Chief, I climbed the whole couloir, went around the south side to the top of the right couloir, and climbed the class 3 rock to the summit. I measured the couloir several times with a slope gauge. I never found anything over 49 degrees. If you look at jmcc's photo, above, the three couloirs appear to be about equal in slope. The middle one is the steepest, but only by a few degrees. I climbed some hard snow, some ice, and a little bit of crappy rock partway up.

bobpickering wrote:Yes, Chief, I climbed the whole couloir, went around the south side to the top of the right couloir, and climbed the class 3 rock to the summit. I measured the couloir several times with a slope gauge. I never found anything over 49 degrees. If you look at jmcc's photo, above, the three couloirs appear to be about equal in slope. The middle one is the steepest, but only by a few degrees. I climbed some hard snow, some ice, and a little bit of crappy rock partway up.

Bob, when the "Hour Glass" gets filled with Ice from several weeks of melt in late August, a large bulge is created that is over 40' long and upwards of 20 feet thick. Thus creating the steepness that I climbed, not once, but three times since '89 when it forms. This is the exact same thing that occurs on "Ice Nine" on Mendel when the upper "Chockstone" is "IN". Apparently, you have never experienced this event on North Peak.

Even your Profile photo shows the Hour Glass where this event occurs.

BTW, both Secor (Northeast Chinmney 5.8ish) and SP rate this couloir at AI4 at 60 plus degs when the chimney bulge has developed and is "in".

Chief:

It's amazing how most people exaggerate the steepness of climbs when the ice forms up. Secor says Gilbert is 50-65 degrees, but I measured it at 38 (at the bottom) to 55 (at the top). I used to carry a gauge everywhere I went, and I never found a couloir that was as steep as everyone claimed.

No, I have never experienced the "upwards of 20 feet thick" bulge on that center couloir. It's rare to see that route without lots of exposed rock, let alone 20 feet thick. I think you're blowing smoke again.

That ought to provoke a page of chest-beating, name-calling, and more exaggerations.