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Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:06 pm
by The Chief
Vitaliy M. wrote:. If I know that V notch has a shrund it does not mean that a guy from Kansas that comes here for a week long outing in Palisades knows that. And it may help him plan on getting over one if he starts from Sam Mack...


Hervey Voge addressed this in his original "A Climbers Guide to the High SIerra" GB where he always indicates that the difficulty increases to almost unsurpassable when the "shrund" is open and prevails on all couloirs in the Sierra that are known to have one. Of course these are Norman's original words and we all know that Norman himself turned back on several occasions due to the severity of both the V & U Notch shrunds and others through out the Sierra.

What does it matter if one starts from the PL, Sam Mack Meadows or Gayley High Camp? If they do not have the experience nor ability to over come the Shrund/s, starting location is a completely moot point.

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:19 pm
by PellucidWombat
asmrz wrote:When RJ Secor was writing his first edition to High Sierra we communicated about a new guide to Sierra Ice. I proposed couple things, but RJ was already under pressure from several groups and people and decided not to tackle it.
I proposed: Based on hard ice conditions:
A. Grade just like YDS, I to VI ie length.
B. Steepest pitch and how sustained the climb is, AI or WI rating.
C.Schrund, Yes or No, how steep
D. Rock rating based on YDS.
E. Objective danger, Y or N, what
F. Descent
G. Any pertinent info (bulges, mixed sections, special gear needed)

I still believe it would be an improvement to the present system. Comments?


I really like this rating system, or ones along the lines of Lowe's. One thing I've appreciated in some guides that I wish was in a Sierra guidebook would also be the choice month for an ice climb given a normal season. e.g. climbs of different altitudes and aspects form up at different times and some melt out before they ever become fully ice. The Eastern Sierra ice guide gives some indication of this but it is still pretty vague.

I agree that it is best for the rating to apply for when the route is considered 'in'. e.g the bergschrund may be impassable in later season, but when the ice is fully formed in the couloir, what is the schrund like then? Or just what is the ice rating when the 'schrund is still barely passable? One area that I've found slope steepness helpful (ignoring bulges) is considering how the difficulty eases as the couloir is done earlier in the year and is neve instead of ice, or soft snow instead of neve.

The Waddington Guide has an interesting take on how to display the ice climbing difficulties. For some routes they give a maximum steepness as well as an average/typical steepness with the length of the route being defined as the height over that average/typical steepness which is given (e.g. AI2, 1,200' 50 degrees).

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:38 pm
by asmrz
Rick, completely agree on the G,PG,R, X or equivalent rating for pro placement

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:49 pm
by asmrz
Regarding any info on conditions less than full ice, MO is to ignore it in any guidebook. Not worth the added pages. When concentrating on Ice, rate it when it is in it's most technical condition. That schrund will likely be most difficult when the ice is hardest, meaning at the end of the season when there is no snow left in it, leaving solid ice fully exposed. And any climber can read the info as to what he/she can expect in a worst case scenario. That is what I think is valuable to someone contemplating an ice climbing trip.

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 7:10 am
by bergbryce
Blah blah blah... My gully of ice was steeper than yours!!!

So North Peak probably isn't going to come in?? That kind of sucks.

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 4:30 pm
by SJ
What alpine ice IS in this year???

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 4:45 pm
by paulteare
''Perfect example was the Death Couloir on Morrison this late Spring. Conditions were epic for two weeks. Those conditions came in just as fast as they departed. A week long hot spill created some decent 60 plus deg ice on the lower 2/3rds of the couloir. ''
boy chief you do need some shit here.
i soloed the mt morrison couloir on june 7 and the ''ice'' was in the first two hundred and fifty feet .it was 75 degrees.
a couple of cool weeks created this bottom ice.
i have soloed all of the major sierra couloirs and this by far is the
best one out of the lot.
why did not you climb this great route visible from your mansion? :o

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:20 pm
by BMcC
Can't say what Sierra gully ice is in at this point. Based on some hiking I did last year around this timeframe with somewhat less snow, I would guess that not a lot of ice is happening, yet. Below are links to some observations and lots of pictures of the couloirs on N Peak, Mt. Dana, N Palisade, and Feather Peak from last year.

Some fun hiking up N Peak, Mt. Dana, and U Notch on N Palisade in mid-August 2010: http://www.supertopo.com/tr/North-Peak- ... 0739n.html

Back on N Peak September 8, 2010 (styrofoam snow and some ice): http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Tis-the-sea ... 0762n.html (posted some September 26 pictures farther down in the comments)

Feather Peak on September 10, 2010: http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Feather-Pea ... 0772n.html

Had great fun even though I did the couloirs a bit too early to expect a lot of ice.

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:40 pm
by The Chief
paulteare wrote:' i soloed the mt morrison couloir on june 7 and the ''ice'' was in the first two hundred and fifty feet .it was 75 degrees.

why did not you climb this great route visible from your mansion? :o


Frkn EXAGGERATOR! Was this your first time on it????

And I did. Two weeks prior to your run up it. Saw yur's and the other crews TR on ST and giggeld. I just don't do SR's for routes/peaks that I do on a regular basis nor do I spray MOST of my accomplishments as some may believe that I do. I have done Morrison at least three dozen times if not more.

I posted "60 Degs" so as not to be claimed an "EXAGGERATOR" again by the expert Bob Pickering.

I reckon the lower section was at least 70ish when I did it with my local buddy. It is the third time I have done it since "00"

Thanks for the post and waiting to see what Bob Pickering has to say about the "steepness" for this line.

But don't matter much. Would never see his ass on it cuz it was ice and not neve.

PS: Also did the 400 or so foot tier over on the north eastern base of Laurel (twice) just above and to the right of where Convict Creek flows into the lake, that formed up at the same time. This line comes "in" more often and affords a great time towards the middle of April from the snow melt above and then the night freezes. I will not post the "Steepness". I will let Bob Pickering go do it and verify it first. But, that will never happen....

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 11:19 pm
by BMcC
Judging from the date in Paul Teare's post, looks like we were on Mt. Morrison couloir the next day - June 8, 2011 - and The Chief and his partner the week before (and several times in the prior 11 years - excellent!. (thanks Chief for the teaser on the Laurel ice - pics?).

Here are pics to enjoy and some comments on conditions long ago on June 8:
http://www.supertopo.com/tr/A-bit-of-wa ... 1037n.html

Happy climbing!

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 11:30 pm
by Vitaliy M.
Thank you for posting BMcC. Very jealous of all of you who got out in that couloir. You seem familiar, I think I have talked to you at Niceleys or something.

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 12:46 am
by The Chief
Goon on ya BMC.


As far as I know, there were several crews that got on the Death Couloir from the local area as well as the Laurel drip. There are three more fun drips further up the Convict trail about half a mile where the lower east face of Laurel can be accessed through the obvious canyon. Takes about an hour and half to two from the south edge of the lake in winter conditions.


No pics now. Maybe later when the trolls grow up.

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:40 pm
by paulteare
hmm ,i still didnt see water ice on two thirds of mt morrison couloir, just the bottom 70 meters. the rest was
snow.
and how can a " hot spell " make ice?
and have you climbed my route "don julie"
on mt morrison ? cheers

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:09 pm
by The Chief
Come on Paul...

The hot spell in early to mid May created a big ass melt off from the upper section after the two very wet storms we had the first week of May. Then came the cold spell that ultimately is what created the epic conditions "We" all enjoyed as some of did back in April of '06 and in March of '03. Did you climb the DC during those two epic periods Paul.

Yes, 2/3rds cus the rest above the lower hour glass section of 400ish feet is not considered the actual "Death Couloir" by some of us locals and doesn't freeze due to the sun's angle hitting it by mid March. You do know why it is called the "Death Couloir" don't you Paul.

No I haven't done "JIM's and your ROUTE" . But I have done the more sustained direct lines of Hobbs and Slate, Steck/Wilsons North Butt and Tom & Charlies 's NF. My first run up Morrison was the Steck NB line was back in Sept of '81.

You're not the ONLY stud in town Paul. Just one of many that just so happens to publish and announces "All" his feats. Why.... Only you know.

So Paul, you done any of "MY" routes throughout the Eastern Sierra?

Cheers....

Re: North Peak Ice conditions

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:13 pm
by Vitaliy M.
You guys done Avalanche Gulch on Shasta? I am looking to get proper shoes and a shell jacket. Can anyone help??!!