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U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:53 pm
by snowey
Anyone have any ideas on the current conditions of U-notch or V-notch?
Ice/snow/rock?

Is the bergschrund going to be epic?

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:09 pm
by Kahuna
snowey wrote:Is the bergschrund going to be epic?


Only as "epic" as you want it to be.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:20 pm
by snowey
Oh, I want it to be epic.

http://youtu.be/vlaBehEZDEg?t=47s

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 1:13 am
by yetibob3
I looked at the couliors last week from the old Glacier Lodge site; still some neve but evidence of rockfall in the U notch about halfway up. The shrunds are definitely open but did not look "epic". The snowfield near the summit of North Pal showed a lot of old ice. Rapid melting going on; in a few weeks maybe lots of bare ice.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:49 am
by MoapaPk
Not quite what you want, but look to far left
http://hwstock.org/sill12/html/DSCN0223.htm

last Friday, from Sill

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:45 am
by aermotor
The U-Notch is absolutely obliterated. The schrund was somewhat epic, amazed we even found a way around it. Climbed 5 pitches this weekend and almost got whacked several time by massive bombs (baseball to basketball going as fast as 50mph). There's basically a tiny stream running down the entire thing eroding from the top. Thunderstorm rolled in on us as well. Quite stupid. :|

Don't even think about going up it.

The V-Notch is somewhat clean but is entirely ice. I wouldn't trust anything up there but Sill right now.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 3:43 pm
by Palisades79
What time did you start climbing ?

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:23 pm
by aermotor
Not that it mattered since it was falling all day (even before the sun was really hitting it), but around 6:30. It was incredibly slow because of the conditions.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:38 pm
by Kahuna
aermotor wrote:The U-Notch is absolutely obliterated. The schrund was somewhat epic, amazed we even found a way around it. Climbed 5 pitches this weekend and almost got whacked several time by massive bombs (baseball to basketball going as fast as 50mph). There's basically a tiny stream running down the entire thing eroding from the top. Thunderstorm rolled in on us as well. Quite stupid. :|

Don't even think about going up it.

The V-Notch is somewhat clean but is entirely ice. I wouldn't trust anything up there but Sill right now.


That sounds about right for a dry season.

Bombs away baby!!!

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:41 am
by tomd
We climbed the V-notch on Aug 5. No snow left from this year so it's all great ice. Went over the bergshrund towards the left side, crux was about 10 feet of 80 degrees. 5 full pitches of ice, and then one of loose dirt, rocks & a little ice. I guess we were a little lucky there was no rockfall that day. There are some big crevasses in the glacier below the V-notch.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:04 pm
by Climber Dave
If your still interested I took this pic from above Green Lake on Friday 8/3/12. I uploaded the fullsized pic so you can get a closer look.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 6:36 pm
by tomd
Nice pic! The 2 black streaks in the V-notch are not dirt, they are just dark water ice.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 7:40 pm
by Kahuna
Interesting to see that Clyde still has snow/ice in it pretty much most of the way.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:05 pm
by Burchey
A5RP wrote:Interesting to see that Clyde still has snow/ice in it pretty much most of the way.


Where do you see that? Incidentally, I wouldn't go near the Clyde the rest of this season - watched a little too much rock come out of it at 4am a couple weeks back from the mouth of the U-notch couloir.

Re: U-Notch V-Notch conditions?

PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:25 am
by Burchey
I'm hoping there's enough V-notch left for some late Sept action. Perhaps some poor unfortunate soul will head up Palisade way between now and then and share some photos.