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I'm looking to do Mt. Borah on the 9th of August. Has anyone been up there this summer? I will hike the standard route over chicken-out ridge.

Jerry

It's golden. Standard mid to late summer conditions. Snow bridge is solid and well trodden. Good luck on your climb.

Thanks Dan,

I'm assuming minispikes and ice axe for the snow bridge.

Jerry

If the snow bridge is well trodden you don't need any technical equipment. When we did it last August it was just an easy walk across.

It's a low snow year in the Lost River mountains and there is a chance the route is snow free. While on a climb of Mt. Idaho a couple weeks ago, there was considerably less snow then this time last year. I concur with Florida Frank, no ax or crampons needed.

Enjoy!

just up there today. no need for any equipment for snowbridge. depending on winds from nearby fires (I think Halstead up in the Salmon River Mtns?) you might not get that great a view up top (couldn't even seem the Lemhi's or the White Clouds/Boulders today.

Thanks for all the advice. The climb went off as planned. We left the trailhead at 4AM and arrived just below Chicken Out Ridge at first light. Being the first ones up has some advantages. Though the route through the notch was not obvious at first, we found it without difficulty, around the corner, up on the ridge and out to the down climb. I thought the exposure on the ridge was pretty epic. The down climb was supposed to be "tricky" or "awkward" but I just went down a slot on the left hand side as you are ascending and it was very straightforward. There is very little snow on the snow bridge. About 8 steps and you are across. Even though the advice was to leave all technical equipment in the car, I brought my mini-spikes along. They made a very nice dead weight in my pack and did not see the light of day. We could smell the smoke from the fires and in several directions the view was hazy. 4:45 to the top, not super fast but perfect for the two of us.

This weekend there are supposed to be a hoard of people trying to get to the summit. One group has (reportedly) 50 club members. I cannot imagine getting 50 people across Chicken Out and back expeditiously.

Anyway, thanks for the advice.
Jerry

I recall being on top by 8AM, in 2010; few people at that time. We were back to the class 3 climb up from the snow bridge well by 9:30AM; there was a huge group about to set a rope down that stretch, so he hurried before the masses clogged the ridge entirely. By 10:30 we could see hordes of folks crawling up COR, and we bobbed and weaved to miss them. A day later, a boy scout leader almost died, trying to cross the snow low below the bridge to avoid the crowds; he slipped and was saved only when he smashed into a rock, breaking his leg... but at least he stopped. The crowds are the most dangerous aspect of the normal route up Borah.

On my return from the summit last week I crossed under the snowfield on the north side and avoided going back over chicken-out-ridge. So if the ridge or snow bothers you there is a way a round it right now. It was a pretty easy scramble.

Anyone seen and/or have a recent picture of the north face? I'm planning to climb the NF Direct or NF Classic rout on October 20-21. What is the conditions any snow/ice left or did low snow leaves last winter leave the face bare and now is a big scree slope? Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks,

The North Face should be frozen up hard for the season now. We're expecting near single digit temps in the high country this weekend and the main face won't see the sun again until next year. Last year was a low snow year but the previous two were very good so there's residual "old" ice and snow on the face right now. We found hard water ice in late July on the NE Ridge and I got a good look at the coverage on the NF and it was good. The Summit Couloir looked a little low this year but the main face, the Direct or the Classic should be in great shape. I'll see if I can cop you a fresh picture before you go.

Bob

Good to know. Thanks for the quick reply. So should I bring any cams, pitons, or nuts or will 9 ice screws do it.

Small wired stuff and a handful of small cams should be fine. The rock is fractured in small seems and slots for large gear are rare. A few double runners are handy for looping on horns and 9 screws sound like too many. The lower face is around 45 degrees and most people solo or simu-climb until it steepens below the summit pyramid. The Direct turns to all rock once you exit the left hand couloir (out of the Main) so you won't need screws the rest of the way to the summit if that's where you go. The bottom of the Summit Couloir looked like it would melt out this season and it's the steepest, so if you skip that you won't need as many screws. I've used pins up there but didn't really trust them much in the fractured rock. Two tools are recommended when the face has hardened up. Some years it's hard, frozen snow and others it's bare ice all the way. I wanted to do a recon this fall but the smoke from the fires has sucked, big time. Now that the cooler weather has come the smoke is mostly gone. The ITD WIllow Creek webcam provides a great view of the face as well as the current weather conditions. A friend of mine lives up there and I'll see if he can get me a close-up shot from the Doublespring road before you go.

Bob

From the Idahosummits forum.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/105717/t ... e+of+Borah