bryan
New member
date: 2/4/08
conditions: trail roughly broken from trailhead, but prior tracks ended halfway up first pitch out of the ravine and turned around (an omen?). ravine tough mix of unconsolidated and blown in snow (up to a foot plus) up to exit and then steep and deep with tough sidehills to scaur ridge. crampons would not really have worked well in the deep stuff, but no bite with snowshoes either. really tough ascent in that area and then up to north peak (though flat section of scaur ridge blown in quite hard). actually snowshoe down climbed the steep pitches down into the ravine on the return. safest choice by far given the conditions. the ascent was two to three kicks for one step. easier between north peak and middle, but unbroken trail hard to follow. down low is now nicely packed, but up high has just my best attempts (which is much better than how it was), but new snow is likely to come tonight. scaur ridge trail, sabbaday brook and north slide junctions show no sign of recent use.
equipment: used snowshoes all day. had crampons, but don't think they would have been much help. not the slightest breeze all day. climbed up to the ridge in a t-shirt it was so warm. nice clear views from lookouts. the most trail breaking i have done on a climb alone to date. was a tough, but fullfilling day that will most certainly be felt tomorrow. tripyramid has humbled me once again.
bryan
[email protected]
conditions: trail roughly broken from trailhead, but prior tracks ended halfway up first pitch out of the ravine and turned around (an omen?). ravine tough mix of unconsolidated and blown in snow (up to a foot plus) up to exit and then steep and deep with tough sidehills to scaur ridge. crampons would not really have worked well in the deep stuff, but no bite with snowshoes either. really tough ascent in that area and then up to north peak (though flat section of scaur ridge blown in quite hard). actually snowshoe down climbed the steep pitches down into the ravine on the return. safest choice by far given the conditions. the ascent was two to three kicks for one step. easier between north peak and middle, but unbroken trail hard to follow. down low is now nicely packed, but up high has just my best attempts (which is much better than how it was), but new snow is likely to come tonight. scaur ridge trail, sabbaday brook and north slide junctions show no sign of recent use.
equipment: used snowshoes all day. had crampons, but don't think they would have been much help. not the slightest breeze all day. climbed up to the ridge in a t-shirt it was so warm. nice clear views from lookouts. the most trail breaking i have done on a climb alone to date. was a tough, but fullfilling day that will most certainly be felt tomorrow. tripyramid has humbled me once again.
bryan
[email protected]
