Kullaberg63
Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2014
- Messages
- 658
A Post member shared their trip with me a couple of seasons ago. Last weekend I got a group together and repeated it. We found a classic, high quality point-to-point route consisting of five off-trail passes divided by exquisite high basin traverses. The steep snow offered mild mountaineering challenges but also covered miles of otherwise arduous talus.
We left a popular destination trail early and suffered up the low altitude bushwhack of a trail-less gorge. Exhausted we camped near timberline.
The upper reaches of our valley opened up into beautiful granite slick rock and cascades between tarns interspersed with stands of conifer. The pass at the head was not included in our friend’s route and had no Internet beta, so it was a make-or-break passage to complete the route. The prospect of reversing the lower gorge made us motivated.
The sunny side was ever steepening snow, still crunchy from a mild frost. An escape halfway up unto grassy ledges and boulder problems led us to the top. Of course the shady side was comprised of one narrow, super exposed runnel of perfect snow flanked by towering granite buttresses. We scouted an airy rock entry bypassing the upper 40’ of cornice shaped ice and front-pointed gingerly down. The run-out below was relatively safe but it would have been a long, fast slide. The dog glissaded easily from the get go.
Frozen lakes and easy talus led to a hairy snowy traverse to the base of pass no. 2, which really is a climb of the neighboring peak. The pass itself is too hard on both sides, while the peak is technically easy.
Once on top a clear forecast showed signs of deteriorating with ominous clouds and distant thunder. The circuitous route down involving the north ridge of the peak and some ledges, and took a while causing us to be caught at the very edge of the weather system. More complex terrain by an entrenched lake lead to a quick glissade down a gully splitting the rocky lake outlet wall.
Far below we hunkered down in a large area of spruce right at timberline while the thunderstorms coalesced into full cloud coverage. An hour of zero rumbles from above gave us the confidence to climb up towards the third pass, but we ran out of daylight on a lake bench poised high above the notorious trail-less dark valley below.
The morning saw us romping up easy terrain to the pass, but a confusing layout on the other side took us mistakenly down time consuming rock and finally a glissade to another beautiful lake basin. Again we had to drop way down further to avoid a steep buttress jutting out from the area’s most imposing peak.
Below in the lush gorge we turned left and hit snow almost immediately transforming a long talus to kitty litter scree climb into a cruise. The fourth pass is somewhat popular but this Monday morning was deserted. While steep on both sides we now had regained our snow climbing confidence and easily shrugged off the exposure.
The remaining pass was a simple affair of grass and ledges and led to a meandering descent along brooks and meadows to a long trail slog. Even on this side of the range we saw no one; not even at the trailhead. We had complete solitude since the late morning of day one.
35 miles, 12’k of gain, 3 full days
Heading in
The team, minus one
Gore style bushwhack
Cruising
Bypassing some ice
Front-pointing with micro spikes
The next pass is the minor peak right of the distinct runnel of snow
Threading gingerly across form one pass to the next
Storm coming in as viewed from the route's high point
From grass to ice
Low elevation struggles
Moody camp..
..but cheerful in the morning
Off route
Nice walking
Last time here it was death scree
We left a popular destination trail early and suffered up the low altitude bushwhack of a trail-less gorge. Exhausted we camped near timberline.
The upper reaches of our valley opened up into beautiful granite slick rock and cascades between tarns interspersed with stands of conifer. The pass at the head was not included in our friend’s route and had no Internet beta, so it was a make-or-break passage to complete the route. The prospect of reversing the lower gorge made us motivated.
The sunny side was ever steepening snow, still crunchy from a mild frost. An escape halfway up unto grassy ledges and boulder problems led us to the top. Of course the shady side was comprised of one narrow, super exposed runnel of perfect snow flanked by towering granite buttresses. We scouted an airy rock entry bypassing the upper 40’ of cornice shaped ice and front-pointed gingerly down. The run-out below was relatively safe but it would have been a long, fast slide. The dog glissaded easily from the get go.
Frozen lakes and easy talus led to a hairy snowy traverse to the base of pass no. 2, which really is a climb of the neighboring peak. The pass itself is too hard on both sides, while the peak is technically easy.
Once on top a clear forecast showed signs of deteriorating with ominous clouds and distant thunder. The circuitous route down involving the north ridge of the peak and some ledges, and took a while causing us to be caught at the very edge of the weather system. More complex terrain by an entrenched lake lead to a quick glissade down a gully splitting the rocky lake outlet wall.
Far below we hunkered down in a large area of spruce right at timberline while the thunderstorms coalesced into full cloud coverage. An hour of zero rumbles from above gave us the confidence to climb up towards the third pass, but we ran out of daylight on a lake bench poised high above the notorious trail-less dark valley below.
The morning saw us romping up easy terrain to the pass, but a confusing layout on the other side took us mistakenly down time consuming rock and finally a glissade to another beautiful lake basin. Again we had to drop way down further to avoid a steep buttress jutting out from the area’s most imposing peak.
Below in the lush gorge we turned left and hit snow almost immediately transforming a long talus to kitty litter scree climb into a cruise. The fourth pass is somewhat popular but this Monday morning was deserted. While steep on both sides we now had regained our snow climbing confidence and easily shrugged off the exposure.
The remaining pass was a simple affair of grass and ledges and led to a meandering descent along brooks and meadows to a long trail slog. Even on this side of the range we saw no one; not even at the trailhead. We had complete solitude since the late morning of day one.
35 miles, 12’k of gain, 3 full days
Heading in
The team, minus one
Gore style bushwhack
Cruising
Bypassing some ice
Front-pointing with micro spikes
The next pass is the minor peak right of the distinct runnel of snow
Threading gingerly across form one pass to the next
Storm coming in as viewed from the route's high point
From grass to ice
Low elevation struggles
Moody camp..
..but cheerful in the morning
Off route
Nice walking
Last time here it was death scree
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