The Rookie Party and Center Chute - November 2, 20...
Description
From a belay on the right side, climb up a short low-angle section to the crux, a leftward-ascending traverse. After that, cruise WI3 for the next hundred something feet. If the Center Chute, the couloir up and slightly left of the ice is looking firm, find a line through shattered rock and traverse in. We climbed another 200' up and slightly right from the steep ice until we could make an easy traverse back left into the couloir.
Location
The climb is at the top of the middle bowl on the north aspect of the Twins - gunner's left of Pipleine, a large couloir that falls from the summit of the West Twin. If continuing up Center Chute, you will top out in the small saddle between the East and West Twins. The easiest descent is to go a couple hundred yards east to the top of the East Twin and descend north down the ridge towards Hidden Peak. This is the ascent route when Snowbird permits skiers to access the Twins through its winter permit area.
Protection
A rack of screws and maybe a pin or two if you continue higher and keep the rope out. When we climbed it in early November of 2006, it took big screws to full depth. There is and old, two-pin anchor on top of the left side of the flow at about the 200' mark. There was also solid ice right below this anchor for a screw back up and/or abalokov rap anchor.
Nice pictures up a nice looking climb. I had also always wondered about that chunk of ice? Was the photo on the right taken after climbing the lower ice curtain or was it climbing the curtain? What is the angle where you are soloing? Thanks
The photo on the right is near the top of the Center Chute, well above the lower water ice curtain. With this seasons low snowfall, the final ice patch up high is still visible. The angle in the upper chute where we soloed was your standard 45 to 50 degrees easy crusin'.
You have limited options to do this when it's in. You either wake up really, really, really early and climb it before Snowbird opens, hopefully no control work needs to be done because they always seem to shoot that hanging snowfield at the top of the route. Or talk to Patrol before hand and get the blessing (recommended). It is highly frowned upon to poach the route if the access bowl is closed as they see you endangering the ski area and trespassing. I have seen that thing plastic blue for weeks, usually when it forms in the January thaw. Skis might be a good option for the approach AND getting off the top as you have 5000' of Wasatch goods under you're feet!
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