Darrington Conditions

That is amazing,  thank you Tyler and your team! I look forward to finishing penny lane. When i tried in 2019 my partner got to the top of the second pitch and found the anchors gone so we bailed. Out of curiosity when you say bolting improvements was it just hardware replacement? Or did you actually add new bolts to some routes?

Ben maxwell wrote:

That is amazing,  thank you Tyler and your team! I look forward to finishing penny lane. When i tried in 2019 my partner got to the top of the second pitch and found the anchors gone so we bailed. Out of curiosity when you say bolting improvements was it just hardware replacement? Or did you actually add new bolts to some routes?

Hey Ben! I saw the comment on your tick awhile back! Y’all were a bit smarter then we were reading the warning signs on your attempt.

I didn’t add any additional bolts to the climb. Dave Whitelaw gave me permission to do so, his words being to “Make the crux more enjoyable” but the crux is already the most closely spaced bolting. I sadly haven’t been able to climb it again, having to focus primarily on the replacement effort. If you manage to make it out please let me know how it climbs!

Tyler Stockdale wrote:

Hey Ben! I saw the comment on your tick awhile back! Y’all were a bit smarter then we were reading the warning signs on your attempt.

I didn’t add any additional bolts to the climb. Dave Whitelaw gave me permission to do so, his words being to “Make the crux more enjoyable” but the crux is already the most closely spaced bolting. I sadly haven’t been able to climb it again, having to focus primarily on the replacement effort. If you manage to make it out please let me know how it climbs!

Lol, not so much smarter just more conservative in my approach to adventure. Thank you for the info and thank you again for the re bolting. I'll might not be till next year at this point but I will let you know how it went when I get around to tackling it

Tyler Stockdale wrote:

Howdy Y’all!

Wanted to give an update to some mantainance work that’s been going on this year.

The North Buttress of 3 O’clock Rock got a major rebolting overhaul this season, which was completed this last week. Total Soul, Penny Lane, Revolver, and Silent Running have all had bolting improvements, and are in tip top shape. Around 25 hangers / bolts and 5 anchors have been replaced and the routes are now no longer sporting flattened, rusty hardware.

In particular, Penny Lane is now safe to climb again after it’s destructive rock fall event in 2019.

Hope that this amps a bit of stoke and gets a few of you out to the buttress before the season changes! It’s primo condition at the moment, and it would be great to see more people on the middle routes.

Thanks for the efforts! I ran into either you or someone from your group working on the rebolting last Monday and was pointed to the easy routes i was looking for around the corner. Sadly had to get back to Seattle and didn't have time to climb anything but I'll be back at some point!

Jason wrote:

Thanks for the efforts! I ran into either you or someone from your group working on the rebolting last Monday and was pointed to the easy routes i was looking for around the corner. Sadly had to get back to Seattle and didn't have time to climb anything but I'll be back at some point!

That was me! Glad y'all at least made it out to explore a bit. Darrington is a super special place, and I definitely hope you make it back to experience some of the climbing as well. 

Bring yer runout pants!

Getting to be that time of the year again! Anybody been up there recently to check out how the snow is melting and how many trees have fallen on the road?

Also interested. May be up there this weekend

Following

What’s the elevation?  There’s 8’ of snow at 3500 feet in the southeast Olympics 

Yes, I've been up Squire Creek road four times this Spring, clearing the road of logs and branches. The latest time was last week on Tuesday, May 2, when I walked all the way up to the turnoff to the creek crossing for the South Face routes (Skeena26 and Concerto in C). The road is clear of snow all the way, as is the trail down to the Squire Creek. Here is a photo at the creek crossing.

So, there is patchy snow on the other side of the creek, the Wall side. I'm sure there is plenty of crunchy snow to ascend to get to the slabs, and there still may be ice blocks teetering on the ledges along the routes.

Bill Enger wrote:

Yes, I've been up Squire Creek road four times this Spring, clearing the road of logs and branches. The latest time was last week on Tuesday, May 2, when I walked all the way up to the turnoff to the creek crossing for the South Face routes (Skeena26 and Concerto in C). The road is clear of snow all the way, as is the trail down to the Squire Creek. Here is a photo at the creek crossing.

So, there is patchy snow on the other side of the creek, the Wall side. I'm sure there is plenty of crunchy snow to ascend to get to the slabs, and there still may be ice blocks teetering on the ledges along the routes.

Hero! Thank you for your work. I was going to bring a saw out when we head up there and so some cleaning as well. 

2060 road (3 OClock, Exfo) is open, the few trees have been cut. The wind gods were kinder this year!

Curt Veldhuisen wrote:

2060 road (3 OClock, Exfo) is open, the few trees have been cut. The wind gods were kinder this year!

I am so stoked!!! 

Anyone been to the South Face recently? I'm hoping to climb Skeena26 and wondering about the snow situation. 

Many thanks in advance!!

Lil Toasty wrote:

Anyone been to the South Face recently? I'm hoping to climb Skeena26 and wondering about the snow situation. 

Many thanks in advance!!

Been up there the past 3 years around late June/early July and route has been climbable if you're willing to scramble up a little snow to get to the base. Looking at the sentinel images, there's still a big chunk in the gully below the bench, and a rather large patch at the base of skeena, But the snow has melted much quicker this year. 

Kyle Elliott wrote:

Been up there the past 3 years around late June/early July and route has been climbable if you're willing to scramble up a little snow to get to the base. Looking at the sentinel images, there's still a big chunk in the gully below the bench, and a rather large patch at the base of skeena, But the snow has melted much quicker this year. 

Awesome, thanks! (Also, never occurred to me to look at satellite imagery... rad and super helpful!)

I checked out the area around Skeena26 this past Thursday/Friday. Snow still covers the start of the first pitch of Skeena26, but you can either boot up to the first available bolt, or you can walk around the pitch to the right. Also, there are one or two bivy spots melted out on the grassy saddle, though they are below the snow pile and therefore wet.

Has anyone been up the main approaches in D-town?

How much snow is up there and what's the current access?

Is the 8 mile road driveable? How much snow in the gully on the approach to Dreamer? Squire creek walls?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Anastasia - I was up to the south side of Squire Creek Wall on Monday. The road is in good shape, as is the boot-track. The only snow is in the final approach gully, and on the "grassy saddle" camping spot. The routes, Concerto in C and Skeena26, are dry and ready to climb!

Just went up the 8 Mile trail and the road is drivable all the way to the trailhead(medium to higher clearance would make it a little easier to navigate some drainage dips in the first 2 miles) and the base of 3 o'clock is bare and snow free. A little lingering snow up by total soul gulley but not much. I'm living out in Darrington currently and always looking for early and mid week partners.