Gannett Peak Conditions

Hi Guys,

I am planning on making a bid for the summit of Gannett Peak on the 28th or 29th of this month and am interested in finding out what the conditions are like on the Gooseneck Glacier Route and the South East Couloir. Specifically, is the snow-bridge across the bergschrund still intact? And would it be reasonable for me to assume it is, or is not, come the end of the month?

In addition to that little bit of info, any beta on crevasses along the glacier travel involved in both routes, mosquito intensity, and stream levels along the Glacier Trail approach would be warmly welcomed.

Thanks for the help!

here is my route from the start of the boulderfield from a few years back in mid july. the summit is just out of veiw, but once you get on that last snow ridge you're golden.

http://tinyurl.com/9nclqom

the only serious crevasse issue i had to avoid was just before the first curve of the line, and there were lots of rocks to scramble on next to the crevasse to avoid it. As for the snow bridge, with it being a low snow year anyways, i kinda doubt its still up. i don't know what options you'll have to get across, but maybe call the forest service and ask them if they know.

You might want to give a call to the Jackson Hole Mtn Guides- they run guided trips in there all summer, will have a fairly recent report on the snow bridge over the shrund. Last I heard it was slumping pretty good. Might be a better option to go up the south couloir, down the Gooseneck (rap from the lowest anchors in the rock band).

Any chance that rap can be done with a single 70m rope?

Seems like I belay clients across the shrund with a 30 meter rando rope, then downclimb myself to a rap very near the edge and rap over with the 30m doubled.

But it changes every year.

I just spent 2 weeks backpacking and climbing in the Winds, including the Gannett area. Much drier than usual this year. Much less snow than when I was there in August 2009 and August 2010. Stream crossing on the Glacier Trail are a non-issue. Not many mosquitos at all; I used bug spray once in the 2 weeks.

The standard route up Gannett is more melted out and icier than I have ever seen it. The snowbridge over the bergschrund fell almost 2 weeks ago now. Word on the trail then was that a piece of it was still wedged in somehow and people were making it across. From a distance it looked pretty wide open. I would guess its going to be pretty tough in another couple of weeks.

There is no need to rope up for crevasses on the glacier. There aren't many around and they are small and clearly visible.

Michael, talk to JHMG a couple days before you head out. They are generally quite helpful with beta and recent conditions.

I was up there last weekend, just got back on Monday. Snow bridge is out but easy. Was a fixed line hanging from pickets. We did not use our rope but I wouldn't tell you not to take one. You can easily down climb to fixed line and rap. there were at least 4 good fixed achors to accomadate any rope set up. there were anchors on the rock rib that looked set up for a single rope rap but I cant gauntee that. Message me if you need more beta. Here is a pic of the snow bridge last Saturday the 11th

Reviving an old thread, but wondering if anyone has been up to Gannett this season? How are the glaciers with a lower snow year? I assume the bergshrund condition might be getting tricky already? Any recent beta or pictures would be appreciated as I am planning to head up there the 1st week of August.

Hey Marlin, I just got off the phone with the local Forest Service office and they said they got a report a week ago that the schrund was wide open and that we'd have to take to the rocks. I have a four man group planning on hiking in from the east approach (Dubois) on August 1st with an expected summit day of August 3rd. Now we're trying to decide if we want to climb the rock on the left side of the bergschrund or take the SE couloir.

I summited Gannett last Tuesday (I think) and the snowbridge over the bergschrund was fully intact and super stable. Then again, it got really hot at the end of last week... Otherwise, I was blown away by how SMALL the glaciers up there are compared to how they're represented on the map. In fact, the most dangerous/cruxy part of the climb for me was navigating the heinous glacial debris just to get to the first snowfield. But, back to the 'schrund: There was another snowbridge on the far right-side (climber's right) of the shrund that was hugging the rocks and looked like it would be stable for a while longer. Also, climbing up and out of the shrund didn't appear difficult either, but I guess that depends on your abilities. I brought 'pons and an axe and was totally comfortable, yet there were also groups with harnesses, pickets, ropes, bail gear, etc. It all depends on your style, I guess! Overall, though, bugs weren't bad, all the stream crossings had major log bridges built over them (at some point or another), and the snowfields made for quick climbing in the early morning. Good luck!

Hey Chris just wanted to say thanks for all the info. Your beta about the bridge on the far right proved to be most helpful. Upon arriving at the parking area we began to hear all kinds of reports of the snow bridges being gone, stream crossings being wet, and alternate routes being advised. But as we approached our high camp on August 2nd, we ran into a super helpful pair that had just summitted the day before and they confirmed that both snow bridges were still intact. We chose the bridge on the right on summit day, August 3, 2015, and everything went very well. Despite a cloudy morning the snow at the bridge was a little slushy and we had a little trouble getting crampons to bite above the schrund. That said, everything went very smoothly and all four members of our team summitted via the far right snow bridge. While on the summit we watched a solo climber posthole through the middle (main) snowbridge up to his waste and hastily retreat. Watching him confirmed what everyone else had been telling us, that the main snow bridge would not be lasting much longer. Though we didn't see it with our own eyes, we heard that on August 1st the main snow bridge was no more than 3 feet wide with numerous postholes through it. Anyway, sorry for the late reply for anyone else who was looking for beta, but thanks again Chris for giving us the confidence to give this alternate route a successful go.

Justin