All Locations >
Alaska
> Interior Alaska…
> Denali NP
> Ruth Gorge
> Mt Huntington
> W Face Couloir (WI4+ M4 Steep Snow PG13)
ID 107003125 ·
·
Copyright Violation?
Rate Photo
5.0
from
8 votes
Ken Trout
Jan 5, 2011
“Washburn photograph
Black line by James Nettle
AAJ, 1990
Black/yellow line - Nettle & Quirk's approach route, via the left side of the ice-fall. Harder and slower, but safer, unless the mountain is not frozen. This is also how Puryear shows the approach in his guide.
Nobody seems to heed the advice. That might be because moving fast, before getting frozen, is worth risking the seracs.
Red dots - The approach used by most teams now, hidden in this photo by the threatening seracs. Morning sunhit on the seracs does seem to wake them up.
Red dashes - Easy part of the modern hike/ski to the bergschrund. Also threatened by avalanching more than Nettle and Quirk's approach.
Green dashes - Variations used now to avoid rock slabs with shallow coverage.
Blue S - The dangerously anchor-less slabs that must be avoid both on the ascent and descent. Climbers still had to work hard to find good anchors, left of the rock slab, in the deep snow of May, 2010.
Orange dashes - Colton-Leech Easy to reach from the TAT landing zone. C-L also seemed to get less powder slough activity than West Face Couloir.
Violet dashes- French Ridge ”
Black line by James Nettle
AAJ, 1990
Black/yellow line - Nettle & Quirk's approach route, via the left side of the ice-fall. Harder and slower, but safer, unless the mountain is not frozen. This is also how Puryear shows the approach in his guide.
Nobody seems to heed the advice. That might be because moving fast, before getting frozen, is worth risking the seracs.
Red dots - The approach used by most teams now, hidden in this photo by the threatening seracs. Morning sunhit on the seracs does seem to wake them up.
Red dashes - Easy part of the modern hike/ski to the bergschrund. Also threatened by avalanching more than Nettle and Quirk's approach.
Green dashes - Variations used now to avoid rock slabs with shallow coverage.
Blue S - The dangerously anchor-less slabs that must be avoid both on the ascent and descent. Climbers still had to work hard to find good anchors, left of the rock slab, in the deep snow of May, 2010.
Orange dashes - Colton-Leech Easy to reach from the TAT landing zone. C-L also seemed to get less powder slough activity than West Face Couloir.
Violet dashes- French Ridge ”
1 Comment