Route Climbed: near East Couloir (Ascent) / Horse Creek Pass (Descent) Date Climbed: 25 Sep 05
Plan was to ascend via SE slope. Turned up one canyon too early (for Horse Creek Pass) and climbed up to lake below glacier. Put on crampons (no ice ax) and began climbing what I thought was the East Couloir. Turns out it was the couloir to the left (Ski Dreams couloir.) Felt uncomfortable on steep ice without ice ax about a third of the way up and bailed onto the rocks on the right. Great class 3/4 climbing (mixed with some ice/gravel excitement). Finished ascent with final SE approach. After decending the scree to Horse Creek Pass, decided that my route finding mistake beat going up that slog.
Route Climbed: North Arete Date Climbed: August 7 2005
My partner and I started around 8 am with clear skies but by the time we had finished the second pitch we were greeted with the rumble of thunder. Luckily we were at a point where we could rappell off the route rather easily. 3 Rappels later we were back on the ground.
Route Climbed: SE Slope Date Climbed: August 6, 2005
Did this climb with Erik J as an overnight trip. We were supposed to climb it on Saturday, but by the time we got over Horse Creek Pass the weather was turning nasty. Summited Sunday at 8:00 am, then tried Whorl, but couldn't find the correct chutes. Maybe next time. I thought Horse Creek Pass with a full backpack was harder than Matterhorn.
Route Climbed: Southeast Slope Date Climbed: Aug. 1st, 2005
My brother and I got to the summit at around 11:15 am. This was my third attempt after being snowed on during the first snow storm of the season on Oct. 31, 2003, and then turning around on the final ascent in July, 2004. Getting to Horseshoe Pass was easily done in a few hours, and the snow patches in the morning were easily traversed, but the final ascent to the summit through all the scree was brutal for me. I felt like I was walking on quicksand. I have lived at Twin Lakes almost every summer since I was a kid, but never knew anything about how to hike this peak until two years ago. Thanks to everyone on this site for all the information about how to do this hike, and keeping me updated on conditions.
Matthew Holliman - Jul 20, 2005 11:45 am Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2005
One of my favourite Yosemite peaks...
My first visit was a fall dayhike (Oct 5, '02) from Twin Lakes via Horse Creek Pass, returning via Burro Pass/Mule Pass. Spent two hours on the summit admiring the views--a gorgeous day! The peak has some of the best views anywhere in the Sierra.
While Horse Creek Pass was clear, Burro Pass was still snowed in from a storm the previous week. This made the loop back around more challenging (scary) than expected as I had to find an alternative to Burro Pass via some steep slabs to its west.
I came back in late June '05 to climb the north arete with Sam. After getting off-route and onto really, really crappy rock almost from the start (necessitating an embarrassing rappel, even before we'd started the roped climbing), things improved... the first couple of pitches had some questionable rock in places, but the last few had some awesome climbing to compensate. By far the coolest bit was the knife-edge arete on the next to last pitch--wow! Airy and pretty spicy 4th class after unroping at the top of the arete, too. Amazing summit views, as always.
Longer approach than expected at this time of year, with axe/crampons needed both to climb the "headwall" part-way up Horse Creek Canyon, and to descend the SE Slopes after we burned a lot of time on the climb. Next time I climb this route or Double Dihedral, I think it'll be in summer or fall.
Route Climbed: Double Dihedral Date Climbed: July 2005
Well, we MEANT to do the North Arete, but got off-route and ended up on the other instead. Mostly clean climbing (one big loose block) but hard and sustained on the last pitch/es. Fun 4th class run to the summit from the top of the route, too. Also, lots of snow this year made the approach longer. Still, an incredible summit and a beautiful mountain. Be warned - this one takes longer than you might think!
Route Climbed: Southeast Slope from Horse Creek Pass Date Climbed: July 7, 2005
Reached the summit at 8:15 on a beautiful morning. Snow conditions in the Pass were nearly perfect. Hardest part was looking over the edge at the top. It was a climb I will never forget.
Route Climbed: East Couloir Date Climbed: June 5, 2005
Starting at 2:30 am from the base near the frozen lake (9,000 ft) we quite quickly reached the bottom of the East Couloir. It was extremely windy that day which encouraged us to move even faster. From the ledge of the Matterhorn Peak we scrambled in a total of 45 min to the summit. After quite a short stay at the summit, we decent to our base camp by retrieving the same route. I looked at my watch and could not believe that it was only 8:30 am, which indicated the earliest return time in my life.
Route Climbed: East Couloir Date Climbed: June 5, 2005
A group of three (Zhenja, Olga and Rinat) successfully climbed East Couloir starting from the base camp on 9400 ft at 3:40 am and getting to the summit at 6:45 am. The snow conditions were great - well packed and striing snow. We used crampons from the base camp. We carrie snowshoes, but really did not need them and they were left at the base camp. The couloir is in good conditions and it is 75% covered with snow, the rest is the loose rocks and sand that can be avoided. We had some strong winds up there (30-35 miles/hour). This area is beatiful.
This was a good day to say the least. Very cold but clear weather. 8 hours of snow shoeing got us to the notch and some fun and spectacular snowy mixed scrambling put us on top. The ride down was amaziing and be sure to scope the nice looking chute below the East couloir. This is probably the best winter riding I can remember.
Route Climbed: Horse Creek Pass Date Climbed: October 10, 2004
Summited about noon, with Amit, Ted, Janet, and Alan. See Pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/langenbacher . Sunny, no snow, a bit chilly and windy on top. Car to Car in 9 hours flat.
Route Climbed: east couloir Date Climbed: sep 05 2004
accidentally ascended to base of east couloir from first drainage/gully seen on HC trail. Not a bad route actually - mostly class 2/3 and allows you to skip talus and drops nearly at base of glacier. glacier itself was easy to cross in just standard hiking boots and is almost completely gone, although there were one or two very easily spotted crevasses. East Couloir is a very loose scree slog with heavy potential for rockslides. I stayed on the right wall for as much as possible - but it was impossible to completely avoid the scree. took one of the many vatiaions of the HC Pass "trail" on descent. Car-to-Car 12 hours.
Route Climbed: East Couloir Date Climbed: Aug 21 2004
Great mountain - strenuous hike up from Twin Lakes - especially with all the loose rock and sand in the couloir. Glacier easily crossed in approach shoes- lots of debris. Didn't spend much time on summit with afternoon clouds building - but strom did not break until well down into Horse Creek Canyon.
tdoughty - Oct 16, 2005 1:42 pm
Route Climbed: East CouloirWith Craig Sanford and Gary Stanridge
pwdrqst - Oct 4, 2005 2:53 pm
Route Climbed: Scrambled Up Date Climbed: July 15, 2003Beautiful day... Did it twice in 3 days
bechtt - Sep 27, 2005 12:07 am
Route Climbed: near East Couloir (Ascent) / Horse Creek Pass (Descent) Date Climbed: 25 Sep 05Plan was to ascend via SE slope. Turned up one canyon too early (for Horse Creek Pass) and climbed up to lake below glacier. Put on crampons (no ice ax) and began climbing what I thought was the East Couloir. Turns out it was the couloir to the left (Ski Dreams couloir.) Felt uncomfortable on steep ice without ice ax about a third of the way up and bailed onto the rocks on the right. Great class 3/4 climbing (mixed with some ice/gravel excitement). Finished ascent with final SE approach. After decending the scree to Horse Creek Pass, decided that my route finding mistake beat going up that slog.
danman3156 - Aug 29, 2005 2:23 am
Route Climbed: North Arete Date Climbed: August 7 2005My partner and I started around 8 am with clear skies but by the time we had finished the second pitch we were greeted with the rumble of thunder. Luckily we were at a point where we could rappell off the route rather easily. 3 Rappels later we were back on the ground.
Jonodo - Aug 9, 2005 10:47 am
Route Climbed: SE Slope Date Climbed: August 6, 2005Did this climb with Erik J as an overnight trip. We were supposed to climb it on Saturday, but by the time we got over Horse Creek Pass the weather was turning nasty. Summited Sunday at 8:00 am, then tried Whorl, but couldn't find the correct chutes. Maybe next time. I thought Horse Creek Pass with a full backpack was harder than Matterhorn.
KClosson - Aug 2, 2005 10:46 am
Route Climbed: Southeast Slope Date Climbed: Aug. 1st, 2005My brother and I got to the summit at around 11:15 am. This was my third attempt after being snowed on during the first snow storm of the season on Oct. 31, 2003, and then turning around on the final ascent in July, 2004. Getting to Horseshoe Pass was easily done in a few hours, and the snow patches in the morning were easily traversed, but the final ascent to the summit through all the scree was brutal for me. I felt like I was walking on quicksand. I have lived at Twin Lakes almost every summer since I was a kid, but never knew anything about how to hike this peak until two years ago. Thanks to everyone on this site for all the information about how to do this hike, and keeping me updated on conditions.
Matthew Holliman - Jul 20, 2005 11:45 am Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2005
One of my favourite Yosemite peaks...My first visit was a fall dayhike (Oct 5, '02) from Twin Lakes via Horse Creek Pass, returning via Burro Pass/Mule Pass. Spent two hours on the summit admiring the views--a gorgeous day! The peak has some of the best views anywhere in the Sierra.
While Horse Creek Pass was clear, Burro Pass was still snowed in from a storm the previous week. This made the loop back around more challenging (scary) than expected as I had to find an alternative to Burro Pass via some steep slabs to its west.
I came back in late June '05 to climb the north arete with Sam. After getting off-route and onto really, really crappy rock almost from the start (necessitating an embarrassing rappel, even before we'd started the roped climbing), things improved... the first couple of pitches had some questionable rock in places, but the last few had some awesome climbing to compensate. By far the coolest bit was the knife-edge arete on the next to last pitch--wow! Airy and pretty spicy 4th class after unroping at the top of the arete, too. Amazing summit views, as always.
Longer approach than expected at this time of year, with axe/crampons needed both to climb the "headwall" part-way up Horse Creek Canyon, and to descend the SE Slopes after we burned a lot of time on the climb. Next time I climb this route or Double Dihedral, I think it'll be in summer or fall.
Andinistaloco - Jul 14, 2005 5:06 pm
Route Climbed: Double Dihedral Date Climbed: July 2005Well, we MEANT to do the North Arete, but got off-route and ended up on the other instead. Mostly clean climbing (one big loose block) but hard and sustained on the last pitch/es. Fun 4th class run to the summit from the top of the route, too. Also, lots of snow this year made the approach longer. Still, an incredible summit and a beautiful mountain. Be warned - this one takes longer than you might think!
Sam Mills - Jul 10, 2005 7:28 pm
Route Climbed: North Arete Date Climbed: June 24, 2005With Matthew H. 16 hours car to car. This route took longer than I thought it would. Fun climbing on the upper pitches.
gregorpatsch - Jul 9, 2005 2:01 am
Route Climbed: Southeast Slope from Horse Creek Pass Date Climbed: July 7, 2005Reached the summit at 8:15 on a beautiful morning. Snow conditions in the Pass were nearly perfect. Hardest part was looking over the edge at the top. It was a climb I will never forget.
Zhenya77 - Jun 7, 2005 11:08 pm
Route Climbed: East Couloir Date Climbed: June 5, 2005Starting at 2:30 am from the base near the frozen lake (9,000 ft) we quite quickly reached the bottom of the East Couloir. It was extremely windy that day which encouraged us to move even faster. From the ledge of the Matterhorn Peak we scrambled in a total of 45 min to the summit. After quite a short stay at the summit, we decent to our base camp by retrieving the same route. I looked at my watch and could not believe that it was only 8:30 am, which indicated the earliest return time in my life.
Rinat Shagisultanov - Jun 6, 2005 2:02 pm
Route Climbed: East Couloir Date Climbed: June 5, 2005A group of three (Zhenja, Olga and Rinat) successfully climbed East Couloir starting from the base camp on 9400 ft at 3:40 am and getting to the summit at 6:45 am. The snow conditions were great - well packed and striing snow. We used crampons from the base camp. We carrie snowshoes, but really did not need them and they were left at the base camp. The couloir is in good conditions and it is 75% covered with snow, the rest is the loose rocks and sand that can be avoided. We had some strong winds up there (30-35 miles/hour). This area is beatiful.
cottersnow - Feb 28, 2005 10:44 pm
Route Climbed: East Coulior Date Climbed: 3-10-04This was a good day to say the least. Very cold but clear weather. 8 hours of snow shoeing got us to the notch and some fun and spectacular snowy mixed scrambling put us on top. The ride down was amaziing and be sure to scope the nice looking chute below the East couloir. This is probably the best winter riding I can remember.
Steve Larson - Nov 9, 2004 12:37 pm
Route Climbed: SE slope Date Climbed: July 1976Climbed with a YMCA backpacking group. Beautiful, sunny weather. It was my first Sierra Peak. I was hooked after that.
Langenbacher - Oct 12, 2004 5:47 pm
Route Climbed: Horse Creek Pass Date Climbed: October 10, 2004Summited about noon, with Amit, Ted, Janet, and Alan. See Pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/langenbacher . Sunny, no snow, a bit chilly and windy on top. Car to Car in 9 hours flat.
mountainvoodoo - Oct 4, 2004 5:21 pm
Route Climbed: SE slope via horse creek pass Date Climbed: October 3rd, 2004Summited at 10:00 a.m with Steve & Russ from Tahoe, Light snow on summit. Beautiful view, will have to try the East Couloir next time.
stoneman5 - Sep 13, 2004 7:32 pm
Route Climbed: North Arete Date Climbed: September 2002Very fun, not terribly committing. Beautiful camping, beautiful summit, nice trip.
orandall - Sep 6, 2004 8:27 pm
Route Climbed: east couloir Date Climbed: sep 05 2004accidentally ascended to base of east couloir from first drainage/gully seen on HC trail. Not a bad route actually - mostly class 2/3 and allows you to skip talus and drops nearly at base of glacier. glacier itself was easy to cross in just standard hiking boots and is almost completely gone, although there were one or two very easily spotted crevasses. East Couloir is a very loose scree slog with heavy potential for rockslides. I stayed on the right wall for as much as possible - but it was impossible to completely avoid the scree. took one of the many vatiaions of the HC Pass "trail" on descent. Car-to-Car 12 hours.
TDRoberts - Aug 27, 2004 10:48 pm
Route Climbed: East Couloir Date Climbed: Aug 21 2004Great mountain - strenuous hike up from Twin Lakes - especially with all the loose rock and sand in the couloir. Glacier easily crossed in approach shoes- lots of debris. Didn't spend much time on summit with afternoon clouds building - but strom did not break until well down into Horse Creek Canyon.
tahoeberne - Aug 13, 2004 8:31 pm
Route Climbed: Horse Creek Pass Date Climbed: Circa 1990 and again 1992This was a long, but worthwhile hike. The last class 3 scrambling up the south wall was thrilling. Not a lot of room on the summit blocks. Great view.