travelin_light - Feb 14, 2007 6:26 am Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2005
Route: Right Couloir
good stuff.
forjan - Sep 6, 2006 12:36 am Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2006
Right Mendel Couloir
Climbed the right Mendel couloir with MichaelJ. Conditions as of August 26, 2006 were all neve to the chockstone. After that, you have glassy ice for about one 60m pitch. Then, it's mixed 4th class (low 5th) loose rock for another half pitch. The ice goes all the way to the notch narrowing down to 3ft wide at the top. Michael and I roped up for 1 pitch and solo'ed the rest. Bergshrund is easily crossed on climber's left. I went to take a look at the right side of the 'shrund and it had an approx 15-foot wide separation. Started out at 5:36am from a camp (elev ~ 11,800')near the east-most lake on Darwin Canyon. Took us about 3 hrs from the bergshrund to the notch. Summited around 11:15am or so. Back in camp around 1:30pm (8 hrs camp-to-camp).
Route Climbed: East Face Date Climbed: August 8, 2005
Day 4 of the 2005 Sierra Challenge. Climbed with Ron H. and Rick G. Routefinding on the east face was less problematic than anticipated. Fun class 3/4 climbing on the uppermost part of the NE ridge.
Route Climbed: Rt. Couloir Date Climbed: Sept 2,2005
Team of three. Lots of dinner plating but good ice low and into the couloir. Last two pitches were thin to no ice and lots of loose rock. Night fell at top of couloir and forced a bivy with one pitch left...made for a great a.m. summit. Great route.
Route Climbed: Right Mendel Couloir Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2005
Climbed this in a long day with Charles Ince. My first real ice climb. 9 pitches from the bergshrund to the top. Ice was dinnerplating badly. Not sure where the actual descent goes, we ended up having to do some rappels. The hike out over Lamarck Col was a killer, man I am beat today. ~22 hours tent to tent.
Route Climbed: NE Ridge (ascent) / East Face (descent) Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2005
Day 4 of the 2005 Sierra Challenge. The NE Ridge was a fine scramble, but Secor's class 3 rating is seriously sandbagged, or else it is the hardest class 3 I've ever encountered in the Sierra. Trip Report
Route Climbed: Right Mendel couloir Date Climbed: Fall 1982
This was a great climb. David and I did this on a weekend blast. The first couple of hundred feet were hard Neve, the rest hard ice; dinnerplating but solid. After I spent too long setting up a belay we were passed by a faster team just as it narrowed down. Much falling ice from whoever was climbing meant only one party could climb at a time and the upper party was generous enough to stop after each pitch to let us climb a pitch. Eventually we all four joined up and swapped leads so only one climber had to lead each pitch and the rest could move faster on a top rope. As it was I came up the last mixed pitch in the dark, terrified of planting my axe thru the rope. I remember seeing the sparks when I hit rock with the pick. Bivyed at the top of the couloir just on the other side of the ridge, with moonlight views of the evolution basin. Got to the summit at dawn and hiked out that day.
Route Climbed: Right Mendel Couloir Date Climbed: November 4,5, 1983
I'm reaching way back for this one. Bill Krause and I climbed the right Mendel over two day weekend. I remember a few pins on the right side of the gully, very good ice and pretty steep upper part. The thing I remember most was the return to Lamarc Col where our tent was. That hill back up to Lamarc felt like 10,000 feet, I remember it like it was yesterday. Great, steep climb. I second Craig Peer's opinion of it, as one of, if not THE best ice couloir in the High Sierra.
travelin_light - Feb 14, 2007 6:26 am Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2005
Route: Right Couloirgood stuff.
forjan - Sep 6, 2006 12:36 am Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2006
Right Mendel CouloirClimbed the right Mendel couloir with MichaelJ. Conditions as of August 26, 2006 were all neve to the chockstone. After that, you have glassy ice for about one 60m pitch. Then, it's mixed 4th class (low 5th) loose rock for another half pitch. The ice goes all the way to the notch narrowing down to 3ft wide at the top. Michael and I roped up for 1 pitch and solo'ed the rest. Bergshrund is easily crossed on climber's left. I went to take a look at the right side of the 'shrund and it had an approx 15-foot wide separation. Started out at 5:36am from a camp (elev ~ 11,800')near the east-most lake on Darwin Canyon. Took us about 3 hrs from the bergshrund to the notch. Summited around 11:15am or so. Back in camp around 1:30pm (8 hrs camp-to-camp).
graham - Nov 25, 2005 2:45 pm
Route Climbed: East Face Date Climbed: Aug-8-05Day 4 of the 2005 Sierra Challenge. Thanks to Ron Hudson for leading us up the loose East face gullies
tdoughty - Oct 16, 2005 1:44 pm
Route Climbed: Rt Couloir Date Climbed: SeptemberWith James Barnett
Michael Graupe - Sep 27, 2005 4:54 pm
Route Climbed: East Face Date Climbed: August 8, 2005Day 4 of the 2005 Sierra Challenge. Climbed with Ron H. and Rick G. Routefinding on the east face was less problematic than anticipated. Fun class 3/4 climbing on the uppermost part of the NE ridge.
doc K - Sep 7, 2005 2:09 am
Route Climbed: Rt. Couloir Date Climbed: Sept 2,2005Team of three. Lots of dinner plating but good ice low and into the couloir. Last two pitches were thin to no ice and lots of loose rock. Night fell at top of couloir and forced a bivy with one pitch left...made for a great a.m. summit. Great route.
poorboy44 - Sep 6, 2005 2:09 pm
Route Climbed: Right Mendel Couloir Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2005Climbed this in a long day with Charles Ince. My first real ice climb. 9 pitches from the bergshrund to the top. Ice was dinnerplating badly. Not sure where the actual descent goes, we ended up having to do some rappels. The hike out over Lamarck Col was a killer, man I am beat today. ~22 hours tent to tent.
Bob Burd - Sep 6, 2005 12:45 am
Route Climbed: NE Ridge (ascent) / East Face (descent) Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2005Day 4 of the 2005 Sierra Challenge. The NE Ridge was a fine scramble, but Secor's class 3 rating is seriously sandbagged, or else it is the hardest class 3 I've ever encountered in the Sierra. Trip Report
Brian Frederick - Feb 24, 2005 11:56 pm
Route Climbed: Right Mendel couloir Date Climbed: Fall 1982This was a great climb. David and I did this on a weekend blast. The first couple of hundred feet were hard Neve, the rest hard ice; dinnerplating but solid. After I spent too long setting up a belay we were passed by a faster team just as it narrowed down. Much falling ice from whoever was climbing meant only one party could climb at a time and the upper party was generous enough to stop after each pitch to let us climb a pitch. Eventually we all four joined up and swapped leads so only one climber had to lead each pitch and the rest could move faster on a top rope. As it was I came up the last mixed pitch in the dark, terrified of planting my axe thru the rope. I remember seeing the sparks when I hit rock with the pick. Bivyed at the top of the couloir just on the other side of the ridge, with moonlight views of the evolution basin. Got to the summit at dawn and hiked out that day.
RSN473 - Mar 11, 2004 11:16 am
Route Climbed: northeast face - cl 3 Date Climbed: June 17, 2000The northeast face is a maze of possibilites - we found a combination that got us to the top (and down)
kullaberg - Nov 28, 2002 8:25 pm
Route Climbed: NE ridge Date Climbed: sept 2001long exposed ridge with some really high quality climbing, and a scary 4th class section low down.
another awesome day in the mountains.
asmrz - Nov 10, 2002 2:34 pm
Route Climbed: Right Mendel Couloir Date Climbed: November 4,5, 1983I'm reaching way back for this one. Bill Krause and I climbed the right Mendel over two day weekend. I remember a few pins on the right side of the gully, very good ice and pretty steep upper part. The thing I remember most was the return to Lamarc Col where our tent was. That hill back up to Lamarc felt like 10,000 feet, I remember it like it was yesterday. Great, steep climb. I second Craig Peer's opinion of it, as one of, if not THE best ice couloir in the High Sierra.