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04-24-2014, 12:10 AM #1
TR - Coast Range Quicky (Waddington etc)
I took a quick trip to the Coast Range earlier in April with two buddies. Our main goals were to have fun, ski the Combatant Couloir, Mount Waddington and Mount Hickson. After two days of driving, an interesting boarder crossing, and numerous numb appendages we found ourselves in Bluff Lake BC under grey skies and winds. Mike and Audrey King welcomed us to White Saddle Air and told us to camp where ever we saw fit. We unloaded the Subaru and camped right on the lake.
IMGP3098 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0460 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0030 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
After a day of more clouds and wind we got a small weather window that allowed us to fly into a col between Mount Hickson and Combatant. We set up camp and settled in as the clouds rolled onto our new home. The views were ok. We got the trip off to a proper start by mixing up vodka and water bottles to start our first pot of water. Oops. Dont worry, we didnt waste it.
IMG_0061 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0467 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
After a night of violent winds and a 2am tent check we awoke the next morning to find out kitchen tent poles had succumbed to the wind and snapped. We set to work mining block to build bigger walls for the kitchen and sleeping tents. Stiff wind and blowing snow made the work less than enjoyable but by mid day we had walls that we felt would be able to withstand the pounding of the constant wind.
DSC_0476 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
Day 3 turned out to be my birthday and I got the gift of clearing skies. We tossed the rope on and headed for our smallest objective, Mount Hickson
IMGP3143 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0486 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
A short distance from camp we found a small south facing couloir that reached the mellow snow face in the middle of the route. We unroped and booted up to the couloir until we resumed skinning on the face. We made quick time up the west face to the base of the gully where we switched back to crampons. The gully was on the mellower side and we quickly found ourselves at the notch between the summits of Hickson and out of snow to ski.
DSC_0488 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMGP3149 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The ski down was a mix of dense pow, rime crust, and chalk.
IMG_0103 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0489 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0508 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0522 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The rest of the day we went and checked out our route to the Combatant Col, and hung out in the sun.
IMG_0192 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
Our goal for the next day was to ski the Combatant Couloir so the birthday celebrations were pretty mellow and we hit the sack early.
We woke to another clear and calm day and headed towards the backdoor couloir that led to the basin below the col. From the base of the couloir we scurried under and serac and up the headwall to the col.
IMGP3213 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
Unfortunetly after gaining the col and the couloir came into view our spirits were dashed. At least half of the couloir was wall to wall alpine ice. No way to sneak in a descent that would be worth it so we climbed up to the ice and made a couple turns in the bottom of the couloir.
IMG_0165 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0177 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The headwall skied well on the way back to camp.
DSC_0543 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The Firey route was the plan for day 5 and we were out of camp at a relaxed 745.
IMG_0124 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr"The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
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04-24-2014, 12:11 AM #2
Down the backdoor couloir, up the headwall and onto the col before a quick break to stuff our face full of gummies and get ready for the sprint under the huge serac that threatens the bottom of the Firey route. As we crossed under the serac it actively calved and the debris came up short of our track. Whew! After crossing "shit your pant shelf" we found ourselfs below a broken section of glacier guarding the main Angel Glacier route.
DSC_0547 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0211 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
Some zig-zagging booting and skinning brought us onto the mellow slopes of the glacier and on the fast rack to the summit.
IMGP3296 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
We crossed some well bridged crevasses (and one not so well bridged one) before reaching an big overhanging crevasse below the terrace. After testing a couple of the bridges and coming up empty I tried to get creative by aiding off a ski pole plunged into the snow on the other side. That resulted in a snapped pole and a change of strategy. I began to shovel a tunnel/ramp into the uphill snow and 20 minutes later we were across the crevasse booting towards the summit.
DSC_0548 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The true NW summit was covered in blue ice so we settled for the slightly shorter and mellower false summit.
GOPR4428 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The views didn't disappoint.
DSC_0558 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0565 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0226 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
Aside from a couple hops over crevasses the skiing was mellow and enjoyable with amazing scenery.
IMG_0238 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0568 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0577 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0242 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0580 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
DSC_0585 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMGP3325 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0246 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0252 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMG_0151 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The clouds, winds, and snow moved in for day 6. Shoveling, sleeping, eating, reading, card games, repeat.
The storm mellowed out a bit for day 7 and after a big breakfast of bacon and pancakes we headed out to link up some alpine ice climbing above camp with couloir mini-golf off the other side.
IMGP3341 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
Although the ice was mellow (as far as ice goes) It was still steep enough to keep you focused and the snow/spindrift gave the climb a real alpine feel. 3 pitches later we were at the top of the couloir.
IMGP3350 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
A quick down climb (Just for you Lee!)
IMGP3364 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
and we were in. The couloir had gotten some sun the previous days and was quite chundery, but chundery skiing is way better than being tent-bound.
DSC_0597 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
The next two days the storm moved back in and dumped a couple meters of snow on camp and we resumed a schedule of of shoveling, eating, sleeping, and staying entertained.
The storm broke for a brief window on the morning of day 10 and we called Mike for a pickup. An hour later the 407 was setting down and headed for home.
IMG_0287 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
IMGP3386 by Aaron Diamond13, on Flickr
We crashed and Mike's brother Dave and wife Lori's Bed and Breakfast just down the road. Great people, Great accommodations, and great food."The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
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04-24-2014, 12:39 AM #3
Sick sick sick.
Some nice shots in there.
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04-24-2014, 01:03 AM #4
Thanks for the gratuitous climbing shots Aaron.
I swear more and more over time that place becomes less a skiing area and more a pure mountaineering area. The glaciers are so much more broken and the ice so much more exposed than even say a decade ago
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04-24-2014, 01:19 AM #5
Very nice. Do you think you were there too early in the season for the snow to start sticking?
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04-24-2014, 02:20 AM #6Mike Pow
- Join Date
- Apr 2005
- Location
- Between a rock and a soft place. Aberdare and The Brecon Beacons, Wales
- Posts
- 3,208
Wow. Just wow.
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04-24-2014, 03:52 AM #7
Full on Sickbird TR!!
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04-24-2014, 05:28 AM #8
Great stuff. Thanks.
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04-24-2014, 05:46 AM #9
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04-24-2014, 06:45 AM #10
That looks absolutely awesome, great report. Thanks for sharing dude!
Short stories about snow and rock, and pictures, too
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04-24-2014, 06:54 AM #11
Great TR. Mouthwatering photos. Nice work!!!!
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04-24-2014, 07:07 AM #12Registered User
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Posts
- 1,572
Impressive, way to get after it. Not that I would expect any different.
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04-24-2014, 08:12 AM #13
Fuckin rad TR!
I don't work and I don't save, desperate women pay my way.
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04-24-2014, 08:19 AM #14
Yet again amazing stuff Aaron
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04-24-2014, 11:09 AM #15
We might have been a bit early (maybe late April or may would be better) but I think that the area was also in quite a drought. The stream running through the Kings property was dry as a bone... for the first time in 30 plus years.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I847 using TGR Forums"The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
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04-24-2014, 11:17 AM #16
Nice, glad you got some good days in between the storms. The storm days fade, the good days are remembered.
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04-24-2014, 12:51 PM #17
Awesome TR. Makes me want to get my mountaineering act together and hit this zone up. Friends without excuses would be good too.
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04-24-2014, 01:09 PM #18
Absolutely wicked.
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04-24-2014, 02:17 PM #19
Beautiful pics of amazing terrain, thanks for sharing dudes.
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04-24-2014, 02:25 PM #20
F'in rad. Well done.
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04-24-2014, 04:10 PM #21"The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
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04-24-2014, 07:00 PM #22Registered User
- Join Date
- Oct 2006
- Location
- denver
- Posts
- 1,863
I have a pano from that area hanging on my wall. These pics make it look even more beautiful. Nicely done.
I can't believe you are a rando racer because I look so much better in Lycra than you.
People who don't think the Earth is flat haven't skied Vail.
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04-24-2014, 07:54 PM #23"The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
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04-24-2014, 11:11 PM #24
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04-25-2014, 10:42 AM #25
one of these days....
Solid work bud!
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