TR: Mount Langley 14,027 Summit Descent

[romanandrey]

Here's a line I've been wanting to ski for a long time.

Mount Langley is California's southernmost fourteener. It's right next door to Whitney, which draws all the crowds and fanfare.

Seen from Lone Pine, Langley is usually just a distant outline on the Sierra Crest (left-most peak):




But Langley is not without its own special appeal:



This is Langley's North Face, 4000 vertical feet of rock spires and steeps.

Hidden in all that complexity is a massive couloir that connects just left of the summit plateau:



And if you look really close, you'll notice a steep, narrow gully veering east from the top of the summit plateau itself (just left of a needle-like pinnacle):



This was my target, conditions willing.

I had hiked up the drainage earlier this year to scout the region. Access is poor, with a paltry 6600' start and essentially no trail.



This is the kind of mountain that is its own gatekeeper. You have to want it, and more than that, you have to be fully prepared for a long, arduous gruel of a hike.

Snow appeared around 9000'.

Is there any more fun than carrying a house full of gear on your back?



Skinning Up the drainage:



Weather looked poor all day, though forecast called for clearing tomorrow.

Camped around 10400'.



So much planning, preparation, effort, and luck goes into a big summit attempt.

I couldn't wait to start climbing.



At dawn the next day, I and my climbing partner began the long ascent.

The forecast turned out to be right: the weather was perfect.

What a moment it was when the Northeast Couloir finally came into view, and I started up the belly of it:



It was huge, huge, Huge.

Full Trip Report here.

[iskibc]

Nice effort! California 14er access is tough. Longer approaches, lot's of bushwhacking, and bigger vert.

[bad_roo]

Wow. That's a quality write up on your site.

[KillingCokes]

Nicely done. I had that on my Desktop for a while. Such a sweet mountain

[tarkman1]

Nice work. Bullet and I tried to get that peak in a single day last year. We hit our turnaround time while in the coulie. It's a pretty straighforward tour but it's a lot of ground and vertical cover. I'll be back there next season.

[Lone Star]

such a wonderful feeling to wake up in a spot like that.

nice TR!

[Trackhead]

Nice TR.

[Hicks]

Beautiful effort!

[Alek]

Wow, fancy website!

Look, a good picture of a snowboarder:

[bcrider]

WOW, what a sweet line.

Way to get it!


ps. check yer PMs

[Bodhi]

Andy--way to get it! Sweet score with the NE Couloir off the summit.

Nice write-up as usual, you have a gift combining the camera eye and with descriptive words...

You just can't seem to get aways from those damned snowboarders, can you?

Dude, when you told me you were hitting the Sierra, I did not know you meant Langley...niiice. I would have taken the necessary sick days and came along to slow you down...Been wanting to hit Langley's big coulie for a while, there is always next year, eh?

peace,
D.

[freak]

nice tr, beautiful pics

freak~[&]

[asandygal]

Great trip report! I climbed that route in the summer a few years ago... http://community.webshots.com/album/85275000XNAoik. It was a long hard slog without snow. It was fun to see what it looks like covered and skiable!

Thank you for the trip!

[Xover]

congrats RD!!!

that TR just extra motivated me to get back to the Sierras ... SOON!!!
thanx

[shera]

Ooooh, I like this a lot. Sierra's are so cool.

[romanandrey]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I'm happy to be able to share the TR. It was such an incredible experience to get up there and ski that line after looking at it and dreaming about it for so many years.

Props to sandygal for hiking that chute in summer! The thought of climbing all the way up and then having to hike down brings tears to my eyes.

[p.blz]

Yessss

nice work

[goldenboy]

Thanks for sharing and nice work. I really need to get back to the eastern sierras someday soon.

[Yossarian]

Great spring stokage!

[seatosky]

Is there any more fun than carrying a house full of gear on your back?

The only thing more fun than carrying a house full of gear on your back is doing it wearing the BEST AT BOOTS EVER MADE!



Sir, you have my respect.

[alto]

"We stop about halfway down and take a long look at Mount Langley, now nearly ten thousand vertical feet above...."

Dang!

[comish]

Great TR. Cool site you have built.

[Arno]

Great TR - especially the one on your website

[ak_powder_monkey]

awesome tr on there

[LeeLau]

Love this line:

"Contrary to my earlier assessment, the slope is significantly over 45 degrees, with nasty exposure over a rocky spine below. There will be one mistake, or there will be none."

How did you get your website to show the large picture when you click the small picture? Its a very nice feature.