Hellmouth Couloir TR 1-29-06

[kyle christenso]

This is not a full TR. It has all the imformation about the climb, but lacks pictures from my website. A link to the full thing is
http://trex2.oscs.montana.edu/~kylec...th_couloir.htm


Patrick on top of Alex Lowe Peak

Without access to a sled, Alex Lowe Peak (formally Peak 10,031) is a two day climb in winter. The route with the least elevation gain was up South Cottonwood Creek. The distance from the car to the peak as the crow fly's is about 9 miles, which we estimated to be about 12 or 13 miles of trail. On Saturday morning we hauled our overnights packs 8.5 miles up the trail. After setting up camp we proceeded up towards Alex Lowe Peak to gain reference for Sunday. We spent two hours setting in a skin track and navigating the wooded areas, to make for a fast approach in the morning.

Alex Lowe Peak


Sunday morning we were up well before the sun, boiling water and cooking breakfast. By 7 am we found ourselves traveling up our already set skin track, to the base of the couloir. As we approached the base of the Hellmouth Couloir Patrick stopped to dig a pit, while I continued to set in a skin track. As I began to boot up the couloir, the chock stone towards the bottom was clearly visible. With little information about the couloir and access to only summer pictures, we assumed that the large boulder wedged in the bottom of couloir would mandate a rappel. The fact that Alex Lowe and Hans Saari had supposedly rapped over the chock stone at the bottom furthered our assumption that this was the crux of the couloir. As I approached the chock stone there was a clear line around the large rock, skiers left. A steep path on a thin snow pack made it difficult to ascend past the chock stone, but we were able to manage. We were thankful to find a skiable line down the bottom of the couloir, and our worries were relieved temporarily.

Patrick comming up over the first pitch

As we boot packed further up the line we ran into a small cliff, which unfortunately had no ice. If the face had ice on it our decision would have been simple, climb and protect the ice. But the snow and rock face would be unprotected, yielding much more risk. We did not bring any traditional climbing gear to use on the rock, but there were no cracks to insert protection into any way. Patrick and I both knew that the only way to reach the summit at this point was up the couloir, due to the interest of time. Without any dry tooling experience both of these free climbs were intense. The first pitch was not vertical, so I was able to rest and keep my composure. It allowed me to find good placements, and conquer my first dry tool climb. I set up a belay station using a picket and an mountaineering ice axe to bring Patrick up. Our packs were too heavy to hall up with skis on, so we decided to leave our skis and packs down in the couloir. After surmounting the first cliff, there was another larger cliff 100 feet above the first. With a little confidence from the first cliff and a fair amount of rock climbing experience I decided to lead up this obstacle as well. This cliff was significantly longer and steeper that the previous one, but climbable. As I proceeded to climb, all the while clearing snow off the rock, I became slightly uncomfortable. Half way up the pitch my leg started to shake, and I knew I was thinking too much. I took a deep breath and relaxed, knowing that the shakes are only mental. To comfort myself I took a piece of cordlet and wrapped it around a small horn, then clipped it to the rope I was dragging up. Patrick put me on belay, but knew that I would rip the cordlet off the wall if I fell. With comfort in the belay, I proceeded up and over the crux of the wall to a tree above. I was able to climb the 30 ft face and set up a belay on a tree above for Patrick to ascend. As Patrick came over the top of the cliff and lowered his ice tools he mentioned that his forearms were pumped, and it was easy to tell his hands were on fire.

Nearing the summit

From the top of the second cliff there was a clear route to the summit, 100 vertical feet up the couloir than a class 3-4 scramble up the north west ridge. Patrick and I found ourselves standing on the top of Alex Lowe Peak about 30 minutes after the last belay. The sun poking through the clouds allowed for fantastic views of the peaks surrounding us. With a long exit back to the car we spent less than 5 minutes on the summit. Two rappels on our two 30 meter ropes left us standing next to our skis. Deep snow made turns down the tight couloir forced and strenuous. After navigating around the chock stone we were able to open up for some wide turns down the bowl. The skiing was good, but our bodies were so exhausted from the last day and a half of climbing even the lower pitch powder skiing was not effortless. We returned to camp, which were able to break it down just before dark. We skinned out 8.5 miles by head lamp with Patrick arriving at the car first at 10 pm. and myself 30 minutes later.



Patrick rappelling


myself skiing the couloir


Patrick shreding


Skiing the narrow part


Patrick reaching a safe zone

[PulverSchwein]

that's an impressive TR, nice work

[roorfan]

buuuurrrl

[truth]

Nice work. Just want to throw a few paragraphs into the TR so it is easier on the eyes to read.

[ulty_guy]

sweet stuff, ditto on the paragraphs, just edit it and break it up a tad.

stokage!

[Ak_pride]

Excellent report, I've looked at that peak from the top of blackmore many times. Lots of potential over there, doubt that stuff gets skiied more than a couple times a winter.

[Trackhead]

Nice work!

That's not Patrick Knoll from Missoula, is it?

[FreakofSnow]

Way to get after that. I too have dreamed of skiing off that peak a few times but the slog up Cottonwood always scared me away.

Were you guys in this vicinity?

[Alek]

This is not a full TR. It has all the imformation about the climb, but lacks pictures from my website. A link to the full thing is
http://trex2.oscs.montana.edu/~kylec...th_couloir.htm

To all the people reading this thread, check out the link above ^^^^^, really!

[kyle christenso]

That is not Patrick Knoll, we are both from Bozeman.

We were in that vicinity, I think. I am trying to figure out where that picture was taken. It may be a picture of the southwest side of the mountain, whith the photo taken from somewhere in the south cottonwood creek drainage. It could also have been taken from the top of Blackmore, looking south, and slightly east. If that is true, we were the peak to the lookers right of the photo. Alex Lowe Peak is due west of there in the same drainage, not visible in you picture. Either way I don't think that photo shows the couloir we skied.

Here is the only reference we had of the peak.

The blue line is the line we skied and climbed, with our rappells and dry tooling marked by the two black arrows.

[lifelinksplit]

Fuckin' A!! Nice work Kyle. You and Pat have been knocking off some serious lines this season. Seems like the bozone is treating you good.