Split Mountain East couloir

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ElGreco

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Original Post - May 11, 2014 - 02:39am PT

Hi all, has anyone been up there recently? What do conditions look like? Hoping to score some ice there in a couple of weeks.

Never even approached Split. Some report that the East (central) couloir melts out pretty fast and that the water ice rarely forms. Then again it's been pretty cool lately and we scored great ice in the Clyde Couloir on Jun2, 2012 after a dry season and a small cold spell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQTNjjj3IyU

Any intel appreciated.

Bad Climber

climber

May 11, 2014 - 08:58am PT

Hey, El Greco:

All I can say is you better get up there soon. I've been climbing up at the Alabama Hills lately, and the snow is going fast.

Best of luck on your quest. Looks like THE uber couloir of the Sierras.

BAd

DaveT.

Big Wall climber

Mammoth Lakes

May 11, 2014 - 09:28am PT

I flew over it two days ago with my paraglider, quite close. It was all snow top to bottom, except for two strips of water ice down low. Also, St Jean to the right was steep snow to the top. Getting narrow down low, but still in.

I'll see if I can find a pic from my GoPro today to post up.

Mtnmun

Trad climber

Top of the Mountain Mun

May 11, 2014 - 10:04am PT

That approach trail is a good work out as it goes straight up a scree field. One step up and one slide back. My partner and I took ice gear up there a few years back after Sierra Mt. Guides told us it was in. There was no ice except for the very base of the mountain.

ElGreco

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - May 12, 2014 - 01:24am PT

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Dave, are you training to pull an Ueli?! Split in the morning, paraglide to Middle Pal next, Thunderbolt in the afternoon ;) First hand air reconnaissance - I wasn't expecting that! Awesome! Where do you launch?

That's what this climb is about, guys. There is a ramp that you use to gain the couloir, and then a 70-100ft steep step that needs to be overcome. Snowmelt from above freezes into water ice on that section, and with any luck you get your fix... The rest is snow. Doesn't last long into the season.

Kind of a long way for that much ice, but hey, it's practically summer and 100F in the valley, the scenery is awesome and you're swinging your tools wearing just a base layer to gain an obvious line up a 14er...

ElGreco

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2014 - 01:25am PT

It turns out that my partner for this climb is injured. Email me if you are interested in doing it over Memorial Day weekend. I could also take May22-23 off: george.peridas[at]gmail.com

Stewart Johnson

climber

lake forest

May 13, 2014 - 09:23am PT

East couloir on split mtn. can avalanche
In spring due to its east facing aspect
Be careful

east side underground

climber

Hilton crk,ca

May 13, 2014 - 09:38am PT

+1 be careful climbed the northeast buttress of split and watched rockfall funnel dowm the couloir all day. i'd rather be in there in winter when sh#t is a bit more locked up imo.

ElGreco

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2014 - 02:09pm PT

Thanks, guys. EastsideU, what time of year was it?

Flip Flop

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

May 13, 2014 - 03:10pm PT

Two very accomplished mountaineers were swept from the couloir and killed in spring 2011. There are hazards. Snow on faces above the route can sweep the chute.

ElGreco

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - May 13, 2014 - 03:19pm PT

Indeed. Kip Garre and Allison Kreutzen, in April of 2011. Days after several other parties climbed the couloir in fact.

That was a BIG snow year that kept going. My guess is that the snow had not yet consolidated for the season. This year has been very different, with no significant new snow and good melt-freeze going for weeks now.

Point taken though.

Flip Flop

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

May 14, 2014 - 03:09am PT

Allison was a dear old friend. As I understand it, there was a smaller storm just before they started. It didn't show very big in the forecast or at the trailhead but there was enough recent accumulation to send a fresh slide from the rock faces above. I don't think that it was a slide from the seasonal snowpack. I don't know if there was ever a conclusive final report.
It seemed worth a mention.