Anyone recently bailed from Steck-Salathe?

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Alexey

climber

San Jose, CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 17, 2017 - 04:23pm PT

I am asking because in this spring decent gully looks full of snow and impossible to walk down until june. The plan is to climb early May and climb above the Narrows - all best pitches of the route but not top out and rappel with two ropes without leaving gear. Is it possible? Looking at the topo - it is not, but I remember recently a lot of bolts was added.
If anyone bailed close to the end of route, could you share your experience...

Hardly Visible

Social climber

Llatikcuf WA

Apr 17, 2017 - 04:32pm PT

Alexey, just curious why you would Think that the regular descent would be impossible if snow covered? I think that steeper snow covered terrain than that is descended on a pretty regular basis. Hope you have a blast however you do it.

Byran

climber

Half Dome Village

Apr 17, 2017 - 04:56pm PT

The warm temperatures in the Valley mean that the snow gets really hardpacked. It would suck having to carry crampons and ice axes up all the wide stuff on the SS, and even with that gear some of the short downclimbs could still be sketch if snowy/wet. A couple of my friends did the decent once in April (sans crampons/axes) and posted this on MP:

"The descent gully is a nightmare when its filled with snow. You'll have to rap the entire gully (7-10 rappels), down climb wet ledges, squeeze between the snow edge and the rock, and do other crappy stuff to get down it.

If attempting the Sentinel when there is snow in the gully, you may be better off rapping the route you came up, especially if you bring twin or double ropes. (I recall seeing several slings on the lower half of the Steck-Salathe.)"

Matt's

climber

Apr 17, 2017 - 04:56pm PT

maybe bring lightweight aluminum crampons to attach to your hiking shoes?

edit-- the new route that the adidas people did on the west face-- there are probably rappel anchors down that whole route...

Byran

climber

Half Dome Village

Apr 17, 2017 - 05:04pm PT

edit-- the new route that the adidas people did on the west face-- there are probably rappel anchors down that whole route...

Negative. They just freed an old route, one with very little fixed gear. There's many more established rap anchors on the SS than on the West Face. The Choinard-Herbert could maybe be a better alternative to rap if you're already familiar with where that route goes, but I'm not sure since I haven't rapped any of them.

Flip Flop

climber

Earth Planet, Universe

Apr 17, 2017 - 06:16pm PT

Yer gunna die

Trad climber

Calgary

Apr 17, 2017 - 06:24pm PT

Just drytool it for the complete experience. Now you will have crampons and axes for the descent

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Apr 17, 2017 - 06:40pm PT

In September 1977 I had an epic with my partner just reaching the top of the Flying Buttress.
We did a t-shirt bivy there and rapped off the left side in the morning with a single 150' rope.
We used some slings on horns, and had to place one #8 Hexentric that we had scored on the lower pitches.
So I think this means it should be no problem if you can get down to the top of the Flying Buttress.

The last time I did the Chouinard-Herbert (2008), there were new 2 bolt anchors at most or all belays, but no rings or slings. So if you brought sling material to leave, you could rap that. At the top of the Narrows pitch on the Steck-Salathe', you can hand traverse far left on a long flake and do a couple of moves to join the Chouinard-Herbert.

I agree the regular descent would be sketchy in snow and in rock shoes. It's already pretty exciting in a dry year:

long steep gully

stream crossing

downclimbing on island

Alexey

climber

San Jose, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 17, 2017 - 07:27pm PT

thank you everyone except of Flip Flop who wish me to die.
I also remember many bolts on CHOINArd -HERBERT last time I was there.
I did not know that we can do traverse there from top of Narrows pitch. So taking a lot of old biners and webbing + second rope sound like a plan better than crampons and ice axes.
Anyone ever after toping out of SS - continue to climb up toward Glacier point road instead of going down the gully ? [ I am thinking if it possible - to leave second car at Glacier point]

WBraun

climber

Apr 17, 2017 - 07:56pm PT

A Valley local here free soloed it with an ice ax one year when there was a lot of snow in the descent gully .......

bvb

Social climber

flagstaff arizona

Apr 17, 2017 - 08:01pm PT

In September 1977 I had an epic with my partner just reaching the top of the Flying Buttress.
We did a t-shirt bivy there and rapped off the left side in the morning with a single 150' rope.

Oh hell yeah, standard 60's - 70's baptism-by-fire unplanned bivi experience combined with sketchy multiple-rappel-over-unknown-terrain epic. Kids these day have no idea what they're missing!

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber

ne'er–do–well

Apr 17, 2017 - 08:01pm PT

BASE rig and you good ...

bvb

Social climber

flagstaff arizona

Apr 17, 2017 - 08:05pm PT

A Valley local [insert Werner's name here] free soloed it with an ice ax one year when there was a lot of snow in the descent gully .......

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Apr 17, 2017 - 08:07pm PT

Consider walking out to the Glacier Point road if it is open. It shouldn't be difficult getting across the notch behind Sentinel but you could easily walk in and check it out.

mongrel

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

Apr 17, 2017 - 09:33pm PT

Decades ago (but more recently than Clint) we bailed from the Flying Buttress, back down the route itself, not the left side. Might have left a wire or two, but being miserly, probably not many. I'm not sure how you'd rap the Narrows pitch. If outside, you're in space and it would be a little sketchy to traverse back in. I guess you could sort of slide right down the whole Narrows but hang onto your device for when you spit (sh*t?) out the bottom. Doesn't sound fun. Hand traversing over to C-H sounds cool, but the most practical might be the road.

Byran

climber

Half Dome Village

Apr 17, 2017 - 09:55pm PT

I don't know about hiking out to GP road (if it's even open). That hillside below Sentinel Dome has some of the most heinous looking bush-whacking I've ever laid eyes on. I'll try to find a photo...

Edit: Actually, looking at google maps, to even reach the bushy hillside you would need to descend the entire gully. To head directly toward Sentinel Dome from the notch, you would have to climb a bunch more 5th class terrain. And there could of course be some snow cover in that area too.

That orange line I marked "4 mile trail" is the old variation to the upper section of the 4 mile trail I believe. You can see the zigzagging lines of the regular trail in the forested patch in the top left of the photo. The other orange line leading down from the summit is of course the descent gully.

BASE104

Social climber

An Oil Field

Apr 18, 2017 - 06:08am PT

The rope might hang up in those deep chimneys. It isn't a clean route to rap on, but I'd bet that many people have bailed from the route.

I'd do the whole route, though. It is super fun. Not too intimidating. The Narrows pitch is easy if you are skinny.