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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 22, 2009 - 09:54am PT
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I thought some here might enjoy a look at a tiny bit of our exceptional '09 season in the NW. Ice everywhere with low avi danger...is very unusual! Grass, trees, moss, dirt and munge are all new to me as a climbing media but I am beginning to really appreciate them here.
Trip: Northwest Face of Mtn Snoqualmie, Pineapple Express, "Blue Moon"
Date: 2/19/2009
The view from high on Phantom Slide going in.
The scene of the crime. Pineapple Express in orange.,
Craig's photo. Wayne and Craig's 2 pitch, direct variation, Blue Moon marked on the full line of PE
The Blue Moon variation should be obvious in both pictures. And more direct than either line topo suggests. The ice hose and chimney pitches are just left of the smaller rock head walls and just right of the orange topo @ mid height. The obvious ice hose dissappears into the chimney in Cauthorn's picture. From that '05 picture I have to assume the line is generally there and "in".
First pitch snice
For the most part the entire route was solid sticks in snice with a good water ice base.
The money pitches on Blue Moon are #2 the ice hose and #3 the amazing Scottish chimney.
This comment from Craig aka Alpinemonkey on Blue Moon's first ascent":
"I didn't lead our second pitch that may have been the crux, but it had about 3 moves off the deck that were a little thin and hard. After that it seemed sort of like moderate thin ice/dirt climbing, a little run out, but not unreasonable."
Pretty sustained pitch, thin ice on the bottom, with a hand crack in the corner mid pitch that will get the attention of most. Big Cams in hidden placements made the run outs resonable. Much steeper than it first appears. But, hey, the landing looks good :)
The 3rd pitch starts from a physically tight belay (fixed stopper) inside a deep, 3' wide chimney. The leader will be dropping EVERYTHING that comes off down on you. On our ascent I could not turn side ways because of our (small) pack, couldn't see and was swimming in snow. I had the wind knocked out of me by a big piece of ice I unknowingly took full in the chest. It is a short crux right off, on a 60m pitch but awesome position, spectacular visuals and hard climbing. This was the crux of the climb for us @ M5/6 with perfect dry tooling to get to the chockstone, and then ice, to get on to the chock stone, (FP just below it). Thankfully ice at your back and over the top in there, it was weird and way fun. Awesome pro. You exit the chimney onto steep tree climbing and end on a fairly flat bench with fair size trees for a belay.
Pretty much simul climbing to NY gully from there for us.
Last pitch of NY Gully had a bit of a sting to it with all the new snow and big gloves.
Camera failed here from the cold, so no pics of Jens, again leading in fine style and me floundering about with the pack. But it looked a lot like this pic of Marko's from a few days earlier.
These two pics are of the last bit after the crux of NY gully.
Blue Moon variation of PE
Pitch 1 - 60 meters WI 3
Pitch 2 - 60 meters thin and delicate WI4 new
Pitch 3 - 60 meters, ungraceful chimney but short M5/6-new
Next - bunch of simul climbing
Pitch 4 - step off into NY Gully and climb to corner crack
Pitch 5 - Corner crux of NY gully 5.8 M4
Final- easy but exposed traverse to the ridge
4 to 6" of new snow on the ground in the Phantom slide and it snowed most of the day on us, enough to get small spindrift avis on the first 3 pitches.
A fine climb! Excellent position and a few stellar sections.
Blue Moon a 2 pitch direct variation of Pineapple Express IV WI4 R M6 5.8
The original ascent account of Pineapple Express.
"On February 9, 2005, Roger Strong and I climbed a new route up the longest portion of the Northwest Face of Mount Snoqualmie. We approached from the Alpental parking lot, ascended the Phantom Slide to the northwestern shoulder of Snoqualmie, dropped into the Thunder Creek drainage, and then traversed beneath the New York Gully area to the lowest toe of the rock buttress. The first pitch started just left of the lowest point of rock and climbed a thin slab of ice hidden in a long right-facing corner (WI3+ R). After this pitch we trended up and left, pulling steep heather into a mixed gully leading to a tree belay beneath a rock headwall. The superb third pitch climbed the steep right-facing corner to a tree belay (M6 with good gear). Pitch 4 led up and right into snow and trees. The next pitch squeezed through the trees and traversed right to a 5.8 rock step that led up to a tree belay. We then continued up easy mixed ground to a flat ledge beneath the huge headwall that guards the top to the Northwest Face. We then traversed easily along a spectacular ledge system rightward to join the last two pitches of New York Gully. In total, we did nine long 60-meter pitches. For gear, include a couple of thin pitons along with cams to 3” and many slings in the rack. IV M6 5.8 WI3+."
Some of this stuff forms once in a decade. Amazing...as it was just like climbing in the Candian Rockies during late sping but only 45 min from dt Seattle!
Both climbs are obvious on the cliff directly above Source Lake.
In good nick you'll get 3 pitches, 130' WI4, 110' WI5R and 130' WI4. The line is easily one of the best water ice climbs in Washington.
Climber high on the 1st pitch.
No camera tilt here on P2, it really is that over hanging, which is unusual anywhere on ice.
Down from mid pitch 2.
P3
Here are pics from an early season ascent, different year, of the same climb @ WI 5R, M5 with 4 pitches. (one more of mixed to get started)
The one pitch wonder....
By passing the funky anchor set right at the base of the crux, we did as a fun enduro pitch @ WI4 60m
Again looking down mid pitch.
Gear Notes:
This season things are obviously in. Bring more than a few shorty screws and new rap tat for the trees if you don't make it during '09.
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MisterE
Trad climber
One Place or Another
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Feb 22, 2009 - 10:01am PT
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Nice Dane! I saw that over on the other forum - way to get after it!
I bet the ice climbs at Alpental are in big this year, too.
Erik
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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2009 - 10:09am PT
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Hey Eric, unbelieveable amount of ice this year! For once I am not having to drive a zillion miles to get out :)
Thought about duplication on the posts from another forum but the season is so exceptional I thought others might enjoy seeing it.
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Ezra
Social climber
WA, NC, Idaho Falls
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Feb 22, 2009 - 10:15am PT
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Thanks Dane,
Exceptional photography, glad you had a fantastic season.
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perswig
climber
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Feb 22, 2009 - 10:28am PT
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Rock on, Great Dane!
That's some excellent climbing you're getting after, and infectious glee to boot. I may have to buy my tools back.
Thanks for the pics, TR and history.
Dale
("But, hey, the landing looks good :)" I hear that.)
Edit: how do you like the Nomics?
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MH2
climber
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Feb 22, 2009 - 10:41am PT
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Hurrah for the Cascades!
Good images. Thanks for keeping them small.
The blue sky was a little strange.
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couchmaster
climber
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Feb 22, 2009 - 10:45am PT
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Great stuff Dane, thanks for all the pictures!
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Feb 22, 2009 - 10:47am PT
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Great stuff, thanks for posting.
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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2009 - 10:49am PT
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Heard this late last night from an eye whitness.
Couple of guys start up Pineapple Express yesterday. Rope runs out on the first 150' of Grade 3 ice and 50' of steep snow that is interlaced with decent size fir trees.
Leader the yells down for his second to start simul climbing. Second is a good 100' up the first ice pitch when the leader rips both picks out of a M4 mixed pitch just left of this line.
At a similar elevation and steepness from what I could see.
Leader falls the distance shown here..plus all but 20/30' of the first 60m pitch. He doesn't deck only because his rope hangs up on one of the trees above as all his pro rips. After seeing his leader literally go winging past him the second has to climb up just get the slack in the rope as he lowers his injured and non mobile leader to the ground. Then he rigs a rappel on their dbl ropes (one which has been nearly cut in half with only threads connecting it) to get off. Well over a 300' screamer by my calculations. Haven't heard of the injury list yet but they refused help from the two parties on the Mtn yesterday with the leader literally crawling out of the basin and down the 1000m Phantom slide. Some lucky dudes there!
SSheeeeeeeetttttttttt!
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MisterE
Trad climber
One Place or Another
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Feb 22, 2009 - 10:58am PT
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Holy crap! Update us when you hear more. Trees good!
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Feb 22, 2009 - 07:21pm PT
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Hey Dane,
Thanks for this little window into the modern -- with an exceptional ice year to go with it, eh?
Keep us posted on that epic fall. Easy ground'll get ya. Good thing the landing looked so good.
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Thorgon
Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
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Feb 22, 2009 - 07:56pm PT
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Great job Dane~
It has been a strange year up in Sedro too!
Thanks for the post,
Thor
Awesome stuff, Man!!!
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Feb 22, 2009 - 08:07pm PT
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great pix. amazing how much stuff is left to do in the cascades.
i still have projects that i'll probably never get back for.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Feb 22, 2009 - 08:51pm PT
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Nice outings Dane! Ice on the west side is pretty fugitive but that stuff looks great. Thanks for posting.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 22, 2009 - 09:22pm PT
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Is the climb named for that famous bar in Seattle? The Blue Moon - first bar to reopen after prohibition?
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MisterE
Trad climber
One Place or Another
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Feb 22, 2009 - 09:33pm PT
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Man, that tie-dyed pool table always messed with my shooting!
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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2009 - 10:53pm PT
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Glad you guys are enjoying it. Big fun for an old fat guy living out his 2nd life. Another big week out coming up. 60F here today so it should be interesting!
Blue moon? No man...ice like this is seen around here....once in a "blue moon!"
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Feb 22, 2009 - 11:00pm PT
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Thanks to Mr. Google, as my father calls it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Moon_Tavern
It doesn't really seem the sort of place that would have its own website, although I looked. Sure are lots of websites that refer to it.
Perhaps when we have the Seattle & vicinity SuperTopo gathering (paging Wayno!? hint hint), hopefully sometime soon, we can include a visit to the Blue Moon, and perhaps a toast in Ouch!'s memory.
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MisterE
Trad climber
One Place or Another
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Feb 22, 2009 - 11:08pm PT
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Dane, hope you and Wayne had a few of these after your send:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Feb 22, 2009 - 11:31pm PT
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Very nice presentation Dane! I especially enjoy the POV's.
'Glad you posted up on both forums: this is the only one I visit.
Good thing that camera held out as long as it did...
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