Rooster Comb North Buttress TR

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Alpinista55

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 26, 2009 - 10:10pm PT

I have migrated this post into the Trip Reports forum:

http://www.supertopo.com/Trip-Report/10482/West_Fork_Ruth_-_DNB_Rooster_Comb

Jk

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jul 26, 2009 - 10:13pm PT

SWEEEET!! Look when I popped in.

I'll be back to read this after I've worked on feeding my starving son.

Thanks for posting this up Jay. Even though I've heard the tale before. We'll see who's mind is fading faster, you or JoJo!!

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jul 26, 2009 - 11:49pm PT

Wonderful Jay!! Incredible route, and a well written tale.
We definitely need more stuff like this around here.
You even gave a tip-o-the hat to the Brits. That's class!!

Wonderful pictures too. Gives me a better feel for the thing.
No wonder I stuck to the big stones without so much frozen water on them.

Did Keith get the number one out? Did you keep that pin as a souvenir?

Did the Brits go on to do other big things after that trip, in the AK range or elsewhere?

Captain...or Skully

Social climber

way, WAY out there....(OMG)

Jul 26, 2009 - 11:57pm PT

Freakin' Proud ascent there.
I BET gettin' back to your tools was "interesting".
Awesome story, Mon.

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jul 27, 2009 - 09:28am PT

Hey Jay,

Who's who in your previous pics?
Do you have any more?

I remember when you guys did that thing. Keith couldn't stop talking about it. Whenever we came across a strange climbing situation, he would have something to compare it to from the Rooster Comb!

He leaned on me a lot to go into the range with you guys back then. He finally gave up!!

ChrisW

Trad climber

boulder, co

Jul 27, 2009 - 06:02pm PT

Beautiful Mountains. The feeling of picking a line up one of those would give me stomach the willies. Finding your Food stash, Was COOL!!!!!

ChrisW.

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Jul 27, 2009 - 10:42pm PT

Great Trip Report!
I'd love to go take a look at that area.
Thanks,
Zander

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Jul 27, 2009 - 11:35pm PT

Quite the refreshing tell...a super read.

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jul 28, 2009 - 01:14am PT

Always great to have Roy chime in.

Thanks Tarman.

It's great to have Jay here, even though it's mostly a ROCK climbers site.

We NEED to have all climbers, ANY kind of climbers here.
Especially guys like Jay Kerr.
Thanks for joining the campfire Jay.

Dirka

Trad climber

Jul 28, 2009 - 01:46am PT

Holy Mountain Batman. Nice work!

Alpinista55

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 28, 2009 - 11:04am PT

I added a shot of the big cornices on the descent at the top of the Huntington/Rooster Comb col

jk

WhyCantGerbalsDrive

climber

Lee Vining, CA

Jul 28, 2009 - 11:06am PT

best trip report yet

Andrew F

Trad climber

Sunnyvale, CA

Jul 28, 2009 - 11:24am PT

That cornice picture gives me the heebie jeebies...

Les

Trad climber

Bahston

Jul 28, 2009 - 12:10pm PT

whew! what a fine telling of a fantastic tale! caught a friend's slideshow of the Ruth Gorge last fall and couldn't believe how amazing that place looks. hoping to get there one of these days (though for something probably a lot more moderate than your climb!)

NotIt

Trad climber

Malaga Cove

Jul 28, 2009 - 12:20pm PT

Bad Ahsze

Peter Haan

Trad climber

San Francisco, CA

Jul 28, 2009 - 01:25pm PT

Thanks for sharing Jay. Impressive tales of our youth!!

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jul 28, 2009 - 03:42pm PT

That crux pitch photo makes my *sshole get tiny....

SNAILEYE!!!

philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Jul 28, 2009 - 03:49pm PT

Now that was a kick ass TR! Thanks Alpinista 55.

Mighty Hiker

Social climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Jul 28, 2009 - 04:35pm PT

Just the thing to read, on a hot day in a hot week in Vancouver. Nothing like a look at snow to cool one down a bit!

SteveW

Trad climber

The state of confusion

Jul 28, 2009 - 04:46pm PT

One word. . . AWESOME!!!!!

The corniss pic is worth the price of admission!
What a send!

climber

East of Seattle

Jul 28, 2009 - 05:10pm PT

Fantastic story of adventure. And great bonus pics too.
Thanks for posting up.
pc

piquaclimber

Trad climber

Durango

Jul 28, 2009 - 05:25pm PT

A great read!
Looks like quite an adventure!

Thanks for posting up,
Brad

Alpinista55

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 28, 2009 - 08:40pm PT

Thanks, everyone, for the nice comments. I appreciate being encouraged to revel in former glory. Its easier than putting up new routes at my advanced age, and maybe I can encourage some of you youngsters to get up to the Ruth. There is a lot of nice granite up there!

Someone in another thread has asked for a TR on Mt. Huntington, so if there are no objections, I'll dredge up some more memories. I know this is mainly a rock climbing site, so don't hesitate to let me know if this is too far off topic.

I've done three routes on the peak... think I'll post about the last one, since my partner on that climb was also Keith, and it was another hit from our British friends Colton and Leech.

jk

RDB

Social climber

way out there

Jul 29, 2009 - 02:36am PT

Very cool stuff. Thanks for posting! Even us old guys still dream of the alpine stuff...

Dane

MH2

climber

Jul 29, 2009 - 03:06am PT

I know this is mainly a rock climbing site

Sometimes rock climbers do other stuff. Erstwhile partner Jeff Thomas for example.

Personally I've stayed pretty close to rock but it is interesting to learn about the planning and foresight that go into more condition-dependent routes. A friend who moved to Canmore for the ice told me another major element in his program for staying alive. He has a job but an arrangement with his boss that any day he needs to he can climb instead of work. So he can be patient and wait for the right conditions.

Thanks for a great TR.

Prod

Trad climber

A place w/o Avitars apparently

Jul 29, 2009 - 09:08am PT

Nice TR!!!

Thanks

Prod.

Bldrjac

Ice climber

Boulder

Jul 29, 2009 - 10:09am PT

Very nice TR. I've always wanted to do that route on the Rooster Comb and may yet do it next Spring. Your pictures and tale inspire me to get off the couch and do something about it!

Jack

FBOMB

climber

Jul 29, 2009 - 10:50am PT

Hey, that's a cool story, and a great piece of obscure Alaskan climbing history. I've always thought people who do the second ascents of hard routes don't get nearly enough credit. If it's a truly good line, it should be worth repeating, not just getting the glory of the FA.

I had a similar experience in the Gorge in '04. Went in with a buddy in the last week March -- there were some rad mixed lines in good shape on Dickey I was psyched to try, but unfortunately my partner wasn't feeling it. A week into our trip, P-Diddy Roderick lands right at our basecamp and drops off two Brits. My partner, sensing this was his chance to escape, tells me right then and there he wants to fly out with Paul. So I ended up back in Talkeetna. It took me a week to get another partner, and when I returned... those f*#kin' Queeners were up on Dickey! Bastards! The line they climbed became Snow Patrol. We went up about two weeks after and did the second ascent...

Moral of the story, never cut a Brit climber any slack. And all is fair in love, war, and climbing.

Les

Trad climber

Bahston

Jul 29, 2009 - 12:56pm PT

Jay, I always thought this was a CLIMBING site! Far as I'm concerned, without alpine, ice, mountaineering, etc., in addition to all the usual rock porn, it would be hollow to call this a "Climber's Forum"!

And fergodssake, with all the OT political and other crap on this site, nobody should ever be concerned with posting an actual CLIMBING thread!!

Can't wait for the Mt. Huntington trip report! Fire away!

Russ Walling

Gym climber

Poofter's Froth, Wyoming

Jul 29, 2009 - 01:10pm PT

A+...

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Jul 29, 2009 - 02:24pm PT

That clean, direct write-up well suits the climb. As I was reading along I thought
"This would be even better with some photos," and then at the bottom there they were.

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jul 29, 2009 - 03:37pm PT

Jay has more photos hiding all over the place.

I know him...the sneaky b*stard.

He's going to dole them out reeeeaall slow, to keep us all waiting....D*mn him!

mucci

Trad climber

The pitch of Bagalaar above you

Jul 29, 2009 - 03:43pm PT

Damn, all that cold weather.....death chutes....#1 having to save the day.

Proud

Full value

SteveW

Trad climber

The state of confusion

Jul 29, 2009 - 07:20pm PT

Bump this too, for the rad routes!

Jello

Social climber

No Ut

Jul 30, 2009 - 10:27pm PT

Now THAT'S what I call climbing! And that's a great trip report. Many thanks, Alpinista, for bringing us along on a great climb all these years later.

-Jello

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Jul 30, 2009 - 10:31pm PT

Your memory seems fine to me. Great story alpinista!

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Aug 4, 2009 - 09:06pm PT

Hey Jay,

Maybe you can help me talk the good doctor into joining up here.
He's teetering on the brink right now. Maybe this TR can tip him over the edge!!

More pix please???

Zander

Trad climber

Berkeley

Aug 5, 2009 - 12:34am PT

Bump

MarkWestman

Trad climber

Talkeetna, Alaska

Aug 5, 2009 - 01:13am PT

If you research the AAJ's from the late 70's through the early 80's, you'll find Jay and his core group of friends climbed just about everything in the Ruth- lots of firsts and many impressive repeats. Even better, often they skied in and/or out of the mountains as bookends to month-long stays in the mountains.

Their exciting and understated journal reports were a huge inspiration for me when I first started climbing in Alaska in the mid 90's and was doing a lot of AAJ research. Among other things, the idea of spending the better part of an entire climbing season in Alaska was put into my head precisely by the example these guys set. Alaska is often about time and patience, among other things, and letting the weather and conditions dictate the pace, rather than one's need to get home.

The Rooster Comb's north buttress remains a badass testpiece to this day. To the best of my knowledge, despite many attempts by strong climbers, the route has only seen one further ascent to its summit since Jay and Keith's 2nd, that being in 1984 by the late Benoit Grison and another Frenchman. It's thin, runout in places, and not without considerable objective hazards in its lower reaches. Interwoven into these variables are one constant: one of the range's best lines.

I gave this thing a shot in 2004 but halfway up we ran away; if the spindrift and lack of ice (i.e. vertical snow/s'nice) were the mountain tapping us on the shoulder, the briefcase sized chunk of ice that came from far above and hit me square in the head and shoulders was the proverbial mountain putting me in a full nelson and dragging me back to camp. No damage done that Vitamin I couldn't fix. While it was a bad day to be up there, I must have the alpinist's memory- it's still on the list. It's that good.

Three cheers to Jay for putting up this report, and for the inspiration- then and now.

More, please!

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Aug 5, 2009 - 01:30am PT

Great post Mark!

Alpinista55

Mountain climber

Portland, OR

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 5, 2009 - 12:31pm PT

Hey Mark --

Thanks for the kind words. I credit others for introducing me to the ski-in/ski-out ethic that we adopted after our first foray into the range in '78. Jeff Thomas, my partner of the South Face of Huntington in '79, had skied out of the range on a previous trip, and inspired us to climb over Ruth Gap and ski out through Little Switzerland. We so completely loved the experience that we skied in and out of the range the next year. While flying into the mountains is an adrenalin rush, nothing gives you the sense of scale that skiing for ten days to the base of your climb can give.

Another plus for the approach on foot is that you must go early, when the rivers are easily crossed. While the climbing may be colder the route is in better shape, and late March and April were always kind to us with long periods of fine weather.

I've finished a TR for our '83 expedition to the West Face of Mt. Huntington, which involved our longest ski approach to the Ruth, via the Muldrow and Traleika glaciers. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the slides from the trip. Maybe Keith has them, I'll have to find out. Anyway, I'll post the TR sans photos for anyone interested in what it's like to enter these mountains on foot. I'll include a map of the ski route.

As for the Roster Comb, its amazing how the character of these lines change over time. For Keith and I, the lower route was a romp up a gully filled with perfect ice and firm neve. The only sketchy ice was on the crux pitch. Mark, what month did you make your attempt? We were there in April.

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Aug 5, 2009 - 12:47pm PT

Yes please post your trip report on the West Face of Mount Huntington.
With or without photos: terrific stuff.
Looking forward to appreciating the map of the ski approach...

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Aug 5, 2009 - 12:47pm PT

Jay,
please refer to post #39.
Peace,
Bruce

MarkWestman

Trad climber

Talkeetna, Alaska

Aug 6, 2009 - 04:52am PT

Hey Jay,

We were on it at the beginning of May. Just a few days before our attempt, it had snowed 6 feet in the Ruth. We thought we had let the route clean off enough prior to our attempt, but apparently not, as the spindrift was ridiculous. As for ice, two friends who tried it in 2003- Eamonn Walsh and Scott Semple- reported more "real" ice in the lower sections than what we found. In the 12 pitches we climbed we did not/could not get in a single ice screw- the only gear was scant rock pro and one picket pounded into s'nice. There might have been actual ice somewhere under all that compressed (and soft) snow but we didn't find it. At one point we were simul climbing 70+ degree terrain with a single knife blade between us; I wasn't worried about falling, as the s'nice was relatively firm, but I was concerned about getting knocked off by the spindrift- or something larger. Above the bowl just over 1/3 of the way- which is where I got hit by the ice- the gully was getting steeper but with no improvement in conditions- basically 70-80 degree snow plastering steep rock, if anything it was getting more sketchy. Our single push strategy was undone by having taken almost 7 hours to reach this point, with the "hard" climbing still well above us, so with that and my bruises we turned tail. As we skied away from the shrund a large snow avalanche ripped out of the route and knocked us off our feet. Nice parting gift, I guess.

I skied up to it a year later but it was in sad shape- summer of 2004 was brutally hot and resulted in catastrophic melting of the lower elevation ice and mixed routes. The following spring, despite having had record winter snow depths in Talkeetna (>10 feet!), when we flew into the range it looked like it had hardly snowed at all in the mountains. Never seen things so dry, and the Comb looked like a rock trough. We turned around without even trying. Been engaged with other objectives since then but I haven't forgotten it.

Eamonn, who lives in Canmore and is one of the quintessential Rockies ice/mixed hardmen and very bold, told me of the crux chimney pitch that if it hadn't been so high on the route he might have backed off it.

My impression is that the route is just season to season, but I think it is more often than not a very thin route.

I've skied in to the range from the north on two separate occasions, including my first trip to Alaska. Without doubt, as you said, it added an extremely rewarding element to the adventure and made the experience that much richer!
Cheers,
MW

Alpinista55

Mountain climber

Portland, OR

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2009 - 11:52am PT

Hey Mark --

I've skied in to the range from the north on two separate occasions, including my first trip to Alaska. Without doubt, as you said, it added an extremely rewarding element to the adventure and made the experience that much richer!

Yep. Each ski approach I've done has had it's special moments.

At the head of the Buckskin glacier in 1980 the pass crossing into the Ruth was a 45 degree slope of waist-deep powder capped by a 30-foot overhanging cornice. Scary!

On the Kanakula in '85 we had bear encounters and snow blindness.

Coming out through the Peters Hills in '79 we ran into a group of heavily armed paranoid gold miners.

You just don't get these experiences when you fly in.

jk

Mr Southfork

Ice climber

Cody, WY

Mar 22, 2017 - 06:15am PT

In the late spring of 92, Jeff Crystal and I (Todd Cozzens) did the probable 4th ascent. I remember finding an old copy of Mountain magazine in my brothers library with the center fold showing this inspiring buttress and we instantly new this was our Alaskan objective.

TAT dropped us at The Mountain Hut and we skied up the West fork that afternoon. Upon arrival below the buttress, Jeff said, "that looks like a ribbon of ice flowing down the nose of El Cap." We set up camp and scoped the line for a day I think. We crossed the schrund at 10 PM the next night and chopped some butt ledges where the gully starts to pinch down, rested all day, and started climbing at " night fall". In the early morning we were several pitches shy of the only tent site on the route, and it started snowing above us. We continued thru continual spindrift to the base of the rock band in a full-on blizzard. Jeff threw up and hang from the anchor while I chopped a platform into the ice crest for the I-tent. We were stuck there for roughly 36 hours in the storm. Jeff had regained his strength and led the first crux pitch with a short fall onto a specter when he resorted to aid. Several pitches of easy gully ice led to the second crux, a steep curtain topped with a chock stone. Several more pitches of steeper and thinning gully ice led the the final crux, another chockstone to exit the head wall. This pitch was poorly protected and extremely exposed. Getting the nerve to pull the chockstone roof took me awhile. We simul-climbed up the ice/snow fields to the ridge, untied and set up the tent. We had been going for over 24 hours and only hauled the leaders pack three times.

Another storm set in so we spent another day and a half there. We then simul- climbed to the col, dropped the packs, scrambled to the summit, returned to the col and climbed to the main summit to start our descent to the Huntington/Rooster col. We set up the tent at the top of the descent gulley and used the last of our fuel. Next morning we were back on the West Fork by noon as a major storm moved in.

survival

Big Wall climber

Terrapin Station

Mar 22, 2017 - 07:54am PT

Well done Mr. Southfork! Sounds burly as ever!

As we get older, fatter and weaker, the mountains don't get easier....

Now, about those PICTURES you're supposed to post up???

Rocky IV

Social climber

Mar 22, 2017 - 09:49am PT

Todd, I'd never heard of your ascent. Thats some good stuff! Burly going that way for a descent.

It got climbed twice in the same day last year. We watched two french teams run up, and then down it. Skied down to them as they crossed the schrund to find out their friends had climbed to the top of the couloir a week before and rigged the whole route with threads! I told them they had likely made the 4th-5th ascent of the line. This year? they asked. Nah, since the early 80's!

Next weather window we got on it and were turned around about 50? feet from the top of the buttress by a firehose of non stop sprindrift. Fortunate that the threads were already installed, as it was raging so hard making our own would have been very difficult to impossible.

Fantasic route, mostly long neve pitches interspersed with steep sections. The aid pitch was funky and hard, probably because we all just pulled on gear to get up it. Has spice!

The chimney pitch was overall very secure, not a ton of gear (1 or 2 stubbies), but good slots pulling around the chockstone to sticky neve. The firehose turned on shortly after that and we rapped from this huge tomahawk flake thing hanging over the left side of the runnel, it appeared that the top was just a short pitch away. Todd? remember this feature? How close were we? Seemed like as good a summit as any given the situation, so we headed down to go back to a supine lifestyle.

Mr Southfork

Ice climber

Cody, WY

Mar 22, 2017 - 08:16pm PT

Re: survival, gotta dig up the pics.j

RockyIV: yes, Jeff set a hanging belay on the "Tomohawk Flake" so I could lead the last 100 feet to exit the overhanging chimney chockstone @ the top of the headwall. Iin hindsight we should have rigged the descent as we climbed.... Going over the top was very dangerous...

survival

Big Wall climber

Terrapin Station

Mar 23, 2017 - 06:51am PT

Mr Southfork, cool, I will look forward to those photos.

My partner from 3 El Cap routes, 2 on Half Dome, and numerous other walls, Keith Royster, was Jay's partner on Rooster Comb. I've climbed with him since I was 15, and Jay and I spent a week riding out a storm on Mescalito. That's why I have so much interest in Jay's trip reports. I was there to hear the original tales, before the internet. Hahahahaaaa!