The Pencil Thin Roman Mustache

Getting There

See the "north side approaches" on the main page under 'getting there'. *2 miles to the glacier.

Approaching the Climb

Turn right onto the Hog's Back just after Kulshan Cabin (1/2 mile) and follow it to the base of the Coleman glacier. Climb up the fringes of the glacier until the slope levels out and you find yourself on the long flat portion of the glacier known as the football field. Head towards the Black Buttes and follow them at their base towards the Western flanks of the mountain. Instead of taking a right up to the Baker-Colfax saddle, go strait towards the big wall in front of you (west).

Route Description

This is where the fun starts. Head straight towards the frozen waterfall above you. The mountain naturally focuses your line of ascent towards the ice feature. There is a good belay spot just under and to climbers right of the first pitch that offers good protection. Do not belay directly under the base of the waterfall as all falling debris from up above is funneled directly through your path.


P1(WI3)
The First pitch is a short section of WI3 up to a small step. Once you reach the step you have two options.

1.) Climb directly up the waterfall(WI4) onto the upper slopes or...
2.) Traverse climbers right to a nice shoot that spits you out on the upper slopes (WI/AI 2).

P2-P12(AI1-AI2, 50-65 Degrees)

Keep in mind, the pitch count is just a loose estimate.

From hear you have only one way to go, and that's up. You can see the crest that you are heading for directly up from your position. Climb either in fixed pitches or on a running belay (it might also be a good idea to unrope and go solo, depending on your comfort level. There is no protection, so a fall while roped up would result in catastrophy for a rope team). We climbed roped up, it was good psychological protection, but we decided that if we did it again, we would unrope for the top out. You can either head right and climb the obvious chutes above you, or you can head left and reach a ridge that takes you to the summit (easy path). We encountered some glacier ice, but mostly just neve.

Descent

Take the normal route down the Roman Wall.

Essential Gear

60 meter rope
basic glacier gear
2-4 ice screws
3 pickets
2 tools
warm clothes

Route History

Its hard to say when this route was first climbed, but it was most likely in the sixties by Ed Cooper, Don Ihlenfeldt, and Gordon (last name missing). The route has only seen a handful of ascents, and for many good reasons. Most of the year it is an avalanche/rock fall death trap. Please contact me if you have anything to add about the history.

Images

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