TonyM - May 21, 2021 1:06 pm Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2003
How not to climb North Pal from the west
Nice camping and approach up the fairly easy gully. Then up the 5.0 or so crack system. All good so far. Then, looking down in the bowl thinking "that" can not possibly be right. We were wrong- altitude might have had something to do with it having just come from sea level. So down the north side instead, to the bottom of the snowfield as viewed from the Palisade glacier side. Found the remnants of a parachute embedded in the ice, but visible. Then traverse all the way over to to the west side of the snowfield, then up. Little sketchy here. Then up and up though a maze of 5th class chimneys finally to the very last portion of the summit ridge. Found a very old wooden ladder wedged in a vertical chimney about 200 feet from the top- neat. Of course this burned hours and we were caught out overnight with a new climber who was at this point almost hysterical. So the three of us had to get close, way to close, in a spooning shiver-bivy. Down the gully below the bowl the next morning with at least one rappel, back to our camp. Beleive the descriptions!
iditarod81 - Jun 16, 2015 1:44 am Date Climbed: Jun 13, 2015
Final CA 14er
Awesome guiding from Barbara (SMG) who helped us tackle rotten snow conditions in the chute and along the ridgeline. Our final CA 14er!
PellucidWombat - Jun 22, 2010 9:50 pm Date Climbed: Sep 30, 2005
Just as good the second time
September 30, 2005 - Ascended via the U-Notch/West Chute with fresh snow in the chimney! Leading that pitch was cold and snowy as spindrift kept blowing up the E Couloir of the U-Notch. Our rope was too short to rappel, so we descended Clyde's Variation.
September 20th, 2003 - Excellent climb. While the approach was a pain, the climbing from the U-notch to the summit was very nice. While Dirk was more adventurous than me by jumping over a gap on the ridge to gain the summit, I found a nice hole to wriggle through to get there.
TonyM - May 21, 2021 1:06 pm Date Climbed: Sep 4, 2003
How not to climb North Pal from the westNice camping and approach up the fairly easy gully. Then up the 5.0 or so crack system. All good so far. Then, looking down in the bowl thinking "that" can not possibly be right. We were wrong- altitude might have had something to do with it having just come from sea level. So down the north side instead, to the bottom of the snowfield as viewed from the Palisade glacier side. Found the remnants of a parachute embedded in the ice, but visible. Then traverse all the way over to to the west side of the snowfield, then up. Little sketchy here. Then up and up though a maze of 5th class chimneys finally to the very last portion of the summit ridge. Found a very old wooden ladder wedged in a vertical chimney about 200 feet from the top- neat. Of course this burned hours and we were caught out overnight with a new climber who was at this point almost hysterical. So the three of us had to get close, way to close, in a spooning shiver-bivy. Down the gully below the bowl the next morning with at least one rappel, back to our camp. Beleive the descriptions!
iditarod81 - Jun 16, 2015 1:44 am Date Climbed: Jun 13, 2015
Final CA 14erAwesome guiding from Barbara (SMG) who helped us tackle rotten snow conditions in the chute and along the ridgeline. Our final CA 14er!
PellucidWombat - Jun 22, 2010 9:50 pm Date Climbed: Sep 30, 2005
Just as good the second timeSeptember 30, 2005 - Ascended via the U-Notch/West Chute with fresh snow in the chimney! Leading that pitch was cold and snowy as spindrift kept blowing up the E Couloir of the U-Notch. Our rope was too short to rappel, so we descended Clyde's Variation.
September 20th, 2003 - Excellent climb. While the approach was a pain, the climbing from the U-notch to the summit was very nice. While Dirk was more adventurous than me by jumping over a gap on the ridge to gain the summit, I found a nice hole to wriggle through to get there.