East Ridge Direct of Forbidden Peak (July 31, 1997)
We car camped at the turnoff, and got up t 4:30am. Hiking by 5, we
reached the ridge at 10 (this was pretty decent time, considering we
lost the trail and spend 1/2 hr bushbashing on the way up --
inexcusable, I know, but I was still sleeping...). The snow was very
hard -- crampons would've been nice, but not crucial, in places we cut
a few steps. Started climbing at 10:30, summited at 1. We
simul-climbed pretty much the whole thing. K let the 1st 3ish, I the
next. We bypassed only the 3rd tower, which I now regret, as it is so
cool looking. We set up a proper belay in the U-notch and K led the
5.8 pitch. From the top of the U-notch, we simuled to the summit. On
the descent, we rapped 5 times (single rope) and then simuled the
whole way on the legdes, reaching the ridge a little too soon (stay
lower longer and it it easier -- we gained the ridge about ropelength
W of the small tower which lies just W of the start gendarme). The
descent took 2 1/2 hrs. We ate and rested and started down at 4:30
and reached the car in under 3 hrs. Gorgeous weather, nice views.
Total trip time: 14+ exhausting hours...
Rack and gear:
* One rope
* Medium Rack
1 set stoppers
#2 TCU, Friends 1, 1.5, 2, #1 and #2 camelot.
12 free biners (oops, too few)
6-7 double slings
8 singles.
* Ice axe.
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