Split Mountain - ICE!

Split Mountain East Couloir

Nov. 2005

Timing is everything. And I timed this climb just right. Pavel and Kris joined me for this trip but they climbed as a team and belayed the ice pitches while I soloed. We got a pre-dawn start and I met them on top - barely. I was just about to head down because I was getting very cold on top waiting when I saw them coming up into the notch between the north and south summits. Pitch 1 held a short pitch of WI3, then a little slogging to the crux ice pitch. About 100 ft of WI3 followed by several hundred feet of ~WI2 slabs. Then onerous post holing to the summit. I descended while Kris and Pavel were still on the summit. We met back at our camp at Red Lake and hiked out to the car. 

Sunrise and headlamp

Approaching pitch 1 ice with pitch 2 visible above

Approaching pitch 2 ice

pitch 2, steeper than it looks

Looking down the ice slabs

My tracks coming up out of the couloir at the notch

Looking down St. Jean couloir on the descent

Looking across at the route from the descent

NW Arete -a Wheeler peak solo

I was inspired by a friend, Sam's photograph of this arete that he posted online. So much so that I packed some minimal gear and drove down to solo the arete.
Note: This route is called N. Arete in Secor's 3rd edition. At the time of the climb I had no info on this route.



Climb: Wheeler PK (CA)-NW arete
Date of Climb: 7/10/2005

Trip Report:
Set alarm for 4am the day prior. Ah forget it.

7/10: The alarm in my head goes off, 03:30. I look overhead for the 'pretty lights,' no... that was last year. Stumble around getting dressed. 

"What are you doing"

"Go back to sleep honey, you're dreaming"

Out the door, no coffee. Damn! getting a bad start.
7am: Arrive trailhead, The campers are beginning to stir. Discover I forgot the camera in the dark lack of coffee fugue. Shit! Pictures are overrated anyway.

7:12 Start hiking. Arrive in basin below arete around 9am. Discover I forgot the food in the dark no coffee fugue. Shit! Food is overrated anyway.

Climb up couloir a short distance to crack system that appears to lead to arete. A bit of 5.8 climbing leads to crest of arete. Discover I have no partner to belay. Cool! Partners are overrated anyway. Pull a huge block out of the ridge on top of me, Shit! Manage to deflect it into the couloir below. Cool! I'm alive! Climb arete staying true to the crest which yields fun climbing from class 3 to about 5.6

11:45 Arrive summit. No writing utensil, Ah ha! I know this! A small wound has opened on my thumb providing ink for summit register.

7PM Arrive home. 15 hrs door to door, including post climb beer.
OK it aint Serra 5, but its a good day.

Photo by Sam Mills. My route overlay.