The rope drag was heinous as I belayed him up. Ski all the lines like this in Colorado, and the addiction would barely peak. The summit is a small bedrock clump that drops on the north. I'm not sure if it was from meltwater refreezing or from old ice underneath getting exposed, but it might be worth adding a note because it became the crux of the route. A climb of Dragontail Peak will surely bringhappiness to anyone attempting any of the many classic routes. Continue reading, 93 They had attempted the route this morning, but turned around at the runnels due to thin ice conditions and poor visibility. Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29. I manage to flop out of the icy water like a beach whale and enjoyed a frozen minute of sun bathing on a little iceberg. This section of the trail has some exposed sections so use caution if wet. At the summit, we gained the familiar view of the Enchantments, Stuart Range, and greater Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. The name Dragontail comes from the jagged ridge of rock needles on the thin ridge crest SW of the summit resembling a long spiny trail of a dragon. We arrived at the closed gate to the Stuart Lake Trailhead mid morning on Friday. Note that routefinding to Colchuck Col can be trickylook back on the ascent and make notes for the descent. I'm excited to see what they'll do in the coming years. He looked great in the upper hand crack. Thanks for the excellent page! Not wanting to commit to the three 60m raps down the un-ice runnels between the 2nd and Hidden couloirs, I discovered the following option for the ascent and descent. Generally I'm not a fan of the dawn patrol. Jacob led more easy terrain until reaching a 5.5-5.6 corner. 4 Beds. Ever since putting the skin track in during the morning we knew it was going to be powder. The malts provide a smooth mouthfeel while letting the character of the hops shine through. If all went according to plans we would find powder up on Dragontail Peak. Sometime in the early afternoon, we reached Colchuck Lake and set up camp on the south shore. Triple Couloirs - CASCADE SKIMO. It had been a great day with a fun crew on Dragontail Peak. Mount Shuksan is a glaciated massif in the North Cascades National Park.Shuksan rises in Whatcom County, Washington immediately to the east of Mount Baker, and 11.6 miles (18.7 km) south of the Canada-US border.The mountain's name Shuksan is derived from the Lummi word [qsn], said to mean "high peak". For information regarding the permit system or to apply for a permit visit the Recreation.gov site linked below. Now the fun begins. At the headwall, Kyle had to sack up and earn his keep by leading the small rock headwall, a 20 meter pitch protected by one in-situ piton in the first 10'. Head southwest on the Stuart Lake Trail. As we hydrated, another skier descended the bottom of the couloir. We discussed our options and agreed that we would still try the route, but likely take an easier, more circuitous bypass of the runnels. Suddenly, one of my picks blew and I fell onto the rope! They are close together to climb in a day in optimal weather. Unfortunately, on Saturday Kyle Flick, Will Terrano and I weren't the only ones with TC on our agenda. It was quite exhausting. Eventually, I spotted a rappel anchor. We packed our gear and were on the trail by 7:00 AM. There are campsites on both the west side and the south end of the lake. Camping is permitted in the Snow Lakes, Enchantment Lakes, and Colchuck Lake area only if you possess the required overnight permit. We had been told by the reporting party that the climbers were on the Serpentine Arete on Dragontail peak and that one was a competent 5.9 climber; the other climbed at 5.7. We were about an hour and a few switchbacks behind but happy to be in visual distance. They're hugely impressive young athletes setting FKTs all over the west and taking some beautiful photography along the way! From the higher snow, I spotted a nice rocky ledge we could get to and figured that would be a good place to rack up. I have joined your rss feed and stay up for GPS Waypoints - Hover or click to see name and lat/long Peaks: climbed . Dragontail Peak. Nice route guys.I'm envious as all hell. Climbing gear and expertise required. Above us Dragontail Peak rose dramatically out of the valley making a beautiful backdrop. The Mountaineers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Over the weekend, Jacob and I met up to climb Serpentine Arete, a long 2000 ft moderate route up the huge, complex north face of Dragontail Peak in the Enchantments. The helicopter spotted a body in the snow at the base of Triple Couloirs, north of Dragontail Peak, around 11:15 a.m., deputies said, though the helicopter could not land because of strong winds. 2. Besides, it was nice to draft for once this season. NOTE: In early season, almost the entire descent can be glissaded. Like I said before, way to get up in there. Colin approaches Dragontail Peak across Colchuck Lake. For the Colchuck Lake approach, continue up the Icicle Creek road and turn left on road no. We had finished the route! With heavy packs, we slowly made our way through the forest. In this snow condition, the pickets were mostly useless. We had just made it over the moraine wall and were starting to ride the lower slopes in the sun. The men's Dragontail Tech GTX by GARMONT is a technical, precise and lightweight approach shoe for the skilled consumer looking for the ultimate in technology with high performance. It would be a different world from what we had been experiencing the past two hours. Still, it is awesome. Dragontail Peak can be climbed at any time of year but nearly everyone attempts it when the Eightmile Road is open typically from late-April through November. There is one section that constricts to the length of my skis, and a self-beloay with axe was handy to sideslip this short, steep section of snow over rock. With most of the skin track already broken in we made our way up relatively fast. Your previous content has been restored. Log in and send us Once at the notch, continue across a short ways and turn right. I am very thankful to be able to adopt and continue to provide lots of information about this wonderful peak here on SummitPost. That is very fascinating, Youre an excessively professional blogger. 17 may 2021 Ontological Obscurity @12,728' solo ski from Taos Ski Valley, NM. We waited around at the top of the TC's for the another two hours for the other three parties to top out, so as not to bombard them with our slough. Instead we continued up and right. Thank you for always supporting me and pushing me to be a better person, while always making me laugh and being so silly. Predam nove lyziarky na ski-alp SCARPA AVANT,cislo 43,mondo-vnutorna vlozka je dlha 270 mm,vonkajsi skelet lyziarky je dlhy 301 mm,made in Italy,podrazka Vibram,nepouzite,este v krabici,cena 80 eur,posielam aj na dobierku,tel.0950 284530 email 34tomo343@gmail.com . It had been a long day but well worth it. The postholing was annoying, but we chose not to bring traction. Southwest wind between 6 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Incredibly enough, there were yet another two climber/skiers intending to ski the TC's too, but later bailed down the backside. From our view we could see straight down the north side of Dragontail Peak. Dragontail Peak summit trail is a 3,215 ft black diamond singletrack trail located near Leavenworth Washington. 14. Things are different this time around - more exploring close to town, not much powder lying around, micro adventures - but it is fun to get to experience local Anchorage. Its just chossy scrambling from there. This route bypasses the east face snowfield if it's late season and very icy. 1 754 K 1 790 K Soon enough Scott was dropping in and taking the first turns of our trip. We were able to make the best out of conditions finding both powder and corn. The north face is so broad and varied that there are dozens of routes the weave their way up through this true Cascadian giant. Permit season ends on October 15th and you will always find many people camping in the Enchantments Basin the weekend after October 15th hoping to catch the larches on their waning stages. At 6,400 feet, make sure you stay left of the small cliff band with the waterfalland stay near the base of the huge cliffs coming down from the Enchantment Peaks. Dragontail Peak and Colchuck Peak. People have died here by straying too far to the right. I guess it is almost summer. Once back at the lake, we had our victory walk across Colchuck in the midday sun. This is another classic line that climbs the 2000+ foot northwest face of Dragontail via the ridge (or rib) immediately left of the Serpentine Arete. Not bad for a 2000 ft grade IV route! By now the snow had turned to slush but it was a fun line non the less. With this out of the way, we sprinted to the top, surprised to find ourselves on the summit after 4 hours, 20 minutes of work. Below us was going to be an adventure as the trail was hard to find. Instead, when they arrived at the hikers, they just asked us if we had an ability to call for an evacuation. at 11:30 on Mondy night. This route is done using the Colchuck Lake approach. Way to make it happen! The page states that permit season ends on October 15th. In the upper half of the pitch, I kept wandering upwards, eventually running out of rope and needing Jacob to simul a few feet to make a belay. Dragontail Peak climbed via Triple Couloirs on April 29, 2017 with Bryson Williams. For the rock routes on the north side of the peak, approach via Colchuck Lake. Continue 3.8 miles to the trailhead (3,400 ft). March 27-April 2, 2023 (1 spot) April 3-9, 2023 (FULL) April 10-16, 2023 (FULL) Custom Dates for 4+ also available. The highest point on the mountain is a three-sided peak known as Summit Pyramid. Stay to center left at top to avoid cliffs. We conducted a thorough search of Dragontail, including this route and all moats at its base. During the day, we were radioed additional information that they might be on . Both the South Couloir of Dragontail Peak and the Colchuck glacier area were in great conditions. Riding down we would work with the light kicking up snow in the sun. Longs Peak dominates the skyline. We awoke the next morning around 4 am and packed up. Right before reaching the pass, begin hiking southwest passing a small pond (Mist Pond) and aiming for the huge snowfield on the east face of Dragontail Peak. Descend the climbing route to Colchuck Col and then descend Colchuck Col to Colchuck Lake. After 2 hours of hiking through the Alpine Lakes wilderness we finally made it to the base of Colchuck lake. This page was transferred to me by Bob Bolton. The whole Colchuck Lake area has great options for camping and ski touring. Finally, we crested the couloir and got a view of the summit. Generally I'm not a fan of the dawn patrol. Way to hit it under perfect conditions. The view, however, was incredible. Clear editor. There were a sprinkling of mid 5th moves. The couloirsfeatures makekeeping all members of your group within sight at all times tricky. Northwest Mountain School. It was really unfortunate. good to see more skiers being drawn to that classic route. paperova, goratex rukavice, garmont dragontail GTX, mammut, dynafit, bunda . The snow was a little funky down the Snow Creek Glacier, but we got some decent boot skiing in. Be wary of the possibility of people below or above you as you descend. Before long we were up at the col and about to move over to the Southwest face. It was time to head back to the car as we skinned across Colchuck Lake. Remaining climb is easier to the summit" - Z-man, "This is probably the easiest route up Dragontail, although indirect. WTA Pro Tip: Save a copy of our directions before you leave! Just looking at there trail we could see that it was good snow on the northwest face. Washington Top 100 Peak Challenge. Thank you! Required fields are marked *. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "skidragontailpeak" Flickr tag. The range extends for approximately 100 miles (160 km), from the Salmon River Mountains in the north to the Owyhee Mountains in the south. 316 summits. Leavenworth 5 Peak Challenge. This hike primary trail can be used both directions. Still, there was one tough looking chimney ahead of us. Not seeing a title that fits your trip? As a result, we had to wade through knee deep, loose sugar snow. It is 4.5 miles one way to the lake with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. So we continued on and hoped the rescue would come quickly. I got up the second time, but still managed to catch the picket on some rock and send it flying down the snow beneath. There were bomber finger locks and thin hands. At this point, most of the steep climbing was finished. From the northwest was the Chiwaukum area. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Dragontail Peak. Route: Haute Route (Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland) 2023 Dates. From the European Alps to the far more formidable Issy Alps, we had a great year. I led the next pitch. Powered by Invision Community, [TR] Dragontail Peak TC Ski - Triple Couloirs: Option #3 3/21/2010, WELCOME TO THE CASCADECLIMBERS.COM FORUMS. (95), Comments 25 apr 2021 Sin Nombre solo ski, from Taos Ski Valley, NM. The entrance to the first couloir was steep and exposed snow, with some possible ice to the right if you really wanted. trip reports for this trail. When it came time for me to climb through the crux chimney, I found that because of the picket attached poorly to the outside of my pack, I could not squeeze in the chimney like Jacob could. @heinelogan or @samchaneles ? I had tried to get into Dragontail a few times already this year and The accident we witnessed was yet another reminder of the importance of carrying an SOS device and knowing wilderness first aid! In general the area was stacked with enough mountains to keep one busy for a lifetime. This was my favorite section of the entire climb. Tieton Gorge Climbing; Snow Creek Wall. Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. Impulses from my youth began to surge in me and I decided to take a swim. Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, near gales from the NW by Wed afternoon). He was in. A lengthy and difficult hike up an iconic peak inside the Enchantments. Gain: 7000' ish (cliffs really throw off the gps) Elapsed Time: 13:38. I took a minute to digest the scene. Park at the end of the road and begin hiking on the Mt. Thats definitely a first time experience! Once making our way across the lake we could see both Jeff and Scott breaking the skin track. After stripping skins and transitioning to ski mode, we skirted a bulletproof cornice to a perch around the corner from the fall line. Weight: 1.3 lbs: Dimensions: 10 10 0.31 in: . Pasted as rich text. Ascend snow (early season) or talus to glacier (no crevasses but can be icy by mid-season) and follow glacier to Colchuck Col. From Colchuck Col scramble northwest to the summit. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Paste as plain text instead, 2 talking about this. This beautiful and very popular 4-mile trail is accessed from Stuart Lake Trail #1599 which starts at Stuart Lake Trailhead (3400' elevation). 4879 ft) Last Update: 5:05 am PST Feb 28, 2023. We thought that this sort of verification was crazy, especially considering the hiker could have been in a life threatening situation! Thanks, Mrs. Krantz! Subscribe to our free email newsletter for hiking events, news, gear reviews and more. Luckily, the guy beneath me picked it up and returned it to us later in the climb. The specific line taken, time required, and type of climbing encountered are entirely conditions dependent however, so that very few climbs of triple couloirs are the same. Triple Couloirs 4/1/2017. Hopefully one day someone will be able to ski continuously through the runnels section that would fuk'n, one note: You guys missed the best, and most exhilarating skiing of the route however, which the transition between the third and middle couloirs, and the middle couloir itself! Contributions to WTA are tax deductible, and we are committed to making the best use of every donation to our mission. Before long it was time to get snowboarding down Dragontail Peak. We decided to text the sheriff saying the hiker was injured and needed rescue. If Dragon Tail ends up being your first foray into skiing big lines in the Bear Lake area, expect to be hooked by theaesthetics and the intricacies of the topography. App-based driving directions aren't always accurate and data connections may be unreliable as you drive to the trailhead. For example, the Education Get all the details on our educational programs, including our Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP), Wilderness First Aid (WFA), and much more. The couloir faces southeast and receives ample sun. Also, apparently the northern lights show was the best in many years. If you don't follow @brigettetakeuchi and her twin @kelsey.rt, you should consider it! Only 10cm screws were really worthwhile because of the thin ice. But despite notoriety, Dragon Tail makes you feel tiny. Kyle leading the short mixed section, looking for that turf! Arriving around 3 in the afternoon, we had the summit completely to ourselves! I'm too wussy to drop in blind, especially on a route like TC's. At least the endless windboard is par for the course! From our camp, it appeared there was at least some ice over the runnels, but it did not look like a lot. The upper hand crack was super cruiser. It was a stunning day in the Eastern Cascades as the sky was clear. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Even at the top, I struggled to find any belay anchor given the rotten snow and thin ice. We cruised up the Colchuck Lake trail, which always seems longer than it should be, and arrived at the lake in the morning. However, the answer quickly became clear. Continue until you get to Colchuck lake. Thanks to my friends willing to get up early even when they don't have to! The Hidden starts off steep and remains so, all the way to the exit. Log in and send us You dropped in blind on Colchuck and that's got some commitment to it :-). The crux of the route is moving from the first "hidden" couloir to the second couloir, which is in the middle of the face. Guided climbs of Dragontail Peak in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness offered by Northwest Mountain School and IMFGA guides John and Olivia Race. My main skill on display was an ability to tread extremely carefully as to not trundle rocks down on Jacob. Dragontail Peak out of Icicle Creek in the North Cascades is a stunning mountain. He suspected he had a broken knee. Dan getting ready to drop into the Hidden. Our plan was to climb Dragontail Peak by the Serpentine Arete car-to-car from the Colchuck Lake Trailhead on Thursday, August 31. All Rights Reserved. If you are looking for a way around the permit system, you can camp in the Crystal Creek drainage south of the Enchantment Lakes basin by either dropping down from Perfection Lake or by approaching via Crystal Creek from the Ingalls Creek trail. Low around 21. Jacob was up and ready to go. Dragontail Peak is located within the Enchantments, off of the Icicle Creek access road. The Serpentine Arte is a massive rock ridge that slithers (sorry) out of the Colchuck Glacier, weaving 2000 feet upward to the summit of Dragontail Peak. @heinelogan or @samchaneles ? This variation was fast. At Colchuck Lake, an easy going 1.1 miles travels the east and south shores. It was awesome to see him riding from our perspective as we had a clean view all the way to the bottom. A "wrinkle in the granite," Jeff called it. Thanks for busting trail! Drive 4 miles on this good dirt road to the Mountaineer Creek Trailhead (Colchuck Lake) with an elevation of 3540 feet. Got to be some sort of record. 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