From the summit of Dragontail Peak, descend southeast to the saddle at 8,500 ft. Then descend east on a long snow slope to Aasgard Pass. 2023 Climber Kyle. Dropping in we had almost 3000 vert of perfect snow between us and Lake Colchuck. CDT - Twin Lakes to Interstate 70; Grays Peak Trailhead. If all went according to plans we would find powder up on Dragontail Peak. Extremely cold (max 0F on Sat afternoon, min -8F on Thu night). 2. Awesome! There is plenty of route finding on snow, and snowshoes are recommended through May, so a fairly high level of commitment is required, but it can be done! 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. Washington Trails Association 705 2nd Ave, Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 625-1367. That's too funny. This beer is named after the beautiful Dragontail Peak above Colchuck Lake. At this point, most of the steep climbing was finished. Garmont Dragontail Tech GTX - Men's and other great waterproof shoes and boots for approach, hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering at BackcountryGear.com. We were able to make the best out of conditions finding both powder and corn. LEAVENWORTH, Wash. - The Chelan County Sheriff's Office says a man has died while climbing on Dragontail Peak after falling "several hundred feet." Deputies say 66-year-old Richard Thurmer . Kyle was able to get solid sticks in the duff (great lead Kyle! If still snow covered, beware of avalanche danger and choose the best route to the pass. Thank you! Continue until you get to Colchuck lake. Northwest Mountain School. yeeeehaawwwww, .although, that bit out on the north face looks pretty cool too. So we continued on and hoped the rescue would come quickly. Work your way up this talus slope following faint trails when possible. Page edited to reflect that. I walked up until the rope ran out and set up a belay amongst boulders. After a bomber screw early on, there was a lot of relatively easy but very runout slabby mixed terrain. Couloir skiers also head to Dead Elk, adjacent to Dragon Tail, the Dream Chutes, and lines off Hallett Peak. Will and I convinced him to join us for the Option #3 variation, replacing the three raps with one short one. Tax ID: 27-3009280. All Rights Reserved. Colchuck Lake lies at the base of the north faces and is the favorite spot for many Washington hikers and climbers. Thank you for reading this trip on Dragontail Peak. The spindrift was pretty intense at a couple of points - Tim traversing in: Shannon following near the transition to the 2nd Couloir: We rapped into the top of the runnels and finished via some thin ice over slab. When things got technical, we pulled out the rope and rack and I took the lead. Sweet pictures and great TR. There were many larches in the barren, rocky soil. 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. Dispersed camping is not allowed between the road and Icicle Creek . I have done this drive so many times that I knew exactly how long it would take me, even with a gas stop. Unfortunately, I had forgotten the pitons at the belay so I could not get any protection with all the thin seams. North was the Glacier Peak Wilderness area and to the the Northeast was the Entiat area. Continue 3.8 miles to the trailhead (3,400 ft). Great! We had finished the route! 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. After a turn-of-the-season storm welcomed spring 2018, we rolled north to the park in Powder7's Powder Wagon. SOLD JUN 14, 2022. The north face of Dragontail, a decent looking, steep snowfield capped with a short rock headwall. updates, images and resources. You can post now and register later. This was huge, because protecting the couloirs would have slowed us down a lot. Confidence on steep snow and assurance of good weather is a must. Finally we were all back on Colchuck Lake and looking at our tracks. It actually had a very nice, thick WI2 step of ice, which we soloed easily. Photo: John. 02 may 2021 Vallecito Mountain solo ski, from Taos Ski Valley, NM. The East Ridge is about the easiest route up this coveted peak, with some moderate glacier travel and 3rd class scrambling. Home > Trips > Dragontail Peak + Little Annapurna via Colchuck Lake / +. From Aasgard Pass (7,800 ft), ascend southwest up the slope to the saddle at 8,500 ft. From the saddle, ascend northwest about 300 feet to the summit. Skinning the snow creek glaciers was a bit of a chore as the sun had turned the snow to glop and an incredible amount began balling up on my skins, once on the south side of dragontail I was so tired of the snow balling that I carried my skis for the final couple hundred feet or so. Instead we continued up and right. We decided to text the sheriff saying the hiker was injured and needed rescue. For example, the Washington Trails Association is 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Creamy turns down the sun-soaked apron above Emerald Lake floated us down to, sure enough, streed-shoed crowds amassing in the pine shade. Early the next morning we drove to around 1 mile before the trailhead before being stopped by snow. Although this route is one of the easier routes for any high Bulger, it isn't a cakewalk and good fitness is required to make it happen. I contacted a friend, who had heard that Triple Couloirs was still too thin to climb the previous week, but might be a little better this weekend. Really, there are only like 4 pitches (pitches 3-6) that most would need to pitch out. This was definitely Jacobs pitch. Thanks for busting trail! All Rights Reserved. For information regarding the permit system or to apply for a permit visit the Recreation.gov site linked below. There are no activities scheduled at this location. If you want to see more ski tours within the Stevens Pass Backcountry check out this link. The lower part of the ridge is the steepest, with several pitches of fun . I just think being able to climb a classic and then ski one makes for one great day in the mountains. The snow had set up a few days and settled mostly, so we felt safe after a few turns. Winds decreasing (gales from the W on Thu night, light winds from the SE by Sun afternoon). The malts provide a smooth mouthfeel while letting the character of the hops shine through. The At treeline, a bold northwest wind blustered in our faces, blowing fine ice crystals across the expanse of frozen rocks up Flattops eastern ridge. Stay to center left at top to avoid cliffs. From here, we set up our 40m rap onto the north face with a couple pins and a couple cams (booty!). We talked about what to do, not being sure they were still even in the same place or still needing rescue. trip reports for this trail. You're viewing: Stevens Pass Ski Atlas $ 30.00. I double checked with Jacob if he needed protection, but he used the steps of the party from the day before and felt solid. had been turned back each time for various reasons. % fr Mnner Top-Marken im Sale - Jetzt online kaufen! Fortunately, Jacob had an inReach, so he texted his mother to call 911 on behalf of the hiker and request a rescue. Hard 4.8 (511) Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee River Ranger District. 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. All appliances i 2.5 Baths. and peak combinations. After a light snowfall, the air becomes clear and crisp and coupled with peak larch color, the scenery is probably the best in the country for a couple weeks in October. I'm too wussy to drop in blind, especially on a route like TC's. at 11:30 on Mondy night. Your previous content has been restored. Longs Peak dominates the skyline. While there was apparently a conga line on the West Ridge of Prusik, we had this route all to ourselves! # 632018379. From the summit I skied back down the . We thought that this sort of verification was crazy, especially considering the hiker could have been in a life threatening situation! 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. Kyle leading the short mixed section, looking for that turf! 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. Ski Sickness, chronologically. Our plan was to climb Dragontail Peak by the Serpentine Arete car-to-car from the Colchuck Lake Trailhead on Thursday, August 31. Start time: Alpine Start, maybe 3AMish. @heinelogan or @samchaneles ? Chad Zuber/Shutterstock The enchanting Dragontail Peak. Now the fun begins. 14. Before long we were back on the trail and back to the car less then a hour before it was dark. Bing Maps has a collection of great trails with directions to trail heads as well as photos. There were a sprinkling of mid 5th moves. Strong Colorado UV rays doused thevan on our commute from the Moraine Park Campgroundto Bear Lake. Your link has been automatically embedded. Since Dragontail lies east of the crest, it tends to be warmer and have better weather in spring making it a popular peak to climb in May and June when the permit system is not yet in effect. 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. Our shoulders were tired, but we could not have been more happy with the days events. It was amazing to see how our dedication to learning a new skill, ice climbing, led to this incredible climb, a vision becoming a reality. Be sure tostart early. The snow heats up quick, a fact that the notorious Flattop winds can lure you into forgetting. Some of us had to work this weekend, so thanks for the vicarious dose of alpine life. The couloirsfeatures makekeeping all members of your group within sight at all times tricky. Before long we were putting a skin track up the main couloir of Dragontail Peak. Cross the Snow Lake dam which could be difficult in early season and continue up the well maintained trail but steep trail and reach Lake Viviane at 6,800 feet. Soon enough both Scott and Dan were gone and we were hiking back to the chute. The areas popularity, and Dragon Tails skier magnetism, highlight a couple points to keep in mind when you plan your own trip. We all made tentative turns as it was quite icy from the get-go. This ascent from Colchuck Lake gains 2,200 feet in 3/4 of a mile! Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' As he was setting up his belay at the top, one guy appeared below me. Colchuck Peak is a prominent peak in the Stuart Range and a worthy goal with some very fine climbs on its northeast side, though it is often overlooked in favor of Dragontail Peak immediately to the east with its spectacular north face. goratex rukavice, garmont dragontail GTX, mammut, dynafit, bunda, leginy Kari Traa, Spyder . Here is (Tim?) Dragontail is the highest peak in The Enchantments, a famed backcountry region in Washington State. Located in Rocky Mountain National Park near popular Bear Lake, the line cuts and twists through raw cliffs and spires, dropping more than 1,600 vertical feet from the shoulder of Flattop Mountain. Subscribe to our free email newsletter for hiking events, news, gear reviews and more. Who skied it better? The climbing here was mostly 3rd and 4th class and quite loose with no real protection. Upload or insert images from URL. Rope, Headlamp, Ski Poles, Tent Camp: Ascent Part of Trip: Dragontail Colchuck, Labor Day 2021 (2 nights total away from roads) Complete Trip Sequence: Order: Peak/Point: Date: Gain: 1: Dragontail Peak: 2021-09-04 : 1: Colchuck Peak: 2021-09-04 : GPS Data for Ascent/Trip. Contributions to WTA are tax deductible, and we are committed to making the best use of every donation to our mission. good to see more skiers being drawn to that classic route. But whatever, it's not like waiting in line on Outer Space. October 23: Launch of Winter Season Kickoff with Icelantic, The Story Behind the First Ski to Fight Climate Change, 2023-2024 Rossignol Sender Free 110 Review. kathleen gagne zbyszko, savannah smith david smith, Whatever, it 's not like waiting in line on the trail and to. Up his belay at the belay so I could not get any with! Points to keep in mind when you plan your own trip deductible, and lines off Hallett Peak up the. 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