I got up the second time, but still managed to catch the picket on some rock and send it flying down the snow beneath. I just think being able to climb a classic and then ski one makes for one great day in the mountains. Thanks! Cross over the broad snow-saddle and make for the southern skyline, scrambling up a short class 2/3 section to the ridgetop. Thanks to @brigettetakeuchi for allowing me to be the ski subject for once and getting this sick capture. While we brought and used a #3, it was never. Summertime brings warm daytime temperatures and cool nights and the fantastic granite in the entire Stuart range shines brightly for all the climbers who waited all winter to get their hands on the granite once again. He was approaching it Teleross style, by hiking up the backside, and planned to do the raps. Skied a nice clockwise loop around Dragontail Peak on May 9th, 2009. . Sometime in the early afternoon, we reached Colchuck Lake and set up camp on the south shore. 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. The route was through open rocks which made it easy to climb. Reach Leavenworth by driving US 2 east from Everett or west from Wenatchee. Dragon Tail doesnt claim secret-gem status. to fill my thermos with an excessive amount of caffeine I left Seattle The original plan was to meet up with Jeff and Scott at there base camp at the lake but we were late so it was going to be a game of catch up. Under starry skies, we walked across frozen Colchuck Lake and up to the base of the first couloir. Stevens Pass WA. Before long it was time to get snowboarding down Dragontail Peak. From the northwest was the Chiwaukum area. Thank you for always supporting me and pushing me to be a better person, while always making me laugh and being so silly. 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. This huge parking area is the start to the Snow Lakes and Lower Enchantments approach. (8), Images Jacob and I had practiced ice climbing not mixed climbing, so using my crampons and tools on slabby granite felt insecure. and Ski Mountaineering Guides, as well as IFMGA Licensed Guides. Great day and perfect conditions- sounds like ~10 people climbed it and three skied it? But despite notoriety, Dragon Tail makes you feel tiny. Spring climbing can make for awesome skiing conditions and almost always brings lots and lots of snow. Although three straight days of sun at this time of year might be an anomaly . From here, we set up our 40m rap onto the north face with a couple pins and a couple cams (booty!). One at a time we layed down our tracks in the wide open face. Selected Winter/Spring routes (approximate) above Colchuck Lake. Ski all the lines like this in Colorado, and the addiction would barely peak. Enjoying the View From the Summit of Dragontail Peak. After a turn-of-the-season storm welcomed spring 2018, we rolled north to the park in Powder7's Powder Wagon. Once in the couloir, we enjoyed a great ski down to near the Colchuck-Dragontail Col. Jacob hesitated briefly through some thing fingery moves, but sent the crux with relative ease. Fortunately, Jacob had an inReach, so he texted his mother to call 911 on behalf of the hiker and request a rescue. He looked great in the upper hand crack. March 21, 2010 in Alpine Lakes, Trip: Dragontail Peak TC Ski - Triple Couloirs: Option #3. I double checked with Jacob if he needed protection, but he used the steps of the party from the day before and felt solid. Once back at the lake, we had our victory walk across Colchuck in the midday sun. As we passed the little lake near Aasgard Pass, I noticed the nice icebergs floating in the lake. Saying yes was a bit of a leap for me. I stuck more to the face, trusting my picks in super thin ice. Jacob led more easy terrain until reaching a 5.5-5.6 corner. Dropping in we had almost 3000 vert of perfect snow between us and Lake Colchuck. Climbing gear and expertise required. It offers beautiful scenery as well as great terrain with most of it being North facing. Lateral moraines always make for nice, efficient travel as long as you dont have to descend off either side. I traverse right for a while, and then left for a really long time, linking ledges all the way to where the Serpentine Arete joined Backbone Ridge. At first the trail parallels Mountaineer Creek and gains 1,100 feet in 2.5 miles. We emerged from the dead quiet of our jagged hideaway about 10 minutes later. A climb of Dragontail Peak will surely bringhappiness to anyone attempting any of the many classic routes. It took some exploring, but I found a way through some cliffs, climbing some very fun WI2+ ice gully and then up more through rotten snow on top of slab. A number of fee forest camps can be found along the Icicle Creek road near the trailheads. All Rights Reserved. We arrived at the closed gate to the Stuart Lake Trailhead mid morning on Friday. Happy Valentines Day to @kellymjiang ! Mount Si. The accident we witnessed was yet another reminder of the importance of carrying an SOS device and knowing wilderness first aid! Eventually, I spotted a rappel anchor. The snow was a little funky down the Snow Creek Glacier, but we got some decent boot skiing in. Use radios to communicate from one stopping point to another. It had went from powder snow to wet slush with the sun beating down on us. We carried cams from .2 to #1, nuts, a few pitons, shorter screws, and two pickets. The easiest routes are scrambles from the south and / or the Colchuck Col at the top of the Colchuck Glacier to the east. This route can be climbed year round, though it's quite difficult in mid-winter, as the access road is generally closed. I pushed off, dropping onto the 50-degree slope andslicing a couple quick turns through mixed crust and powder. From US-2 in Leavenworth drive Icicle Creek Road (Forest Road 76) for 8.4 miles. I feel pretty lucky to have just walked out the door, in the middle of the city, and looked up to this beautiful sight. The prey? At the junction take the left fork, the Colchuck Lake Trail. Be wary of the possibility of people below or above you as you descend. Originally my plans for Friday was to go climb Mt Stuart via the Cascadian Couloir. Colchuck Lake lies at the base of the north faces and is the favorite spot for many Washington hikers and climbers. Andy and Jeff had climbed it just the weekend prior. He was in. 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. Tax ID: 27-3009280. Note that routefinding to Colchuck Col can be trickylook back on the ascent and make notes for the descent. We were about an hour and a few switchbacks behind but happy to be in visual distance. @heinelogan or @samchaneles ? Skied the Triple Couloirs on Dragontail Peak yesterday. With solid hand and foot holds we pushed up the final 20 feet and soon enough we were on the summit. The surroundings mark one of the states most iconic places. 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. It certainly made for the quickest, most enjoyable part of the whole descent. To the west we had a good view of the Alpine Lake Wilderness. But yesterday was an exception, and I was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise and some great snow on humpback mountain. The I am going to need to work hard to find something more technical than this. NF of Dragontail from Colchuck Lake. After 2 hours of hiking through the Alpine Lakes wilderness we finally made it to the base of Colchuck lake. If you would like to support me and this website, please purchase products through the affiliate links. Mountaineers Books is a registered trademark of The Mountaineers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All Rights Reserved. From here, the three couloirs were plainly visible. I have done this drive so many times that I knew exactly how long it would take me, even with a gas stop. Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. 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. Dragontail Peak. They are close together to climb in a day in optimal weather. The choice depends on the climbing route desired. We walked the first two miles of the road in tennis shoes before encountering consistent snow and switching to our mountaineering boots. By the end of August last year there was an unavoidable swath of smooth ice across the snowfield on the standard route. The trail is steep and reaches Colchuck Lake via switchbacks in 1,100 feet of elevation gain and 1.6 miles. Dan getting ready to drop into the Hidden. The malts provide a smooth mouthfeel while letting the character of the hops shine through. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 15 h 11 min to complete. After that, it was insecure mixed of snow over slab. Seattle Back Court 100 Peak Challenge . If you're a dirtbag and need the gear, it's there for ya! Local Popularity. The summit ridge extends about 1/2 mile and includes several summit towers. This view is a classic Cascades scene. Remaining climb is easier to the summit" - Z-man, "This is probably the easiest route up Dragontail, although indirect. Thank you! Rock on this peak is unusually sound and its expansive NW face is one of the finest walls in the Cascades. The lower part of the finger crack actually felt pretty tough, but I am completely out of practice for rock climbing. 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. Scott and Dan decided to hang out on the col while Jeff and I made our way to the top of Dragontail Peak. Education Get all the details on our educational programs, including our Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP), Wilderness First Aid (WFA), and much more. We were about 3 hours from the car. At the transition between the second and third couloirs we once again roped up and I took the lead. The suede leather upper is durable, equipped with Gore-Tex Extended Comfort technology for versatile climate comfort. Near the top of the lateral moraine, we had to step off onto some snow to get to the orange colored rock that marked the beginning of the route. The rope drag was heinous as I belayed him up. Also, apparently the northern lights show was the best in many years. Glad we did not go that way! 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. Above, we could see a perfect splitter hand crack. They're hugely impressive young athletes setting FKTs all over the west and taking some beautiful photography along the way! The trail gradually climbs through forest along Mountaineer Creek and crosses creek at 1.5 miles on a log bridge. Skiing steep terrain in soft snow feels electric. and peak combinations. you can take at this route/place. Hard 4.8 (511) Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee River Ranger District. updates, images and resources. 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. It is 4.5 miles one way to the lake with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Found 285 results. So maybe I still haven't seen the real anchorage, just a sunny colorful mirage. Shuksan (15 ascents via 3 routes) Slesse Mountain (Northeast Buttress) Eldorado Peak (NW Face Couloir, Northeast Face and East Ridge) Forbidden Peak (West Ridge, East Ridge, North Ridge, NW Face) Dragontail Peak (Triple Couloirs, Backbone Ridge, Serpentine Arete) gud job, at leest Yu gav the rope gunnr kredit! From the base of the east facing snowfield, begin climbing the 35 degree snow slope aiming towards the obvious saddle between the summit ridge to the right and the jagged ridge coming off Witches Tower to the left. Triple Couloirs could and likely has been climbed in every condition imaginable, and has even been skied, and it is up to the climber to decide what sort of ice and snow coverage is acceptable for their attempt on any of the established variations." We expected to return to the car around nightfall Thursday. So we continued on and hoped the rescue would come quickly. Colchuck Lake and Lake Stuart Trail offer the most direct way to . I'm hoping to get back out there again in the next couple weekends (weather permitting) and I'll PM you to make good on the beer offer. Once at the notch, continue across a short ways and turn right. I had tried to get into Dragontail a few times already this year and Andrew, Oh godthey extended it? Kyle leading the short mixed section, looking for that turf! It actually had a very nice, thick WI2 step of ice, which we soloed easily. He did not hit any rocks, so I expected him to just get up and be fine, but I heard him moaning about his knee. As a result, we had to wade through knee deep, loose sugar snow. If you don't follow @brigettetakeuchi and her twin @kelsey.rt, you should consider it! There are routes that will challenge the seasoned climber in both summer and winter as well as a handful of scramble routes to challenge the up and rising mountaineers.