Archive:20Feb2008 Neve

General Idea

This is a mixed-friendly trip. You can adjust, somewhat, the difficulty level. The basic idea is to go up to the Burton hut Friday, get VOCers on top of as many of the peaks around there as possible Saturday, and cross the Neve to get out on Sunday. If there's something you want to practise (ie - arresting a crevasse fall with skis on) there should be time for dicking around on Friday after skiing up to the hut. If there wasn't time on Friday (either due to heavy trailbreaking or general slowness) then you probably shouldn't be pushing yourself too hard on Saturday anyway.

Equipment

You'll need all the stuff for a normal ski hut trip plus a few extras, depending on what you want to climb. This could include:

• Ice axe
• Helmet
• Crampons (Which fit your tele-boots, of course. Most crampons don't, so check beforehand)
• Rope
• Harness
• Webbing + cord
• Pickets/Deadmen
• Rock pro

Car Faff

How will we get back to our cars, since we're leaving to a different parking lot? Don't you worry about that just yet...

Potential Goals for Saturday

Around the cirque we have:

Guard Mountain

A moderate scramble in summer, it will seem much harder in winter trust me.

The Deception Pinnacles

Usually a stiff short scramble / climb (depending on the pinnacle) on one side, and ski-able on the other due to wind packed snow. Some are a stiff scramble / climb on all sides. The deception part is figuring out which is the tallest.

The Sphinx

The Sphinx dominates the terrain in the area, and gives it it's name. The steep rock face is the head of the beast, and the glaciers its paws.

The route up from Sphinx pass is a nice moderate line (just one hard step). The route from the other side is an alpine classic rock route.

The Bookworms

20m pinnacles poking up out of the cirque overlooking Sphinx Bay.

Depending who you believe these were either named in honour of old VOCers who couldn't make it away from their studies to enjoy the skiing in the area, or those same old VOCers - turned to stone for the same reason and left looking over that skiing they just couldn't make time for.

4th class, apparently.

Carr

Never really looked closely... Bivouac says:

1. North Ridge (1911) Large BCMC Party. Steep snow. The crux of this route is the climb up a short snow couloir (75 m) to the col between Phyllis Engine and Mount Carr. Once over the col, the peak can be climbed either by scrambling directly along the NW ridge, or by going east onto the icefield and then approaching directly from the N. Often done as a ski ascent. In icy conditions, the snow couloir has turned back experienced parties. One bypass is to kick steps up the snow slopes immediately adjact to the couloir, but this can be daunting in avalanche conditions. In short, Mount Carr is not always a pushover.

2. South Ridge Class 3. From the col between The Bookworms and Car, gain the S summit (8100', 051291). From there a razor sharp rocky arete has to be negotiated, with danger of loose rocks. Then ascend 45 degree snow slope on the E side of the ridge at the top of Gray Glacier. The rest of the ridge is an unpleasant class 3 scramble on poor rock.

3. West Face Very steep snow. From Sphinx Glacier, gain the bottom of West Face at GR049300. Steepness of the face will vary depending on conditions but expect very steep snow, possibly overhanging! Continue up the loose summit pyramid to the top.

Phillis' Engine

This rock tower resembles a train engine, and at 5.8 you'd have to be pretty hard to climb it in the winter.

Castle Towers

The true summit is apparently 1m taller than Garibaldi, but it's a bit of a haul from the hut and likely a tough climb in winter.

Yo-yo skiing

No, that's not a peak, but it is an option if peak bagging isn't your thing.

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