Missing Climber on North Face

[Perry]

If you have any info, please call [phone # removed]. It's possible this is someone on this message board or Summitpost. A few people have been discussing March ascents.

By the way, doing Snow Creek right now is a very bad idea. The snow is not consolidated yet. For anyone considering it this spring, please do one of the following:
A. Get a confirmation from a reliable source that the snow is stable. Or
B. Ride up the tram, hike to the peak, check the north face yourself to make sure that it's solid.

There's a reason the snow tongue comes down to 5,500 feet and the trees don't grow in the chutes: avalanches. Guessing the snow conditions in March is a bad idea. Even guessing snow conditions based on Skyline is not reliable.

[Jim Bakos]

Thanks Perry! I was just about to post this myself...

We've flown the north face with helicopters and spotted nothing, we’re sending in Alpine teams as we speak. If anyone has any information call me on the number Perry supplied.

--Jim

[alleyehave]

Please keep us posted!

[Jim Bakos]

One climber sighted at 8700' sitting on a rock, avalanche conditions are
high. Cross your fingers.

--Jim

[Cy Kaicener]

They (two climbers) have been found. RMRU to the rescue again
http://www.mydesert.com/article/2009030 ... 1/90303009

[Jim Bakos]

Cy, you beat me to the punch!

Yep, the two climbers from Playa Del Rey were rescued. They actually viewed the North Face from I-10 and thought it would be “a nice place to hike”.

Takes all kinds…

Hike Safe!

--Jim

[alleyehave]

Cy, you beat me to the punch!

Yep, the two climbers from Playa Del Rey were rescued. They actually viewed the North Face from I-10 and thought it would be “a nice place to hike”.

Takes all kinds…

Hike Safe!

--Jim

That's a relief!

So you're saying they were A) Unprepared B) Under-equipped C) Unknowledgable or D) All of the above?

[Perry]

That's quite an impulse climb. Did they read anything on the Internet about snow creek? I'm impressed they made it that far. The upper section is probably impossible right now without snowshoes and poles w/ large baskets. They probably felt like they were swimming uphill.

On my previous post I should have mentioned that it's best to check consolidation in an area with trees before checking consolidation of the chutes. That way if it's still unstable, you'll get snagged on a tree instead of sliding thousands of feet.

[alleyehave]

That's quite an impulse climb. Did they read anything on the Internet about snow creek? I'm impressed they made it that far. The upper section is probably impossible right now without snowshoes and poles w/ large baskets. They probably felt like they were swimming uphill.

On my previous post I should have mentioned that it's best to check consolidation in an area with trees before checking consolidation of the chutes. That way if it's still unstable, you'll get snagged on a tree instead of sliding thousands of feet.

What would you put the snow depth at on the upper sections? I know big bear reports around 40-70".

[Perry]

Not sure. Right now I really don't want to go testing the north face conditions without being roped up. I do know that consolidation takes much longer than the general peak area which gets direct sunlight exposure and re-freezes at night. The upper north face I believe is 50 to 55 degrees incline with almost no sun exposure right now. To really test the snow depth you would have to descend a good 20 feet or so past the beginning of the slope.

Another thing is, where they were around 8,000 or 9,000 feet has less snow and is not as steep as that chute right next to the summit.