Mt. Adams proved to be a bit more of a challenging than my group was expecting. I regularly go backpacking in the Cascades, but this was my first attempt climbing a Washington volcano. Some of the lessons I learned:
Check the weather. If high wind is in the forecast (and even if it is not), consider a 4 season tent. Lunch counter is pretty exposed.
Bring a shovel, you may need it to help build a wind break for your tent.
If you're going to use a 3 season tent up at lunch counter, consider upgrading your tent stakes to something made for snow. The wind was pulling ours right out. Even if you checked the weather, it really can change, as they say. We ended up in white out conditions with high winds and misty, rainy snow (the precipitation was not in the forecast the night before when we checked). After trying for two hours, we couldn't find a place to get our 3 season tent setup for a safe night up in those conditions, so we decided to turn back.
We didn't get the chance to attempt to summit, but we talked to several people that had on their way down. Despite the weather report of fresh snow on the days previous, the slope up to Piker's Peak was much more challenging on Saturday than people expected. It was very icy with jagged features in the ice and very few places covered in snow. It does not sound like there was a boot packed path up the slope. One person said there was no way microspikes would have been enough to get up. Another person mentioned no one was glissading down Pikers Peak slope. One person who summited with skis, who looked to have a lot of experience, said it was the worst skiing of his life. One person said with the conditions present, they felt it would have been more appropriate to be roped in. One person had actually slipped on the slope up to Pikers Peak and had tumbled down ~1000 ft (even though he had an ice ax). I didn't talk to him, but others mentioned he severely broke one arm, and had suffered some pretty significant cuts. He was walking down just past lunch counter with his friends, but his condition was bad enough they requested a helicopter to air lift him out (which flew right by our group to pick him up).
Despite this ominous trip report, my group still had a blast and we learned a lot. The skiing down from lunch counter was quite fun. It was slushy, but it cloudy in the afternoon, so kept the snow from getting too wet. We were able to ski within a 1/2 mile of trail head. Topo maps app with download maps on my iPhone kept us on the approximate right trail. It would have been very easy to get lost without it.
I might get the chance to attempt again in a couple weeks, hopefully with more favorable conditions. I'm expecting as things warm up, it should become the more mellow hike/climb that would be passable with microspikes like the trail report mentions. Regardless, if I go again, next time I would bring:
- - a helmet
- - At minimum tent stakes made for snow with my 3 season tent, or upgrade to a 4 season tent
- - A shovel for scooping snow at the camp site
- - Gear to be roped in if conditions are super icy again (perhaps this is overkill in normal conditions, considering other's trip reports from the past)
- - Definitely bringing my crampons and ice ax again
- - Definitely bringing my iPhone with topo maps again
- - I'd probably bring my skis again. The extra weight up is a challenge, but even the skiing down from lunch counter was worth the effort, even if I don't chose to ski down from the summit.
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Comments
Corwin Roush on Mount Adams South Climb
Met you guys lower down on Friday evening (solo skier, red jacket), and was great to chat briefly!
Yeah, conditions were tough, and sounds like you learned a lot of useful lessons (exactly how I have learned many of my mountaineering lessons as well). I did want to make one comment about roping up. On steep, icy slopes roping up can cause one fall to become multiple unless you set a running belay using pickets (or ice screws if conditions warrant). As you mentioned, the guy who fell wasn’t able to arrest despite having an ax. It is very difficult if not impossible to catch a fall in those conditions without protection! Adams is a heck of a fun climb, and even better glissade/ski in good snow, so highly recommend holding out for good conditions rather than going to heroic lengths.
Great report, and thanks for detailing how tough Adams can be in sub-par conditions. Good luck on your next go at it!
Posted by:
Corwin Roush on Jun 19, 2017 11:02 AM
Corwin Roush on Mount Adams South Climb
Whoops, meant Saturday evening!
Posted by:
Corwin Roush on Jun 19, 2017 11:17 AM
JoelJames33 on Mount Adams South Climb
Hey! I remember you. Thanks for the added info, very good to know! What's the main thing that needs to happen for better conditions on the slope? Does it need to warm up so the slope's ice is not as hard and is easier to grip to? Given the conditions on the slope from reports we were hearing (not the camping conditions that caused us to turn back, let's pretend it was a perfect night), do you think it would have been best to avoid attempting the summit until the slope conditions were different?
Posted by:
JoelJames33 on Jun 19, 2017 12:44 PM
dannyfratella on Mount Adams South Climb
Generally, the hard-packed ice make for an easier summit push, provided everyone is wearing crampons. It's best to make the summit push before the snow softens into slush, which can cause slipping and sliding, even with crampons on. Roping up should be saved for crevasse-prone slopes, which Adams typically has none.
Glad you had fun despite the bad weather!
Posted by:
dannyfratella on Jun 19, 2017 03:28 PM
Corwin Roush on Mount Adams South Climb
Ideal conditions will be when the sun has a chance to warm the snow, and less wind (higher winds have a tendency to keep surface snow icy). In good conditions, most people will leave Lunch Counter on the early side (I usually like a 6am or so start), when the snow is firm but not icy…in short, when crampons can easily penetrate the surface. Summit mid-morning, having given the snow a chance to soften in the Sun, then descend. I have also summited mid-afternoon (often the case if doing it as a day trip), and have been fine. For best snow conditions, look for clear skies, temps on the warmer side (at least at or near freezing for highs on summit), and light winds (less than 20mph for summit I’d say).
As for microspikes, I tend to leave them at home for Adams. Certainly if the route is ideal it can be done in spikes, but crampons give you the safest option in case the snow remains firm on descent. Start glissading (you probably know, but never glissade in crampons) or skiing when the snow becomes to your liking!
Posted by:
Corwin Roush on Jun 19, 2017 03:39 PM
JoelJames33 on Mount Adams South Climb
Wow! Invaluable comments. Thanks so much for the info! That totally makes sense. And yes, know to take crampons off for glissade, but good to list here as an extra reminder :) I'm definitely going to have to give it another try!
Posted by:
JoelJames33 on Jun 19, 2017 06:43 PM
Skybloom on Mount Adams South Climb
Thank you so much for the commentary and information sharing your experience. Super helpful! :)
Posted by:
Skybloom on Jun 24, 2017 02:33 PM