Trip

Intermediate Alpine Climb - Chair Peak/Northeast Buttress (winter)

Intermediate ice climb up the NE Buttress.

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Meeting place and time

4am at the Mercer Island P&R

Update: Cancelled, as the result of a group vote following some uncertainty in the avy forecast.

Leader's notes

In order for this trip to go, we need the NWAC rating for Saturday to say "Low" or "Moderate." (green or yellow)

Route/Place

Roster

Required Equipment

Snowshoes for the approach. Gear for an Intermediate ice climb.

Personal Gear

You know what you need for a day out in the winter.
Harness, with the usual tidbits for alpine climbing (like a nut tool)
Helmets
avy beacon/probe/shovel
Snowshoes
Crampons (steel, with a very secure fit to your boots)
Either two ice tools, or one ice tool plus one regular mountaineering axe. I haven't decided which pairing I'll use, but the amount of soft snow might make the longer mountaineering axe more valuable.
optionally, you may want to carry some of your fluids hot, like bringing tea or cocoa in a light termos, or wrapped up nalgene

Rack

nuts, especially small ones
a few cams, nothing larger than a BD #1, if even that big. Be aware that cams may not hold in icy cracks. For that matter, there probably won't be much in the way of visible cracks in the first place, just a lot of snow.
pickets: at least two per rope team
ice screws: maybe two to four per rope team? We'll see what conditions are like when the trip gets closer
pitons. I am bringing three knifeblades. We may not even need them. An ice tool with a hammer is required to place and/or clean them. Here's a good read on pitons: http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/articles/pdfs/Pitoncraft.pdf
slings, maybe 4 singles and 6 doubles. A little tied nylon thrown in there will be useful in case we have to improvise rappel anchors.
cordelettes, since some pitches end at trees we can sling

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