Lane Peak/Zipper (winter)

Climbed the Zipper on 4/11. The weather was blue bird and the route was in great shape. Parked at Niagra Falls and hit the trail at 0820. We got to the base of the zipper around 0930 and summitted at 1045. We brought the works for pro, but decided to free climb the chute with only tools and crampons. The snow was in good shape to use pickets if you wanted to protect the exposure. We did see one or two 1" lateral cracks in the snow chute, but everything was solid. The backside of Lane was exposed to much of the sun and there were pin wheels. We chose not to scramble to the summit from the top of the chute because the snow was incredibly soft; waste deep in areas, so we decided to descend. We stopped for lunch at the base of the chute and were back st the cars at ~1300. We had six people in our group, but the approach and route were in exception shape to make travel efficent.