Trip Report
Unicorn Peak/South Side
This was a fun route with plenty of teaching opportunities that ranged from route finding, snow travel, hazard management. I’d do it again.
Tony Tsuboi
- Fri, May 24, 2019
- Unicorn, Foss, Boundary & Stevens Peaks
- Climbing
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Stevens Canyon Road is open. Still snow on the ground from the trailhead on, but the meadow should melt out quickly in the next few weeks. Snow was quite isothermal with the exception of the north facing chutes. Periodic post holing here and there, but not enough to warrant flotation. There was massive wind storm recently that left a ton of debris. Lots of signs of loose wet avalanche on the north and east facing slopes in the R1 D2 range, none of it recent. Lots of evidence of rockfall, but prob triggered from the windstorm. We saw no active rockfall.
By the time we gained the ridge traverse, weather turned for the worst, blowing steady 25-20 out of the NW with a mix of showers, sleet, snow, ice, and less than a 100 M of visibility, not quite pleasant. We didn’t like the looks of the south facing routes in the conditions, but we circled around counter clockwise to a much more wind sheltered gulley on the SE side with a Class4 to low fifth move to the top. This would be a fantastic climb in better conditions with better visibility. Regardless, this was a fun route with plenty of teaching opportunities that ranged from route finding, snow travel, hazard management. I’d do it again.
Rough times - We were not moving at any blazing pace. Could easily shave off an hour or more.
- Left the trailhead at 9:30
- Ridge traverse at 2:00
- Rap from Summit at 3:30
- Back at car at 6:00