High Sierra Topix

"Plus I look all extreme with my axe on my pack, it helps diffuse that desk jockey flatlander sucking wind look that I always have on the trail."

You mean there's another reason to carry an ice axe?

Thanks everyone for the great reports and pictures - they are very helpful!

What's his name, "Rogue," must be having the experience of his life. The '"creeks" are all over-bank-full. If not for my recent surgery, I'd be there, somewhere. I can't wait for my second trip (what a wh___). The water is cascading down.

maverick wrote:Packtofish wrote "Wow, brave kid." Really? Brave.

Well I was going to say he was an idiot or had a rectal cranial inversion, but I tried to be nice......

Flux wrote:[
Plus I look all extreme with my axe on my pack, it helps diffuse that desk jockey flatlander sucking wind look that I always have on the trail.

It would take a lot more than an ice axe to make me look cool on the trail. But my Bora 95 backpack does seem to inspire awe.

ok.. we're not out there to look cool. Rogue does have some experience. Let him be..

Ice axes are only cool if you know how to use them. And when that counts, it's not on your pack.

Yup conditions are pretty extreme right now, but getting around safely isn't exactly rocket science, just common sense. And I also want to echo some thanks also, this thread is very helpful.

Let me explain my experience with the snow on Agassiz and perhaps it will help a few others to make better decisions on gear. I am not by any means an experienced snow traveler and this was the second time I have taken an axe into the backcountry and both times I used them and was very glad to have them.

It was cold at night so the snow was definitely freezing up. We took off from camp around 9 or 10 and got to bishop pass in an hour tops. The snow at 12k was hard for the most part. We started up the snowfield at the base and it gradually gets steeper. I was OK with it as I felt without a pack I could stop myself if I slipped. There were rocks below the route. We got up to the choke on the right most chute up Agassiz and it was pretty steep right there. It was hard to kick into and I was more careful here and would not have wanted to continue on that steepness with the snow being hard like it was. We transferred across to the rocks here at the choke. Half way up the chute the pitch is very steep and I thought to myself that there was no way I would be in that chute even with crampons. One miss and you would be a missle heading to the rocks in the choke with how hard the snow was. I was scrambling on all fours at this section though, so it was steep

On the way down a couple hours later, the snow had softened considerably. I didn't test it on the steeps, but as soon as we were clear of the choke, we glissaded down without issue. I did my usual roll over to test my arresting and it was fine. We slid straight down the snow field and stopped before some rock no problem. Big difference in 3-4 hours in what the snow is like. I am not sure I would have glissaded that stretch in the morning. I am terrified of being a human missle.

Anyway, that's my experience with the snow around Bishop pass 11k and higher. There's alot of snow out there and I am sure these conditions are similar to most high places. The axe was a margin of safety I was damn glad to have and I don't think I would have been comfortable at all without it. Perhaps poles help out, but I can't say as i don't use them. Best of luck all.

Thanks, Flux. Was your axe useful just for going over the pass, or did it only become an issue when climbing from the pass to Aggassiz?

An axe would not be necessary just for the pass itself.