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Past Activity

Canceled: South Sister-Middle Sister-Broken Top

  • Start date: 06/06/2015

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 06/08/2015

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

IMPORTANT NOTE: The goal is to climb Broken Top, South Sister, and Middle Sister (mostly) as a traverse. We will leave a car or two at the Pole Creek TH and then drive back to the Green Lakes / Soda Creek TH to start our climb. The car shuttling will be done Friday night, so it's important that we all leave together from the Eugene area. Car shuttle details will be arranged by email in the week leading up to the climb. The listed time of 7:00am Saturday is to start hiking.

Saturday: Green Lakes TH to Green Lakes. Switch to day packs to climb the Northwest Ridge of Broken Top (Grade II, 4th or low 5th class rock). Return to Green Lakes to camp.
Sunday: Carry over the Prouty Glacier or Prouty Headwall route on South Sister (Grade II, moderate glacier; for the headwall, possible steep snow and 4th class rock). Descend the North Ridge route (possible 3rd or 4th class rock) to camp at Chambers Lakes or nearby (no lower than Camp Lake).
Monday: Carry over Middle Sister via the Southeast Ridge (walk-up), descend either the North Ridge (walk-up) or Hayden Glacier route (moderate glacier) route, hike out to the Pole Creek TH. Drive back to Green Lakes TH.

This is a long trip involving glacier travel, possibly steep snow, possibly 5th class rock, and carrying overnight gear over two of the Three Sisters. Mileage and elevation gain listed are probably under-estimates. Do not sign up unless you are able to move quickly over such terrain carrying a heavy pack for three days!

The trip leader has climbed none of these routes before.

  • Event Leader: Ellis Alexander

  • Assistant Leader:

  • Event category: Climbs

  • Area Type: Mountain

  • Departure Location: See Trip Description

  • Rating: Difficult

  • Roundtrip total drive miles: 250

  • Season: 2015

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Standard gear for glacier travel and 4th-low 5th class rock (including crevasse rescue gear). Overnight gear. We will arrange to share stoves, tents, and other group gear.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 32

  • Member Fees: 3

  • Elevation Gain: 11000

  • Non-Member Fees: 15

  • Committee: Climbs

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

This trip featured three peaks over three days; rock, snow, and ice; steep glissades and boot skis; some attention-getting route-finding; an interminable, sweltering deproach hike; summit treats; and a rotating cast of ten.

Day 1: Six of us left the Green Lakes TH. We met two more on the way up to the climbers' trail to Broken Top. After climbing Broken Top (standard NW ridge route), we made camp by a spring north of the northernmost Green Lake. During the day's climb, we noted that the SE ridge on Middle Sister (our Day 3 objective) looked really steep.

Day 2: Alpine start up the Prouty Glacier route on South Sister. The headwall variation was bare, crumbling rock, we so opted for the standard Prouty route. Since we were ahead of schedule, we took a nice, long break on the summit. The SE ridge on Middle Sister still looked steep.

Two of our party had turned back (one before SS, one after), leaving six to negotiate the north ridge descent, a route none of us were familiar with. Our only beta was from Jeff Thomas's book -- at the large rock buttress around 9800', stay to the west. This was great advice! We protected two rope lengths of moderately steep snow with intermittent ice. We also found a rap station that appeared to lead from frying pan to, well, a worse frying pan. We made camp at Camp Lake, where two more joined us.

Day 3: Seven of our now eight climbed Middle Sister via the SE ridge route. Turns out it's not steep! We made it to the summit and back to camp in good time. The hike out was hot and dry. Key planning: we had a cooler of ice and cold drinks waiting for us at the TH. We found images in the salt stains on our T-shirts, as one does with clouds.

Members & Guests signed-up & waitlisted

  • Number of spots on trip: 9
  • Number of spots available: 0
No. Status Full name Phone Transportation Needed? Trip Fee # Can Take?
1 Signed-Up Ellis, Alexander 917-880-6744 N 15
2 Signed-Up Willhite, Dalen 406-570-4514 N 3
3 Signed-Up Harris, Danneille 541-521-5807 N 3
4 Signed-Up Huseman, Marge 541-743-3658 N 15
5 Signed-Up Partridge, Richard 253-229-8107 N 15
6 Signed-Up Harris, Rick 541-729-3460 N 15
7 Signed-Up Morris, Michael 540-660-2860 N 15
8 Signed-Up Bowen, Sara 662-816-7797 N 15
9 Signed-Up Williamson, George 541-531-7305 N 15
10 Signed-Up Van Winkle, Kimberly 615-686-4402 N 15
11 Waitlist Pellegrom, Benjamin 541-207-4948 N 15