Previous :: Next Topic |
Author |
Message |
Bluebird suffering optional
Joined: 22 Jan 2014 Posts: 199 | TRs | Pics Location: United States |
|
Bluebird
suffering optional
|
Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:09 pm
|
|
|
Jake and I are quarantine-buddies in the Sun Valley area and neither of us have climbed many peaks in the area. He researched and found that the route to the high point of the Sawtooth Range, Thompson Peak seemed a possible winter-ish ascent so we decided to go for it on last Sunday, a beautiful sunny day.
We left the car a little after 6am near ID HWY 75 as the access road to Redfish Lake is snowed in still. It was a chilly 14f at the TH. It didn't take long to hike the icy compact snowy road 1.8 miles to the trailhead and we were pleased to find a packed skin track on the trail. At the junction with the Alpine Way trail access, the packed skin trail disappeared and we booted up the mostly packed/icy snow until we found a packed skin trail along the ridge. At this point, we had been postholing at times so we snowshoed up and continued along the ridge. Sunrise was beautiful and the mountains lit up.
Morning alpenglow
We continued on the skin track, which was pretty close to the trail route until just above 8,000 elevation, when the trail route curves north. We then had a fairly unpleasant sidehill traverse, which we crampon/axed for about .3 miles.
The sidehill traverse Thompson Peak lies beyond
We then followed more pleasant terrain north/above a lake that is unnamed on CalTopo at approximately 9,000 elevation and then west to a saddle between Thompson and Williams, approximately 9800 elevation. There was one skier on the final slope to the saddle. As this was potential avalanche terrain, we waited for the skier and then went one at a time across the slope. (note: avalanche danger was low)
Thompson Peak Crossing the avy slope to the Thompson/Williams saddle Williams Peak
Route then curves around the backside of Thompson until to the saddle between Mickey's Spire and Thompson.
The basin north of Thompson. Thin snow and lots of postholing in here. The summit of Thompson. SW Gully left-center in this photo.
We traded snowshoes and poles for crampons and axes. We took what we had hoped would be a nicely filled in snow gully to the summit... but instead there was some fairly heinous postholing up to the waist and crampon/rock/snow scrambling.
Starting up the gully Summit views
Jake made a lot of horrible sounds. I eventually caught up to him at the summit after some snowy class 3 in crampons before reaching the exposed summit.
On the summit
The summit has some dramatic cliffs/dropoffs. Sweet views here!
Summit Looking SE toward ID-75 Downclimbing the summit block. Snowy class 3 in crampons. Looking down the gully from the top At the bottom of the gully Some crazy skiers skied this gully. See the tracks? More ski tracks in this couloir Looking back to Thompson on the descent Thompson E basin pano
On the way down the snow was quite slushy so it was more work than a standard descent. We tried to avoid the annoying traverse, which we expected would be a nasty slush-posthole with a crappy runout, by dropping down, but this required some more elevation gain. Maybe it was worth it? We reached the trail route and had another 5 miles to snowshoe out. The final 1.8 miles, as per usual, seemed longer than that. Maybe it's because it was slightly uphill.
Social Distancing: saw one skiier and a family of 3 on the road out. Only party at the summit to sign in since September. Overall, low density of people.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Gimpilator infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
How wonderful to get that peak in March! I was especially excited to get those photos from Jake when you were on the summit. Thanks, and congratulations!
|
Back to top |
|
|
raising3hikers Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 2344 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, Wa |
Appreciate the TR, for a cool and big out of state peak
|
Back to top |
|
|
awilsondc Member
Joined: 03 Apr 2016 Posts: 1324 | TRs | Pics
|
Kick ass trip you two! I loved that area when I climbed Williams, the view of Thompson as you climb up into that basin is enchanting. I really feel old when I realize I climbed those peaks over 15 years ago. Where does the time go... Hope you get the chance to bag some more peaks while you're out there. Oh, love the hero shot on the summit.
|
Back to top |
|
|
puzzlr Mid Fork Rocks
Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 7220 | TRs | Pics Location: Stuck in the middle |
|
puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
|
Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:22 pm
|
|
|
Wonderfully clear photos! Those skier's tracks were
Thanks for the report.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Bosterson Member
Joined: 12 Sep 2019 Posts: 294 | TRs | Pics Location: Portland |
Awesome! I did Thompson in summer a few years back, great to see it in winter/early spring conditions. I'll bet the snow made some of those rockfield bits on the backside of the peak easier. Did you find the Mazamas register up top? (Probably buried...)
Go! Take a gun! And a dog! Without a leash! Chop down a tree! Start a fire! Piss wherever you want! Build a cairn! A HUGE ONE!
BE A REBEL! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!
(-bootpathguy)
Go! Take a gun! And a dog! Without a leash! Chop down a tree! Start a fire! Piss wherever you want! Build a cairn! A HUGE ONE!
BE A REBEL! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!
(-bootpathguy)
|
Back to top |
|
|
Jake Robinson Member
Joined: 02 Aug 2016 Posts: 521 | TRs | Pics
|
Yep, we found the Mazamas box (not on the true summit btw). It was frozen shut but we managed to get it open eventually.
|
Back to top |
|
|
neek Member
Joined: 12 Sep 2011 Posts: 2337 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle, WA |
|
neek
Member
|
Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:07 am
|
|
|
Idaho has some great mountains far from civilization. Had to bail on my ill conceived plans for Thompson last year. Thanks for posting.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Brushbuffalo Member
Joined: 17 Sep 2015 Posts: 1887 | TRs | Pics Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between |
Bluebird wrote: | Jake made a lot of horrible sounds. |
Hilarious!
Regarding those tracks in the couloir, I thought of Cody Townsend and [url=https://skithefifty.com/the-classics ]The Fifty Project[/url], but Thompson is not on the list. Probably not enough vert.
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
|
Back to top |
|
|
MangyMarmot Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2012 Posts: 474 | TRs | Pics
|
Awesome trip. Looks like you had a great day.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Bluebird suffering optional
Joined: 22 Jan 2014 Posts: 199 | TRs | Pics Location: United States |
|
Bluebird
suffering optional
|
Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:26 am
|
|
|
Thank you for the comments everyone! It was a great trip
|
Back to top |
|
|
|