The Northeast Slab. Our approximate route is shown in red.
Elain and I climbed the Northeast Slab on the Tooth. Although the approach was fast on icy snow, we found the face to be in challenging condition, really more of a "scratch-up" than a snow/ice climb.
The forecast for the weekend looked pretty iffy, with several weak fronts moving through the Cascades and generally mild temperatures. Nevertheless, it had been a month since our previous visit to the Tooth, so it was once again time to make our monthly pilgrimage to check on the Northeast Face. This would be our fourth attempt on the route, and my fifth. Will we ever learn? I fear that this route is becoming my "white whale".
We started walking at 5:45 AM, from the main Alpental parking lot. The temperature was 28 degrees at the trailhead, with no wind. Due to recent warm temperatures and rainfall, followed by a slight cooling trend, the snow in the Source Lake Basin had formed a surprisingly hard icy crust. At the Source Lake Basin, we put on our crampons and started up the gully. At the Great Scott Bowl, the snow turned to neve, and we had a clear view of the Tooth in the early morning light. The Northeast Face appeared to be in thin condition, perhaps melted back during the recent warm trend. Perched on a rock below the approach gully for the Northeast Face, we broke out the rack and harnesses.
We front-pointed quickly up the approach gully, aiming for the corner on the right-hand-side of the face. Using two bugaboos and a picket we set up our first belay beneath a dripping snow/ice mushroom. It appeared that the hardest move of the first roped pitch would be right at the start, pulling over the bulge. Once clear of the bulge, I found that the first pitch had a thin and discontinuous hose of ice and some consolidated snow in a groove near the right-hand-side of the face. Intermediate protection was sparse but solid, just a 13-cm screw and a fixed nut. At the top of the first pitch we set up a belay inside a cave in the rock, using an existing fixed piton and a chockstone for the belay anchor.
The second pitch was terrible. I first tried following steps through snow directly up the groove next to the rock, but 10 meters above the cave it reached an apparent dead-end at a rap anchor. I reluctantly down-climbed back to the belay and scanned around for other options. Eventually I decided to traverse out left across steep unconsolidated snow onto the face. About 10 meters to the climbers' left, I reached a narrow fluting of steep snow. I attempted to ascend the fluting, but I soon sunk to my waist, and decided it was too unconsolidated and insecure. Looking above, a wide section of exposed rock stretched laterally across the face. It was only partially covered with wet snow; so the fluting would have likely been a dead-end anyhow. I downclimbed the snow fluting until I was almost even with the belay cave, and resumed the leftward traverse. I crossed loose snow and then snow-encrusted rock until I reached a tree, 20 meters left of, and a bit above the belay cave. From there, I attempted to ascend directly up the face, but 5 meters above, was turned back by the rock band. I downclimbed back to the tree and resumed the rising traverse, eventually reaching a small sapling. From there, I spied a small bulge of ice about 10 meters above me, just below a tree. There was some animated discussion with Elain about whether there was enough rope left to reach the tree. Not seeing a better option, I reluctantly climbed up, gingerly probing with my ice tools for unseen cracks in the rock below the thin layer of snow. Small clumps of vegetation occasionally showed through the frost, providing a welcome pick placement. Eventually I reached the ice bulge, where I eagerly placed a 13-cm screw and enjoyed a few moves of blissful, relatively secure ice climbing before reaching the deep snow pocket below the tree. At the tree, I set up a belay. Once Elain joined me, we together contemplated the third pitch. It appeared to be 50 meters to the North Ridge, and about as unappealing as the second pitch.
On the third pitch, the first few moves traversed right, passing a small tree just before reaching a steep snow fluting. I wallowed up the fluting for another 8 meters, eventually reaching a band of snow-encrusted rock. From there, I climbed slowly and deliberately, trolling for cracks in the rock for each pick placement. Halfway up the pitch, I spied a crack and vigorously pounded in a Lost Arrow-sized piton. Continuing upward, I angled slightly rightward, heading for a small tree, which I reckoned would be my last piece of pro for the pitch. Continuing upward, I eventually reached a stance just below a shrub on the ridgeline. I hooked the pick around a stout branch of the shrub and swung a leg over the ridge. I clambored up the ridge past the shrub and reached a larger shrub with webbing around its trunk. There I perched among the rocks and set up a belay. The sky was partly cloudy, and the sun lit up Mount Rainier in the south. Elain reached me in short order, and we discussed our options. The previous three pitches had taken a lot of time, and it was already 1:30 PM. Although the conditions on the first pitch of the ridge appeared to be no worse than the Northeast Face, we realized we could not make the summit and rappel down the South Face with the remaining daylight. So we reluctantly decided to rappel back down our ascent route.
We descended straight down the face, using three double-rope rappels. The first rappel used the shrub as an anchor. It looked dubious but it held. The second and third rappels used trees as anchors. The third rappel (full 50 meters) got us just barely to the top of the approach gully. From there I retrieved a pin that Elain had left at the first belay. As we front-pointed back down the icy gully, I accidentally dropped the camera, but Elain's reflexes were good and she caught it 50m below me. The Great Scott Bowl was enshrouded in a white fog. After some searching we eventually found the spot where we had left our snowshoes. In the fading daylight we followed our tracks back down to the Source Lake Basin. We reached our car at 6:15 PM.
Gear we used: we climbed on a single strand of 8.5mm x 50m rope (we used two ropes for the rappels); #4 and #6 bugaboo (first belay); Ushba Ural-Alp wedge piton (third pitch); #5 hex (fourth belay); two 13-cm ice screws (first pitch); 1 picket (first belay); 1 screamer; 9/16" webbing for rappel anchors. As is our usual practice on winter climbs, we carried a stove and some fuel, and we each carried our homemade nylon bivy sacks and extra clothes, as well as avalanche probes, beacons, and shovels.
Gear comments: An ice hook would have been extremely helpful, but unfortunately we did not have one. A 60m rope would probably be better for climbing this route, and would certainly suffice for rappelling down the South Face. If you plan to rappel down the Northeast Face, carrying two ropes is strongly advised.
Things we learned:
Photo disclaimer: Our photos were taken with an old disposable camera that had sat in our fridge for six months. The photo quality is therefore worse than usual.
The Northeast Slab. Our approximate route is shown in red.
The Tooth. The Northeast Slab is the snowy face on the right.
Elain climbing up the approach gully
Elain climbing up to the North Ridge
Elain climbing up to the North Ridge
Snoqualmie Mountain, as seen from the North Ridge of the Tooth
Hemlock Peak, as seen from the North Ridge of the Tooth
the North Ridge of the Tooth, as seen from the top of the Northeast Face
Steve, on the North Ridge of the Tooth
Elain, on the North Ridge of the Tooth
Elain on the third rappel
The lower part of the Northeast Slab. Our final rappel anchor is
the large tree in the center top of the picture.