I thought some here might enjoy a look at a tiny bit of our exceptional '09 season in the NW. Ice everywhere with low avi danger...is very unusual! Grass, trees, moss, dirt and munge are all new to me as a climbing media but I am beginning to really appreciate them here.

Trip: Northwest Face of Mtn Snoqualmie, Pineapple Express, "Blue Moon"

Date: 2/19/2009


The view from high on Phantom Slide going in.

The scene of the crime. Pineapple Express in orange.,



Craig's photo. Wayne and Craig's 2 pitch, direct variation, Blue Moon marked on the full line of PE


The Blue Moon variation should be obvious in both pictures. And more direct than either line topo suggests. The ice hose and chimney pitches are just left of the smaller rock head walls and just right of the orange topo @ mid height. The obvious ice hose dissappears into the chimney in Cauthorn's picture. From that '05 picture I have to assume the line is generally there and "in".

First pitch snice

For the most part the entire route was solid sticks in snice with a good water ice base.



The money pitches on Blue Moon are #2 the ice hose and #3 the amazing Scottish chimney.

This comment from Craig aka Alpinemonkey on Blue Moon's first ascent":

"I didn't lead our second pitch that may have been the crux, but it had about 3 moves off the deck that were a little thin and hard. After that it seemed sort of like moderate thin ice/dirt climbing, a little run out, but not unreasonable."

Pretty sustained pitch, thin ice on the bottom, with a hand crack in the corner mid pitch that will get the attention of most. Big Cams in hidden placements made the run outs resonable. Much steeper than it first appears. But, hey, the landing looks good :)
















The 3rd pitch starts from a physically tight belay (fixed stopper) inside a deep, 3' wide chimney. The leader will be dropping EVERYTHING that comes off down on you. On our ascent I could not turn side ways because of our (small) pack, couldn't see and was swimming in snow. I had the wind knocked out of me by a big piece of ice I unknowingly took full in the chest. It is a short crux right off, on a 60m pitch but awesome position, spectacular visuals and hard climbing. This was the crux of the climb for us @ M5/6 with perfect dry tooling to get to the chockstone, and then ice, to get on to the chock stone, (FP just below it). Thankfully ice at your back and over the top in there, it was weird and way fun. Awesome pro. You exit the chimney onto steep tree climbing and end on a fairly flat bench with fair size trees for a belay.







Pretty much simul climbing to NY gully from there for us.
Last pitch of NY Gully had a bit of a sting to it with all the new snow and big gloves.





Camera failed here from the cold, so no pics of Jens, again leading in fine style and me floundering about with the pack. But it looked a lot like this pic of Marko's from a few days earlier.



These two pics are of the last bit after the crux of NY gully.



Blue Moon variation of PE
Pitch 1 - 60 meters WI 3
Pitch 2 - 60 meters thin and delicate WI4 new
Pitch 3 - 60 meters, ungraceful chimney but short M5/6-new
Next - bunch of simul climbing
Pitch 4 - step off into NY Gully and climb to corner crack
Pitch 5 - Corner crux of NY gully 5.8 M4
Final- easy but exposed traverse to the ridge

4 to 6" of new snow on the ground in the Phantom slide and it snowed most of the day on us, enough to get small spindrift avis on the first 3 pitches.

A fine climb! Excellent position and a few stellar sections.

Blue Moon a 2 pitch direct variation of Pineapple Express IV WI4 R M6 5.8

The original ascent account of Pineapple Express.

"On February 9, 2005, Roger Strong and I climbed a new route up the longest portion of the Northwest Face of Mount Snoqualmie. We approached from the Alpental parking lot, ascended the Phantom Slide to the northwestern shoulder of Snoqualmie, dropped into the Thunder Creek drainage, and then traversed beneath the New York Gully area to the lowest toe of the rock buttress. The first pitch started just left of the lowest point of rock and climbed a thin slab of ice hidden in a long right-facing corner (WI3+ R). After this pitch we trended up and left, pulling steep heather into a mixed gully leading to a tree belay beneath a rock headwall. The superb third pitch climbed the steep right-facing corner to a tree belay (M6 with good gear). Pitch 4 led up and right into snow and trees. The next pitch squeezed through the trees and traversed right to a 5.8 rock step that led up to a tree belay. We then continued up easy mixed ground to a flat ledge beneath the huge headwall that guards the top to the Northwest Face. We then traversed easily along a spectacular ledge system rightward to join the last two pitches of New York Gully. In total, we did nine long 60-meter pitches. For gear, include a couple of thin pitons along with cams to 3” and many slings in the rack. IV M6 5.8 WI3+."

Some of this stuff forms once in a decade. Amazing...as it was just like climbing in the Candian Rockies during late sping but only 45 min from dt Seattle!

Both climbs are obvious on the cliff directly above Source Lake.

In good nick you'll get 3 pitches, 130' WI4, 110' WI5R and 130' WI4. The line is easily one of the best water ice climbs in Washington.

Climber high on the 1st pitch.

No camera tilt here on P2, it really is that over hanging, which is unusual anywhere on ice.


Down from mid pitch 2.

P3

Here are pics from an early season ascent, different year, of the same climb @ WI 5R, M5 with 4 pitches. (one more of mixed to get started)



The one pitch wonder....
By passing the funky anchor set right at the base of the crux, we did as a fun enduro pitch @ WI4 60m


Again looking down mid pitch.

Gear Notes:
This season things are obviously in. Bring more than a few shorty screws and new rap tat for the trees if you don't make it during '09.