Scored some permits for the Minarets area.
Had a feeling there would be lots of snow so we planned accordingly.
Our assumption was correct, still looking but not feeling like winter above 9000'

View from the bivy site at Ediza Lake.

We camped at Ediza with thoughts of possibly climbing Banner too. We found good, dry areas to sleep and headed out pre-dawn for the base of the route. The snow was nice and firm and we cruised the 2 or 3 miles to the base.

The route certainly didn't jump out at us although we identified the 9+ start. There were lots of options to get above this and after negotiating a ~25' section of snow we got started on the rock portion of the climb.

After a few pitches we believe we found the actual route. We climbed two beautiful pitches in a dihedral that felt 5.7ish with a few moves a bit tougher.

I didn't take too many pictures on the route, we were basically getting after it most of the day.
Here is the token summit shot of me(bespectakled) and Pat O'Connell.
Pat has been climbing and guiding for a long time and really saved the day with his routefinding skills. This was our first climb together and we made a pretty good team.

The descent was a damn' good time. Actually, it went a lot better than expected. The Ken-Clyde Colouir (or as I dubbed it Mordor) offered quick passage back down to the snow.

The scree stretched out a long ways onto the snow field below. Wouldn't want to be here when the big one came out of here earlier in the spring. Yikes!!

The walk back to camp was uneventful but tougher than the walk in as sidehilling on re-frozen steep runnels and suncups after a long day proved to be less than fun. But it went pretty easily.

The walk out the next day was awesome. We were basically off the snow within 30 minutes of leaving camp and the trail out along Shadow Lake is of amazing quality.


Highlights: No one else back there, we did not see anyone else after Shadow Lake. No 'skeets. Great route in a very cool setting.