Fletcher/Drift not a good idea this Sunday?

[IHikeLikeAGirl]

Looking at the snow in the forecast for Quandary and that there won't be much of a freeze/thaw cycle, is doing Fletcher and then Drift a bad idea for Sunday?

We were going to try Fletcher first, then drop off the ridge and parallel it, until we found a good line to ascend Drift. Looking at the pictures from the last TR of Quandary, there still looks like an incredible amount of snow up there. I'm not familiar with the terrain or current conditions, only have the topo so, looking for opinions.

[Papillon]

I'm pretty sure this is a shot of Fletcher (right of center) and Drift (center) from last Saturday:



I don't believe the snow on Fletcher will be a problem provided you have the right equipment with you. Something you need to ponder is how you will get up to the base of Fletcher. There is a "hanging valley" that the summer trail meanders through but I don't think I would venture up there right now. When I did Fletcher around June 22, 2008, it was holding a lot of snow and I didn't feel comfortable going up it. There is/was remnants of an old cabin along the trail and directly across from this cabin was a 2+/3 scramble that gained the ridge on our left side. By gaining this ridge, you can bypass the "hanging valley" and it becomes a Class 1 stroll on talus and grass to the bases of Fletcher and Drift.

I believe the route we took with the deviation is considered the winter route on Fletcher but I may be wrong. If I make an attempt next winter, this is the route I will take. Maybe someone with experience doing these peaks with snow cover the whole way can chime in.

[kaiman]

The route Papillon eludes to in his post is that standard route from the Blue Lakes Trail (near the Monte Christo Trailhead for Quandary). He is correct in his assertion that in order to get to the base of Fletcher you have to either climb a steep snow covered headwall (I used an ice axe and crampons in mid July for this climb in summer 2009) above some tiny lakes or scramble up a class 2+/3 slope to reach the flat talus. There is some potential for avalanche danger here and it is probably pretty well filled in with snow from Blue Lakes up... So you may want to see what the weather does and how much snow accumulates in the area before making a final decision.

[IHikeLikeAGirl]

Thanks for the information and yes I have crampons and ice axe (plus beacon, shovel, probe, slope meter).

If I'm understanding you both correctly, are you talking about the red route (as the preferred winterish condition route)? That was my planned route. Just by looking at the topo, not sure how I'll get up Drift (with the snow), maybe it'll be obvious when I'm there.

Taken from summitpost.org:

Fletcher route from Blue Lakes

fletch_route.jpg (104.42 KiB) Viewed 1565 times

Thanks again!

[cheeseburglar]

The red (winter) route is really safe from avalanches, especially in the spring. We did the winter ascent route a few years back in the spring and actually descended the summer route because there was little risk that day.
You might want to check for wind loading before you approach the final steep up to the summit. It faces south so it should consolidate quickly after a storm.
I don't know much about Drift, but you should get a good look at it from Fletcher.

[kaiman]

Yep, you are correct, the route shown in red on your map is the winter route and should bypass the avy danger and steep climbing up the headwall above the little lakes (summer route shown in green) which I took during the summer of 09. Depending on conditions you may have to endure some postholing, etc. but taking the red route should get you to the summit without incident.

kaiman

[Chicago Transplant]

The ridge that connects Fletcher to Drift can be a tricky one, it has one technical step along it (at least) that we bypassed on the northwest side on some 3rd class, then we found a thin gully we went up to regain the ridge at a notch below this step. We then traversed around the headwall by going out onto the southeast face and up to the summit ridge. There may be too much snow right now for this to be safe, you will need at least an axe and crampons, but don't count out needing a rope if you can't traverse the face you may need to rap the notch instead. This may not be what you had in mind, so Drift may not work for you this weekend.

We descended a southeast facing gully that was 2+ and filled with some loose rubble. This was an August ascent. I do have a pic of the notch from Atlantic that was taken a few June ago, and I posted the traverse route and this southeast gully route on my Drift Peak page on SP, see below. Hope this helps!

http://www.summitpost.org/route/210934/ ... verse.html

The thin strip of snow to the right of the sharp tower is what we went up, as you can see continuing to traverse that side gets into some rock fins that are probably technical. The notch would require a rapel if you stayed on the ridge crest.

[RobertPetrowsky]

The northwest face has had at least one fresh avy every day I have seen it since the last snow. If you plan on doing the traverse you need to evaluate conditions often.

[IHikeLikeAGirl]

The ridge that connects Fletcher to Drift can be a tricky one,....

Yes, I'd read your TR before (well done btw ). We weren't even considering the ridge traverse (given the snow), we were planning to drop off the ridge (250-400') and parallel it. We'll see what it looks like when we're there...as mentioned before, Drift may not be a safe option on Sunday anyway.

As for the NW face of Drift sliding daily, THANKS, that's very good to know.

- Valerie