I chimneyed with my feet on the rock and back and butt against the snow, scooting up the moat. At first the trail parallels Mountaineer Creek and gains 1,100 feet in 2.5 miles. and Ski Mountaineering Guides, as well as IFMGA Licensed Guides. This was my favorite section of the entire climb. Triple Couloirs is definitely one of my proudest climbs. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee River Ranger District, You can improve or add to this guidebook entry, Washington Trails Association Trail steepens after the bridge and at 2.5 miles the junction with Colchuck Lake Trail is . Length 12.4 miElevation gain 5,620 ftRoute type Out & back. This post may contain affiliate links. Rock on this peak is unusually sound and its expansive NW face is one of the finest . We were in. Climb either steep talus or snow depending on the time of year up the left side of the glacier to avoid any crevasses closer to the northeast face of Colchuck Peak. 90 in Hiking [+] OSM Way. 47.75N 121.09W (Elev. Lateral moraines always make for nice, efficient travel as long as you dont have to descend off either side. Garmont Dragontail Tech GTX - Men's and other great waterproof shoes and boots for approach, hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering at BackcountryGear.com. From the summit I skied back down the . Before long we were up at the col and about to move over to the Southwest face. The north face of Dragontail, a decent looking, steep snowfield capped with a short rock headwall. In late season, this snow slope turns to ice which increases the difficulty significantly. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a608bc810922762285697226a9dd15f7" );document.getElementById("e87bcfad71").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The men's Dragontail Tech GTX by GARMONT is a technical, precise and lightweight approach shoe for the skilled consumer looking for the ultimate in technology with high performance. Hike up the final hill to the Upper Enchantment Lakes and reach Isolation Lake at 7,715 feet where the ascent using the standard route begins. I earn a small commission on sales via these links at no additional cost to you. Will and I convinced him to join us for the Option #3 variation, replacing the three raps with one short one. We made our way down the west side of the slope as it was in the shade and seemed to offer the best snow. Be sure tostart early. You can post now and register later. Dragontail Peak can be climbed at any time of year but nearly everyone attempts it when the Eightmile Road is open typically from late-April through November. 357. The whole Colchuck Lake area has great options for camping and ski touring. Reach Leavenworth by driving US 2 east from Everett or west from Wenatchee. CDT - Twin Lakes to Interstate 70; Grays Peak Trailhead. $480,000 Last Sold Price. Great day and perfect conditions- sounds like ~10 people climbed it and three skied it? The north and NE faces are also very impressive. Elevation Gain. and extended the rescue for so much longer. Jacob led more easy terrain until reaching a 5.5-5.6 corner. There were many larches in the barren, rocky soil. Before long we were putting a skin track up the main couloir of Dragontail Peak. Tax ID: 27-3009280. A "wrinkle in the granite," Jeff called it. Arriving around 3 in the afternoon, we had the summit completely to ourselves! The ice looked barely a centimeter thick in most places. Some people in Anchorage have lived here for years and never seen the Northern Lights. Enjoying the View From the Summit of Dragontail Peak. Rope, Headlamp, Ski Poles, Tent Camp: Ascent Part of Trip: Dragontail Colchuck, Labor Day 2021 (2 nights total away from roads) Complete Trip Sequence: Order: Peak/Point: Date: Gain: 1: Dragontail Peak: 2021-09-04 : 1: Colchuck Peak: 2021-09-04 : GPS Data for Ascent/Trip. After 2 hours of hiking through the Alpine Lakes wilderness we finally made it to the base of Colchuck lake. Not wanting to commit to the three 60m raps down the un-ice runnels between the 2nd and Hidden couloirs, I discovered the following option for the ascent and descent. Spring climbing can make for awesome skiing conditions and almost always brings lots and lots of snow. We packed our gear and were on the trail by 7:00 AM. It began to hit us why this was such a famous climb. Selected Winter/Spring routes (approximate) above Colchuck Lake. Additional information. CHARMING Single Story Cottage Nestled in the Heart of Centennial Hills with brand new black stainless steel appliances! It was really unfortunate. From Aasgard Pass descend to Colchuck Lake. Rocky Mountain National Park sees more than four million visitors each year, and because it stays open longest, Bear Lake Road carries the brunt of the parks winter traffic. 2006-2021 SummitPost.org. Although this route is one of the easier routes for any high Bulger, it isn't a cakewalk and good fitness is required to make it happen. Ryan hikes up a moraine toward Backbone Ridge [click image for next] Instead of riding Mount Stuart we would go for some north facing slopes. As we hydrated, another skier descended the bottom of the couloir. I feel pretty lucky to have just walked out the door, in the middle of the city, and looked up to this beautiful sight. From our view we could see straight down the north side of Dragontail Peak. We were about 3 hours from the car. 5,400 ft. Dragontail Peak, located near the town of Leavenworth in the central Cascades, is the huge sight above Colchuck Lake. Dragon Tail doesnt claim secret-gem status. Nice!!! Tim and I were actually #1 and 2 ahead of Shannon and Yuri- they broke trail up to the TCs and up Couloir #1, then Tim and I took over from the bottom of #2 to the summit. Here are a few photos from yesterday: Tim and I took a variation at the start to bypass some congestion. LEAVENWORTH, Wash. - The Chelan County Sheriff's Office says a man has died while climbing on Dragontail Peak after falling "several hundred feet." Deputies say 66-year-old Richard Thurmer . The Dragontail Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Idaho. 4 Beds. The easiest routes are scrambles from the south and / or the Colchuck Col at the top of the Colchuck Glacier to the east. Description. Just seems more committing. Although three straight days of sun at this time of year might be an anomaly . Above the Snow Creek Glacier, I stopped and let Jacob descend first through the more avalanche prone slopes. In the fall, the area becomes world famous for the larch trees that turn golden yellow beginning in early October. Theres very little actual ice climbing on this route, especially in this condition. Dragontail Peak, also known as Dragon Tail, is a mountain in the Stuart Range, in Chelan County, Washington.While climbing an adjacent peak, Lex Maxwell, Bob McCall, and Bill Prater remarked that the needles on the crest, southwest of the summit, resembled a "dragon tail". If you are looking for a way around the permit system, you can camp in the Crystal Creek drainage south of the Enchantment Lakes basin by either dropping down from Perfection Lake or by approaching via Crystal Creek from the Ingalls Creek trail. Paste as plain text instead, Bringing the right safety gear is critical (beacon, probe, shovel at minimum), but gear doesnt replace taking an avalanche safety course. Did you know WTA has a mobile app? Not seeing a title that fits your trip? FEATURING NEW Granite KITCHEN COUNT Photos (7,350) Directions. The immensity of the north face of Dragontail was amazing. Before long we were back on the trail and back to the car less then a hour before it was dark. 600 Sherbourne Leavenworth, WA 98826 (509)-548-6977. Way to make it happen! This hike primary trail can be used both directions. It was going to be a great day riding down Dragontail Peak. As he approached Aasgard Pass, I ran down the slopes to catch up to him. I'm excited to see what they'll do in the coming years. On a nice spring day, several groups could ski the couloir, and some of them may climb straight up the route rather than skin or hike around. There are routes that will challenge the seasoned climber in both summer and winter as well as a handful of scramble routes to challenge the up and rising mountaineers. Kyle leading the short mixed section, looking for that turf! I don't know if it takes bigger cajones to drop a route like that blind. I got up at 2 am, ate breakfast, and started the drive over to Leavenworth. Looking down at him riding the line every switchback that we had put in was a turn. coming up the runnel: What you cant see in this resized pic directly below this climber, is the head and skis of another climber well below him, possibly climbing the right most side of the runnels instead of the traditional left side? Serpentine Arete rises out of Colchuck Glacier between the peaks. I took a minute to digest the scene. and peak combinations. The climbing was sandy and loose in some places, but it was never loose and difficult. Dragontail is situated at the high west end of the Enchantment Basin, so the Snow Lakes approach is very long with a total of over 7,200 feet elevation gain from trailhead to summit. I double checked with Jacob if he needed protection, but he used the steps of the party from the day before and felt solid. Looking back we would occasionally see our tracks now in the shade. Over the weekend, Jacob and I met up to climb Serpentine Arete, a long 2000 ft moderate route up the huge, complex north face of Dragontail Peak in the Enchantments. Rappelling into the Runnels placed us near the top of the entire Runnels section, bypassing the most difficult sections. I manage to flop out of the icy water like a beach whale and enjoyed a frozen minute of sun bathing on a little iceberg. Way to hit it under perfect conditions. Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. This notch is at 8,500 feet making the snow climb roughly 700 feet. He did not hit any rocks, so I expected him to just get up and be fine, but I heard him moaning about his knee. Most climbed peaks Popular peaks. Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, near gales from the NW by Wed afternoon). Colin approaches Dragontail Peak across Colchuck Lake. Early season starts whenever the Mountaineer Creek Road opens to the Stuart Lake Trailhead, usually mid-April (call Leavanworth Ranger Station). Even at the top, I struggled to find any belay anchor given the rotten snow and thin ice. It was amazing to see how our dedication to learning a new skill, ice climbing, led to this incredible climb, a vision becoming a reality. We just got off route on the first pitch. Log in and send us Unfortunately none of them had satellite messenger capabilities. Yellow = Dragontail Peak, Triple Couloirs (III+ WI3 M3), Red = Dragontail Peak, Gerber-Sink (IV WI3+ M4), Green = Colchuck Peak, North Buttress Couoir (II). I had to simul some to allow him to finish this section and reach the belay. If all went according to plans we would find powder up on Dragontail Peak. I had vowed not to Not wanting to commit to the three 60m raps down the un-ice runnels between the 2nd and Hidden couloirs, I discovered the following option for the ascent and descent. 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