View of the Disappointment Cleaver (dark rocky cliff band) from Dunn's Roll.
6/13/23
On both of their climbs to the summit via the Disappointment Cleaver route on 6/11 and 6/13, Rangers observed a number of parties unsure of how best to manage their rope when climbing up the cleaver itself. This can be a concerning safety hazard. For those who may not know, a "cleaver" is a rock-based formation that splits the unified flow of glacial ice in two. A cleaver resembles a meat cleaver, slicing a larger piece of meat in two — that's what a cleaver does to a glacier on a mountain! The DC Route leaves Camp Muir across the Cowlitz Glacier over Cathedral Gap, then traverses under the Ice Box, through the Bowling Alley, to reach the Disappointment Cleaver itself. After ascending the cleaver, the DC more or less shares terrain with the Ingraham Direct on the rest of the upper mountain to the summit. The surface of the Disappointment Cleaver is currently loose, small to medium sized talus with some larger boulders, and dirt. There are still two sections of snow coverage.
The traverse from Ingraham Flats underneath the Ice Box, through the Bowling Alley, to gain the Disappointment Cleaver.
6/11/23
Rope Management on the Cleaver
With the current lack of snow on the Disappointment Cleaver, rocks that were once frozen into the hillside are now free from ice and able to transport down the slope. While ascending the cleaver, managing movement over the rock must be balanced with managing the rope. How your rope interacts with the landscape is paramount to both your and other climbers' safety.
Looking down towards Little Tahoma from midway up the cleaver. Loose rocks of all shapes and sizes abound!
6/13/23
The bottom line is that while you are traveling on the cleaver, the rope between you and the other members of your rope team needs to be kept off the ground. With no rope dragging on the ground, the risk of rocks being flossed downhill (towards other climbers) is significantly decreased. One way to achieve this is for members of your team to each pick up the length of rope between one another, and carry coils in hand.
Current Route Conditions & Hazards
At this time, the DC follows a direct, well-defined line with snow bridges granting passage over most significant crevasses. That said, timing and surface conditions can change the integrity of snow bridges significantly. With consistently high freezing levels, and with the route facing a solar aspect, the mountain is constantly in flux. It is common for snow bridges that were substantial and trustworthy in the early morning, cold conditions to lose integrity throughout the day. Timing and situational awareness are key terms to understanding strategic glacier travel, and the DC is no exception. Remember, despite the obvious nature of the established route, the conditions are always changing. Your safety is in your hands!
Track from the Rangers' most recent climb of the DC on 6/13/23
Notable route updates from our last post include:
- Rock & icefall: Rangers observed icefall from the ice cliffs at 12,500 ft adjacent to the DC on 6/13. Even with good timing descending the mountain early in the day, it is important to be situationally aware. Moving quickly through terrain with objective overhead hazard like large seracs, loose rocks, etc. is key to increasing your safety margin. Pause to take breaks elsewhere!
- On this note, the Ice Box and Bowling Alley have large overhead hazards and should be moved through as quickly as possible. Unclear on where these portions of the route are? Check out pages 18-19 on the Official NPS Route Description
- Handline: There is currently a fixed line from the northern edge of the Bowling Alley on the steep snow traverse to the base of the cleaver. A handline is a fixed piece of rope that is anchored into the snow to assist you as you travel across a steep and/or exposed section of a route with fall consequence. While it can be helpful to utilize the handline to increase your security on the traverse, know that it is still your responsibility to evaluate the snow anchors holding the line, or any adjunct, into the mountain. Just like snow bridges, snow anchors that remain over long periods of time will have different strengths at different time depending on temperatures and other factors like the snow they are placed in. Guides evaluate this for their clients, so be sure to make this evaluation for yourself!
- Cleaver snow coverage: The surface of the Disappointment Cleaver is currently loose, small to medium sized talus with some larger boulders and dirt. Two sections of snow coverage remain.
Looking back towards the Ice Box on the steep snow traverse. Notice the handline just above the bootpack.
6/11/23
