Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Winter Black Kaweah

Has anyone here done Black Kaweah in the wintertime? I've been looking online, studying maps, and asking around. I've dug up nothing. I'd like to give it a go this winter.
Any beta, advice, etc is appreciated.

Never in 'winter'. I tried the west ridge this past May (spring), but bailed between the false summit and the main summit due to approaching bad weather. We approached from Crescent Meadow and spent a few days camping/peak bagging in Nine Lakes Basin.

What approach are you thinking of?

The first winter ascent of Black Kaweah was on Jan 4, 1970. The party from the Loma Prieta Chpter of the SC started from Hospital Rock on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River on Jan 1st. They followed the River trail to Granite Cr and then the north fork of Granite Cr, and crossed the Great Western Divide just north of Lippencot Mtn. Then down into the Big Arroyo. This looks to be the most direct route to the peak. I read their route description in the summit register.

Thanks,
A 2007 thread on Supertopo says the last time it was done in winter was 1974. Can't believe no one's done it since. We're still early in the planning phase, as by all accounts, it's almost an expedition level trip. Tentatively skiing out of Wolverton, over Panther and down to the High Sierra trail. We're planning on giving ourselves 7 days. Two days in and out, with 3 summit bids, possibly doing another summit if time and conditions permit.
Winter beta for the Kaweah area is just hard to come by.

Sweet, when are try-outs?

Nice. Come up and climb. Bring beer, we will assess your selection and grade based on flavor and branding, then make a decision.
If you're really interested, get in touch with me, we'll get you up here soon and do some climbing together.

The summit register was photographed by Rick Kent when he climbed the peak in 2006 and it can be viewed at: http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/viewer.aspx?FolderID=532&Page=13
Not sure there were any other winter ascents after 1970.

Brent and Daniel, I'm in. That way you at least get a cook out of the deal...

Just saw this. Can I please tag along?

did it in 1978, 1980 and 1984

key is weight and food that makes everyone carry less than 20 kgs

crampons a must as well as ice axes and plenty of good burbon

you have to share a tent so as to keep the warmth and make sure you have a compass when it starts to snow, now you have a gps we did not

I was told last weekend it had been done recently...ask Dennis at the Buckwheat Tree Lodge in Three Rivers.

hey bob - what time of the year did you do it? which approach, route, snowshoes or skis, how many days?

kevin

I've been doing some slope analysis of the high sierra trail, and am not liking much of it. I'm thinking the two extra miles would be worth it to go up the Sierra High Route and down to the Kaweahs. Plus, a descent of Whaleback looks really fun too.
Right now we're capped at 6 people, but a few are tentative, I'll let you guys know if there is room.
If anyone has heard of people doing it, I'd really like to chat with someone about the route taken. The only winter ascent I'd heard of until today was the original in 1970.

Blooty,
Thanks, I'll stop into the Lodge this week and see if he's in. He gave us some crazy beta about fireroads to Mineral King from Three Rivers that I'm not sure make it yet, but am dying to try on my mountain bike.

You guys got me nearly salivating over this. Barring incoming weather, I'm going to try this out of Wolverton over 5 days from Wolverton starting next Saturday. I will be on skis and a couple others will be on snowshoes. There's a good chance that our schedule is too ambitious for snowshoes; if we can't make it to Black Kaweah, we will settle for some stuff around Triple Divide Peak. We will take part of the winter Sierra ski traverse route instead of the High Sierra Trail, since it traverses steep and exposed stuff.

The ski traverse goes roughly: Wolverton --> Pear Lake --> Pterodactyl Pass (not sure of name--it's SW of Big Bird Lake and due west of Elizabeth Pass) --> Horn Pass (NW of Elizabeth Pass, east of Lonely Lake) --> Copper Mine Pass (traverse head of Deadman Canyon cirque east towards the obvious pass into Cloud Canyon) --> Triple Divide Pass (traverse Cloud Canyon cirque east and past Glacier Lake) --> and so on through more epicness until Shepherd Pass. I think that stopping just shy of Glacier Lake en route to Triple Divide Pass and passing south through a small col, crossing the small basin above Lion Lake, going through another small pass, and dropping into Nine Lake Basin is the best way there from Wolverton. I guess we could drop south of that long traverse above Deadman and Cloud into the valley adjacent to and north of Valhalla, but it drops too low and looks far less scenic. Getting to Valhalla would take too long due to exposure for a short trip like ours.

I think we'll camp somewhere near the base of the long (~1 mi) West Ridge. I have found very little beta on this route; from topos and Google Earth and my experience on Russell's east ridge in winter, it looks slightly less difficult than that (which is good, because I didn't have the cojones to finish the job solo from the col between the east and west summits last winter). The other routes would be fun but more technical, and since I don't want to lug a rope and gear all the way out there I think I'll stick with the west ridge.

Beta, recommendations, and partners welcome =)

Yeah, I really need to just quit my job.

PS: Scott Swaney was up there this past summer, which might provide some insight...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=142848&id=668617929

Really dated, but I took a bunch of summer campers ages 11-14
up Black Kaweah in August 1958. Obviously no snow & we used no technical gear or ropes.
We did the West Ridge to summit and came down the main chute to the Big Arroyo and back to base camp at 9 Lakes Basin.

I can't imagine going up the main chute in winter with ice and snow but am sure several have done it. West ridge would be
easier in my opinion and Secor has it well defined in his book.
Good climbing !

actually only two winter ascents are in the book. 1970 and 1997. I'm trying to track down the people who did it in 97. They're local, but nobody knows them.

D'oh, figures that as soon as I post something on a public forum my main partner starts to back out (he is a grad student and his adviser is clamping down on his free-roaming mountaineering activities, haha). Instead I managed to convince him to go over Shepherd pass to Caltech Peak over 3 days. You folks are welcome provided you are OK with the moderately strenuous itinerary (or a dayhike or rendezvous at the pass or something): 1 day to Shepherd Pass, 1 to Caltech Peak and back to camp, 1 day for descent. The party will be mix of skiers and snowshoers. We're going to start bright and early Saturday morning.

Best of luck to the original Black Kaweah party =) -- Hamik

I could, but then I'd have to kill you. LOL. I crack myself up.

Art DeGoede (I think) of Exeter
and
Shawn Hedwood, hedgewood, holwood, something. hard to read his writing.
http://www.rickkent.net/photos/2006-09-10%20-%20Black%20Kaweah/IMG_3526.JPG

I went through every page of the register (thanks Rickers) and looked for winter ascents.