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155 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 6:59 PM
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South Twin is one of the most attractive mountains on the Columbia Icefield. Its impressive East Face will catch your eye instantly. From our 3300 m camp at Stutfield col, we followed a snow bench towards the south ridge of the North Twin. From there we kicked steps down to the South/North Twin col. We put the skis back on and started making our way up the north ridge of South Twin. When the slope got steeper, we traded the skis for crampons. Thanks to the high winds that ravaged the icefield almost nonstop, most of the north ridge was snow free and we had to climb glacier ice. I used my second ice tool, since I had it with me, but it was possible to climb it with only one ice axe. The final horizontal section of the ridge was a windhammered knife edge. We traversed just below it on the slopes on the right and then regained the ridge proper near the summit. To our surprise there was no wind at the top, so we decided to have a lunch break right on the summit. It was lovely up there.
SOUTH TWIN Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/peakhunter2009/SOUTHTWIN3580M
The controversial West Twin is basically an extension of South Twin. If you`re not after the 11,000ers in the Rockies, then forget about it. If you have the time, however, go for it. It`s a pleasant diversion from South Twin with some spectacular glacier and cornice scenery. We climbed the east face on the far right. The crossing of the bergschrund was easy, thanks to the large amount of snow deposited this season. We traversed a small bench below the permanent cornice to gain the north ridge of West Twin. From there, it was a nice walk to the top.
WEST TWIN Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/peakhunter2009/WESTTWIN3361M  |
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 Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13453 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 9:39 PM
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That is one epic shot; justs like being on top of the world.
K |
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972 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 10:47 PM
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thanks for sharing
lot's of good photo's |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
606 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 11:36 PM
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| This is fantastic, in particular shots of Mt. Alberta. |
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Calgary, AB
Canada
101 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 06:31 AM
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It's very interesting to see how different the ridge and summit of South Twin and the face up West Twin are from when we were there some 20+ years ago.
South Twin featured a ridge that really was a "knife edge". We had to traverse below it all the way to the summit. It was your summit shot that surprised me the most. There was nothing like the platform your photo shows. For us, the knife edge went straight up to a sharp summit point and there was no way we could all stand on it together.
For West Twin it was a straight snow plod right up to the ridge with no cornice to negotiate at all.
We had a long day. Our camp was opposite Kitchener but conditions were perfect for a gliding ski back at sunset.
Thanks for the great photos of a memorable area. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1195 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 06:44 AM
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Raff, what a trip, great shots! There seems to be some dust on your sensor. I've found sensor swabs at the camera store and have been able to remove these easily on the Nikon D7000. Not sure if they have the right size of swab for the NEX-5, but might be worth looking into.
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Edited by - Marko on 05/24/2012 06:45 AM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
617 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 06:44 AM
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| Nice! Would have loved to join you on this but obviously couldn't happen for our team. Bagging all four twins in two days is pretty sweet, congrats!! |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1195 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 06:46 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by VicB
It's very interesting to see how different the ridge and summit of South Twin and the face up West Twin are from when we were there some 20+ years ago.
Do you happen to have any scanned photos? It would be interesting to see a comparison. |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
908 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 08:32 AM
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| Amazing photo! Thanks for sharing it. |
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Calgary, AB
Canada
101 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 09:23 AM
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Here's the photos that best indicate both routes. My memory of that South Twin knife edge has it much sharper, and the slope below it much steeper, than appears in this photo. Bob Saunders, Reg Bonney and a couple others were camped in the col below North Twin. They bagged all four of the Twins that day. This photo shows them coming up South Twin behind us. I suppose the big difference is that there was no cornice roll as you experienced.
The guys I was with were not interested in West Twin so I joined Bob and took the lead up the snow face. Your group climbed up much further to the right. We climbed straight up, to top out just right of the summit rocks. Not sure if this photo will be clear enough but Bob and I are on the summit and the other guys on the face behind us.
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155 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 4:10 PM
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Thanks for posting your old photos of the South Twin, Vic. Very, very interesting. The ridge you`ve encountered back then looks more challenging. The first time I climbed the South Twin was in June of 2007, and the ridge was even easier back then. I simply walked on top of the entire ridge directly to the summit. I guess, with the South Twin you never know what you gonna get. Anyone going up there, be prepared for anything!
Marko, thanks for noticing those black dots. I could have erased them using Photoshop, but was too lazy. I usually clean my sensor with a blower, but I guess I didn`t clean it well enough. Sometimes those SLR cameras can be a little frustrating. |
Edited by - MtnNinja on 05/24/2012 4:10 PM |
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South Twin and West Twin
