Chair Peak, Round 2 - A Double Dose

Aaron and I set out to climb Chair Peak; the location and access for this peak make it a great winter training ground for my plans later in the season, and I can't get enough! Our plan was to try do to both the Northeast Buttress and the North Face in one day. It worked out fantastically. Snow conditions were firm heading up from the parking lot, and we didn't need snowshoes. Unfortunately, my camera at this point was still stuck on a messed up ISO setting (I thought perhaps that I had damaged a light sensor on it), so the pictures I have are mostly washed out.

We took a 'left' variation at the start of the northeast buttress, and Aaron belayed me up to some trees. After that, we simulclimbed the rest of the way to the top in one long pitch. It is amazing how fast you go when you do this! We were up there after only an hour or so of climbing (at least that's what I recall). We made a quick descent and traversed back around to the north face route. We climbed this in two long pitches, with me stopping to belay Aaron once in a stand of trees. Aaron's a totally solid climber and cruised the whole way up.

Additionally, I'd like to thank Aaron for his patience. I dropped an ice screw (d'oh!) while on the north face, and saw it plummet to the snow slopes below. He was patient enough
to wait for me while I traversed back around to the north face for the second time that day to retrieve it. Fortunately, it was easy to locate! It was a brand new one, too.