Ref: Rick Collier's
"A
winter ascent and traverse of Boom Mountain"
Note: Our route differs from the above trip report. We started climbing
after we passed the west most avalanche path that
funnels down to valley bottom (off of Boom Mountain), about 4
kilometers in, 629770. Instead of accessing the
upper mountain from Boom Col, 631779, we aimed for a treed rib, 632778,
slightly east of
the col. This leads to a weakness through the rockband and
bluffs. The summit plateau is easily reached that way. |
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Chickadee Valley and
Boom Mountain on the right. |
| Ski touring:
RT 9.75; 6.0 up. I've been
curious about this mountain for many years. The only trip report I
found
was Rick Collier's winter ascent in '88. I knew the best time to visit
that area is in the winter, using the popular packed trail up
Chickadee Valley. The weather was unstable and the avalanche hazard
varied
greatly. We decided it was a good occasion to do a reconnaissance trip.
We set off on the obvious trail; although it was windy, the air was
mild and it was sunny. The chirping birds seemed to announce
springtime. We progressed nicely along the drainage and Boom Mountain's
numerous avalanche paths. All the swaths had ski tracks! Near the
furthest slide path, we started to look at Boom's upper mountain. We
noted a weakness in the rockband, a line through some bluffs seemed to
give way to the summit plateau. In addition, the terrain above treeline
appeared wind-scoured. In order to scope out that favorable option, we
had to
ascend a treed rib situated between two large slide paths. We looked
for an
uptrack used to gain the col west of Boom but only
found down-tracks. Hence, we began making our way through the forest
following the ski tracks at first. Breaking trail was okay, skis offered
good flotation but our uptrack was horrendous due to a combination of
tight trees and very steep terrain. As we gained height, there was more
new snow. We carefully worked our way up the forest avoiding time spent
in the slide path. Near treeline, the terrain is increasingly steep;
not a good place to be if uncertain about snowpack stability... I
nervously continued, very attentive to changing conditions. We were
thrilled to step onto the wind-blown rib; I guess that's when this
recon trip turned into a genuine summit bid! We left the skis behind
and proceeded towards the weakness in the rockband. Going through the
bluffs proved easy, we didn't even require our alpine axe or crampons.
Once
on the summit plateau, a pleasant hike ensued. After a couple of
hightpoints, we reached the top. Damn, this was unexpected! I stood by
the cairn quite cheerful despite to lack of visibility; this successful
ascent marks my 300th summit! Blowing snow didn't deter us from
celebrating with a shot of Jägermeister. Fab dug out a copper pipe
holding the frozen register. We saw Rick's name and had a moment of
reflection... After a good summit stay, we started our descent. We
noticed two Ptarmigans on the summit plateau, what a place to be...
Back at our skis, we prepared for a sweet descent. Our plan was to
skirt the upper part of the large avalanche gully situated skier's left
before committing to skiing it. The ski run was exceptionally good!
Back
on
the packed trail, we resumed our descent to the truck. It was
effortless; Fab called it a "pump track". All in all, today was
a surprisingly awesome day!!! |
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Boom Mountain's
numerous slide paths, we're heading to the west end of the mountain. |
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In red is the ascent
route we used. This impressive avalanche path grants an excellent ski
run! |
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We climbed the treed
rib which leads to a weakness in the rockband. |
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Easy bootpacking
conditions and straightforward route finding. |
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Looking back. |
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We circumvented the
middle bluff climber's left to avoid deep snow. |
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The slide path
skier's left funnels all the way down to valley bottom. |
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Rounding up the last
bluffs and the plateau appears. |
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Fab reaches the
summit plateau, the sun is still filtering through. |
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Pleasant walk to the
false summit. |
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Looking back at the
false summit from the top. |
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Wonderful view to
the east! |
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Fab's holding the
frozen copper pipe. |
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Rick Collier's entry
from 1988. |
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My 300th summit...
boom, boom!!! |
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The whole summit
plateau is corniced. |
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Two ptarmigans feel
at home on this desolate plateau. |
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Fab adds to a cairn
marking the way through the bluffs. |
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Following our prints
makes backtracking easy. |
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The weather has
deteriorated since our ascent. |
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Last glimpse towards
the bluffs. |
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Preparing for a
sweet descent. |
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We skirted the large
slide path before committing to skiing it. |
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After an excellent
ski run, we're back on the "pump track"! |
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