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fearlessclimber
Feb 23, 2006, 4:31 PM
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Devils tumb,Fact Box
Elevation (feet)
9077
Elevation (meters)
2767
Location
Alaska-B.C. Coastal Range
Alaska, U.S.A.
North America
First Climber(s)
North Face Never Conquered
Convenient Center(s)
Petersburg, Alaska
Easiest Summit Route
Major Mountain Expedition
The famous Devil's Thumb is written about extensively by Jon Krakauer. Its 6,000 North Face is the biggest wall of its steepness in North America. Dieter Klose declared that the wall is unclimbable. Many experts declare that the North Face of the Devil's Thumb will remain one of the two spectacular unclimbable faces in the Western Hemisphere, the other being the South Face of the Cerro Torre in Patagonia. V 5.8 technical climb mixed; 45-70 degree
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I found this info on the climb but why is it so unclimbable, i think we will see more people attempting this in the years to come. Does anyone have any picture of it. :?:
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kixx
Feb 23, 2006, 9:46 PM
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3 words - insurmountable objective hazards
blind luck won't get you through this one, nor skill, nor knowledge.
somebody needs to come up with a plan to avoid the falling debris from above. Time of year? Time of day? it's all about timing.
i hope my climbing level reaches a point that i can give it a shot someday before it goes down.
dream on
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dr_monkey
Feb 23, 2006, 9:54 PM
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I think that it is less about climbing level and more about dumb luck and commitment. You have to be willing to throw the dice, but the odds arn't all that great. I think that someone will do it someday by sacking up, getting lucky and moving real fast. The only thing I am sure of is that it won't be me, I'm a chicken s--t and haven't earned the right to even comment on it.
But I did!
DRS
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remi
Feb 24, 2006, 3:25 AM
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That picture above is pure porn! And like most porn I can only dream of taking part...
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rockprodigy
Feb 24, 2006, 4:46 AM
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I've been on the summit of that thing, and I've stood in the Witche's Cauldron and gazed up at the NWF. While camped on the south side of the mountain, we heard a lot of noise from down there.
Part of the trouble is not only its size, but the elevations that it spans. The base of the mountain is at 3,000' while the summit is 9,000'. You would theoretically want the whole face to be frozen. Being so close to the ocean, the bottom of the face rarely is frozen, unless there has been a storm, in which case, you have those problems to deal with.
The parties that have tried it, usually were there in the Mar-April time frame, hoping it would all be frozen. It might be possible to use a different strategy...climb it in the summer as a rock climb when the snow is mostly melted. The trouble is, low-angle granite usually doesn't have a lot of aid-able features. Free climbing would be unlikely because the N facing rock gets covered with lichen which is almost always wet.
Someone will get lucky and do it eventually, but the fact is, there aren't that many people trying, so it will be awhile. That place gets an average of one party a year. All the "good" alpine climbers are going to patagonia and the Himalaya these days. What little action N America gets is in the Rockies and the Alaska Range.
It would be interesting to speculate on the effects of global warming on a low elevation area such as the Petersburgh mountains....
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kimgraves
Feb 24, 2006, 4:47 AM
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Global Warming might make it much colder. Could it be done then?
Edit: the previous post beat me to it.
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faust
Feb 24, 2006, 5:37 AM
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what's that pilot's name?
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rockprodigy
Feb 24, 2006, 3:32 PM
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Wally. It's listed in the photo caption, which probably isn't approved yet.
Funny thing I just figured out...you can link to photos that aren't approved yet.
Here are a couple more:
My lovely wife Janelle following me along the summit Ridge of Devil's Thumb. My friend Marc, and brother Mark are behind her on the ridge. Mt. Burkett and the Burkett Needle are in the left background. This photo goes out to Marc Springer who was killed by rockfall two days after this photo was taken. We love you Marc!
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=69887
This is the original summit note left by Fred Beckey after the FA in 1946. Pretty cool.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=69889
Let me know if you like these, and I'll post some more. My dial-up is slow, though.
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kimgraves
Feb 24, 2006, 3:39 PM
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Rock,
Great photos. Please show more. Is that a ridge where the sun/shadow line is?
Thanks, Kim
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fearlessclimber
Feb 24, 2006, 5:59 PM
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so you have climber the thumb, great accomplishment, dont mean to bother you about it but what was it like to climb it.
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rleggett
Feb 24, 2006, 6:19 PM
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In reply to: one of the two spectacular unclimbable faces in the Western Hemisphere, the other being the South Face of the Cerro Torre in Patagonia.:?:
The S. Face of Cerro Torre sports several routes; Infinito Sud, What's Love got to do with it, etc. Perhaps you meant the South Face of the South Tower of Paine.
Guy Edwards, who perished on the NW face of Devils Thumb, is quoted as saying "Lets climb it so no one else has to."
Jon Millar, who perished with Guy, his mother was also extremely upset at the fact that the AAJ published an article taunting the face as unclimbable. Perhaps the claim that it is "unclimbable" should be excepted, and not interpreted as a challenge.
It will be very disturbing if someone else passes on this face in the near future.
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dynosore
Feb 24, 2006, 6:45 PM
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Heck yeah, post every photo you can. The east ridge is a NA Classic if I remember right. I intend to do it, but I've got some learning to do first.
edited to say: I just checked, and put 2 and 2 together. You've posted the TR on naclassics. Nice work.
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creemore
Feb 24, 2006, 8:29 PM
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Wasn't there an article on attempts up the NWF in one of the current mags with routes, high points and stories of different teams?
The story I recall is a team of 3 guys (2 Can, 1 USA I think). One of them decided no go during the approach after watching it for several days from base camp as the picture posted by "dynosore". It was steeper and more dangerous than anything he had attempted. To steep of a learning curve. He said "Good luck guys, there's a warm brew when you get back" and turned around. Only to see them climb a little more than halfway, then no more :( I'm not certain it's the climbers "rleggett" refers to. My apologies if it is.
A few more climbers have perished and some have managed a very dicey retreat, sometimes alone. My condolences to family members.
All had reported poor rock/ice/snow quality and steep climbing. Not to mention the seracs from both sides low on the route and of course the continuous rockfall. Well all this means it's a good candidate for a fast, soloing, Rockies (read: good on crappy rock) climber.
That's what this dude thought:
http://www.alpinist.com/climbing-notes/note/10166/
M. Frank Jourdan's trip reports are absolutely incredible, still dreams for me. His performances speak for themselves as to the feasibility of this face.
From article above:
"I headed farther north to the main goal of the trip: the 2000-meter unclimbed northwest face of Devils Thumb, the ultimate challenge for a fast solo push. From Petersburg I flew in, highly excited to look at the face, but what a mess: there was no snow and ice at all, only very broken and chossy-looking rock (especially in the lower part). I realized that there is no way to climb this vertical quarry"
Maybe he should just attempt it at the beginning of his next "Tour de Force". :wink:
Congratulation!!!
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fearlessclimber
Feb 24, 2006, 9:57 PM
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could someone move this forum to alpine and ice, thanks
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edge
Feb 24, 2006, 10:17 PM
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edge moved this thread from General to Alpine & Ice.
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boardline22
Feb 24, 2006, 10:20 PM
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I will climb it if I ever get the experience, but I never will so I will never climb it.
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ak_powder_monkey
Feb 25, 2006, 4:43 AM
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what about doing it in say january under a full moon, everything would be frozen for sure
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scuclimber
Feb 25, 2006, 7:39 AM
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In reply to: what about doing it in say january under a full moon, everything would be frozen for sure
Weather windows probably wouldn't be big enough I'd imagine.
Colin
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boardline22
Feb 26, 2006, 8:47 PM
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In reply to: what about doing it in say january under a full moon, everything would be frozen for sure
good idea
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creemore
Mar 4, 2006, 12:17 AM
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Ok so I'm not good computers and I just saw that little search thingy and the bottom.....well I feel like an idiot :oops:
Creemore
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coldclimb
Mar 4, 2006, 12:45 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: one of the two spectacular unclimbable faces in the Western Hemisphere, the other being the South Face of the Cerro Torre in Patagonia.:?: The S. Face of Cerro Torre sports several routes; Infinito Sud, What's Love got to do with it, etc. Perhaps you meant the South Face of the South Tower of Paine. Guy Edwards, who perished on the NW face of Devils Thumb, is quoted as saying "Lets climb it so no one else has to." Jon Millar, who perished with Guy, his mother was also extremely upset at the fact that the AAJ published an article taunting the face as unclimbable. Perhaps the claim that it is "unclimbable" should be excepted, and not interpreted as a challenge. It will be very disturbing if someone else passes on this face in the near future.
Yeah, I recall that being all over the news here for a while. It's interesting, the allure of the impossible to us climbers. I have little interest in mountaineering of this sort, and no experience or gear, and yet just hearing all these stories about that wall sets off a strong urge to climb it. What IS it that drives us? I know it's impossible, but something in me won't accept that.
Makes you think.
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hosh
Mar 4, 2006, 1:02 AM
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not that I'm in the running for bagging the sumit of this beast, but I've always looked at the word "impossible" (at least in the context of sports) as what we can only dream about now but what might be possible tomorrow. Remember when 5.10 was as hard as it got in the YDS?
hosh.
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kixx
Mar 9, 2006, 3:20 AM
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Count me in for the full moon sprint to the top. The route would have to be all reconned from the air, the photos studied and restudied, every possibility weighed, every moved agonized over and prepared for on the crags. Then, reconned from the ground for days or weeks before the attempt was actually made. Then fly like a bat outta hell and sprint up that mother. Basically you would have to prepare like a modern free soloist.
Is this good style, or who would even throw this much time into it... but then again... it is impossible right?
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