FA: Tom Hornbein & Bob Frausen '52

Type:  Trad multi-pitch mixed

Difficulty:  50 degree snow,WI 3+, M2 

Length:  3-5  pitches 1200', Grade III

Season:  November through January,  or                  just two weeks if we're lucky.

The slopes in this photo at the base of the route and the large bowl at the top of the route possess most of the avalanche danger, which due to the avi prone nature of these unsupported, lee loaded slopes in the upper 30+ angles, all funelling down the climbing route means you better be sure about snow stability before treading to heavily on these slopes.   Some people bring two 60m ropes and do four raps down the climb to avoid the upper slopes and the more engaging descent.

Description 

The East Face route of Notchtop Spire is one of the more accessible of the classic alpine ice and snow routes in Rocky Mountain National Park.  

It is primarily a steep snow route that includes about 500' of water ice in the center of this imposing face which is followed by another 400' of snow to the summit.  

The shape of this large east face on Notchtop Mountain is a funnel so that most falling material (snow, ice, or rock) comes down into this route and thus in warm or avalanche prone conditions, this route might be reconsidered as this area can be a danger zone for much of the year due to unfavorable conditions.

Find a short chimney behind the boulder and climb through a couple of low 5th class moves to gain a ramp with trees.  Traverse on low angle rock or snow up to 40 degrees up and right into the center of the bowl towards the hopefully obvious ice.

One approach for the route (green path) goes west  from Lk. Helene and then leaves the climbers trail once on the rock plateau to find a key chimney/ramp which traverses high into the start of the route.  

The second option can be best to drop into the Odessa Gorge for a few hundred feet to the north  but  then traverse high across the valley bottom staying just left of the "guide's wall" and gain the route from it's far east-north side.  (blue path)

Avalanche Danger 

This route can be one of the most avalanche prone aspects in Rocky Mountain National Park due to it's steep and lee nature which features many unsupported slopes, a cornice threat and it's an east aspect which can warm-up quickly in the morning to produce heat-related avalanche danger.  

As a result, this route is rarely in "safe-enough" conditions to be ascended and careful consideration should be paid to avalanche danger and the weather forecast.  In the spring this route may need to be climbed in the night to attain cold-enough snow for safe-enough ascension.

From the left or more western approach to the east face which is most ideal is moderate or low avalanche danger, approach as for the Notchtop Spire Spiral Route, but break off the climbers trail before Notchtop and head towards a large boulder at the bottom left (SE) of the E face.

Location

The approach to the Notchtop Spire starts at the Bear Lake trailhead at 9450' in the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park.   

Follow  the trail heading north towards Lake Helene in the Ptarmagin Valley, and once you are near the shores of Two-Rivers Lake, take the climbers trails up the middle of the valley until high enough to traverse past the big .  

The Ptarmagin Glacier sits at the top of the PtarmaginValley with the north face of Flattop Mtn. and the Ptarmagin Couloirs standing guard just a few hundred meters across this tight and surrounded by steep walls and spires.

The base of the route is at approx. 10,800' and tops out just above 12,000'.

P1- 40m  (WI2)  Climb WI2 or M1 up to a fixed anchor on the right that is somewhat sheltered from falling ice on the next pitch.

P2 - 30m  (WI3) Climb the ice step which can also be protected on the left side with  #1 & #2 Camalots and belay immediately above from a rock anchor.

Above this pitch climb steep snow (50 degrees) for 60m to the bottom of the next ice flow.

P3- 45m   (WI2)  Climb the water ice and belay in the rock or with screws at the top of the ice.

Once again, it can help to do a short pitch on snow for 30m up and right to the side of the next flow to provide enough rope for the pitch and to keep the belayer out of the way of falling ice.

P4 - 450  (WI3) Finish up on this hopefully fat flow and make a rock anchor at the top on the right

Above here, aim for the ridgecrest taking the path of least resistance by either pitching, simul-climbing (with protection) or soloing to the ridge crest by heading left after reaching the obvious rock island in the middle of the upper bowl.

Jonathon spitzer launching into the second (WI3) pitch 

(photo courtesy of Mike Soucy)

Rescue services will take a while here and contacting "911" resources could be the crux of an adventure gone bad.  Winter conditions can quickly kill an exposed and immobile person, especially one who is bleeding or broken.  Emergency and bivy gear should be considered along with communications equipment in any alpine winter backcountry adventure.  Tell a responsible person where you are going and when you plan to return so that they might initiate a search for you and contact the National Park Service who coordinate all rescues in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Descent

From the top of the route, the goal is to cross over the ridgecrest in to the descent gully on the opposite (west) face of Notchtop.  To locate the descent gully, climb up to the obvious rock island in the middle of the bowl, then left to the ridge and descent gully.   

If avalanche conditions are problematic in the couloir or if you are looking for a non-technical but longer walk-off descent, climb up to the ridge crest  then up towards the summit of Knobtop but slightly left  to connect together snow gullys to the upper plateau.  

Be careful in this area to avoid potentially loaded areas as this entire area along the east face is lee and cross-loaded terrain.  Reach the Knobtop spur then head west towards the Continental Divide and Ptarmagin Point to join the Flattop Mountain trail for an easy walk down to the Bear Lake parking lot.

The east south and west faces of notchtop showing the rappel route from the notch and the routes to the ridgecrest.

Equipment

A small rock rack including #3 and #2 camalots would be helpful and 6-7 screws should be adequate to protect these pitches and to set-up adequate belay anchors.  

A single 60m rope should be enough unless there is a chance that the route will be rappelled (not ideal), in which case a "tag-line" or other two-rope system will be necessary to make the rappels long enough to reach the few fixed anchors in place and the few bands of rock where anchors would be possible to build.

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