Thanks Haldan Borglum for posting a track that demonstrated this could be done during summer conditions... Granted, his team had a faster pace than we did (trail ran to/from Aster Lake), and I think just is faster than I am in general
Mount Joffre has been in my mind for a long time - probably 30 years... The typical ascent of Mount Joffre is in spring conditions, and usually is skied. The route usually is taken on over a 2-day window due to the distance.
An alternative to skiing is a "gully" ascent line to the northeast. I have never found good information on this line other than a rating of Class 5.6. I've also seen ratings as "F 3rd" - which essentially would be comparable to moderate scrambling. Of course, this doesn't help a person truly understand a route since grading of routes is somewhat subjective. I like seeing photos and descriptive text to assess if I might be able to do something or not, so when Haldan posted not only a gpx track for this route, but also sent me some photos, this objective took on a totally better visual in my head... one that I couldn't shake.
Don't be tricked by the ratings! Since the glacier and snow coverage varies wildly throughout the year, you may get either extreme... This ascent was while the glacier and gully were both dry.
So, when the weather forecast lined up, I planned to take this on after also taking on Whistling Rock Ridge in Burstall Pass (another one of those "earwigs" that get into my brain and bug me). I wasn't able to track down other partners that were free for my targeted day to take Joffre on as a one-day deal - most people want to ski it. Darren Steffler, one of the guys that I have taken on difficult route with before, was willing to take it on... and was willing to go in with a plan to solo the gully (not scrambling terrain).
Негізгі бет Үй жануарлары мен аңдар Mount Joffre NE Ridge (Gully Route)...dry glacier+gully - Aug 27, 2023 -Darren Steffler / Doug Lutz
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