Mount Morrison Winter Climbing Considerations

The north face of Mount Morrison. Photo by Jack Cramer.

This imposing peak has attracted winter climbing attention for a long time*, and the current era is no exception. Preston Rhea is the modern scholar and activist on this peak, doing a ton of research on the old routes and putting up a number of new winter (and summer) climbs for us to try.

The metamorphic rock in this area is waaaaayy different to climb on than the stone on say, Mount Russell or the Hulk. The north face of the peak is almost 2000 feet high. These two factors mean that Morrison requires a slightly different mindset from winter climbers than other peaks in the range. It reminds me a bit of alpine climbing in the Canadian Rockies. The following beta can be helpful for folks climbing on Mount Morrison or the Torre De Mierda for the first time.

Approach (distances are approximate and measured from the picnic area on the east side of the lake)

I think that if you're any climbing routes on the north side of the peak, or on the Torre, the most expedient approach is to head to the south end of Convict Lake and up into the hanging valley from there. This is about 2 miles with a gain of 2700 feet to the North Buttress. If the lake is frozen going directly over it can save some time, though it's spooky for those of us who aren't from the upper Midwest.

The slope up into the hanging valley faces west and if it's a dry winter trying to ski up or down it can be a real bummer. In this instance I think you have two options: a) wear trail runners and a spare pair of socks on the approach or 2) if you're dying to ski in head up the moraine into the valley east of Mini Morrison, then over the Morrison Col and down into the hanging valley below the north face. To the foot of the North Buttress this takes 3 miles, gains 3300 feet and loses 900 feet. There's a dirt road leading to the top of this moraine that can be driveable late in the season or in a dry winter which cuts off 0.4 miles and 600 feet of gain. This could be a good place for a car bivy. 

Many climbers find that the climbing on Morrison can take longer than they expect because protection and anchors are tricky. If you're new to the peak and don't have the legs (and pack) of a skimo racer consider an approach the afternoon before and a bivy near the base.

Morrison approaches: red is the hanging valley, blue is the eastern slope if you can drive to the top of the moraine, add in green if you can't.

Avalanche

The standard descent from Mount Morrison is down the east face and the standard descent for the Torre De Mierda is down the gully behind the peak. Both of these are avalanche terrain. Climbers should also be aware that both approaches to the North Face and the Torre pass through and under avalanche terrain. This area is within the ESAC forecast zone, and is visited often enough that snowpack observations from here can often be found. Another useful conditions resource is the webcam at the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport. The Torre De Mierda and Death Couloir can be seen, as well as the upper half of a lot of the north face of Morrison.

Climbing

As Preston mentions several times on Mountain Project, the rock on Morrison and the Torre calls for different gear than standard Sierra granite. Finger to hand sizes are the nicest for cams, with Totems being good for piece of mind despite the added weight. Pitons are crucial. Knifeblades and Lost Arrows on the shorter side seem to be more useful than the longer ones. Beaks or Tomahawks are also key.

Though loose rock is common the rock itself is generally not rotten or decomposing. The holds are often sloping. On the Torre De Mierda I've found that the white rock, which is some kind of sandstone, is better than it looks but fairly compact and the holds are often "neutral" instead of positive, so reassuring hooks are less common than on granite.

Don't pass up opportunities for lead protection, the rock is compact, so good cracks can be rare.

Longer pitches aren't faster here. They require more gear, leaving you less to build a good belay anchor with, making that process take longer. Also, the farther above your belayer you get, the more time rocks have to speed up and ricochet unpredictably.

Prepare to build some complicated belays, it's very rare to be able to quickly place two bomber hand sized cams and call it good. With this in mind have the material and savvy for this sort of rigging. A long cordelette can help things go faster, and having practice incorporating the rope into your rigging is really helpful. 

Belay out of the rockfall zone. Think like a smart ice climber, and do what it takes to position yourself out of the line of fire from the next pitch. The higher the climber is above the belay, the wider their "kill zone" becomes. This might be the most important risk management factor in this area.

*The first winter ascent of the Northeast Wall and Buttress was January 22, 1968!

Want to nerd out on Morrison geology? Check out this, and this, and this.