On the 23rd we strapped our plastics on our backs and headed up to HC, planning to rest there the night, then launch upwards early the next morning. This allowed us to check out the route before the afternoon cloud. Rockfall was a major issue on our mind, the top half of the face looked steep and loose in the current dry conditions, the gullys looked to funnel any debris from up high. However the gully on the left of the central spur held ice, giving the fastest and easiest passage up the low section of face. After a close inspection of the possible route with binoculars and a walk to the base of the gully, we saw no evidence of rockfall and felt the gully would be ok in the cold of pre-dawn, planning to climb it early and move onto the spur before the sun hit the face.
However as we regained camp, the snow started to fall. This was no big surprise, we had experienced snowfall most evenings, but it got heavier and heavier as we sheltered in our little tent. As Ben went to fetch water, he got shocked by a static discharge. We sat and waited and made the call that the gully would be too dangerous with this much snowfall, and the pure rock climbing options too hard, so we sat out the next day and hope some sunshine would hit the face moving any excess snow.
The opposite happened however, the face got zero sun that day and the snow started falling earlier than normal, and heavier, with large thunderstorms moving up the valley. Our patience being tested now, we sat out the day in our cramped tent.
Beaut line just says climb me.
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