The Dolphin
Our view of the North Face from directly beneath it foreshortens the difficulties we know will test us at -20 C.
Top of the Dolphin
Climbing up and across the Dolphin allows us to gain some rapid height at the onset of our climb.
Grooves and Gullies
Choosing the right groove among the many possibilities is key to our progress
Phil Hein
Phil Hein, the perfect partner for Temple's North Face in winter; Keen, Level Headed, Skilled, and Patient
Connecting the grooves
Steep sections of mixed rock and ice were separated by easier ramps of ice and snow.
Continuous difficult mixed climbing
We choosed the line that offers the greatest potential for placing protection.
The Face Spread Beneath Us
The view of the Dolphin beneath our heals is expansive and almost overwhelming
Dark Pillars of Rock
Looking across the face to the West, the wall was gigantic and intimidating
Slow and Steady
Connecting the moves on rock was tedius and delicate through continuous sections of rock. Dry tooling had yet to become a skill I mastered.
The Ice Serac
I broke a crampon in the extreme cold and brittle ice of the Sera barrier. Phil brings up the gear to finish the pitch as I belayed on the most exposed vertical ice I'd ever been on.
Vertical Terror
Phil finished the last section up the remaining meters of the ice serac, the last difficult climbing before the much lower angled ice fields.
Within the icy serac
The extreme wall suddenly gave way to almost casual climbing through the last 150 meters of the face.
Last Icefield to the Summit
With one broken crampon, I hobbled up the final ice fields with care. Luckily I averted disaster when I slipped and began to slide, self arresting before spinning out of control.
Arms Uplifted!
With arms raised, we are ecstatic to begin the descent of day six. Mt. Deltaform peers out beneath my arm for a view I would log into my memory as a challenge for another day.