Prerequisites
Technical ice climbing skills are required: you should be able to comfortably follow 60-80 degree ice with a day pack at 13,000 feet of elevation.
Inclusions
Price includes guiding, permits, group climbing gear, tents, kitchen gear, breakfasts, lunches and dinners (you bring hot/cold drinks and snack items). Scheduled dates include USFS trail fees. Private programs do not. Local accommodation is not included.
Mt Mendel, 13,710', sports the two best known gully ice climbs in the Sierra. Logically known as Mendel Left and Mendel Right, the couloirs split the impressive north face of the mountain and offer two tantalizing choices to the summit. First climbed in the late 1950's this remains one of the most highly coveted ice climbs in the range and Mendel Right is regarded “the” classic Sierra ice route - legend has it that Chouinard invented the curved pick on this climb. The route offers up to ten pitches of climbing that approach 65 degrees at their steepest with a final 5.6 rock pitch completing the climb. Often midway up there is a chockstone that melts out of the couloir creating the crux of the climb.
The left gully, also known as Ice Nine, was first climbed ten year later than Mendel Right, in 1967, and offers a more challenging climb. You may see Mendel Left and Ice Nine described as two separate routes but they are indeed one and the same. Conditions vary tremendously but at its best the climb is a narrow twisting gully, inclined at up to 80 degrees (and some vertical sections) and often little more then two feet wide of continuous ice to nearly the top of the. In drier years the vertical sections are steep rock chimneys and are very challenging.
Following a winter with plenty of snow September is the prime time for these routes but in drier years July and August are best.
We usually guide the right hand climb but the choice is yours. In either case the climb is sure to be a great adventure to the top of one of the High Sierra's great summits.
Itinerary The approach hike begins west of Bishop at the North Lake trailhead, elevation 9,300'. Lamarck Col is the destination and at over 13,000' it's a grind. Only 6 miles from the cars, it takes most of the day. Lamarck Col is one of the gateways to Kings Canyon National Park but we seldom see other parties on the trail. There are several choices of camp spots; sometimes we camp on a sandy bench partway down from the Col. Other times we drop all the way to the canyon bottom and camp at some of the tiny lakes in upper Darwin Canyon.
The second day sees us out of camp before first light, climbing up a steep, loose moraine bound for the bergschrund at the base of the couloirs, which are only a few hundred feet apart. Either choice of route takes us to the summit and our descent is via second and third class scrambling to the east.
We reverse our steps on the third day, taking a final grand view from Lamarck Col.
Notes Guidebooks include Secor's “The High Sierra; Peaks, Passes and Trails”, and “Sierra Classics” by Moynier and Fiddler The best of course is “Eastern Sierra Ice” by SP Parker. Get it from Maximus Press.
We highly recommend that you spend at least one night at moderate altitude (higher than 8,000') just prior to the trip. Spending a night in Mammoth would do the trick or better yet, camped at an even higher trailhead, such as the South Lake/Bishop Pass trailhead for a night just before the trip. Cardinal Village Resort in Bishop Creek near North Lake is also a good lodging option. Please refer to our Planning for Success info sheet for more info.
Physical difficulty
