Technical difficulty
Technical snow and ice to 50 degrees
Physical difficulty
Strenuous
Length
2 days,
1 night
2007 Dates
Aug 18-19, Sept 22-23 or custom programs at any time.
Price
Custom guiding rates
Ratio
1 guide; 3 participants
Prerequisites
Basic ice climbing skills combined with overnight backpacking experience with off trail travel.
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.Thompson is Mt Gilbert's neighbor not to far from South Lake in Bishop Creek. Although pretty close (by Sierra standards) to the road this fine climbs sees very little traffic and offers several short fun gully climbs that end some distance from the summit. We sometimes pair one of these gully climbs with an ascent of Gilbert and this program is our scheduled Fall Ice Seminar . As well any the ascent also makes for an ideal two-day ascent to a good central Sierra viewpoint in a pristine alpine valley.
Itinerary Day One: The South Lake Trailhead west of Bishop in the South Fork of Bishop Creek is our starting point. We start on the Bishop Pass trail and then after 30 minutes take the Treasure Lakes trail for an hour or so. We then climb up slabs and circle around into the cirque below Thompson and Gilbert The approach to camp is about 3-4 hours and we will have time to set up camp and review skills.
Day Two: We will get off to an early start and ascend one of the gullies. There are three obvious couloirs on the north face. Recently modern climbers seem to have wanted their piece of the action and the couloirs have been called (named from the east) the Knudtson, Smrz and Harrington Couloirs. However Norman Clyde is said to have climbed Thompson over twenty times and it seems unlikely that this prolific first ascensionist and climber of most of the Palisade couloirs would have missed out on these, especially since they would not have tested his skills excessively.
All are about the same level of steepness with the presence or absence of water ice determining the difficulty. So we will take our pick.
Once at the top we leave the snow and ice gear at the top and hike for about 30 minutes up the easy slopes to the summit and a great view of the Goddard and Paiute areas.
Descent is pretty easy and we have recently made it easier by upgrading the rappel anchors down the couloir. Before long we are back in camp and packing up to head out.
We intend to return to the trailhead late in the afternoon of our climbing day
This is our video description of what it is like to climb Mt Thompson.
For better quality video you can go to our YouTube Site and click the "watch in higher resolution button".
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
