Just back from an amazing trip to Baxter, guided by uber-guide Kevin Mahoney. Skied in 13 miles from Abol Bridge to Roaring Brook on Sunday, pulling sleds with our gear. Monday, up early and hiked to Chimney Pond and settled into the bunkhouse for three nights. Then we did a three pitch climb on the Pamola Ice Cliffs, into a gathering snow storm. Tuesday, up early, still blowy and snowy, and we climbed Furies Left, a technical ice/steep snow climb with a sweet rock finish to the ridge east of Pamola Peak, followed by a slow hike down the Dudley Path to the hut. Wednesday, still a bit worried about snow stability (we saw avalanches Tuesday on the 30 degree snowfields below the Chauvin-Cole Route and other routes with a more southerly aspect) so we opted for Furies Right, the gully to the right of the climb we had done Tuesday. It was an outstanding climb, 8 pitches, difficult ice, ending in a high cirque that we climbed out of up a corner/chimney system of blocky, rime covered rock, grade 5.8 or so, quite challenging especially with the thick rime. Topped out on some really loose rock (sent a big one, not intentionally), tagged Pamola's summit, then rappelled the 8 pitches back, a three hour effort. The first two rappels (70 meters) were over the same loose, blocky terrain, awkward and with the real concerns of not letting the rope knock off a rock and trying to keep the rope on terrain it could be retrieved over without hanging in a crack, oh the horror of that scenario. Headlamp finish and back at the hut at 7 - what a climb! Skied out the next day. Kevin gave us great climbing in conditions that might have kept some guides off the mountain. The big face in the North basin had a smear from top to bottom, and it had fattened when we saw it on the way out - and the one to looker's right had reached the floor. Apparently these rarely form and may never have been climbed - there's a photo attached.
