Yale Gully  WI2-3 Easy Snow

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Type:  Ice, Snow, Alpine, 1000 feet, Grade II Consensus:  WI2-3 [details] FA:  Unknown Season:  Winter Submitted By:  Adam Wilcox on Mar 21, 2010 You & This Route  |  Other Opinions (4) Your todo list: Your stars: Your rating: -none- [change] Your ticklist: [add new tick]

BETA PHOTO: Yale Gully - follow the purple line.

Partially vi...

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Description 

Yale gully is one of the longer climbs in the ravine. While not quite as memorable as Pinnacle or Odell's, this is still a worthwhile way to spend a few hours and is rarely crowded.

Begin with a slog up the long snow slope to the rope-length long Harvard ice bulge - easier on the right side, somewhat steeper to the left. Continue up easy snow into the shallow gully proper. Halfway up, the gully splits, with the left fork leading to the top, and the right apparently dead-ending on Damnation Buttress. Depending on the snow pack, you may find a few more ice bulges, some loose rocky scrambling, or just snow all the way to the top.

This climb was a good learning experience for me. Last year, I climbed it as my first winter route in Huntington's. We pitched out the entire route, took all day to get to the top, and I spent 2/3rds of my time shivering at a belay. This year I simul-soled the route with a friend. We carried a rope and pro, but felt comfortable enough not to use it, and topped out in less than an hour.

Location 

From the floor of the ravine, Yale Gully will appear as a shallow gully running all the way to the lip. It is the next gully left of the easy to identify Damnation Gully. The is a small ice cliff a bit to the left of the start.

Protection 

A few screws, possibly some pickets and rock gear.

Photos of Yale Gully Slideshow

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Topping out Yale. Photo by Courtney Ley.	Baby cornice. Photo by Courtney Ley.	BETA PHOTO: Peeking around a corner to check out an ice bulge ...