Yesterday we had a long evening preparing the gear, planning the climb. The goal was to get close to the summit, camp one night, ski down the crater and back up and down tomorrow.
Time on the mountain: 5:47
Ascent: 363m -> 1134 -> 363
Weather: overcast, cold -5 (with windchill prob -15)
Mount Yotei decided otherwise. We were humbled by how tough it got when we gained altitude: overcast, steep and very icy. Pat and Xavier switched to crampons on skis and split board. I kept going for a hundred meters, lost grip and started sliding, Pat stopped the fall. It was obviously time to put on the crampons. No major risk taken at this point but just impossible to go up anymore simply with skins.
We stopped briefly for lunch, it was cold, windy and small flurries, started again, made it to 1100m and decided to turn around. It didn’t feel safe anymore. We reached the limit of our gear. Definitely would have been better with proper climbing boots, crampons and ice axe today to make it to the top, with possibly a rope further up.
We were humbled by Yotei. And just as we got back to the car the sun came out just in time for the picture.
