Mitre

A couple of us checked out the Mitre couloir a few years ago. Just head up river past the Staircase stream turnoff. From big open flats at head of river its a very straightforward and obvious plod up the couloir if there is enough snow. It takes you up to a small mini saddle on a side spur (the main ridge looked impossible). From there it is a steep 30m drop to a steep sidle across a head of a steep gulch/bluff and sidle across small snow slopes to base of final rock scramble up rock ribs and gullies. We couldn’t find a comfortable way up thru the rock, nor could we see the top (which didn’t help) but i’m told its straightforward (so Gary says, but accunts in the hut books suggest otherwsie – the words “chossy” and “grovel” are used frequently). We turned back after scouting around in the steep rock covered in loose snow and a bit of ice to no avail. We carried rope and basic gear but didn’t use it