W Peak of Fletcher: East Face
Fletcher, just W of Quandary, is a popular ski ascent, but when Jonathan Kriegel and I went for it on May 25, 2005, we found that the snow on the final face was not continuous. So instead we went for a prominent snow peak (13800') on the W Ridge, about halfway between Fletcher and Drift. This offered a fine ski descent, and the subsequent drop to the Quandary-Fletcher valley was also very good. This tour provided super views of the peaks surrounding the Monte Cristo valley, and also of Pacific, Atlantic, and Mayflower Gulch.
The next photo shows Jonathan skinning up to the top. The background is remarkable, as it shows Democrat in the rear, the double summit of Clinton at right, Wheeler in front of Democrat, and an unnamed summit with a great face infront of and right of Wheeler. The lower picture shows our approach to the nice snow face; the main peak of Fletcher is to our right. The best line of approach used the right-hand ridge, which towers over Mayflower Gulch on the other side.
And here is a shot taken on June 1, 2005, when I went into the Monte Cristo drainage solo. Drift is on far left, "W Fletcher" on far right. The slope Jonathan and I skied is the farthest face to the right. But note that continuing over the top of W Fletcher brings one to a nice south facing line down into the valley. Next time!
Here is a view of Fletcher's face on a day (May 25, 2007) when Elke Dratch and I ran into strong winds and poor post-storm snow conditions at the high elevations. We just skied to the Fletcher-West Fletcher saddle. The descent in the Fletcher-Quandary valley was fine.
