Bell Chord

[dude4mountains]

Any info on snow conditions would be greatly appreciated ...planning an attempt this weekend (June 11-13). I know snow conditions have been soft in the high country with all the warm weather and dirty snow, so any specifics would be helpful.

Also, is it Bell "Chord" or Bell "Cord", both seem valid?

Thanks,
Dude

[Glen]

I'll be there tomorrow, can't find anyone who wants to go but I still plan on doing it. I will let you know what it's like.

[Kiefer]

Sorry I can't go witcha!
Have a great time up there!! Take some shots of Pyramid's West Face!

(Watch out for the 'Beers'!)

[Prairie Native]

Its cord. And we were up there last weekend. Snow started from the last campsites after crater lake. Probably a bit higher than that by now. The snow was getting absolutley baked by 7-8AM. Start super early, we saw a group go up around 11AM, came down shortly after and rigged a rappel for the steeper section around the garbage chute because the snow was so bad. Not sure what they were trying to do..we started at midnight and made it a little ways into the cord before being unacclimated flatlanders turned us around. there was a nice bootpack up there to follow. might still be there.

[Canadian_bass]

My guess is cord would be correct. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary:

cord
c.1300, from O.Fr. corde "rope, string, twist, cord," from L. chorda "string of a musical instrument, cat-gut," from Gk. khorde "string, catgut, chord, cord," from PIE base *ghere- "intestine" (see yarn)...

As English has adopted the word 'string' to describe the metal or sinuous vibrating member of a musical instrument, the second entry's spelling would strike me as incorrect to describe the mountaineering term. The mountaineering term, I assume, uses the word 'cord' to describe a long, mostly-continuous, rope-like inset on a mountain that would be larger than a gully. This usage would be analogous (homologous??) to the medical 'spinal cord', which I don't believe I have ever seen as 'chord'.

As a recovering musician, I would define a 'chord' as a multi-note cluster wherein the individual notes occur simultaneously. Generally these are based on 3rds (triads and their extensions).

I have nothing to contribute to actually climbing the thing however :D

[pioletski]

Agreed, Canadian_bass, it's "cord" in all the literature I have seen. I assume it is a continuation of the imagery of the name "Maroon Bells", as a bell cord = the cord (rope) that you pull to ring a bell or set of bells. Should we refer to them collectively as the "Carillon"? :D

[Jim Davies]

A bell chord would require at least three bells, right?

[skiwall]

A bell chord would require at least three bells, right?

[sgladbach]

Yesterday (6/6), I was part of a group of 4 ( + dog) who climbed the couloir which climbs between Thunder Pyramid and Lightning Pyramd ( a PM to summitlounger may get you a Bell-Cord photo.) Our Couloir was directly across valley from the Bell-Cord. w/ a 3:10 AM start, we covered the 4 miles of trail and climbed to 12,000' (the beginning of the couloir) about 7:30AM. It is 1400' to the top of the coulir and we made it in about 1 1/2 hours on good firm snow. BUT, this couloir faces exactly the opposite direction from the Bell Cord. While the Bell-Cord is currently in (though well runneled) it had full sun-hit by 7AM. We topped our couloir about 9AM and the sun hadn't hit it yet. After Lightning Pyramid, we began the east-facing traverse to Thunder Pyramid and we knocked plenty of small wet slabs along the 300' of snow traverse. The straight -on attacks of steeper snow felt better.

The day before (6/5), a partner and I did Cathedral. It has a couloir similar in aspect and steepness, but only 600' high. That went well, but we topped a it about 8:30AM and I was uncumfortable with the lateness of the hour.

IMO, if you have a freeze and start up at (up the snow, not up from the car) at 2:30AM, it is still in.

Good Luck. Hope you have a freeze.

PIOLETSKI: I've always wondered about the name "Bell-Cord". Your "rope pulled to ring the bells' makes Perfect sense. Thanks.