Major Major

ice

Coo

Do you have to be a Mazama to obtain a grant? And, if so, what percentage of funds go to non-Mazamas?

Nice PSA. Honestly, i'm not sure how well known this regulation is. It's worth letting people know. I wouldn't be too happy about drones following me up Pearly Gates or any part of the mountain.

hey man, it looks like i'm postponing til 2017. i may have a few other skier partner options.

Thanks for the dialog everyone. This is very helpful. I also was contacted by a guy on TAY who mentioned he skied all but 500 feet of the entire route, taking approximately 14 days from 8k camp and back. His input validated my suspicion that walking Denali/West Butt isn't the only option. I can imagine that a scoured, icy condition time-period would be less than ideal, but in more cases than not, i'm hearing positive feedback from skiers on Denali. But the truth is, snowshoes are the antithesis of my lifestyle; I absolutely abhor them. So skis are the only option on a slog mountain. Besides, how can you say no to back flips off seracs? JMS001, looking forward to continuing the discussion. Chritoph, thanks for the input, really appreciate.

currently have a group ready to climb (without skis). one last post for any potential skimo folks.

I'm looking to use skis as much as possible to climb/descent the west buttress. I'm curious to know if anyone on here has skied parts of this mountain. What was your experience? Any recommendations on itinerary, schedule, best parts of mountain to ski? Or is this just a pie in the sky dream? I'm also looking for a skimo partner if anyone is interested. I frequent the PNW/Cascade mountains and want to move onto something a little more 'committal.' -the major

Bump. Thanks for those who have contacted me so far; please let me know if you're still interested. Now that it's January, I'm opening this post again. Skiing or non-skiing are both options at this point. Late May, early June is the preference. Now is a good time to start planning gear, travel logistics, etc. Contact me if interested. Thanks.

oh my god i'm going to ski that. how did the snow feel up toward the berg? was it solid but punch-through? or more powdery? any crust on top? it looks like skiing the old chute is open right now.

To clarify, skiing is a preference but I'm also open to non-skiing approaches. I'm looking forward to some training excursions to any amenable/complementary partners this winter. Already a few of you have inquired, and I anticipate setting up some meet-ups early 2016 (late 2015 if we're lucky!).

Adding pics. Freshly waxed. (note, wax left unscraped to allow to permeate)

Also, will consider selling skis/skins only. These skis are designed for multiple mounts using the predrilled steel plate that Dynafit engineered. They have only been mounted once. I would consider a reasonable offer for the skis and speed skins.

Seeking: Committed partners to do Denali/West Butt in May/June unguided, and for my first time. My preference for approach is a focus on semi-fast/light and low-tech and/or skiing as much of the route as possible. If anything, the ski would be nice for mini-excursions from 14,200 doing laps up to 17,000 until ready for final summit push. Experience: Approximately 35 summits in the PNW and in other regions (including 7 of Rainier), including moderate grade ski descents -- most of which is on Mt. Hood. My training is limited to avy and crevasse rescue only. I am keenly aware of the pain/humility of failure and the rush of success, but never take either for granted, and I believe this has prepared me for bigger mountains. Partnership is key. Next Step: PM if interested and you feel we would be a good fit given this approach and experience. My initial itinerary maximizes time and weight with flexibility for downtime and storms and is ready to be shared. This is simply a first attempt to locate interested climbers. Proximity to Portland would be convenient but not necessary. Thank you. The Major Ps. I'm also game to meet up and climb with any skimo frequenters of Mt. Hood, regardless of interest in bigger objectives. December is around the corner.

I just had 2 people bale on me. Dropping to $425. Last call on a great set-up.