JasonG

Trip: Black Peak and Prime Rib - #methowmultisport Trip Date: 04/20/2024 Trip Report: For those of us up here in the north sound, it is hard to ignore the gravitational pull when Hwy 20 opens for the year. It is like someone pulls the plug in the backyard pool and we are inexorably pulled east into the vortex of Sprinters and Teslas. But not this past weekend. It was like older, mellower times. Maybe it was the front moving through in the middle of the weekend. Maybe everyone was like my brother and were caught unawares of the opening? Whatever the reason, I'll take it. It was a good thing that the masses weren't up there though. @geosean and I myself weren't terribly original with the plan- a ski of Black on Saturday followed by Prime Rib on Goat wall on Sunday. We even brought bikes to enliven the descent from Goat Wall (this is a good bit more fun than rapping the route). And, mostly it went off without a hitch. And by that I mean we had fun, didn't get hurt, and came home friends. However, we did stop a few feet shy of the true summit of Black due to the typical spring shenanigans of steep snow, exposed rock, and no climbing gear. But, that slight disappointment was soon forgotten amidst the better than average corn skiing down to Lakes Ann and Wing. I think it has been over 20 years since I've been up on Black and I can see that I need to return more frequently. Thankfully the weather on Goat Creek Road was reasonable, though chilly, Saturday night. We started early to beat the crowds the never arrived and shivered in the wind and snow squalls as a result. It felt distinctly alpine, climbing in long johns and belaying in puffys all day. I'm sure it would be good training for something hard and high, if I still cared about those sorts of objectives. Mostly though, I shivered and muttered. But, it had been about 11 years since I had climbed the route, and so Prime Rib felt sort of like a new and interesting experience. This pronounced alpine amnesia is definitely one of the benefits of entering my "mature mountaineer" phase. Maybe I need to climb things all over again. Except Nooksack Tower. @geosean at Heather Pass: @geosean and Black at Wing Lake: I was not having this and turned us around: #methowmultisport: Dispersed camping views of Silverstar from Goat creek road: @geosean living the alpine dream on Goat Wall: The hordes will descend next weekend! Gear Notes: the full kit Approach Notes: Follow the herd

I wasn't there tonight but what @tbickford says above was backed up by a friend who was also present. Get yer comments in folks!

You're in the right spot @sara.squamish, welcome! I've found some of fine unicorns on this site...good luck! 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

I am not 100% certain of the exact instances behind the Twin Sisters gates, but I suspect the usual- timber theft, dumping, fires, shooting, long-term camping, general mayhem, etc. These days it's much easier for the timber companies to gate their ownerships than deal with the shenanigans. But, gates do get vandalized all the time and aren't cheap to maintain either, but still probably cheaper than the alternative. I work a bit in the timber mgmt. landscape and I fully understand why the timber companies lock people out!

Yeah, those gates in the Twin Sisters were unlocked into the 90s but the public definitely ruined that privilege long ago, unfortunately.

Oh yeah, he's legit. Bulger finisher #11, who completed the list on Jack in 1997! And I don't think enough of that historical info is on the web for AI to generate a lot of those details, now that I think about it.

I'm usually too clueless to be heavy handed. @DHC could be generating the articles via AI for sure. His account here is quite old and a lot of the photos in his articles (when they worked) appeared to be his? Maybe @DHC will sign on and explain what is going on....

Wow. that is quite the effort you put into those articles! I especially liked the summit register synopsis.... And FYI, I'm sure that Dallas chuckled because Fred didn't quite clear his "Difficult Ten". And maybe that was the point..... But to be honest, Dallas really admired Fred and climbed with him a fair bit over the years.

Every one of your trip reports needs to be here @Eric Gilbertson!! O2 and sherpa support doesn't matter a bit. That is a proud accomplishment. Another absolutely incredible tale, thanks for the link!

Sigh, that really is lame. Not really much else to say at this point. But, moving on... https://ascentoutdoors.com/ ...is great! Locally owned by a climber friend of a friend of mine. Also, I will be forever a fan of https://featheredfriends.com/ If you are up north, make sure to support Chris and the crew at https:// backcountryessentials.net/ along with our flagship sponsor, https://shop.alpineinstitute.com/ For just ski gear in Seattle.... https://www.proskiseattle.com/

AWESOME!

Sorry guys....removed the link.

Quite tragic....... I had never met Matt, but he seemed like someone I would have loved to get out with.

Cairns can be amazingly helpful in steep alpine terrain, especially when you are trying to link weaknesses to keep the grade below what you would need a rope for. Hidden ledges, crack systems, chimneys....they can point the way to an easier path that is otherwise not obvious. That said, cairns get abused and are often put in places where they aren't needed (scattered willy nilly across boulderfields for example). I tend to remove cairns more often than I leave them, but they do serve a purpose when used correctly. Good luck with the article!

So awesome @Bella Walz, glad you are here and looking to connect with folks. I have met some of the greatest partners in the world through this site and I wish you luck. This winter I have been scanning old prints from decades ago when I was a new climber- full of the fire I can see in your face in the photo above. Hold onto that for as long as you can!

Looks like a great day! I need to retire.

"...which gained traction on cascadeclimbers.com, a site that congregated a small-but-hardcore collection of dirtbags, rock nerds and adrenaline junkies, all devoted to the region’s peaks and valleys."

Right, a space blanket! That saved @Trent and I from a potentially serious situation when we were caught out on the West Arete of Eldorado late season many years ago....great suggestion @Lostbolt. Same with light stove in the winter, esp. on routes expected to take most of a day.

This is just flat out wrong and I want to point this out since @AlexC192 is listening, responding, and trying to learn from their intense climb. I don't take this lightly. I feel very strongly that this is bad advice. Especially in light of the raps these guys are making, off single pieces, in the dark, completely knackered. A simple map/aerial review of the Yak Peak area would have identified a probable walk-off a short distance away (and everyone in this day and age really should be looking at and carrying these information sources in their pockets). Getting to the top is only halfway, and figuring out your descent plan is just as important as figuring out your route up, maybe more so, since you are going to be tired and it will be late in the day. Do your research. Are there times when rapping the way you came is the best alternative? Sure. Are there times when it is a terrible idea? Absolutely. This was one of them. I am glad that @AlexC192 is open and honest with how far strung-out they were- we owe it to him to give good advice, tailored to his situation, and not some general platitudes.

There is something weird going on with images. I just did two TRs close together and it wants to load one set of images into the other when I go to edit it. Not sure what the deal is, but seems strange.

Trip: Nak Peak - North side Up, South side Down Trip Date: 02/17/2024 Trip Report: @geosean and @thedylan and Mike (not sure if he is on here) already had a plan for this past Saturday, but they graciously let me tag along after I sent a flurry of texts trying to find a partner for the hills. Plan A was the North Couloir on Thar, then traversing up and over Nak to Yak, or maybe skiing the couloir. But a reactive windslab in the the couloir after digging a pit scuttled that idea right quick. And so we skittered down and around to the west, eventually booting and skinning up through every type of terrible snow to the Yak/Nak col. It is a great viewpoint! We had it to ourselves, but the afternoon was getting on and we had some windboard to schralp. We didn't relish the thought of going back the way we came and so we picked the devil we didn't know and headed off the south side of the Nak. The snow wasn't any better but it wasn't much worse either. More importantly, we were "Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis"! The snow was, however, a bit thinner on the south side of Nak, and soon everyone but @thedylan had their skis off and was thrashing down to the pipeline road. Once reaching this welcomed scar on the landscape, we had a bonus 500' of gain to end the day, but at least there was no brush and @thedylan was charged up and breaking trail out front. I was very pleased to not arrive at the car dead last, despite how worked I was. In the future with these fit, young bucks, I think I'll leave the dSLR at the car! Skinning across Falls Lake: North Couloir on Thar: @geosean in the North Couloir at about our high point: uhhhhh, run away? Plan B! North side of Yak: Yes, this is fun: @thedylan skinning up below Nak: Why not keep carrying these skis? And where are my sunglasses??: Needle Peak: Looking out to Silvertip, Outram, etc.: Booting up to Nak: Steinbok, Ibex, Chamois, etc.: Mike pulling up on the summit: @thedylan getting ready to have more "fun" "skiing": Gear Notes: Standard backcountry ski gear. Axe, helmet, and crampons helpful to get up Nak from the North if snow conditions are thin Approach Notes: Falls Lake TH and head up to the lake and past it

Trip: Mount Angeles - Middle Peak East Gullies Trip Date: 02/03/2024 Trip Report: Decades ago, when I first started climbing, I would head over in the winter to scramble around on Mt. Angeles. The road is open all winter, the peak is close to the road, and the views grand from such an elevation at the edge of the range. Somehow though, I stopped going, seduced by harder, longer and higher winter objectives. But now that I am in my "mature mountaineer" phase some 22 years later, I went back with @cfire and @Kit (also in their mature climbing phase) for a civilized winter's outing. The weather wasn't quite as nice as on some of my earlier forays, and maybe the east gullies seemed shorter and less steep, but the charm of Angeles in winter remains. I'll try not wait another twenty years before I return! The road to hurricane ridge: The east gullies! @cfire getting to a narrow section @Kit topping out on the steeper section: Traversing the ridge to the main summit: Coming up a step in the ridge towards the main summit: More traversing: Cumbre! @Kit showing his pleasure at the views: Downclimbing to corkscrew around the summit to the SW and off: Almost off the steeper ground and back to mellow forest on the SW side of the summit: Gear Notes: Axe, crampons, helmet, 2nd tool handy if the gullies are icy Approach Notes: Switchback trail to ridge, up gullies to middle peak, traverse ridge to main summit and off the west side. Wrap around south side to hurricane ridge trail back to switchback trail.

Hold on a sec. I'm old, but not that old!

Glad you guys made it out safe @AlexC192! Sounded like quite an adventure, and very close to disaster. A tip from an old guy- when in doubt, it is usually best to go with the walk off (you were right to not bring skis up a route at the edge of your ability). Too many accidents happen on the descent when people are tired, mistakes compound, and darkness confuses things. And having just "skied" down from Yak yesterday to the highway, you def. didn't want to do that after a long day and in the dark! Lots of cliffs, brush, tight trees and mostly walking downhill after a few hundred feet of survival skiing at the top. The snow conditions on the south side of Yak are even worse that what found on the North side (we came up that way to climber's left of your line). Good luck on your alpine apprenticeship! And, if you don't already back up/extend your rap setup, please do. Lots of good tips at the parent site to that link too....