snowman

I've used the avalung many times.I put the mouth piece in if I'm crossing a suspect slope, that way I can then swim or outrun also.

I want some advice on ways to communicate beetween climber and belayer when you can't see or hear each other. Also, Never having caught someone falling that I couldn't see, I was wondering if this something that is hard to recognize that they are falling and arrest the fall?

I've been climbing 5th class rock for 3 yrs. I have not came upon a situation where I've had to use a bowline knot. Just wondering if there is times when the bowline is used as the preferred knot? Also, has anyone had a clove hitch fail in a anchor system?

I cut the weight of my winter pack down to about 65 pounds(Including alpine ski boots, but not skis or poles).We use snowmobiles as our means of transportation, so cutting out the extra pad and clothes is really tough. Cutting down the distance your going to travel rather than cutting out luxury items seems to be safer and more fun.

Mt Erie is a great place to climb near B-ham.I've meet some great people there. Dodge the beer bottles chucking rednecks and the ticks and Erie makes for a good day trip. Bring your helmet.

I spent 4 days in the Sol Duc area in the olympic national park this last fall. The Rangers in this area have roped off and covered way paths all over the area. They have also made it a reservation by site area. The covering of trails and the roping off of way trails is really unappealing to look at. The reservation system really sucked, since over half the groups we talked to did not make it to there predetermined camp sites. We had two conflicts in 4 days about the sites we stayed in, even though we where in the correct spots. Are the regulations and hurding of hikers on the main trails really helping the area out? I should have done some more investigating about the area and avoided it. I feel that over regulating an area does not help the area out, but detracts from the wilderness experience.

Cascade Crags in Everett has webolettes, You can also make your own with 20 to 24 feet of 6mm cord. The advantage of tying your own is you can untie it to give you 20 feet of cord.

Does anybody know of some practice cliffs near Everett? Something with 5.7 or 5.8 toprope stuff, or low 5's that are easy to protect.

Planning on climbing Sahale then boston peak.I need some info on camps, how much glacier travel,Water,routes,etc.

Does anyone have any info on boston peaks southeast face?

I've climbed both Del Campo and gothic. Would like to find a new basin like gothic or glacier basin, with multiple peaks that can be climbed.

Does anybody know of any good high country base camps with good mountain scrambles?

Does anybody have any info on the bailey range traverse in the olympics? Is this a worthy trek? Is there any good peaks to scramble up on the Way?

I had two friends who had never been on a glacier climb,so I choose Mt baker coleman deming route for their first climb. we left our 6000' high camp at 4:30am, on route we passed 5 rope teams before reaching the saddle at 9000'. we took a 20 minute break to let 2 teams get up the deming glacier. When we started our break the 2 teams were at a large rock 5/8's the way up the final pitch. we took our break then headed up. At this point the two teams had progressed only 75 to 100 feet above the rock. We headed up and caught the teams only 50 feet higher then when we left the saddle.We were now on the face next to the roman wall.The two teams had 60 meter ropes and were tied into the very ends. this had them getting tons of slack between climbers, which in turn would snag on surface ice chuncks. They then would stop to pull on the rope until the ice chuncks would come loose. After one episode like this I made the desicion to traverse closer to the roman wall and up to the summit.The details were we climbed from 9000' to 10000' in the time they climbed from 9900' to 10000'.It seemed like we had left plenty of distance for them to get up to the easier grade, but I underestimated how slow they were moving.what do you do when you come on to teams that are a danger to your team? In traversing closer to the roman wall we were exposing ourselves to greater rock fall danger, which I felt was safer than the ice chunks these teams were sending down on use. I also worried that they would tumble down and take us with them. What is the best way to deal with inexperienced teams?

I think if you look to see where the money is coming from to pay for grooming and upkeep, you'll see that it comes from snowmobilers registrations. how much money as climbers are we putting back into the improvement of moutain roads and cleanup? very little! I made a early spring mt dickerman trip were the snow was melting at the parking lot, tons of hiker trash.Leaving trash is a personality trate of a person not of a sport. Jeff was a friend and is missed dearly by his family and friends.