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Hey @Joshwl.....Sounds like you should hire some guides and not put that sort of responsibility on partners to bring a minor home alive to his parents. I worry that anyone under 25 won't properly understand the gravity of having someone's son in their care on a route like Liberty Ridge. As the parent of 15 and 17 year old boys, I would ground my kids if they were trying to do something like this with your level of experience- mostly because I've climbed Liberty Ridge! While you may pull it off and be the "youngest" to climb the route, it won't result in much attention and really isn't something that will change the the trajectory of your life for the better. Sorry to be the wet blanket old guy, but I do believe it is the truth. Glad that you are so psyched on the mountains though! It is a grand hobby that can enrich your life for decades....

At risk of sounding rude, this doesn't seem like a great idea. Are you prepared to simul-climb/solo endless amounts of steep snow/AI2 on the upper route? Are you prepared to tackle a potentially overhanging bergschrund problem at 14k? This is certainly a route where you would want some mileage on ice, which admittedly you say you do not have. Not to mention the approach itself is an undertaking- routes such as the wanded, bootpacked DC won't prepare you for the crevassed maze of the Carbon. There are numerous other routes of more moderate difficulty and less commitment in the Cascades (and even on Rainier itself, i.e. Kautz) to hop on and build the necessary skillset. The Emmons glacier may be a more appropriate "step-up" if you feel you have you crevasse rescue techniques pretty dialed and felt the DC was too bland- a bit more independence and routefinding than the DC, with the benefit of low commitment and minimal to no technical movement... And if you wish to do Liberty Ridge in the future this has the added benefit of getting familiar with the primary descent option.

Next month i'm headed up Liberty Ridge to try to get the youngest accent at 16 (nobody older than me has done it from my research). Looking for 1-2 partners with Ice/Mixed/Glacial expierience and ether previous Rainier summits or previous Liberty Ridge climbs. Preferably under 25 years old, but not required. The goal is to make a documentary of the route since it doesn't see very much media. I have 1 previous rainier summit (DC, nothing to crazy) 2 summits of shasta (1 during winter and both were on challenging routes) advanced mixed and rock climbing skills, as well as glacier travel. Haven't gotten into full on ice yet but i'm headed up to the sierras to practice before hand.

[Edit:corrected a few spelling mistakes] Hey that gear is neat. I have made a climbing sac that a I no adding a [edit:mesh padded back] panel to . I was not happy with the back panel, adding mesh covering and a plastic reinforcement to keep the padding shape definition. I also reworked the hip belt.

Trip: Davis Peak - South Route - Skiers Variation Trip Date: 04/23/2025 Trip Report: After reading this recent TR on a skiable route to Davis Peak in the NCNP we had to give it a try. My buddies and I had attempted Davis in January of '22 so we knew what we were getting into with the approach, but a skiable route to the summit that avoided the difficult scramble near the summit sounded awesome, plus it's always great to do a 3000' bushwhack with skis on your back. So the next time we were too sick to work but not too sick to go skiing we hit it up, Wed the 23rd. The bushwhack is bad, but not terrible, there is little undergrowth, just deadfall so it's mostly just navigating. Above 2600' it gets much better. The track Ryan Stoddard and Nick Roy posted is pretty much perfect, when we deviated from it by more than 30’ we regretted it. We hiked to the start of a boulderfield at 4200’ before we could start skinning, which was a bit farther than optimal, but not much, the 4000'-4200’ traverse below cliffs was postholing intermittently, so not ideal. Above 4200’ we cruised on firm snow, making great time skinning. The route up is straight forward hooking around to the west and up to the summit. We didn’t spend long on the summit as the snow was calling, naturally the skiing was over WAAAY too fast and we had to swap out for shoes and walk down, down, down. 12 hours after we started we were back at the car for a hot beer (not used to this spring thing yet). It was a nice route, rugged for sure, but an amazing peak in a spectacular position with views from an interesting angle into the Snowfield group and the southern pickets. Everyone should go do this! Ryan has a GPX on NWHikers No snow in sight, lets get it! Dylan and the Pickets. Gear Notes: Ski gear. Carried avy, axe, crampons. Dark clothes, the forest is sooty, I found work gloves to be nice for the deadfall and burned forest. Approach Notes: Park at the Gorge Creek overlook, at the east bridge abutment there is a trail up, go up.

Trying to do some bike -> climb this summer since taking a car all the time proved problematic with my family last year. Also saves on gas and I got the time. Definitely want to get out to cascade river road since it was closed last summer. Maybe a northern pickets traverse and the ptarmigan??? I just want to get out for longer overnighters really. Bike's mostly ready by now after a little sewing. Just need some new tires - lmk if you got any 27.5" tubeless compatible gravel/road tires you're tryna sell

Here is the plan. Just scrambling. Stein Valley Traverse Stefan Feller - CalTopo

Nice, way to get out and learn, does look a bit icy there, just the way conditions go, sometimes it all warm and sunny!

Trip: Ingalls Peak - South Ridge Trip Date: 04/21/2025 Trip Report: Been getting out a good amount but mostly ski-mountaineering. Since this was a more climbing-y thing, I figured I’d post it on here. With Monday off, I wanted to get one more trip out of the Spring break by giving an early season attempt on Ingalls. Mid-day Sunday, Asher and I drove out to Esmeralda and got the car a little past Beverly Campground. We began walking at 16:00 and set up camp at around 6000’ at 20:00 a little below Ingalls pass. I had my splitboard, Asher had snowshoes. My lighter ended up freezing so we had cold soaked oatmeal and fresh carrots for dinner. The next morning we got moving around 06:30 and were at the base of the South Ridge of Ingalls at around 08:30. There was more snow than expected overnight so but I figured I’d at least give it a shot. We started by booting up an entrance couloir. The top of it contained a dusting of snow above a slab, but a short little boulder move brought us onto a sub ridge. From here we butt-scooted a little bit until we reached the rock. A short little step brought us to the belay. Here I roped up and started up the route in ski boots. The rock was very icy with lots of snow in the cracks, but with big cracks, it was still reasonably comfortable with ski boots. I found the passive pro super useful with the icy cracks. Honestly I should've brought way more nuts. Eventually I got about 30 meters up and found myself stuck. I stuck my Gully in a crack, tied in direct, and switched from ski boots to climbing while backed up by a hex. I was feeling pretty patagonian by now… on a 5.4. I looked around but decided to try and follow a crack system on the left. Asher lowered me off the hex and belayed me as I traversed across closer to the ridgeline. Here looked more promising so I continued climbing up. Higher up the crack, I was nearly postholing in climbing shoes. Near about 40 meters, at the top of P.2, I reached a band of snow and Ice. I couldn't continue up and eventually placed in a bomber nut and lowered off after bounce testing it while backed up. Halfway down I pulled the rope again and got lowered off of a nice slung horn. I think it could’ve been possible by drytooling but I wasn’t quite desperate enough to scratch up such a popular route(also I’m definitely not that confident of a drytooler). I’ll hopefully be back this summer anyways to link up the ridgeline between Ingalls and Sherpa. Anyways, once I arrived back at the belay, we found an older rap anchor to make a final rap to the approach gully. I got some consolation turns as Asher suffered on snow shoes. We got back to camp and kept going down. We ended up back at the car by 16:00, just 24 hours after leaving. While we didn’t get the summit, it was still a great time getting out and I learned a few things about winter climbing. The truth is we just had a lot more snow and ice than expected, and climbing an icy slab without drytooling is next to impossible. Better than sitting around in the city. Next person up the South Ridge gets a little booty! Always good to learn to bail. https://lucasfng.blogspot.com/2025/04/ingalls-peak-attempt-420-4212025.html Gear Notes: Should've brought more hexes and Nuts for the wintery conditions. Anchors not visible Approach Notes: 2 hrs to walk/skin the road

We did the traverse two summers ago. It's a beautiful peak.

Now that is rare!!!

Oh, and have a week planned in the Wind River Range in July. Family trip to Banff and Canmore in August. Alas, that will just be me looking at the pretty mountains instead of climbing them.

I spent a couple of weeks in Norway and I loved it. Their hut system is fantastic. All you literally need to bring is a sleeping clothes if you want. It is worth becoming an annual member to their hiking society so you can get a universal key that will unlock all of the public backcountry huts in the country.

Somebody wants these! I couldn’t let them sit in the goodwill. Currently mounted on ancient Dynastars, I would put them in some 130 cm kids skis for fun approach tools and corn snow. These should fit most crampon compatible boots. They may or may not release as reliably so I don’t recommend them for resort skiing! Yours if you bring/buy me a good beer! I’m in Lake City Seattle.

Uranus? 🪐

i'd rather approach from sunrise and get mineral too

Chimney is the only Smoot I have left. I'm stoked for it!

He's 23. i've posted up trips with him before (eg easy mox 2021). but yeah i've been remiss lately

Some of you might be interested in this guide... Central Oregon Rock

Redstone and Tyee might be approachable from Lake Eleanor. Or just ebike to Ipsut Campground using the Foothills Spur Trail and Carbon Road above the bridge?

Non-union fracture in my foot has taken me out of the game.Some used lightly, some not used at all. Good quality brands. Probably close to $1000 new...make an offer

How old is your son? Post us some pictures and dad beta!

I have three left: Mineral, Tyee, and Redstone. I plan to get those in the fall via some variation of the northern wonderland trail loop.

I thought you already climbed Challenger? Chimney Rock scares me; no desire. Whitney is a state high-point I haven't done yet. I don't do well with paperwork and government. Headed to AZ, NM in May and might collect those.

I still have seven Irish Cabin Peaks missing from my sash. And my time spent in the PRWA is less and less. Now that the road is closed, I might not make the list! Still need Pitcher, Redstone, Squaw, Tyee, Mineral, Gove, and Castle.