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Oh man, thank you for postín these pics of Jiri. It's been a long time since we climbed together. I'll always remember him as a beast (in the best way)... charging through feet of snow seeking whichever goal we were after that day. We tried to ski a couloir in the tatoosh and it was snowplow the whole way. Jiri Led it all. To Jiri's family... sorrow and many hugs. We are grateful for our time with him. I didn't know Ben, but blessings to his family.

I only knew Ben through work, and I hadn't climbed or skied with him. I could tell right away from his Zoom backgrounds that he was a climber and skier, so we struck up that conversation. He was instantly likeable: smart, strong and good looking - He was a pleasure to work with. I was looking forward to downloading some Olympics beta to him some time. I am so sorry for his family! He will be missed!

Some great discussion here, if you haven't read it, but not probably that helpful since I think all right side talk?

I took a look at, but chose not to climb, Eliot headwall on 2026-01-25. Here's a picture. It's a bit difficult to tell but I suspect that much of the snow is very firm. I haven't been up the north face gullies this season but in late november cooper spur offered roughly 1000 feet of climbing with penetration varying from crampon points to the ball of the foot or so.

Didn't a big chunk of the steeper part of the pillar fall down like 30+ years ago? I know some routes were affected, just not which.

Does anyone know where the 1986 5.9 A2 Mark Bebie, Charlie Hampson route up the left side of Girth Pillar goes? I've a attached a photo from @Kyle M with where I think the line roughly goes, can anyone confirm this? There's a steeper corner on the pillar proper that seems more fitting to the grade than the line I drew.

Great shots Jason, the new camera is proving itself! Thanks for getting me out for a great day!

On Saturday, Jiri and Ben parked their car near to ours at the Paradise parking lot in Mount Rainier National Park. I spoke with Jiri twice—once in the overnight parking area and again at the Skyline trailhead. I was impressed by Jiri's patience and smile. When they set off for their summit hike, I wished them a safe and successful climb. Later, when I learned that the two hikers who had tragically died were the same people I had spoken with, I felt deeply shocked and saddened, and those brief, ordinary moments stayed with me for a long time. I wrote more about our conversation in my blog post (https://afterpeaks.wordpress.com/2026/01/23/i-met-jiri-ben-at-mount-rainier/). You can read the English version with Google Translate.

Original plan was to climb the south gully of Guye but decided to drive down the Alpental road to check out conditions. Ice cragging a short walk from the car doesn't come along very often in Washington! There was a decent amount of ice on the various Alpental falls. A grab bag of thin/brittle with some fatter bits and some low angle hero plastic thrown in. Plenty of water running under everything. Mostly we set up a top rope on the climbers leftmost side directly under the Phantom Slide (Aplental IV I think?)...I've skied this in fatter snow years ::sigh:: Alpental II looked pretty fun though dicey for good screw placements. Sadly I only brought a few screws because the original plan was Guye (sorry Michelle!) so we didn't go up it. Saw two guys who said they went up to look at NY Gully and it was totally dry/ice free, otherwise no other climbers. I think Alpental II is the far right flow

Anyone been up on the N side?

That indeed was it, though I had read one before that too.

I bumped that memorial thread about John Stoddard and there was MSFT talk on that one?

I hate that he had to leave us but I’m glad to hear from everyone he touched. Thank you for sharing. I did not know him but instantly wish I had.

Jiri and I were roommates in 2013-14. He was one of the first people I met outside of work, and he helped make me feel welcomed in Seattle. His athleticism was inspirational and I admired his love for travel. He took me on a memorable tandem paragliding ride from Poo Poo Point in Issaquah. I'll remember you, Jiri, for reminding me to keep doing the things that give you joy. RIP.

I’m looking for someone from Portland who is interested in climbing Mt. Hood in February or March and would like to carpool from Portland. Here’s a bit about my experience: Last May, I climbed Mt. Hood via the Old Chute with a guided group. I completed a one-day mountaineering course that covered crampons, self-arrest techniques, anchors, and roping up. I have also climbed Mt. St. Helens. If anyone is interested, please let me know. Thanks!

And now to this:

I was just reading something about all the climbers at Microsoft back in the day...can't remember where. Maybe it was here? RIP Jiri...and yes, we got one rip on this wild and precious thing. Get after it.

Fixed...thanks for pointing that out! I had forgotten about it.

I worked with Jiri at Microsoft. I was his last manager before he left. In the spirit of some live to work and others work to live, Jiri tilted the balance of his life towards adventure. This is the cake we made for him at his send off in 2011. To quote Mary Oliver: "What is it you will do with your one wild and precious life?" Rest in peace Jiri Richter and thank you for inspiring us with your one wild and precious life. John Lambert Corporate Vice President Microsoft Corporation

Yeah I just need to get a redirect reenabled there. I turned it off when troubleshooting after rebuilding everything

This is what I get at the root:

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/search-continues-missing-hikers-mount-rainiers-family-community-await-word/281-bb733be2-70f5-4391-b7ad-ef10defc8f52

A few more photos from a single-push on the Emmons I forgot about.

Roger that on the front page. Didn’t notice because the browser I was using handles it, but not all so I’ll fix it. it’s supposed to just redirect.

Dm me some examples and I’ll take a look!