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Hi, I would definitely be interested in climbing Rainier this year. I have extensive glacier travel experience and am a decent alpine rock climber (not that rock climbing is relevant here!) Please shoot me a message or email at thomasphilpott789 //// @ /// gmail /// .com

Nice! Thanks for the TR!

Thank you @Otto

I took a look at the Squire Creek road on Friday, 5/9/2025. After clearing many branches and small logs from the old logging road, I found only one pair of fallen trees that block the way and force a biker to dismount. Too big for my tools at hand, it'll have to wait for some local chainsaw talent to clear it. Taking the boot-track to the South Face of Squire Creek Wall proved smooth and problem-free. Currently there is no cairn at the turnoff. The only snow is packed into the final gully up to the grassy saddle camp. There are a few scraps of snow blocks on the shelves below Concerto in C, but access is not hindered. There is a snow patch on the ramps to Primal Scream, probably gone soon. And as usual this early in the year, there is snow covering the first pitch of Skeena26, which can be hiked around.

Did a nice variation to the Reid a couple weeks back. The business was all in the first belayed pitch. A fairly steep full length pitch consisting of steps of rock, rime, and ice. Thankfully broken up by more gentle terrain. Required a mixed bag of tricks and pro. Sadly we only had screws and pickets since we intended to go up the standard left Reid route but saw this and did it on a whim. Some nuts would have been nice. There were steps kicked in going up to the base of the first pitch, but it appeared whoever put that booter in turned around without doing the climb. There wasn't obvious evidence of people having climbed it recently. Anyway it was really fun, though harder than expected! Looking up at the first pitch: Climbing the first pitch: Looking down during the first pitch: Approximate route:

Oh yeah, no state income tax might be an issue! Still, I think if you added a small percentage onto sales tax for outdoor rec related purchases it would pencil. I think that is how CO has funded it.

About that Washington state budget.... 💩

I would call up to Petersburg and track down Dieter! https://www.npr.org/2023/09/09/1198625687/why-one-man-has-spent-much-of-life-trying-to-climb-a-near-impossible-summit He's a homebuilder, so I'd try either hardware store in Petersburg. They'll know how to track him down.

Even though WA is listed as having an office of outdoor recreation (maybe this is RCO?), I don't think it is functional in the way of Utah or Wyoming. With the dysfunction in DC, I think the states need to lead in funding improvements to access and stewardship on federal lands. The movement is in relative infancy, but seems to be working well in other states, and WA just needs to make it happen. https://recreation.utah.gov/ https://wyooutdoorrecreation.wyo.gov/index.php/about Agree that we have too many people vying for rec access from too few points. There is a lot of land out there to spread out on. There will be wildlife impacts, however, with people spreading out more. I do know that several local Tribes are against improving access for this reason. How-to-Create-an-Office-of-Outdoor-Recreation.pdf

Curious if anyone has read Kyle McCrohan (Climber Kyle)'s blogpost on abundant access to wilderness or has any thoughts. It's been interesting reading the feedback he's been getting. https://climberkyle.com/2025/05/04/the-case-for-abundant-recreation/

Yeah board doesn’t know what to do with .heics

I posted this to some reddit forums but I don't think people had a clue what I was talking about, so here goes. I watched the "Devil's Climb" with Honnold and Caldwell with keen interest, having lived, worked and explored many mountains and glaciers in that area in the 1990s, including some really interesting times on the Baird and Shakes glaciers. I was one of the Forest Service employees who rebuilt the Cascade Creek trail up through Falls Lake, so am very familiar with this area of the mainland. I am going back up to explore the Stikine ice fields next year. However, what I was perplexed by was that Honnold's team didn't travel up the Baird to get to Devil's Thumb like Krakauer and others, but as I've done more research and it looks like Baird is hammered right now, may never be in condition again, from some kind of catastrophic glacial outburst flood. So, if you aren't taking Temsco, is the seemingly hellish journey up through Scenery lake and creek the only way overland now that Baird is out? Is it possible to take Cascade Creek to Swan lake and then hump it to the Patterson and the Cauldron from there to get to the Thumb? I'm wanting my trip to be boat/overland and not by helicopter. There is no trail up to Scenery Lake and upper Scenery Lake and it sounds like a horrific trek. Thanks for any inside scoop if ya'll have one!

It's not looking like the images properly attached. I've re-uploaded them here.

Trip: Dragontail Peak - Triple Couloirs - May 4, 2025 - Triple Couloirs Trip Date: 05/04/2025 Trip Report: This is more of a conditions report rather than a trip report, but I just wanted to post as I had not seen any reports since mid April, and was curious if the route would still be in when I was planning for this climb. I climbed the triple couloirs C2C on May 4, 2025. Approach on eightmile road is snow-free to Stuart Lake Trailhead. There are a few small patches of snow after Stuart Lake Trailhead (luring me and my partner into ditching our trail runners too soon), but then ~1.5 miles of mostly clear trail before hitting continuous snow. Snow on the rest of the approach is slightly punchy, but not terrible. Lake is not frozen enough to support weight. Snow in all three couloirs is in very firm and secure conditions. Pitch 1 of the runnels is presently easy ice, although not thick enough for 10cm screws. Pitch 2 has some easier ice in the bottom and top sections, but the middle section was delaminated snow/snice for which the only good protection felt like pins, and the slabby granite didn't feel super confidence inspiring. I found this section to feel quite insecure with difficult gear placements (I am not leading much more than ~WI4 M4 on gear in cragging contexts -- if you're well above this level, I'm sure this mixed section would feel reasonable), so I would consider the bypass if you're not a stronger mixed climber than I am. There was a thin layer of ice in the chimney of the 3rd pitch of the runnels which was extremely well-bonded to the rock and provided secure climbing. There were good anchors in the runnels exactly where you want them pitching it out with a 60m rope. The final mixed pitch between the second and third couloirs had relatively poor ice conditions (we made the mistake of traversing slightly too high), and I was happy to have a rope for this section. Descent was straightforward, but Asgard Pass was fairly icy, requiring care and a small amount of face-in down climbing in particularly icy sections. Pictures of the first and second pitches (for reference on the angle of the second pitch, the climbing was near-vertical after the fixed piece visible) of the runnels are attached, as well as a larger picture of the route. IMG_6037.HEIC IMG_6041.HEIC IMG_3622.HEIC Gear Notes: Recommended rack in current conditions: 2-3 angles, 2 knife blades, standard rack of nuts, few cams .4-2, 1-2 10cm screws, 2 pickets. Approach Notes: Approach described above in the text.

I found a mentor! im headed up the baker north ridge soon and then I will resconsider LR depending on how much I progress. Im so happy I got into this at my age.

Hi all, I would love to make more partners for year-round volcano climbs from Baker to Shasta and everything in between. Details: 36M, engineer, from Bend, OR. I train and climb frequently but only have a couple partners who live out of state. I have training/experience in crevasse rescue and glacier travel and I’ve been mountaineering since 2017, mostly in the last few years. Currently training on the Three Sisters, Hood, and Shasta, with a Rainier trip in July. PM me if you’re interested.

good luck with the PF! I've had that in the past and it's a bitch for sure

Today’s lesson: a backup lighter doesn’t weigh much. 👍

It’s awful tough to do anything novel these days. And the old people who scoff at you know someone who did it up hills both ways, back before the invention of the wheel (which makes everything so easy for the kids these days). So you’re left with being the first 12 year old up Willis Wall. Best of luck though! But the best climber is the one having the most fun, right? So try to be that climber maybe, I guess.

Holy cow that was hilarious!

Hopefully some Washington Pass action once the snow melts a bit and plantar fasciitis/achilles tendonitis heals up.

More evidence that boomers ruin everything for the youngsters. How's this kid supposed to be the youngest to climb anything now?

Yes, back in the days of myth and legend