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Trip: Eldorado Peak - NW Ice Couloir Trip Date: 11/06/2019 Trip Report: Anthony and I jumped on the bandwagon and ran a lap on the NW Ice Couloir of Eldorado on Wednesday. The approach was snow free through the boulder field and crevasses were easy to navigate on the glaciers. In the couloir, we encountered absolutely perfect conditions: fat WI3 ice steps, bomber snice. We never had to pull any thin ice or mixed routes, which seems to be an apparent miracle for this route. Everything about the route was great: the climbing, the position, the condition. It was simply the best alpine climbing we have ever done! The descent got a little post holy at times, but not too bad for a day in November! It took us 5.5 hrs to the base of the route, 8 hrs to the summit, and 11.5 hrs car to car. Go get it! https://climberkyle.com/2019/11/06/eldorado-peak-nw-ice-couloir-wi3/ We met a soloist, Shuan, out there. If he sees this, well, rad send! Nice cold wet log to cross in the dark. Jberg getting the first light. Warming up on the Inspiration Glacier. First view of the route. Approaching the first ice step. Typical ice conditions. So much fun! That famous knife-edge. Summit views. Heading back down. Towers upon towers! Ice ice baby! Gear Notes: 7 screws, a few tricams and nuts. Pickets could be helpful if you feel the need to protect all the snice. 70 m rope did the rappels in 2 rappels, may have been 3 rappels if just a 60 m rope. Approach Notes: No snow until maybe 5500 ft. Glacier is cruiser.

I think 101 Hikes has it dialed. Nooksack Cirque is wicked strenuous, not for the faint of heart, and the Trog is full of rat feces. Guaranteed Hantavirus if you sleep there.

C'mon @bargainhunter and @max, don't insta-wreck the place. Let the masses work for it. .

Trip: Mt. Baker - Heliotrope Ridge - Heliotrope Ridge Ice Playground Trip Date: 11/01/2019 Trip Report: Took advantage of the cold autumn weather and lack of snow to do a little easy ice climbing on the flows above the Heliotrope Ridge Trail before reaching the glacier overlook. There are an abundance of ice flows just 1-1.5 hrs from the car, mostly in the WI2-3 range. It is like a little ice playground. We climbed one super fun 4 pitch route that ended with the obvious ice gully that splits the upper headwall beneath the Coleman Glacier. All in all, it is super fun place with easy, safe, accessible ice and a great warm up for the season. Check it out! For more details see: https://climberkyle.com/2019/11/05/heliotrope-ridge-ice-playground/ Gear Notes: Ice is thick enough to take screws. All climbs are walkoffs. Approach Notes: Up the Heliotrope Trail, you will start to see frozen flows up and to the right as you go.