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Post-accident threads quickly move from condolences to incident analysis, and I think a signifcant part of that is to identify an error so that the reader can say "Oh, I would never make THAT mistake." This joins the parade of little white lies we tell ourselves to justify the risks of climbing. The reality is that bad things can happen in the mountains no matter how good or careful you are. Sometimes the only error was being there in the first place. Regarding the original post, we don't know the exact conditions at the time of the incident nor the Dr's abilities or risk tolerance, so I don't think we can objectively question his judgment. Part of the beauty of life is that we each get to make our own choices on this journey.

Trip: Mount Torment - Moraine Lake Couloir, NW Glacier Trip Date: 04/16/2022 Trip Report: Me and the boys (@Albuquerque Fred, @thedylan, @MGraw) had a great time in the sun for the chilly weekend of April 16-17 on Mount Torment. We skied the Moraine Lake Couloir and most of the NW Glacier on Mount Torment. We were able to drive to .5 miles past the gate at the park boundary on Cascade River Road before we hit snow. We booted for about a half mile past that, then skinned to the Eldorado Trailhead. We again booted to the boulderfield at 4k as per usual, then we skinned up, crossing the ridge into Torment Basin, and to Torment Col (west of Torment). The skiing down from there was good but I was too interested in what was to come to really think much about it. The plan was to climb Torment, then ski the couloir to Moraine Lake and camp. When we got to the entrance to the couloir though the exit onto the glacier looked tough. Dylan gamely started to lead with only pickets for pro, 1 aluminum axe, and aluminum crampons, plus skis and overnight gear on his back. Just out of the belay we realized we would never have time to climb all this and make camp at a reasonable hour so Mike suggested a new plan , we would fix the line and finish the route tomorrow. Dylan got the rope up, rapped, and we skied the AMAZING couloir down to the lake. As in most features like this, the snow being good wasn't the most important part. The setting, the purity of the line, the adventure was made it rock. But the skiing was also good. Making camp at like 4pm in April was full on cushy, plenty of time to build a monster wall around the tent, drink whisky, and lounge. The next morning we booted the couloir, climbed the fixed line, and ascended the NW Glacier on Torment. We had limited beta on this but Tom Sjolseth's report said "we skinned to within 50' of the summit", easy right. Well, not so much. We ran into another short rock step, which, though easy would involve another two transitions to get past. We figured it would be after 10pm by the time we got to the car, so we bailed at 7300'. The ski was epic. Top 5 ski runs ever for sure. We will be back for the summit. The crew: Thanks for the shot Mike: Dylan scouted the scary roll over: Dylan rapping after the lead: I'm sure Fred didn't just fall: Mike and Dylan working the lower couloir: The whole thing: Dylan slays it, even in camp: If you have to boot it might as well be into the sunshine: Mike following the fixed rope: Topping out: This sucked: We should have lapped this one. Classic Cascdes: Gear Notes: 1 axe, crampons, glacier gear, avy gear, camping gear. not enough. Approach Notes: Eldo worked well, I've done Torment Basin and didn't want to do it with skis on my back.

Oh yeah, beta photos for the Forbidden Tour. The Forbidden glacier looked good down the gut: The exit was looking a bit thin already, but very doable:

Trip: Mt. Stuart - Mt Stuart via Mt Stuart Glacier Couloir Date: 3/24/2014 Trip Report: March 24, 2014 Post climb report Upper West Ridge of Mt Stuart via Mt Stuart Glacier Couloir This is my personal account. (Originally this write up was for friends and family, but Marlin asked me to post it here.) Thursday March 20 after my last final exam for winter quarter Marlin and I drove to the 8-mile road gate and camped. We spent Friday for the approach which took us around 6 hours and was straight forward. We rated the route in its current conditions Grade IV, AI 2, M5. We climbed a day-and-half after the spring equinox and the conditions were winter-like. Temperatures in the tent dipped to 14 F at our site at 5400 ft. and the rime ice that covered the west ridge further convinced us that winter still had its icy grip on Mt Stuart. Marlin and I awoke at 2:40 am Saturday morning and it was COLD. I ate two oatmeal packets with butter and felt great. During the approach to the Stuart Glacier my hands and feet nearly froze, I used OR Alti Mitts over my climbing gloves to remedy the hand problem but my feet had to endure for the next several hours. It was so cold that I had to wriggle each toe on every step. It was like dipping your foot repeatedly in a bucket of ice water. We split the approach into three leads to even the step kicking duty in up-to-knee-deep snow. I led up the moraine from camp, Marlin had a significant second stint up steep snow slopes and I felt guilty until I took the third lead. The last approach lead included a short icy section with good tool placements that encouraged a verbal woo-hoo! As the sun started to break the horizon behind us I navigated across the loosely covered bergschrund. I could see the crevasse line that indicated the schrund and attempted to skirt it to the right by climbing through the snow funnel at the bottom of the Stuart Glacier Couloir (SGC) but it was deep and too steep so it sent me back to the schrund for a mantle-swim to the other side of the problem. I led the SGC up to just below the first constriction. I half assed a stance where we had some quick calories and a drink and then Marlin started off to tackle the first of the real climbing problems, a short section of mixed conditions protected with a cam and a screw for our running belay as we simul-climbed to the second constriction with two pickets as protection. The screamin’ barfies are real, don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Marlin continued leading the snow slopes (up to 55 degrees) on consolidated, but thought provoking snow loaded slopes. Marlin noted hollow sounds and adjusted our line further to the left on the upper snow field. A cramp in Marlin’s leg required attention and a hasty platform mid climb as we ascended to the “notch” on the west ridge. I looked behind a few times and fully appreciated the consequences of a mistake…BIG. No falling here! We reached the west ridge notch had a quick break with calories and liquids and built a marginal belay with two pickets I made Marlin tug on them hard to prove they were worthy. I pounded a BD Knifeblade immediately to protect the belay and had a warm and satisfying feeling as I drove that sucker home. The first pitch was supposed to be an easy third class traverse but consisted of rime beating, crampon tip toeing, cussing, more rime beating, pro searching, followed by more beating to a comfy belay in the below zero wind-chill wind. In hindsight the pitch was easy and gentle introduction to the next pitches on what I began calling the Monster in my head. The crux was all mental and overcoming the whoa-factor as I looked up at the upper sections of the west ridge in winter conditions. The west ridge is the meat-and-potatoes of the climb the SGC was just a warm up. The rope drag on the first pitch was ridiculous and pulling the rope through the belay plate was a pain in the arse. The rope just sawed through the rime caked rock. I think Marlin got cold belaying me because he was ready to boogie as soon as he got to the belay stance. I gave him the rest of the rack and he was gone. He ran up the easy 5th class and placed one cam! An awesome lead on easy 5th class, but we both thought the traverse on the 3rd class was more difficult and we should switch the ratings. The first and second pitches should be considered warm ups because the third pitch is AWESOME! I led out on blocky terrain with huge exposure down the North Face of the Monster. I led into a choose-your-own-adventure mid-5th class crux. It was either a slabby friction block in crampons or an airy fist-jam with no feet. I chose the more inspiring airy fist-jam and found a magically appearing fixed pin to protect the crux above the nut that pulled out below me. It was reassuring knowing I was on route choosing the airy and exciting version of the choose-your-own adventure crux. Before committing to the jam I did some pre-calculus involving my ice axes, crampons, and hand jams as my variables x, y, and z and committed to the third dimension with my most exciting lead to date. It was wild! I climbed the remaining easy terrain that protected with a nut, a pin, and a sling around a horn to a comfy belay. I put Marlin on belay and brought him up, I felt the rope slow and knew he was at the crux doing some of his own pre-calc and committing. The rope moved continuously again and I knew we both got what we came for. The Monster was providing what we wanted. Marlin appeared and I smiled, we both knew it was a big move on lead and he shouted up, “Nice lead!” It was certainly a defining moment for me as a climber. From the belay we rapped of a bomber single nut 30 ft. to get to the traversing terrain on the fourth pitch on the south face. The rime formations were inspiring. The formations clearly preserved the prevailing SW winds and were Patagonia-like in character. I thought I was going to freeze to death at the belay as all the hard earned warmth in my toes was disappearing. The belay stance shuffle commenced as Marlin led the mellow traverse to an inspirational M5 line that cut a pitch from the route (and ultimately got us to camp with light to spare), why he chose the direct line up I don’t know but it was in true alpine style and I hold him in high regard for it. It was a great lead up sustained mixed conditions with a well place cam, couple pins, to another marginal belay (you take what you get) with a cam and opposing nuts. When I reached the belay I mumbled something like, “holy crap dude.” He had the same smile I did on the previous pitch. We were getting what we came for and I think we were both in awe of the task we were tackling. The final pitch was mine; the altimeter said 70 ft. to the top. I wasn’t particularly keen on the next pitch. It looked like crap. I had to hump a rock to get out of the belay and had Marlin clip part of the anchor as a redirect. I was 20 feet out before my next piece which was a nut I pasted into a crack with my pick. This one was staying put. The final problem of the ascent and possibly the crux of the route was above me. Another magically appearing piton (thanks piton placing gnomes) was staring me in the eyes. It wriggled so I smacked it back to its happy place and placed a runner. I was protected and ready to battle the rime above. I hooked a tool in the crack and beat rime with my other. Removing the rime dams would release the flood gate of sluff which filled the inside of my glasses and froze my eyelids half shut. I hang dangled off an axe and a skating crampon. I wrestled and won. I finally pulled the last move onto the summit of the Monster built the belay and brought Marlin up. I felt the tug of body weight on the rope like a trout in water and realized Marlin was at the crux, a quick ribbing for the dangle and then a high-five. We were immediately on the descent. Marlin did a great job route finding on the descent which had another BIG consequence fall factor. The day’s weather clues of an approaching weather front came into fruition. The halo around the sun we noticed at the west ridge notch, the lenticular forming over Mt Rainier at the third belay became full on conditions by the descent. We found where Steph Abegg and partner went off the wrong side of the mountain for a 33 hour mini-epic and I realized how easy that mistake could have been made. We reached the top of the Sherpa Glacier drank the last of our water and a quick snack of goo and cheese. We down climbed un-roped the majority of the couloir it was STEEP! Once we reached the bottom of the steep terrain we roped back up which proved to be a great choice because I ended up waist deep in a crevasse as I led us down. We finished the rest of descent tired, hungry, and dehydrated as you would expect. I was wobbling like a drunkard as I broke through the snow crust smelling hamburgers and imagining Blue Herons in the rock formations across the valley. We found two climbers setting up camp and told them of hour day, they listened to our summary of our experience in good nature but I couldn’t tell if they were impressed or just thought we were crazy. I’m not sure how much sense we made I ate around 1,000 calories and drank 1 liter of water it was 7:15 pm when we sat down to brew up and eat dinner. A defining climb. Gear Notes: 5 cams,8 nuts, 5 pins, 2 pickets, 8 runners, 8.8 x 60 rope