Leaderboard

Hello everyone, Last summer I took the American Alpine Institute's Leadership and Mountaineering course (Part 1) and I would love to connect with some fellow mountain climbers in the area. Unfortunately, all of my peers in the class were from out-of-state, so I have been left partnerless. We summited Baker and Eldorado Peak (pictured below). Fire season kept us from finishing some of our other pursuits along the North Cascade HWY. I would love to join a rope team this spring/summer on some entry-level climbs if anyone has room. My experience so far has been on three and four-person rope teams. I work as an ICU nurse, so my work schedule is flexible. Although, week-day trips work best, as I work every-other weekend. I am also looking to get together with a peer, or a group of peers, on a once/twice a month basis to review different skills (self-rescue, anchor building, knots, etc.) Would anyone else be interested in meeting up in Seattle to exchange some knowledge and review some skills?

Cairns can be amazingly helpful in steep alpine terrain, especially when you are trying to link weaknesses to keep the grade below what you would need a rope for. Hidden ledges, crack systems, chimneys....they can point the way to an easier path that is otherwise not obvious. That said, cairns get abused and are often put in places where they aren't needed (scattered willy nilly across boulderfields for example). I tend to remove cairns more often than I leave them, but they do serve a purpose when used correctly. Good luck with the article!