AJ

I was headed up to Scottish Lakes this weekend for some skiing. I read a lot of the posts about Lake Julius last year and figured I'll take my ice gear with me and hope to find decent condtions. I was curious what the masses have to say about the ice there. I thought I heard there were a couple good lines up to 100' (30m) and as steep as WI4. I'm leaving Friday morning. Hope you all enjoy your weekends.

Has anyone climbed the East Buttress of Cinderella Peak in the Twin Sisters Range? It sounds like a good climb.

A guy I work with went up Crystal Creek about 30 years ago and said he probably wouldn't do it again. Not much to gain via that route unless your objectives include the Nightmare Needles or Pennant and the Flagpole. The route up McClellan from Crystal Creek wouldn't be all that direct anyway.

You will probably get some cold weather and a few storms while you are there. That said, here are some suggestions you and your bride might enjoy. These are definitely at the lower end of the technical and effort scales: - Abbott via Abbott Ridge in Glacier National Park (BC) near Rogers Pass. Abbott Ridge is a fun ridge romp even if Abbott itself is a pile of rocks. Suggest checking out the Elizabeth Parker ACC hut. Nice hike up forest and meadows to start. Easy daytrip. Great views of Mt. Sir Donald (for future trips). Plenty of stuff to do and look into the other hut higher up in the valley for more climbing options. - Mt. Yukness at Lake O'Hara. Mt. Yukness is a scramble. Some good moderate (5.7) multipitch routes on other peaks around the lake. Lake O'Hara is really beautiful. Either camp, stay at the Lake O'Hara Lodge ($$), or stay at the ACC hut. Lots of great high route hiking around the lake and other options for climbs/scrambles. Possible sidetrip up to the Great Cairn ACC hut and other easy alpine trips. I'd plan to spend a few days here. - Mt. Rundle (scramble route) near Banff. You can't help but notice the peak as you drive into Banff from the west. It is a loose pile but a fun day. Have fun.

Say you were going into the Enchantments on a Monday and coming out on a Friday with your wife/girlfriend who doesn't lead but follows well to about 5.8. What would your climbing agenda look like?

I also hear good things about "Ropes that Rescue" in Arizona. They also do a fair amount of industrial type stuff.

I recently posted a similar question about doubles. Initially I got feedback saying 60m was the way to go and then a couple folks (some off-line) recommended 50m. Alpine rock can mean many things but if you plan to climb routes with a lot of rope drag potential then I'd lean toward 50m. If you don't see this as a big problem then stick with the 60m plan. I am still on the fence regarding length for doubles. If I planned to use the ropes for long cragging then I'd probably go with 60m.

Cougar Mountain Park has some very good trails to run. Also, Weowna Park in Bellevue has some very nice short trails.

I was at Colchuck Lake this past weekend. There is still enough snow above the lake to ski. Some rocks are starting to show but they were obvious. Aasgard Pass seemed to be melting out but you should be able to pick a line for now.

Fishstick, free hanging in a sit harness for an extended period of time can also kill you. Blood will pool in the legs and within 30 minutes most people will see their upper and lower values for blood pressure equalize. I seem to recall a German study that contrasted full body harnesses to sit harnesses. I thought they found that there was no appreciable safety advantage to one over the other. Basically, it was as much personal preference as anything.

Thanks for all the advice. It sounds like there is general consensus (as much as possible on cc.com) that 2x60m is the better way to go. Time to start shopping.

For those who use double rope systems, what length of rope do you find to work best for you? I'm considering picking up a pair of doubles but I'm having trouble deciding if I really need 60m or if 50m doubles will work. In my situation I will primarily use this setup for alpine rock and ice routes. I'd also like to use a single strand for some typical Cascade volcano/glacier routes. I've rarely ever stretched my 10.5mm x 60m rope. When I've taken my 10.5mm x 50m rope (it doesn't get used a lot now) I don't recall having it come up short much.

I believe this is correct but you might want to verify with the Leavenworth Ranger District... You need a Wilderness Permit for Colchuck Lake. It is within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. Until June 15 there is no limit to the number of overnight users. June 15 and after the Enchantments quota system is in effect.

Sunday was nasty. Got to withing 500' of the rim but turned around when we ran out of wands. Visibility was <50', sustained winds over 35 MPH w/ much higher gusts, a little below freezing, some deposits of new snow almost 3' deep. Most of the snow up high was well bonded to the fairly soft crust below. Only saw a couple folks trying as we were coming down. None of them were carrying wands and I kind of wonder if they really were taking compass bearings. It was raining in the parking lot when we got back to the car.

You can use your street running shoes for trails most of the time just fine. If you log most of your miles on pavement you might want to stick with your current NB's (replaced about every 300-400 miles). I've got a pair of Montrail Vitesse II and I like them for trails. They have a single density EVA sole so an excessive pronator/supinator might find them a little unstable. The plus side is that they are supposed to land more evenly on uneven surfaces. Goretex for running shoes? Sure, if you don't sweat and can keep water from running down your legs and into your shoes. For some people it makes sense but I get too hot and it would only trap more heat. In the end, whatever fits will probably work for you.

You can drive to the trailhead. The worst part is one uphill section past the wooden bridge that has some deep holes. Seems like most cars can pass it (slowly). Trail to Lone Tree Pass is snowfree for first 1400' or so. Forest Pass is required. Initial portion is in good condition after having been cleared this past weekend.

A good friend of mine climbed Mt. St. Helens as a date a few years ago. He used crampons on the way up and decided not to take them off when he glissaded down. You know what happened next. He caught a heel spike, his foot stuck and he ended up flipping and sliding out of control down the slope. When the heel stuck it ended up ripping a large section of quadricep muscle. To this day (10+ years later) he still has a large "divit" where the muscle never fully healed. Let that be a lesson - always take the crampons off first.

Jarred, I'd also agree with Allison and Max. Unless you need something so specific you can't find it you should just save up the $ and go to the store. Since you are in Bellingham why not go to MEC and get a Serratus Genie. It is very similar to what you are proposing (for your first project) and I think it still retails for $49 CD. If you really want to make your own, try sewing some shoulder straps and a simple waist belt (not load supporting) onto a large stuff-sack. It is no frills, but it works. Unpadded 1" or 2" shoulder straps (think flat webbing) will work for light, quick trips.

I read through the article. I doubt it will inspire hordes. Hell, I live here, love the mountains, and it didn't inspire me any. Plus, the information wasn't exactly all that great. "...Permits are required for the summer season. Call the national park ranger station...for more information..." And that was a description for Cascade Pass and Boston Basin. Kind of left out that you can't camp at Cascade Pass and permits for Boston Basin can be real hard to come by. Maybe there was something good in the article that got cut out by the Colorado based editors. I'll give the author the benefit but overall I'd be more concerns about larger hordes descending on Squamish. If larger hordes are possible.

The stretch you described is very similar to the one I do. It has been a while since my IT Band acted up. The worst it ever got was when I drastically increased my running mileage --> from 5 mile runs (20 miles per week) to 20 mile runs (about 70 miles per week). Too much too fast. Rest and stretching helped me the most. I don't know about Rolfing - I doubt it would do much for an IT Band but who knows.

I went last night. Good slides, interesting insight, and even some good ideas for routes not in the guide. He let out the secret on some Squamish area ice. Also, previews of Don Serl's upcoming (yeah, right) Waddington Guide. It was a little long but well worth it for us armchair types. Kudos to Kevin for coming down and also to the Mountaineers for sponsoring the event.

Jules, Tell Tad good luck, but I doubt he will be able to change much more than a couple product selections. The store managers will have to take care of the personnel issues. - A.J.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to put this on my "To Do" list for the summer. One day RT might be a bit ambitious for me but it isn't out of the question. What is the deal with the hut at the lake? Can anyone use it or is it only winter access? Also, Weart sounds like a good mountain as well - would anyone recommend it?

Has anyone climbed any of the north facing routes on Wedge? Any favorites? How about time of year for climbing these. From reading on bivouac.com and McLane's guidebook it sounds like most people are doing these in late Spring. How are they in August?

I'd have a hard time believing this is going to happen. Power prices on the west coast are currently below $35/megawatt so nobody is building any new capacity. So many projects have been cancelled or put on hold in the past year I couldn't see how the economics would work out. If they did site a power plant anywhere it would be in close proximity to both an interstate natural gas transmission line and a major power transmission line. PGT's gas transmission line is closer to the Grasslands so I'd expect it would be in that area. Also, a 1500' white plume? Common', who are they kidding? Even the Centralia coal fired steam plant (about 1400 Mw) doesn't do that.