dennis_crowley

I respect all the people out riding big faces on whatever gear they choose. I love to hear about people climbing and riding. Dave obviously was a sick rider willing to take real risks. Style is everything to me. If you ski a route with belays I don't consider that a real descent. Andrew Mclean thinks he is a real bad ass with his roped up descent of the mowich face. Nothing more than a glorified rappel to me. I never met your friend Dave but it sounds like he was a helluva rider with serious descents. I am stoked to hear that someone rode the north ridge on skiis and I'm sure that If I don't get some sick bastard will ride the ice claiming complete descent. I am currently still trying to ride shuksan. I went out to the north face March 28th and was climbing on the 29th. A huge slab broke off the arm filling the valley floor. If you plan on skiing out on tele skiis think again or you might die. Hiking,climbing,walking or snowshoeing under the hanging glacier is also very stupid. The only reason I point this out is because every time I go out there I see ski tracks in the main gullies. This last climbing trip I saw people ski directly under the icefall stop strap on and ride next to 50 feet deep 3 mile long avalanche debris. My trip was stopped half way up the face by some serious sluffing.

If someone has ridden it on a stick let us hear who it is because I don't believe it until I see pictures or see reliable names. I found that not even the Bellingham herald reported accurately about Georges supposed Northwest coulior descent. When confronted he admitted the paper made a mistake he did not ride the whole coulior. So I went out and rode it claiming first descent. If you think their are no first descents left your high. According to the tacoma news tribune no one has even set foot on rainiers north face in ten years. So if your a really sick dude go out and climb, then drop in on the thermogenesis coulior. Then if you can beat me to that in the next month I will be trying a first descent of the coleman headwall and the north ridge. So please Show me what's up with some proof they call them pictures. until I see them I don't believe it like Aliens.

I am glad you slogged all the way out there. It looks like it is time for a snowboard descent of the north face. It has been skied but I haven't heard of anyone snowboarding it. If it is a snow slog like you say it is time.

I decided it might be fun to try out the north east slab route on the tooth. Hoping that the route was in we cruised out there to find that it has no ice and barely any snow.

I decided to try the heliotrope ridge ice despite what sounded like a difficult undertaking. I found that you cold drive all the way to the trailhead. They are plowing the road for snowmobilers. The ice was good on the right side but the left was wet. You can top rope this climb. The trail is completely snow free so don't worry about postholing and the trail only takes about a hour. 01/13/01