wdietsch

What about the Cascadians?

Andy.... check your PM's Wes

If you are going to do it go NOW. After the temps the last few days both the North Face routes and the Elliot are more than likely in the best shape of the season.

cheez chuck.... Yukon AND 151, hope your dad doesn't sit to close to the fire.... one vote for Paul Ricard Pastis 51

"blowin' Chugach" on the way to granny's saurez, gotta like that. I hope it was the Grant's Russian Imperial that sent you on your way..... next time your in the Tieton what's another 20 minutes, they sell growlers your welcome.....

here you go.... http://www.iceclimb.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000004.html

Zenolith, no current conditions but if you have not seen this yet, here you go..... http://www.iceclimb.com/CA_area.data#Lee_Vining

Will & Eric, What time do you think you will start "putt'em" back? Got some shit going on untill around 7:00 or so and then the 20 min drive. Wes

sobo, check your PM's

sobo, If you are talking about Cragg Bryant, have that piece of shit give me a call. Wes Dietsch

Hey Andy.. thanks from all the old Yakimaniacs. Been a long time since 4x4'in in Mahoney's suburban and wearing you LaSportiva's on the opposite feet. Seen any good drownings lately? Wes

Well... how was getting loose @ the Lutz? Sorry I couldn't make it, too much shit to get done around "base camp". Trask... there are no good pubs on Hayden Island. I live in Vancouver perhaps if it works out I can pick you up on the way into Portland. I still owe Will a "Wingnut Hat" table dance. Wes

go will, go

Hate to say it, but I am going to have to bail this week. Have one (or two, or three) for me Will. Wes

As pointed out, in May expect a lot of snow. This year so far is looking above average. Also this is a very common area for late spring storms. If Curtis Gilbert is your objective and you are going to be out for a week I would suggest going in thru the North Fork of the Tieton. The standard South Fork/Surprise Lake approach is more direct if you just want to go in "tag" the summit of Gilbert and head out. The standard North Fork approach with a camp in either McCall Basin, if weather is questionable, or near Elk Pass if the weather is good. A high "base" camp in Elk Pass gives you great sunrise and sunset views of Rainier. There is also a really fun and direct alternative high traverse from the summit of Bear Creek to the Devil's Horns that puts you into the Devils Washbasin, but in May you normally cannot get to Section 3 Lake and the trailhead. Like DPS pointed out, there are no real great climbing objectives. If you just want to scramble through I would suggest looking at the Big Horn standard route (class 4), Goat Citadel (also class 4) and if time permits a short trip over to the Devil's Horns (class 3/4). The traverse from Elk Pass across Old Snowy, Ives Peak, The Horns, Goat Citadel and onto Gilbert is also a lot of fun but not to be taken lightly. It takes the average joe a full day "camp to camp" with a pretty early start if you stay on the crest proper and tag a few summits along the way. If you approch Gilbert from Old Snowy and stay on the north side of the crest crossing snow fields and eventually the Tieton Glacier be sure to take a rope,axes and crampons. Depending on the number in your group a light 120' rope should do. Do you guys ski? If so, you will have a real kick ass time. As far as goverment BS, the North Fork Tieton and Section 3 Lake trailheads are in the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area and fall into the "Fee Demo" crap, make your own decision as to whether or not you buy a forest pass. The trailhead on the South Fork of the Tieton (Conrad Meadows) is on private land and I can not say enough good things about the landowners that within the last few years rebuild the parking lot with an outhouse. This approch does get a lot of horse packer traffic and a lot of heavy use. They did a great job. No "Fee Demo" BS to deal with, just park you car and start hiking. In May livestock is still pretty minimal.

dps, If you are shooting for the West Ridge.. go to Muir. I have made one (failed) attempt at this route. As far as losing "elevation and dropping below the cleaver",you never even get close to it, as soon as you get thru Catherdal Gap cross the Ingraham and your basically there. If you are looking at doing just the standard route up Little T, I really don't know what would be better, going thru Muir or crossing the Cowlitz.If you are shooting for the West Ridge, good luck and take your steel nut sack with you, your gonna need it. It is a great line, I belive Fred B at one time refered to it as the last unclimbed natural line in the area. I had the "fortune" of spending my high school days in Yakima and have heard the tale of the first ascent directly from Matt Christensen and gave it a shot myself in about '87. Man ... loose BS, difficult to protect.. you name it, it is one of those that needs the ice and snow to hold it together while you dance with death

I would also be interested in hearing from anyone who has any experience with the "Platypus Crude Spade" units that Pika Mountaining make. A while back I think Mountain Gear was dumping them pretty cheap. Wes

They definatly can be funky to say the least and like Dru mentioned one of the mfg'rs (I think CM) originally marketed them only as a "rest" piece not a desperation piece. Personally I think the boys in Salt Lake kind of turned it into a "fish" story. To Will's comment a few years back I was climbing with a buddy out at Vantage on Fug's Fall. At the top of the second (last pitch) my partner placed a Spectre in an old pick placment on a nice bulge below the mantle onto the final shelf. A fall would load the piece pretty much straight down, not much outward torque. Anyhow..... my buddy, now off the ice pitch, the climb basically done, thinking he was Greg Lowe or something decides to dry tool about a 10-12 foot vertical step that fades away at the top. About 6 feet above the shelf he's standing one foot on a 2" diameter sage brush growing out of a rotten, F#%&* ROTTEN, crack scratching for anything to tool on and the bush blows, he peels and ends up taking a 15 footer onto the Spectre and it held. The ice was thick, it was one of the best years out in the desert (winter 96-97), temps were in the 20's, my buddy came out with only a cut under his check from his tool

Hey TG, best wishes as well, surprised you had time to log on, shouldn't you be brewin' or packin' or somthing like that. Thanks again for the great hospitality this past weekend.

Wednesday sounds good but I can't commit until tommorrow. Which "watering" hole are you thinking about?

Did I ever tell you the one about the "mountaineer" that fell off the summit of Shuksan, good thing the stupid fucker was wearing a helmet

What ... you mean you don't like those "Zamfir, Master of the skin flute" lookin' gizmos that Grivel makes? [ 01-02-2002: Message edited by: wdietsch ]

Eve Dearborn Memorial

Stefan,Where are you headed? France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland? The "Alps" in general cover a huge area. How much time do you plan on for climbing. A great website to get you started is www.peakware.comAlso keep in mind what time of the year you will be over there factors BIG on the crowds. Wes

Dan.... look what you started.....again