goatboy

The NWMJ (NWMJ) is soliciting photos for an upcoming feature story about glacial recession and its impact on climbing routes in the NW. The intention is to compare older photos (i.e. 70's-90's, or even older is great) with more recent images. It's important to try to find pictures that fairly illustrate the change or lack of change in given routes, so late-season photos (i.e. Aug or Sept) might better illustrate that change than comparing April 1975 to April 2010 (probably very similar due to snowcover). We have compiled a list of suggested routes/regions which might best serve this purpose. - South side (unnamed) glacier on Forbidden - Formidable north side glaciers - North side of northern Pickets (Fury, Swiss, etc) - North side of southern Pickets (McMillan Cirque glaciers) - Dana glacier on Dome - Colchuck Glacier (access to Serpentine Arete) - NE Face Fury/N Buttress area - Torment, glacier access to SE Face - Buckner N Face Couloir (not standard N Face proper) - Price Glacier, Shuksan - NW Face N Ridge Forbidden - N Face Maude - Kautz Glacier on Rainier - Colonial and Neve Glacier - steep and cracked If you have relevant photos of other routes in other (NW) regions, those would be welcomed as well. We will choose from the total compilation and publish only some of the submissions, with the author's permission. There is no compensation for getting your photo published other than the fortune and glory of being a part of the NWMJ, and the envy of your peers. To submit photos, email me at alpinejustice AT gmail.com and include: MONTH AND DATE and what ROUTE or REGION is pictured. Feel free to reply to this thread with suggestions for other routes/regions, or questions about what we're seeking. Anyone that wants to post their (relevant!) images here in this thread is also invited to do so. Thanks in advance, Steve

Looks like a great adventure!

I've climbed a little bit of the roadside stuff there in Riggins. Absolutely nothing to get excited about, but perhaps worth a stop if convenient or passing through. But overall, nothing special. Perhaps, not worth the effort.

Depends on where you start, but I think the Barker Dam approach is quickest. I would say 15 minutes is a stretch, though.

In response to Tvash: This is a fascinating and interesting story, especially to me since i have actually been to Hluhluwe Park myself a few years ago. Thanks for the info!

Dude...if its crappy anchors getting fixed where someone's life might be on the line you are waaaaaay out of line... WTF... _________________________ DWAYNER SAYS : BOOO BOOO BOOOOO BOOOO

On the other hand, there's this: REVIEWS

"Der Teufel ist Gefallen!"

That strikes me as an incredibly fast approach and climb! Nice work!

I assume flotation is still recommended for the approach?

Alpinism is many things. Using your judgment, and taking responsibility for yourself, are two of the most important ones. Arriving at the base of the route, and perceiving a party ahead of you moving slower than you seem to have liked, what did your judgment tell you to do? Follow them up the route, not communicate with them at the time or re-assess your situation, and then bitch about it afterwards? How did that decision work out for you? Maybe next time you'll get up earlier?

What's the approach like for this? Flotation needed?

I don't recommend that any of you ever go to Vantage again...it's too crowded with suicidal people like me. Especially in the springtime.

There is definitely some appreciable exposure in a few sections of the route. Firm styrofoam snow eases the anxiety, while sugary snow over rock can increase it! In any case, it's a really good moderate route when in good condition, and a nice way to see a different side of the mountain from a nice high camp.

I never found them to be necessary on the NBC, though I did carry them up there once. If you tried to place some en route, I'm sure you could. Where did you find them to be necessary? The rock on D-tail and Colchuck trends towards very compact, so there are some stretches with only paper-thin cracks that would perhaps take a knifeblade, though again, I felt that the route protected adequately with small-to-medium cams and a few stoppers.

Great idea to rent a big lens like that. Hmmmmm..... Nice job capturing the light.

Really depends on your routefinding at the top, and the snow conditions, but one should be able to avoid that steep rock if one tries hard enough (as I have in the past). I've climbed the route 3 times and found very different conditions and slightly different ways to finish the last section each time. Having said that, the snow couloir itself (on the north side facing the lake) is moderately steep in normal conditions, and the character changes when you reach the top of the couloir and are suddenly above the west shoulder. Here, you can see across Mtneer Creek valley to the flanks of Mt Stuart, and the west side of Colchuck Peak drops off precipitously to your right as you make your way up the NW side. I've soloed this part, or roped up and simul-climbed placing occasional rock gear in the boulders frozen into the slope. It's reasonable to do the climb with a small assortment of rock gear, a light alpine rope, one or two tools depending on comfort on steep snow, and no more than a picket or two. The vast majority of the route, in normal conditions, subsists of moderately steep snow, though some sections are more exposed than others.

Thanks! It was a good day that culminated with buffalo wings and IPA.

don't want to be [annoyed] by what people post on cc.com? just don't read it- really simple.

My wife is a veterinarian, so I know a little bit about "spay"... and if the mods want to move this inquiry there, so be it... but to address some misconceptions of my intention: 1) There seems to be some misinterpretation of my original post. I am not espousing "bro-brah PC" anything, nor am I saying I don't want to read posts about accidents... if that were the case, I wouldn't bother to post about it myself, here. 2) However, I am saying (and I did say in the original post) that there is a need for "for people to question and analyze (in the interest of learning) in one place, and to get news reports and updates from involved parties elsewhere." Billcoe mentioned that they do try to manage it this way on rc.com... for example, I know that they have an entire forum that is devoted just to the discussion of accidents there... could that be considered for cc.com, with some guidelines to accompany it?

Hello, Since I joined this site (seems like a long time ago now) I have seen many raging debates go on surrounding well-publicized accidents (many on Mt Hood, Rainier, most recently Mt. St. Helens...) and they tend to follow a familiar cadence: - some statements of fact and link to news reports - lots of well-wishes and thanks to rescue teams - inevitable questioning about the techniques and brain-power of the injured parties - people taking the high road and asking for common courtesy and compassion - others taking the absolute low road and blaming the climbers, their partners, and the rescue teams for their roles or failure to act Sometimes, moderators or others step in and separate the thread into two, one for accident reporting and good wishes, the other for analysis of what went wrong... It's interesting to me to see how often this cycle repeats, and how predictable it is ... but at the same time, how it seems like the wheel is being recreated over and over... possibly to the detriment of any family members or others who might stumble upon this discussion in their attempt to find information online. Is there a need for cc.com to establish any kind of rules of common courtesy to separate blaming and analyzing from factual reporting and good wishes to the injured party and rescuers? If the moderators have already thought about this and decided against it, so be it - but I for one would like to see room for people to question and analyze (in the interest of learning) in one place, and to get news reports and updates from involved parties elsewhere ... I personally don't see the value in blaming and shaming other parties, based on partial information from notoriously incomplete sources. So, the question I pose is, should cc.com develop a community guideline that separates accident reporting from accident analysis? Or some other approach that attempts to foster learning from accidents without the blaming and condemnation? Or, do folks really like the process of recreating the wheel each time something happens? If so, perhaps that's a valuable process that people need to go through... for me, however, I don't need more of the same.

Okay, I'll spill the beans. It's "Fuck It, Use the Tree" at Mt. Lemmon. A steep, thin start right off the ground....unless you backstep to a tree which makes it much easier. I wonder if the tree is still there...

Take it as a compliment, Ed. Having climbed that route myself in the past (via the runnels, not the rappel variation) I am familiar with the challenges and commitment of it and am impressed by the tiny pack you're carrying. Either you folks went super-light or Gaston (who is not pictured in any of the images) is carrying a bigger load... in either case, it's impressive! Nice work succeeding on a classic route with unconsolidated steep snow... the hike out after summitting Triple C always seems long. I assume the FS road is still gated at the campground?

I'm familiar with the NW CORNER of NEWS, but which N Face route are you referring to? How hard?

You're my hero, Gaston. And that pack EH is hauling looks BURLY. Why did you make him carry all your stuff like that?