goatboy

"public service announcements" ? WTF EVERYONE, PLEASE BEND OVER AND GRAB YOUR ANKLES EN MASSE You're probably right. Hey Toast, keep the heads up to yourself next time so you don't start any bad RuM(o)Rs.

Thanks for the heads up. I wasn't planning to go to Vantage that weekend anyway. But if I were considering it, having info like this would be helpful in perhaps redirecting me elsewhere. I, for one, appreciate these public service announcements and hope you'll continue to alert folks when you know of big events like this that might impact personal climbers in the area.

Links to showcase don't work for me...

Creative idea. Can you do it and likely get away with it for awhile, or for a long while? Sure. Is it the best, and preferred, way to use that gear? Is it the way that sets you up for success while minimizing unnecessary risk (webbing abrading on other webbing, using an inherently weaker knot)? You ask if you can do it safely or is it a dumb idea. I say the answer to both questions is no. It's not dumb, but nor is it safe.

I've biked it. Kinda sucked for some of the sections going up (I remember pushing the bike for several sections at least) but was glorious blasting back down again...

Nice of them to let us know I guess....

http://pics.ericlondon.com/displayimage.php?album=65&pos=3 Not a whole lot there, but enough to still be a glacier. This was easily one of my favorite climbs, right up there with the west ridge of forbidden. Word on the street is that Forbidden is over-rated.....

Fabulous performance!

Nice work! They don't ticket up there anymore, I don't think, since the hated NW Forest Pass is no longer required at that TH. Correct me if I'm mis-informing, those of you who might know more definitively...

The pretty princess sez, "I'll be happy to make you a good deal on a pointy stick anytime, GB." Huh, like this?

Now HERE's a timeless topic: Which approach is best for a 1-day push in the Enchantments? Many say approaching via Colchuck is best due to starting so much higher....this is likely true when Aasgard is all snow and you can glissade (safely!) back down it. Once the snow is gone, and maybe even when it isn't, I have always believed in the Snow Creek approach due to the Bomber trail that you race up, even if you're starting lower...

I see your point, Tom -- but does the article that came out answer your questions about this incident much better than if it said an "undisclosed number of people are stranded on an undisclosed location on an undisclosed route, with undisclosed gear." In the end, it provides just enough info to raise a million questions & invite speculation. And, are you suggesting that the "unknowledgeable media" DOESN'T decide for themselves what to edit out of their stories? Or do you think that they included all the facts that they had, minus the names?

These news reports give you just enough information to make very little sense. Where are they on Spire Point, exactly, for example? Why do they only have ONE sleeping bag (in such a remote place)? Why would they carry that ONE sleeping bag up a Grade I, short route? It's almost better to give no info than such incomplete info that raises more questions than answers. Meanwhile, I wish the best for these folks.

Wow -- nice work, as usual, Stephanie!

Any Grizzly photos? Did you report it to the folks in Marblemount (who are tracking wildlife sightings like yours for the bear biologists)? Nice job on the climb and the non-traditional descent.

I seem to remember doing it with one rope too....

Wow. What peak is this?

$50 on Amazon right now. Hard to find this one. Good luck.

Hey Mikester, Thanks for the specifics about routefinding. I've actually been out this way before (en route to Stehekin) but my specific question here is how does this route fit in to the larger context of the Ptarmigan Traverse? In other words, does this round-trip from Cascade Pass over Gunsight Col and back again via High Bridge make sense (for people who know the terrain) or is it absolutely nuts?

"Little Johannesburg" actually looks like Graybeard Peak, to me. Can anyone confirm that?

BUMP. Anyone else ever try going out this way? I'm considering it and want some input. The idea is to climb Dome, out over Gunsight Col, descend Spruce Creek to Agnes Creek, hike up to High Bridge, and come all the way out to Cascade Pass.... Thoughts?

Is the North Face Couloir the route used by the original Ptarmigan Traverse party on their ascent? If so, wow....I always assumed they went up the South face from horseshoe basin..... To answer the question, I didn't go all the way to the base last month, but from where we were on the Boston Glacier, the schrund on the NF Couloir appeared to be appreciable. By now, I bet it's even more appreciable.

I bet it would still go with some tolerance for rockfall and routefinding (traversing through rockbands at the start and again halfway).....but I don't think it's nearly as enjoyable in these conditions. Or safe, for that matter.

She mis-assessed her partner's ability to do the climb, and to follow directions....and her own ability to lead effectively. No amount of fixed anchors can overcome poor judgment and mis-assessment....though it's possible that a set of bolts in a particular place could have taken the sting and some risk out of this situation. Perhaps the near-epic was what she needed to develop more judgment and hopefully more skills.

Cool -- nice pic (steph!) -- thanks for the clarity. Ericandlucie, you climbed the same crack (the left hand one) that I did. I still say 5.9 for it, but I agree that the rightward traverse at the end was thin, and the crack overall strenuous.