goatboy

Thanks for the interest, everyone. It sold Monday for ALMOST what I was asking....

Hey Shorty, Nice work getting up to a beautiful place in winter conditions. Something I've learned is that it's great to have high ambitions and lofty aspirations, but in the end, you have to climb (or not climb) with the PARTY THAT YOU ARE IN. Sounds like Kurt had objectives (Triple Couloirs) that ignored (as in "ignorant of") the skills of the party HE was with. So instead of having a great trip to Colchuck in winter, he has a frustrating trip that he feels the need to complain about. Too bad for him. Meanwhile, it sounds like you have a more humble, positive outlook on your trip, where a relative novice took risks, suffered a bit, worked hard, and got to see something she never would have seeen otherwise -- and according to you, NEVER COMPLAINED. Perhaps Kurt has something to learn from her about not complaining? Hope you're doing well, Shorty. Nice work on Liberty Crack a few months back, by the way. See you around. - goatboy

Thanks, Caveman! I haven't seen too many photos of the route here, but I'm glad you liked the ones I put up. - GB

Climb: Hubba Hubba, Leavenworth-Central Flow Date of Climb: 1/25/2004 Trip Report: Climbed this route this past weekend on Saturday, among droves of other climbers. Nelson's book calls it a "climb not to be missed." Not too many people seemed to miss it on Saturday! Fortunately our early start served us well, as we were first on the route. Pitch one was in good condition, fat ice for the most part. After this steep start (maybe 75 or 80 degrees steep) the route kicked back quite a bit through little bulges and steps, felt like WI 2 with some thin ice and snow over rock. First pitch overall was WI 3, 60 meters to a fixed anchor in rock. The second pitch (WI2) started off steep, on some marginal, rotten ice that soon eased off to lower angle ice (about 100 feet) leading to 100 feet of snow. We climbed it as a party of three, starting in great sun which soon degenerated to clouds and snow. There were little spindrift avalanches all day, making the climb seem more exciting and alpine than it really is. Walked off to the right from the top of the gully. Descent took about 20 minutes on 35 degree slopes. Sausages and fries and IPA at Gustav's completed a great day of multipitch Washington Ice. Snowshoes would have been nice for the approach! Go get it! Gear Notes: Ice screws, optional rock gear (medium to small tri cams or stoppers, piton) for rock belay midway.

No idea about Drury. Climbed Hubba HUbba on Saturday 1/23 and it was in good condition. I will post a more complete TR later.

I assume that those "parallel razor thin lines" are actualy just running water . . . could that explain it?

Hey y'all This car is for sale on this site as it has been one of my best climbing partners over the past few years, including some epic drives to Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Banff, and all over the North Cascades. It has 71,000 miles, runs great, and is in good, clean condition. It has a CD player and a roof rack, plus new winter tires. It knows the way to many fine bivy sites and can front-point up snow rather well. It has accompanied me on many fine ascents. I will miss it. I'm asking $10,499 for it. Special price available for cascade climbers. PM me if you're seriously interested. Steve

Any WI3 or thereabouts still "in?" Thanks for the ongoing updates!

Yeah, that link works now . . . I don't know what the deal was earlier. Good call on Storm King . . . I will keep it all on the burner. Hope you're doing well. Any winter adventures for you?

Hey folks, Can anyone confirm the status of the Death Icicles that were perched above Devil's Punchbowl last weekend? With the current warming trend, I am imagining they are growing fatter, but perhaps de-laminating from the ceiling and crashing down. I hope that they are coming down, as I am not inclined to venture below them until they do. Paul Detrick or others, please report if you have an update to share. Thanks in advance. Steve

Here are some important questions: 1) Who on the team could lead 5.6? 2) Which members of the team would make the best rock climbers? 3) Ice climbers? 4) Alpinists? 5) Bush whackers? Thanks for your kind responses.

Hey Michael, I get it now ... your subtle joke went over my head the first time. I'm glad I "corrupted" you to use slides. They're definitely Mo Bettah! Fun to do slide shows too. As for your link, it didn't come up for me. ALso, when I go to "mountainwerk.com" it re-directs me to "Buy Domains.com" and says that your domain name is up for sale. I love your website and trip reports -- is it gone now?

Hi Michael, I took some photos of you on Orbit a long time ago and sent you some -- how'd you like 'em? As for your point about reading the text carefully, all I see is the caption stating that they're "carrying over the NE Buttress on a 3-day traverse" of the 3 peaks. It does not, to me, state or imply that they didn't climb to the main summit. Or are you referring to different text other than the photo caption? Anyone else have any input on this question? Thanks.

Hey Cascade Historians, On page 207 of Nelson's Selected Climbs Vol I (2nd Ed) there is a photo of Sean Courage and Andreas Schmidt on a 3-day traverse of Buckner, Logan, and Goode. Does anyone know more about their traverse? I am curious what strategy they used, what routes they climbed, where they bivied, approached from and descended to, did they use a car shuttle, etc. I am not intending to go do the traverse, necessarily, but I am inspired by their effort and would like to learn more about how they did it. Thanks in advance!

Does anyone know what route they were on on Tasman? And Joshk, what sort of permitting issues are you talking about? There were no such permitting issues at this time last year, so I'm wondering what has changed. Thanks, Steve

Here's a PHOTO from Summit Post Nice looking "rock" huh? Not as bad as Fisher Towers, but Christ . . .

Yeah. I climbed this thing in August of 99. It was desperate, and terrifying. Ended up leading every pitch, including leading the crux pitch (5.9 with fictional pro) twice over the course of a few days due to partner bailing after I lead it the first time. Returned a few days later with another partner and inexplicably lead it again. It was dumb. Summiting, however, was glorious. The views are great. I do not recommend it at all to people that I like. Still, I'm glad I did it.

I want to be the first to admit that I'm a total gearhead techno weenie geek, but I love this thread! This is the coolest techno trick I've seen in a LONG time! Thanks for sharing it. I love it when someone looks at something we all do all the time and envision it a different, innovative (though ultimately simple) way. Thanks! Steve

Thanks for the update. Good to hear useful information ("the snow was connected all the way to the ground") rather than "We went up there. Things looked good." Could you see the North Side of Stuart at all from where you stopped? Probably not, I'm guessing....

Notes on Aspiring: Definitely not "non-technical" -- there is some considerable glacier travel to be had, more or less depending on if you fly in to the Collin Todd Hut or not -- but the NW Ridge is a good route that is largely free of the objective hazard I described seeing on Cook. The "must do route" on Aspiring, in my opinion, is the SW Ridge route -- though conditions can make it bleak, as I found it last year. I have done the NW Ridge (on another trip) and highly recommend the entire alpine experience (plus it's closer to 4000 feet from the hut to Aspiring summit than 6000 feet from the plateau hut to Cook's summit). I love the Aspiring Region, though it doesn't quite pack the glaciated punch that Plateau does. S

Not to rain in the direction of the parade . . . But in my opinion, the Linda Glacier route is inordinately dangerous (due to massive seracs and icefall threatening much of the route) relative to the actual aesthetics of the climb itself (mostly a slog). When I was camped at the Plateau Hut, I assessed the conditions (very broken up glacier with lots of wandering and a fixed line to pass the bergschrund, the freezing levels (high), and the success rate of other parties (low) and determined that the mountain was beautiful but the route itself was not worth it. I would highly recommend some other climbs which can be done from the same hut, however, including the Silberhorn Ridge (Grade 3) and the East Ridge of Dixon (Grade 2+), both magnificent, rewarding climbs with great views and far less objective hazard than that one encounters on the Linda. I heard of a local fellow who was trying out to be a guide for one of the local guide services. He was told to pick a route on Cook and guide the trainer up the route as he would a client. He chose the Linda, got the trainer up and down the route safely, and failed the exam. The reason? He picked a dangerous route. Anyway, I don't mean to be all doom and gloom, but I do want to say that there are many other good, safer routes to do than the Linda Glacier route.

I second the Arthur's Pass vote. I hiked up Avalanche Peak and Bealey Peak (probably 2nd/3rd class at most), mostly on a trail, and enjoyed them both, as they were pleasant and afforded views of nearby glaciers. There are hostels and other places to stay around there as well. Have fun, what a great place to visit. Feel free to PM if you want more beta. Steve

Yeah, the Freak Brothers is a WILD looking formation. I can't Believe it's a Girdle is almost certainly an engaging route if you're up to it -- it's rated R or X for the follower, and I recall someone dying on it a few years back (it's in ANAM, forget which year). . . What a wild rock formation though! It's especially cool to check out the huge rock debris at the base, where the bottom of the roof separated from the main formation and casted off. Crazy.

I invite you to re-read my post and tell me what YOU think my point is. It has nothing to do with being a leading climber, or a professional climber, or a writer. How are things in the gutter, by the way? Oh, I have to go de-wad my panties!!!! I love the way YOU told me to chill, after your presumptuous diatribe against someone you've never met. This will be my last attempt at communicating with you on this topic. Thanks for the thought-provocation!

Glasgowkiss eloquently commented: dear ego, maybe if you put up some sicko alpine line, then they will contact you. just for a record- imagine every sizzle chest beating nibble nut trying to send them unsolicited stuff??!! it would turn into cc.com . this is a very good publication, with fantastic pictures and text to match. noticed minimum add space? tha's why i stopped reading climbing and r&i. if i want to read gear catalog i can get one for free from manufacturer. the quality of pictures and the text in these 2 publications are so lame it makes me want to puke. my advice to you fame seaking friend is to go, climb some sicko routes, make a name for yourself and then i am sure you'll be receiving phone call from the man himself. Whew, hoooooo AHHHHH! Guess he told me, huh? I am not a sick alpinist, and don't tend to "put up sicko lines." But if those are the criteria for getting published in that particular magazine, they should have said as much. What they DID say, instead, was very different, which was an invitation to the climbing community at large to query them about contributions -- when I did so, I was met with the "Who the hell are you to contribute?" attitude I mentioned. So my point is not that I'm a great alpinist worthy of their magazine, rather, the inconsistency between their solicitation and their reaction to people like me who took them at face value. Whatever. As I said, it's a cool publication and does have great photos and stories. I can't wait to read what Glasgow has to say about this post . . .