goatboy

That is a huge day. Nice work!

Nicely edited and nice climb. Gives a good sense of the scrambly nature of the route. Having the snow is nice - I liked the section where you appeared to be "crack climbing" by jamming your feet in the moat between the snow and the slab (even if you called that a "bergschrund" in your excitement).

Were the bugs bad the whole way, or more down in the meadow camp?

I think that would work just fine for the two hardest pitches on the route. The ascent from the glacier onto the ridge crest was nice to be able to do in a few longer pitches, however...

Maybe Washington already has enough wonderful terrain and we're trying to throw a bone to the Oregonians by annexing Beacon to the Oregon forum? At least they still have an NBA team, on the other hand.

Where'd it go?

Unbelievable - Wow.

Has anyone been into Maude lately? Any report on current conditions up there (i.e. snow coverage on North Face)?

I've heard parties report trouble finding the crescent creek trail, though you found it easily I surmise. I hope you can post some pics. Have been eyeing that NE Ridge on the Chopping Block too, wonder how often people actually climb that?

You just missed me, I threw out about 3-4 ropes recently. Oddly, I may still have more to get rid of... let me know if you're still looking. I live near Dan_Miller.

Excellent, thanks JoshK!

Wondering if anyone has recent conditions report for the NF of Maude. Normally would think of this as an earlier season route but given the season we're having, I imagine it's in good shape right now. Also debating between camping at the Maude/7FJ Col and descending back to that camp, or camping at Ice Lakes and descending what has been described as an easier descent back to that camp. Anyone with experience doing either or both of these strategies, please weigh in. Thanks!

Outstanding!

If I were to be in an accident, I would be disappointed if folks didn't try to learn from it, personally - but there is a difference between speculation and blaming, versus analysis of facts. Some of the facts are missing here, or perhaps are mis-represented by the news article. It would be helpful to know what the article means by "the last person on the rope" (is that the TOP climber, or the Bottom-most climber?) and also whether it was Lee that slipped or not. Unless we know those elements, then it's all just guessing. In general, we can say that it's standard practice to have the most experienced climber with the best self-arrest at the TOP of the descending rope team. But even that is subjective - if you need that person to route-find for whatever on the way down, that may go further towards preventing incidents than his/her ability to arrest a party that has mis-navigated. In this case, it was apparently the top-most climber who fell, perhaps plucking the others off. Certainly, running pro may have prevented the entire party from falling into the crevasse, but we've all been guilty of climbing through a section and recognizing afterwards, "Wow, glad I didn't fall there -- some pro may have been useful." Perhaps this incident can help prevent others from finding themselves in that situation, or making sure that whoever is leading the group has protection and can assess when/where to place it. I am not implying that this group did or did not make those assessments, but am hoping to remind myself and others of that in the future. Sad incident, terrible loss.

Ahh, the miracle of the "Wayback Machine": SNOW Climbing snow routes is really the first step towards climbing. The following routes are the type that one would generally want an ice axe on, but the primary danger to climbers is truly avalanche potential and white-outs. 1) Mt. Persis The West Ridge of this mountain is a nice beginner snow route. It climbs through a heavy forest to a view that simply can't be beat. This is a true beginners route for those with almost no experience in the mountains at all. It is best climbed in the late winter or early spring. One can find it described in the Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume One, by Fred Beckey. 2) Granite Mountain A small fire look-out tops this peak, high above Interstate ninety. This is a great spring climb that puts one in the thick of it. One has to make a choice based on avalanche danger at the time. Either go up the avalanche chute to attain the summit or venture up the SouthWest ridge to avoid it. In either case, this climb can be found in the Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume One, by Fred Beckey. 3) Mt. Snoqualmie The South Shoulder of this peak makes a great outing. It can be found in the Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume One, by Fred Beckey. 4) Goat Mountain The Southwest Route is a fun romp with a spectacular view. If you plan on traversing between the two summits you may wish to bring a rope and some snow protection. This peak can be found in the Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume Three, by Fred Beckey. 5) Vesper Peak The East Ridge of Vesper Peak is a wonderful trek in the early Summer. It can be found in the Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume Two, by Fred Beckey 6) Mt. Pugh The Northwest Ridge is the preferred beginner route. Be sure you're map reading skills are excellent if you attempt this prior to June. A description can be found in the Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume Two, by Fred Beckey. 7) Mount St. Helens Your first volocano climb should be the Monitor Ridge of this active giant. Generally this is best done in late Spring or early Summer. There is an excellent route description in Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 8) Mount Adams The South Spur of Mt. Adams is a classic beginner volcano route. There is an excellent write-up on this route in Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 9) Red Mountain The Southwest Ridge of this mountain makes a great first steep route for the beginning snow climber. You may want to use snow protection and pitch out the upper part of this 45 degree snowfield. Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume Two by Nelson and Potterfield has a good write-up on the route. 10) North Twin Sister An excellent steep snow-climb, it was one of my first. A rope and some snow protection is not a bad idea for a beginner on the steep North Slope. Check the Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume Three, by Fred Beckey for a description. GLACIER: 1) Mt. Daniel Daniel Glacier - See Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield 2) Silver Star Mountain Silver Star Glacier - See Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 3) Mt. Ruth Ruth Glacier - See Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 4) Mt. Hood Palmer Glacier/South Side - See Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 5) Glacier Peak Sitkum Glacier - See Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 6) Colchuck Peak Colchuck Glacier - See Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 7) Mt. Baker Coleman/Deming Glacier - See Cascade Alpine Guide: Volume Three, by Fred Beckey. 8) Mt. Shuksan Sulphide Glacier - This is a wonderful glacier route until the summit pyrimid. Without proper training in rock climbing you may want to turn around here. To attain the summit, one must be able to climb three or four pitches of loose low fifth class rock. See Selected Climbs in the Cascades: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. 9) Sahale Peak Quien Sabe Glacier - This is a steep snow and ice glacier climb in late season. There is a short thirty foot section of fourth class rock at the top of the climb. See Selected Climbs in the Cascade: Volume One, by Nelson and Potterfield. Note: This glacier is sometimes quite difficult and at other times quite straight forward. It all depends on the year. ROCK: 1) North Twin Sister - West Ridge: Fourth Class, Steep Snow 2) The Tooth - South Face: 5.4 3) Ingalls Peak - South Ridge: 5.4 4) South Early Winter Spire - South Arete: 5.4 5) Kangaroo Temple - North Face: 5.6 6) Liberty Bell - The Becky Route: 5.6 7) Concord Tower - North Face: 5.6+ 8) Mt. Shuksan - Sulphide Glacier - Southeast Ridge on Summit Pyramid: Glacier Travel, 5.6 9) Prusik Peak - West Ridge: 5.7 for a couple moves, mostly 5.5 10) Mt. Thompson - West Ridge: 5.6, Carry Over - Loose Rock on Descent in late season. 11) Vesper Peak - North Face: Steep Snow, 5.5, Carry Over 12) Forbidden Peak - West Ridge: Steep Snow, Glacier Travel, 5.6 - A Serious Alpine Rock Route

Looks like a pile!

Nice, Kevino - been curious about that one. Looks pretty nice and clean, from the photo! This must be pretty low on the route I suspect?

Wonderful TR, thanks and nice work!

Condolences to everyone affected by this.

It's unrepeated in terms of people climbing the same peaks on the same schedule as the original party, who were doing FA's along the way, without the benefit of route descriptions, etc. Those guys were the ultimate PNW bad-asses, in my opinion.

Sad tale, tourists too close to falling ice blocks. NEWS STORY

Nice job, inspiring TR! Only Nelson can answer why it was removed from the book. I've not climbed the route, though I've heard people say that the rock quality detracts from its classic status. I know a handful of folks who have climbed the route, but I can't name anyone that has repeated it. Anyone out there climb it more than once?

kevino, what route are you attempting here?

pms - is the Ptarmigan NF route the "North Face Couloir" on Buckner?

Best line: "Calling that pitch 5.8 would be like calling George Bush an environmentalist."