none_dup1

I think Geordie is a ranger out of Marblemount. Am I right? John Sharp

Dr. Hemlock: Would you consider just one more sanction?

As Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield found out, I love to edit. Count me in as an editor if and when this thing gets off the ground and editing is needed. This is a great idea. John Sharp

Next time I see the little scamp, I'll tell that young boy Simon to refrain from these silly posts. You'd think he'd know better, being four years old. Geez. I'll tell him to stick to giant human-eating Tarantulas, his current passion. John

Mike: You wimp. Get back in here and slug it out. We depend on you. John

My wife and I just bought Technica Alta TCY2s from Jim Nelson and love them. They are light, dry quickly, break in is minimal, and they take a step in crampon (with toe strap). And they're relatively inexpensive. These are the first heavy-duty boots I've ever worn in 15 years of climbing that don't give me heel blisters. Another shameless plug for Jim's store, but more so for the boots. Give these a look. John Sharp Smellvue

Darn it! I missed Dan's opening remarks because I was at the gym training for the South Face of the Tooth, which I hope to climb some day when I'm really honed. Dan: What did you say to get the crowd so worked up? I hate to miss a party!!! John Sharp Bellevue

The much sought-after book titled "Winter Climbs" by Dallas Kloke (2nd edition) says this about Mount Kent's North Face: "This broad 1,200-foot face is characterized by numerous ribs, gullies, and cliffs interspersed with trees. A route in the center of the face involves a lot of steep snow, some short ice sections, and a little brushy rock climbing. FA C. Weidner and D. Kloke, February 1993; Grade II Class 4. 5 hrs. on face." Sounds like Chris and Dallas went during a year with more snow. Sounds fun. John Sharp Bellevue

I will think of all you rats climbing on Saturday while I watch my four-year old in ski lessons at Ski Acres. But I don't mind. Really I don't. No, not at all. Aarrgghh. John Sharp

M. Herzog: I'm sure you were kidding and poking fun at the AAC. But if not, please show some respect where respect is due. In Lowell's case, it's due big time. If you climb in the Cascades, you already know that. John Sharp

Derek: Have you done the W. Ridge of the N. Twin this winter? I did that in late summer in 1986, but haven't been up there in winter. I remember a maze of logging roads and a sea of clearcuts just getting to the route. Are things any better these days? Thanks, John Sharp Bellevue

See also my write-up on this climb done this past weekend (1/21/01). Go to the "Local Ice" thread, page 2, seventh entry. Cheers, John Sharp

Though not an ice route, here's a report on Red Mountain, S.W. Ridge, Grade II. Doug Walker, Laurie Andrews, and I climbed it yesterday (Sunday 1/21)) car-to-car in 5:45. It snowed all day, with freezing rain by the end. We got soaked. There seemed to be an inversion taking place. With about 8 inches of new snow on the older crust layer, we were very careful to stay on the ridge proper, connecting trees and rock outcrops. Doing it that way felt safe, but we did not venture onto the adjacent faces. Snow cover on the ridge was quite low in places. We used snowshoes for a while on the lower ridge out of Commonwealth Basin, never donned crampons, and didn't rope up. Though not a difficult route, this is a fun one and a good training climb. Nelson and Potterfield set forth the particulars in their new book. John Sharp Bellevue

Colin: You should be in school young man. Kids these days . . . .

Yes, Mike. You'll pay dearly for that one! And yes, Max, the South Rib of Guye is worth the trip, and you can still hit the Issaquah Brew Pub for lunch as we did. Cheers, John Sharp (Still wondering why I registered as "Mr. Good Time.")

I can't explain it either, but the other aretes I've seen up close in the Cascades, though not on the tops of these peaks, include those on the N. Ridge of Forbidden and the N.E. Rib of Johannesburg. I believe they too survive the summer. No doubt there are others. Eldorado's must be the king of them all, though. A real puzzler.

I posted a little write up on this already, but here goes again with a bit more detail. Doug Walker and I climbed the South Rib of Guye Peak this past Sunday, 1/7. I'd call it Grade II 5.0, though Fred calls it 4th class. The first two pitches seemed to have a few fifth class moves, but mostly it's scrambling on mixed terrain. Plenty of rock showing, with snow (both hard and soft) and little bits of ice right now. Doug had climbed this route three times before, and noted that it is easier now with less snow. We parked in the big lot near the end of Oberstrasse Rd. (not sure it's public, but it was empty with plenty of room). From there you head up and right to the base of the rib, then work down around the back a bit toward Commonwealth Basin. The route starts left of the South Gully by about 150 ft. We climbed the whole thing in crampons, used one axe each, and used cams and nuts to 2". We belayed the first four pitches then simul-climbed the rest. Lots of trees for anchors. It took 4:45 car-to-car, with the descent off the north side down to Alpental, then walk back to the car. You'll see plenty of tracks once you're on top, and tracks on this route and the South Gully route as well. Certainly worth considering as a fun and convenient one-day route. [This message has been edited by MrGoodTime (edited 01-10-2001).] [This message has been edited by MrGoodTime (edited 01-10-2001).]

On that last note, my first wife cost more, but she was definitely not better. What about the Trangos with the funny handles? Captain Hook? I hear they're a good and not-too-expensive tool. Just a thought.

I concur with the above that they are low-volume, and that they offer better feel on rock than plastic boots. If I did more multi-day or truly cold snow slogs, I'd get plastics. I've climbed Rainier the last three times in these boots and they are fine for a 1.5 day spring/summer slog. Like any boot in this genre, it's no fun to put them in the pack for rock climbing because they are big and heavy. But sometimes you have no choice.

Regarding the Snoqualmie Pass area, I met a party of two on Sat. afternoon who had just climbed the South Gully of Guye Peak. They said they sunk a few not-so-great pickets but didn't need the ice screws -- no ice. Doug Walker and I climbed the South Rib of Guye yesterday (4 hrs., 45 mins. car-to-car; fun climb). Conditions were mixed hard and soft snow and rock, with plenty of rock showing, but no ice to speak of. We looked down the East Gully on our descent and it looked like a nice safe snow climb right now. But hard to say from above if there's any ice in there. Obviously conditions and avalanche hazard will change if we get weather. John Sharp Bellevue

I like mine too, have had them for three seasons, and the 10.5 also fits my 10.5 foot. Like all boots, however, I get heel blisters on steep trails (but not typically on snow; just dirt). It's not the boot's fault. I've climbed rock to about 5.6 in them, and lots of moderate snow and glacier and some easy alpine ice. The sole is delaminating a bit, but it's fixable. They're certainly worth a try, and I think they're still on sale at Mountain Gear for $279. You should also consider the Technica Alta TCY 2. I hear they're great, about half the weight of the Super Mountain 9s, and step-in crampon compatible. Good luck, John Sharp Bellevue

I fully agree with Lowell on the benefits provided by the Mountaineers, and have used their wonderful library several times, though as a non-member, I pay more than a dime per copy. Like DPS, I've climbed with one WAC instructor, and if anything, he had to tolerate my whining and mediocre abilities. As for Heinrich, I think you're right about overcrowding in our mountains, and as a native, I too feel the pain of expansion. I've been here since birth in 1963, not including stints in CA, OR, and AZ for school etc. Obviously, most of the crowds, whether from clubs or otherwise, can be avoided by careful route selection and timing. Still, I cannot discount the many negative comments above. The truth hurts, but it's the truch nonetheless. John Sharp Hellevue P.S. This is much more fun than working.

Yes, a great route. I did it in Sept. '99 with a guy who climbs rock much better than I do named Aaron Houseknecht. Ten hours car to car sounds about right, though I can't remember our exact time. Silent Running is also worth an afternoon trip, but is quite a bit easier. One thing I remember about Total Soul is that the pitch above the Anti-Fly or Super-Fly pitches seemed the hardest of all, but was rated 5.9 or so on Dave Whitelaw's excellent topo. I can't remember what Jim and Peter rated it in their new book, but it seemed like 5.10 to us in places. We did Anti-fly mostly because it was my lead. Super-Fly looked harder. Having climbed half of Safe Sex thinking I was on Dreamer some years ago, I can't compare Total Soul to Dreamer. But Aaron, who knows Dreamer very well, said Total Soul was harder. And of course the approach is shorter and on a better trail. Next time you go up that way look for the new route on Blueberry Hill, Dark Rhythm, 5.10d. I haven't done it, but Whitelaw says it's great. Jim should have the topo, or can help you get it from Dave or Matt Perkins. Cheers, John Sharp Bellevue

Here, here. I think SHW has probably gotten the picture, which could perhaps be summarized as "friends don't let friends join the Mountaineers," or something like that. It's interesting the high number of people who've spoken up on this question. More even than when DPS posted his list of favorite Cascade climbs, including one in Alaska, and got us all worked up. Obviously, people have strong opinions about the Mountaineers and WAC. Either that or none of us has much work today . . . Welcome, SHW, to the down and dirty world of the Cascade Hardman. By chance do you ice climb in Levis?

I'm trying to be a nicer guy in 2001, really I am, but I fully agree that you should skip both the WAC and the Mutineers, and take selected, weekend or slightly longer, glacier, rock, alpine, and first aid courses from some organization like RMI, AAI, Cascade Alpine Guides, Mountain Madness, or whatever. Then go out with good and trusted friends and practice what you've learned. Your experiences will be more rewarding and more efficient. The many people commenting above are being charitable in their descriptions of the Mountaineers in particular. They mean well, but when you've been around them enough times, you will learn to look for their automobile window stickers in the parking lot before trying a route. Another trick is to get their bi-monthly (?) publication and see where they intend to go, then consider something elsewhere, depending on the nature of the climb. We almost all make mistakes, get off route, underestimate the time needed to complete a route, etc. I've done all three more than once. In fact, in the interest of full disclosure, a partner and I once had no snow or ice protection for a route on Forbidden because the guidebook didn't mention it, and a nice group of four guys from the Mountaineers let us work into their system. This was after they got the ropes stuck on a rappel and we got them un-stuck, but whatever. The point is that, basic, predictable human error aside, these groups seem to be magnets for trouble. As for the WAC, they keep a lower profile, in my experience. However, we once passed 35 people in one group at the base of the Roman Wall on Baker. It's a wonder they weren't lined up wearing wool knickers and carrying extra-long fjord sticks! Talk about impacting the environment. Anyway, I echo the sentiments above: Skip these groups and you'll probably learn the requisite skills faster, and ultimately have more fun, in our awesome mountains. Welcome to the neighborhood. John Sharp Swellevue