summitseeker

Climb: Mount Formidable-South Face Date of Climb: 7/1/2006 Trip Report: Trip report is here. Gear Notes: Ice axe, crampons. Approach Notes: Cascade Pass, then follow Ptarmigan Traverse to Spider-Formidable Col.

Dude! Phenomenal as usual. Awesome to hear about your adventures out sweeping the steeps. Keep 'em coming!

Climb: Devore and Tupshin peaks-East Ridge and East Face, respectively. Date of Climb: 6/3/2006 Trip Report: Go here to read it. Gear Notes: Axe, crampons, helmet, rope, harness, extra rapp webbing. Small alpine rack for Tupshin: 5 chocks (#6-10), #.5 cam, #.75 cam, #2 cam, runners, biners Approach Notes: Car, ferry, bus, hitch to Devore Creek Trailhead near Stehekin Airstrip.

Climb: Mount Bigelow-South Ridge Date of Climb: 5/28/2006 Trip Report: Given the not so great weather forecast, Jane and I decided to head east and scramble up Mount Bigelow in the Sawtooth Range east of Lake Chelan. Trip report is here. Gear Notes: Snowshoes very helpful. Approach Notes: Eagle Lakes Trail off Gold Creek Road off Highway 153 south of Twisp. Mostly snow free to 6,500 ft, snow thereafter.

(Just gonna reply here.) Thanks Sky. It was a fun little ski. Conditions weren't the best, unfortunately, but once I cut the slope and most of the rain-saturated snow slid, there was actually some decent stuff underneath that made for some fun turns. I definitely enjoyed it -- wish it could have been longer. But then it's not too often I wish a slope was shorter. BTW, I'm still blown away by your trip report on Liberty Ridge! Now that was phenomenal.

Did you guys climb Austera or just go to the false summit? We were up there last weekend and didn't see any steps kicked up the final gully. Maybe the snow was really hard? Or perhaps you scrambled up the rock to the right of the gully? Just curious, as it would give me an idea of how fast the snow is melting in that gully. We did see a skin track coming around the east and north sides of Klawatti and a camp on the east side of Klawatti Col, which must have been yours. Anyway, must have been a fantastic tour -- congrats! That one has been on my list for a while but still haven't gotten to it.

Yes, I went ahead and made the change on Andrew, since we reached agreement on that. Wish I was still up on the cap.

As you said, as long as you're getting out. Pick you list, pick your peaks.

As for prominence, yes, 400 ft, excluding volcanic subsummits (except Little Tahoma). Check out the peak list.

Climb: Eldorado Icecap Ski Tour-Klawatti, Primus and Austera Peaks Date of Climb: 5/19/2006 Trip Report: Bongi and I had a great ski tour on the Eldorado Icecap. See my trip report for details. Gear Notes: skis -- don't forget the skis! Approach Notes: trail to 4,500 ft, snow thereafter.

Friends from the 2006 La Grave Ski Camp are putting together pictures of 'Doug just being Doug'. If you'd like to see them, go here.

Friends from the 2006 La Grave Camp have started sending me pictures of Doug from this year. If you'd like to see 'Doug just being Doug', go here.

A memorial fund has been started at http://www.dougcoombsmemorialfund.com --Scott

A memorial fund has been started here. --Scott

This is indeed a very,very sad day. I've posted elsewhere, the following: NO! That just can't be true. It can't be. What a fantastic guy. I just attended his steep skiing camp in March and had the unbelievable pleasure of skiing with him for a day. As I said in my post, it was a day I will never forget -- truly incredible. I was drinking beers with a friend of mine last night who was also at the camp and we were talking about how great a time we had in La Grave with Doug. Then, this morning, I hear this news. This is beyond sad. He was a totally cool, super enthusiastic, go for it guy. As one of the other guides said on the trip, "Doug has the enthusiasm and energy of a 12-year old." Every run, no matter how many times he had done it, was still new and exciting. His attitude towards life and love of the mountains and skiing, perhaps even more than his legendary skiing skill, was for me the thing that made the day so special. La Grave is a very small place and a tight community. I am sure that folks over there are devastated, not too mention how his wife and baby boy must feel.

Climb: Kaleetan Peak-Southeast -> South Date of Climb: 3/25/2006 Trip Report: Bongi and I had a great climb of Kaleetan Peak (native american for "arrow") on Saturday. It was a long day, approx. 13 miles RT and 4,200 ft elevation gain. Road is plowed until just before the bridge, about 3/4 mile from the trailhead. Lots and lots of trailbreaking, as snow conditions were soft and slushy down low. Snowpack was very stable and excellent for skiing in the Melakwa Lake basin, as numerous ski tracks attested. Ran into a party of skiers (Skykilo and friend) who had taken the lift from Alpental, traversed and dropped over Pinneapple Pass and ascended the lake basin. Definitely a much better tour than coming up the steep trail through the forest, but we were in search of a conditioner so we got our money's worth. Trip report is here. Gear Notes: Skining up the trail would have been heinous, but wish I had my skis for the last 1,300 feet. Approach Notes: Denny Creek Trail

Sure did! Had enough of that when I was out with you. It's quite a place, that's for sure. You'd go crazy there -- there is endless terrain to explore, not too mention launching off spots for tours and plenty of huts. I'm gonna head back again, that's for sure. I know the area pretty well now too.

Climb: La Grave France Steep Skiing- Date of Climb: 3/3/2006 Trip Report: Just got back from an incredible week of steep skiing in La Grave, France. The place is phenomenal! There is a tram that climbs over 7,000 vertical feet, providing access to 100% backcountry terrain. There is no ski patrol, grooming, avalanche control, or the like. It's full-on ski mountaineering without all the work, as only the Alps can deliver. Had the incredible opportunity to ski with Doug Coombs, world renown extreme skier and totally cool dude. All in all a week I will never forget. Trip report is here. Gear Notes: Skis, harness, rope, shovel, beacon, probe, guide, juevos grandes. Approach Notes: Plane to Lyon, France and buses to La Grave. Stay at La Chaumine hotel -- it's the best!

Thanks to all you Oregon climbers for sharing the mountain with your neighbors up north. We'll be back soon. And to think no one even tried to beat the crap out of us. You guys sure are nice.

Perfect for climbing, okay for skiing. Do Leuthold's, or the Reid, or the North Face, but just get up there. It's prime!

Climb: Mount Hood-Leuthold's Couloir Date of Climb: 2/11/2006 Trip Report: Bongi and I did Hood this weekend. Based on trip reports posted here and the hoards we saw on the Palmer, so did a lot of people. We did Leuthold's Couloir, which was a complete blast. Conditions could not possibly have been any better. Trip report is here. Enjoy! Gear Notes: Rope, 2nd tool, pickets, ice screws. We didn't use any pro in the end, but it depends on your comfort level.

Climb: Thomas Mountain-Trail Date of Climb: 12/24/2005 Trip Report: To make room for Christmas Dinner, Jane and I headed off on one of our favorite ass-kicker snowshoes up Thomas Mountain, 5269 ft. Thomas sits atop the Domerie Divide, the ridge immediately east of Kachess Ridge, north of Easton Ridge and west of Cle Elum Lake. Other peaks on the ridge include Mount Baldy, Domerie, South and North peaks. Baldy and Thomas can be done from the same approach, so you can choose either once you reach the intermediate bump, or if you are seriously hardcore you can do them both. Read the remainder of the report here. Gear Notes: Snowshoes, trekking poles, map, compass. Approach Notes: Read the report

Check out my book, "Summit Routes: Washington's 100 Highest Peaks" for a detailed description of the route via Paradise/Muir Snowfield. There are quite a few crevasses and seracs on the lower Cowlitz Glacier in the area above the ice fall (traverse it at 8,600 ft). Not sure what they will be like this time of year... there hasn't been that much snow. Once you get past that you'll have to traverse the Ingraham Glacier to get over to the Whitman Glacier. That probably won't be too bad, but it's a pretty long way even in good conditions. Then, you've got to ascend the Whitman all the way to 10,500 ft to enter the gully on the left to bypass cliff bands. There could definitely be avalanche potential on this slope (40-45 degrees). I imagine that the last 20 feet of rock to the summit will be seriously exciting when snow/rime/ice plastered. It's a quite exposed gable, with intense exposure on the north (all the way down to the Emmons Glacier at least 500 feet below) and more moderate exposure on the south. If you go, write up a trip report as I want to hear what it is like! --Scott

Climb: Panorama Point, Mount Rainier-Pebble Creek Trail Date of Climb: 12/18/2005 Trip Report: The weather report said high winds in the foothills, so being the geniuses we are, Jane and I got in the car and drove straight down to Rainier on Sunday in the hopes of heading up to Muir just for the experience. The conditions were crazy. To read about it and see the pictures, go here. Gear Notes: The usual stuff for a trek to Muir this time of year. Approach Notes: Snow, but there was a solid boot track so we left the snowshoes (and skis) in the car. It's likely covered with new snow now though.

Climb: Rampart Ridge, South Summit-Southwest "Ridge" Date of Climb: 12/11/2005 Trip Report: This snowshoe/scramble is a fun day outing in some less-often traveled country. See the trip report here. Gear Notes: Ice axes, snow shoes, ski poles Approach Notes: From east of Snoqualmie Pass, take the frontage road past Gold Creek SnoPark to its end at another SnoPark . Then use a combination of logging roads before going cross country up the southwest "ridge". Finish with a 300 foot 40-50 degree couloir leading to the top.