fredrogers

1 fatality, multiple near misses with injuries (and some without) here in the Mazama area this weekend. Bad time to be outta bounds right now. Be safe, climb later.

You can buy rip stop nylon tape in multiple colors- works like a charm and doesn;t get as messy as duct tape. Multiple options here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=1&q=ripstop+nylon+repair+tape&spell=1

I'd second the recomendation for Balfour Wall- WI2 to 4 or so if memory serves me well. Plus it's west(ish) facing, which means a chance of sun and warmer temps- key in that area in December.

Not just you. I suppose it's so more ads can come up as "served" for the advertisers, who largely support this site. Any mods care to comment? Yet seeing three at once is kinda like car with too many bumper stickers. All you do is confuse people with which one to read, annoy them and leave your message unread.

Give Rainy Pass repair in Seattle a call. http://www.rainypass.com/ They might be able to help you out- they work miracles with packs and tents.

Hey Dan- I was up there with TimL in early September and the N Face of Maude looked pretty melted out and discontinuous to me. I'll try and post a pic I took later when I get home.

I have had 3 pairs of shoes re-soled by James. Fast, good and cheap. Normally you get to pick just 2 of those attributes.

The trail to Cutthroat is melted out as far as the lake, then the snow gets patchy. You can get across the first stream crossing above the lake easily, but the second is a torrent and I couldn't get around it (I didn't bring sandals). The West Fork reputedly has a lot of blow down on it this year, but is a nice ride out and back- some exposed sections. Call the ranger station in Winthrop on that one. Cedar creek is a good ride, but a little minimal on the views until you get to Aspen Meadows (around 3-4 miles). I like the ride up Sandy Butte from the Freestone Inn- single track purists may scoff at riding an old road, but it's hammered enough to provide some more technical sections in spots, is about 8-9 miles to the top and with temps here in the 100's as of late, very shady.

Agreed. Wind, dust and nazi-hosts. We ended up bailing and getting a cheap hotel room.

Whatever happened to the hot Spanish wife? You just need to drink more beer and eat more meaty-cheeseys. Men with kilos are men with power. FWIW I'm looking at a Marmot Helium 0 degree down. My 0 degree synthetic is waay to bulky.

12 days BC touring + 4 days at a the North cascade heli yurt, 8 days and 120K at Loup Loup and 3 days with approx. 26K out of the heli. It has been a phenomenal season so far. And 4 more days at the NCHS yurt in late Feb. Whoo-hoo. end chest beating.

I took both Level 1 and Level 2 Courses from Larry Goldie at North Cascade Mountain Guides here in Mazama this winter. I highly recommend both courses (and Larry). Both offer time in the field- 1 day with level 1 and 4 days with the level 2 course (taught at the North Cascade Heli Skiing Yurt up by Hart's Pass). Why not combine 4 days of avvy 2 with an amazing setting and some great skiing (or split-boarding) and a heli ride. I'll post some pics later- I'm still buzzing from my time up there last weekend.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Sucks is an understatement here. I have been with USAA for about 20 years (sigh) and have always found them very responsive and easy to deal with. I did take out an additional rider (sp?) for my climbing gear since after insuring wedding rings, silver, etc, it seemed to make sense to pay a little additional to make sure I had FULL coverage for $5K+ worth of gear. I think it costs me about $75-100 year for this rider. I make sure to document via pics my rack and other gear at least 1x or 2x year so I have "proof" of what I own if something should happen. I don't have life insurance with them so I think the advice to heed mixing climbing gear with life insurance may be good, but have no proof one way or the other.

Ditto. My co-workers are abandoning their Coombas in favor of these...

Was looking at the NWAC site tonight and saw this little ditty. Funny. WAZ513-518-519-019-042-501-502-ORZ011-221700- && WEATHER SYNOPSIS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY Avalanche Bells (with apologies to Silver Bells) Avalanche, Avalanche, soon it will all slide away. Quiet valleys, windswept ridgetops— On lee slopes there’s a feeling of tension. Scary snowpack, we do not lack, Surface fluff masks deeper slab potential. Analyze, no surprise, it’s caution time in the mountains. Shooting cracks, some whomping sounds— Show weak layers and facets near the ground. Be aware, take some care, it’s your life in the balance. A big slide, no fun to ride— You don’t want to go where it’s going. Avalanche, Avalanche, don’t’ let it carry you away. Adding more load, is a bad road— And may not bring just holiday cheer. Avalanche, Avalanche, soon it will all slide away.

Hi all- Just thought I would post some feedback for a AIARE level 1 course I did with the folks from North Cascades Mountain Guides this last weekend in case others are looking to do the same this season. As a relative newbie, I found this very helpful in terms of understanding the full spectrum of what I needed to pay attention to in the backcountry- especially in terms of terrain selection, etc. Larry- the head guide- was very helpful and informative and gave a great tutorial that covered a lot of ground (pun intended). The field day was also awesome and included some great turns on the way out. Definitely worth the coin, IMHO.

Hey RuMR- Once I got to Spain this Spring with TimL and his boss it was *relatively* cheap- we did some great Limestone cragging where you could camp for free or cheap- same goes for the south near Tarifa- bullet hard sandstone, great beaches, lots of castles, etc. that the boys would love. Might be a little warm in the summer, but holy sport climbing cow. I can't wait to go back... I would also say that if you wanted to stay local, there is a TON of new sport climbing here in Mazama that would keep you busy for a few weeks- hard shit I can't climb and lots of stuff I can. Skaha is definitely not the epicenter of culture, but the boys would dig it, too and it's 2 hours or so from here, then up to Lake Louise...

That's a classic. I just usually say I'll go find "me" and leave them hanging for a while. Then come back and say that he'll be right there, then come back in a while to ask if I have picked up yet, then leave them hanging again. Good fun.

I know you said no shipping, but really try Cascade Cobbler: http://www.cascadecobbler.com/prices $28 for a 1/2 re-sole and $6 shipping is so worth it. Same quality as Ramuta and a little less. Although Ramuta does get shoes shipped from Vertical world 2x a month which helps if you can wait that long. I had one very bad re-sole with Dave Page- he may know boots- but not climbing shoes.

We were one of the last groups of folks up skiing at Rainy Pass today- the WSDOT kindly left us a note informing us of the impending closure. Just glad we didn't have to drive back to Mazama via Stevens Pass tonight. Our tour took us up to the ridge and bowl to looker's left of Whistler Peak. Got some nice turns in, as well as a few rocks. Definite sun crust is some spots with some nice fluff on top. Got very cold after noon. Good day to be on my split- other than the tight trees and lots of traversing on the way out. Thanks to my partners for breaking trail for the gumby today. I do have to say the folks at WSDOT did do an amazing job keeping it open and very drivable this fall...

I just came over the Pass to the West side yesterday. Still not much for ice at the road cuts. I'll post again on Sunday when I drive back to Mazama.

Depending on aspect 3-4 feet. Not a lot of consolidation above the rain crust. Where wind effected, it could be bare to just barely covered.

Trip: Rainy Pass - Heather Pass and a bit towards Frisco Mtn. Date: 11/16/2007 Trip Report: Spent Friday and Saturday breaking in the new splitboard with some friends up at Heather Pass. Ski track was well put in (thanks Josh, Travis, Larry), but getting buried in all the new snow on Saturday. Friday was WARM and sunny, then cooler, which kept the snow in the shade in decent shape. Coverage was pretty good- but watch those rollovers. Only hit one small rock. Saturday started cold, then got vey snowy with low viz. Had some god turns down to approx. 5,500 where there was a rain crust. New snow was actively sluffing off the rain crust down low as of late Saturday. Spoke with the WSDOT on Saturday and it sounds like they are trying to keep 20 open for a while. Get some while you can. For you ice climberin' tyes- the roads cuts below Lib Bell are NOT in and getting buied. Gear Notes: Rode my new Voile Mojo split board- much improved over my old one. Still a little slower than skis on switchovers. Approach Notes: Skin track in good shape with the exception of some small slides. Maybe some one more tech savvy than me can fix these images.

As of Monday, very snowy and cold. There is close to a foot off the road and more up high.

Looking for some one to share a ride down from Seattle to JTree and to do some climbing with. I'm flexible on dates, but need to be there no later than 11/1 for some training that lasts until 11/4- so flexible on return dates, too. I lead 5.8-5.9 gear and slightly harder sport, have rope, rack and reliable ride. I like puppies, kittens and long moonlit walks on the beach. PM or email db underscore climbz at hotmail dot com. I'll be back in the field next week so not able to check PM's or email from 9/18-9/22.