To_The_Top

Maybe cc.com is getting more productive, and at work trask is getting more productive too

I hear ya I got laid off this week, second time in two years--both same reason, the company lost its funding.

Hey Catburd, I didnt get back to you about finding those keys in the parking lot for Pratt. Someone contacted me saying they saw the post on cc.com and knew the guy that lost the keys. He got them back, and was very happy.

I bet if you did theridge to the left (south) end of the lake (after following the Kindy ridge) it would be suck for skiing at that section, as it gets windblown, and a lot of boulders, maybe just below there seemed to be shelfs. Maybe better to go the other way around the lake, if avi conditions were ok. A great scenic area.

When were they taken? Ruth does have great views.

Got there 45 min before Sat. night, and that was good enough. It did fill up fast the last 15 minutes, and there was a line outside for the next showing. Very good movie. TTT

He was on MSNBC last night, good tip P&L. He spoke briefly, and he essentially said the same thing he said at REI tuesday. Movie times for Seattle are here.

Storms of Silence was another good book.

Yes, non fiction. Touching the Void was his first book, as I recall.

Like Phil said: (quote from paper):Witkowski disappeared New Year's Eve while skiing solo in the rugged backcountry WEST of Alpental. Search crews found him Sunday afternoon, miles from where he started, near Tuscohatchie Lake. Witkowski said he had skied the backcountry NEAR Alpental many times before. But on New Year's Eve, he took an unfamiliar route and became completely lost.

Well, the skiing was good in WSeattle too... Many climbs, some turns on steep hills and a bit of dodging outta control 4wd's Nice snow before the rain, just as good as QueenAnne. No partner, no avi beacon and no shovel taken. TTT

I've seen the green flash, while on the coast of Oregon--lasted only a second of two. I also saw the Aurora Borealis while on Rainier.

THIS is amazing, never give up!!! TTT

Yah Kurt, good story...... My near run-ins were not not that close...... One time on a slope on a traverse of a few peaks under high avi conditions a friend wanted to cross a bowl that I said no way, we can go above safely. He wouldn't hear of it and stepped off a rock solidly into onto the steep slope.....Whummmpppp!?!....hissssssssss he was stuck in a four foot crown screaming "Holy Shit!!", and I crawled down and yanked him out as the slope slid another foot. He was still shaking when we got off the mountain to the car. Another time, on Granite Mtn (several years back), there were four of us, three pretty seasoned climbers and one new guy, who wanted to climb Rainier. As part of his training we went up the ridge route late winter...going over self arrest at the top, crampons, getting him familiar with the mountain. On the way up we dug a pit, and at 4200' the snow was well bonded and danger seemed low. Up by the top there was a bowl, which was pretty steep, and he almost stepped out on it. We dug a pit and there was 9" of new snow over hoar....very bad. So we kept to the ridge on the way down, saw a snowboarder hiking up and thought we were being careful. Near the bottom of the ridge we decided to cut down the slope and glissade the chute to the trail. On the way down, going pretty fast glissading, and I was getting hit with snow balls....thought it was one of my friends messing with me, then I turned around and there was this wall of slow (about as fast as you can glissade) wall of snow about four feet high maybe twenty five feet wide right behind me! I just rolled as hard as I could off to the side of the gulley, and avoided it, as it washed by for a long time. One of my friends was standing and watching it go by him and I was yelling back up away from it....he didnt, and a second surge grabbed him by the ankles and sucked him past me (he was 200' above me before) and I was yelling at him to roll out of it, as he was on top, he replied "I'm gonna ride this one out " but as it got a bit faster, he managed to get out. Of the two above, one got caught for a short time and the other was not in it (the new guy). We all regrouped and we were like wow! how did that happen, the new guy was like "Now I see why you guys do this that was wild!" like that happens every time you go out in the mountains. The new guy said that the snowboarder above had cut across the slope and the whole thing started from his tracks.... We all agreed once we saw that he was safe not to attack him, as we were the ones in the fall line. As we desended through the forest, the snowboarder was behind us, and never would get close to us, even when we stopped for a long time, he would too, not coming near us, but following our footsteps. At the car, we putzed around for awhile and he never did show. Last year I knew of someone in the same area that was buried for 15 minutes while hiking by himself and got caught. He told the story that he cupped air as the snow stopped avalanching, and dug himself out as he had one arm that was able to punch through the top. I'm sure there are better stories around those are mine.

I've seen Ravens do in a minute what a rodent would spend all day doing

If your looking for a shovel for the Pacific Northwest, go aluminum (own both plastic and metal) with a D-handle (easier grip), with extendable shaft. For BC skiing you would want to have something to dig out in the event of an avalanche that can go through hard packed debris. Pro Mountian had a bunch, and they were pretty lightweight.

I got the same response.

what dru really wants for Christmas..

I'm sure he already has a snafflefur steering wheel cover, for all vehicles including that one and the unimog . Does anyone know a good 12 days of Christmas (song) list for climbing/skiing?

I'm Pretty middle of the road politically, but after traveling outside the country five times extensively SINCE 9-11, there is a real sense of "what the heck is that cowboy going to do next ?!?". Not that it really matters, just an observation. It's like sometimes we are in a fish bowl, and everyone outside can see around it.

A cell phone can stop the need for a rescue on some occasions too. If someone is overdue and can get coverage for the cell phone and tell someone that they are just late, dont call for help, this can save a lot of expense and heartache. I know of a few that had a rescue halted because they were ok and had a cell to tell someone that they were ok.

The danger will be mainly from the slope you are on (SW), which is steepest on the upper section. Most likely this will be triggered by hikers rather than natural causes, the slope eases up near the top-then goes flat, then you bear left. Once you get above Alta Vista, the danger will minumize except for the lower section of the snow field, when you go by some ridges on the climbers right that have cornices that may form. Make sure you take a compass, altimeter and map, and a GPS if you have one, as whiteouts occur quickly. Watch out for a cornice that forms above cliffs if you wander to the right of Muir peak while going up, and glaciers on both sides of the snow field while going down. Post a trip report when you get back fi you climb the mountain TTT

Yes Paco, we are trying..... Sorry to have caused this mess!! Don't blame mattp.

You don't "own" the spray section