oldclimber

Re: the original question that started this thread. Buy a 40' piece of 1" tubular nylon. Tie the ends together with a water knot. You now have a 20' sling. Tie overhand knots every 16" or so. The result is an 18 0r 19 foot runner with multiple clip in points. Girth hitch a tree through the first loop, clip the rope with locking biners through a loop that allows the rope to clear the edge and then clip as many of the remaining points as you can to trees or pro leading back from the edge. The individual clip in points virtually eliminate the possibility of total system failure if one anchor should pull. I've found this much easier to set up than a batch of various length slings and cordeletts.

Easypeaks That sounds like a great reference for future adventures. Where did you find it and/or do you know where it is available in the seattle/ tacoma area? Thanks

With a login name like mine I couldn't pass up the chance to add something to this thread. I'm also the father that "Johnny" refers to earlier in this thread. He's got it a little wrong however, it's only been 28 years since I started with an ascent of Mt. Ellinor. It's funny because as I approach 60 the only difference I see in my climbing is that my partners are generally younger than I am. I'm still managing to fall off sport routes regularly except now I'm coming off 5.10s instead of 5.7s. I think some of my attitudes have changed. I'm still interested in the summit, but I find the quality of the route and the companionshp of my partners have become more important. I'm still comfortable with a snow cave or a bivouac on a ledge if that's what the trip calls for, if not, I'm equally comfortable in my motor home with my wife. I've managed to stay interested in the range of climbing experiences that are still available. Indoor walls are great fun and great for conditioning. I enjoy clipping sport routes as well as plugging in pro on an alpine route. I still enjoy snow slogs which is probably a sign that I am starting to lose my mental capacity. In addition to my technical climbing my wife and I have begun to focus our travels on climbing the high points of all 50 states. It"s a riot. They range from serious undertakings in some states, to the end of a cattle feed trough in Iowa. I am definitely not a Jim Donini, but I'm still having a lot of fun. Stay in shape year round, make smart(conservative) decisions when things get dicey and you guys in your 20s and 30s can look forward to decades of quality experinces in the mountains.

Ignoring the squabbles above, we chopped out platforms at 10,500 in deteriorating weather on sunday the 24th and spent a bad night getting pounded with wind and spindrift. Without much sleep we started up early on monday through 18 inches of new snow on the turtle and after only 500 ft. I called a halt, both because of the slow going and the avalanche danger that would be developing later in the day. I had talked with 2 parties on saturday who described a traverse across the the ice fall debris chute just below Hazard that put them out at the middle or at the top of the first steep pitch of the Kautz itself. they did not descend the chute and go around the toe of the ice cliff to gain the glacier. The crevasses on the mountain side of the lower Nisqually are getting nasty. For the first time in 28 years of climbing I had a rope team member go into a crevasse. We got his pack out and then attached prusiks to his rope and used our second rope team of 4 to brute force him out. He was one scared cowboy. I found it ironic to find one of the more dangerous portions of the route within an hour of Paradise.

I'm taking some first timers up the kautz this weekend sat,sun,mon. Climbing rangers say conditions are good. Anyone have recent experience on the route? The ranger I spoke with said he had not been on the route this season.