jstreet

Looks like alot of fun guys... and way to move! Did you really climb the whole 1000' buttress in 3 hours?

Weather looks good for rock climbing at icicle creek or tieton on thursday. Email me at jeffstrt@verizon.net or call (425) 827-2850

I just took the WFR course offered by Wilderness Medical Associates and hosted by Rescue Specialists in Leavenworth, WA. It was excellent.

Take the day off and join me in the sun at Leavenworth or Tieton. Email me at jeffstrt@verizon.net

Anita Cech and myself are going to Cody, Wyoming on Thu Feb 28 – Sun Mar 2 to ice climb and we are looking for another rope team to join us. The tentative itinerary looks something like this… open to other climbs. Thu Feb 28 – Drive Seattle to Cody (~13 hrs, leave @ 6am?) Fri Feb 29 – Climb “Smooth Emerald Milkshake” with Anita and other rope team? (WI 4, 7p - mostly WI 3/3+, 1 WI 4 pitch) Sat Mar 1 – Climb “Mean Green” (7 pitches; p1=WI 3+,p2=WI 3+,p3=WI 4,p4=WI 4+,p5=WI 4+,p6=WI 2/3,p7=WI 4) Sun Mar 2 – Drive home email me directly at jeffstrt@verizon.net if interested.

Ypu think there's enough other stuff in to make worth the drive from seattle this weekend? How fat or thin was the other stuff?

I live in the seattle area and am looking for more drytooling practice sites to visit with a bunch of begginer/intermediates. I've visited the following so far... - SR900/Issaquah - Exit 38/Black Ice - Rap Wall/Alpental (to hard for my crew) Any know of other places to drytool that would be reasonable for beginner/intermediates?

I'm wondering how a JetBoil stove preforms at higher elevations. Say 10,000 ft plus. Anyone have any experience with this?

Anyone been up to Stellar/Aplental ski lift falls in the past week? Is it intact? Top ropeable?

Hey thanks for figuring out my picture problem. Now I know what to be careful about in the future.

Hey thanks everybody. It was really fun going up there on a chance and then lucking out. And there's more ice up there for everybody. Those other routes we saw looked interesting. To bad we are going to have only marginal cold weather thru the week and another melt down over the coming weekend. Keep your fingers crossed, maybe it wont happen. Here's my plan for dealing with this: A) Learn how to mix climb B) Head for the HIGH alpine ice routes.

They are DMM Rebels, I've been using a pair for the past 3 weeks, which Marmot Mountain Works of Bellevue and DMM graciously loaned me to demo. The jury is still out but so far I'm finding them very light and nimble with a good head weight and center of balance. They have interesting ergometric handles with built in pinky rest/knuckle guard and built in adjustable trigger finger rests. They seem super well built and look sexy as hell. I've been using a borrowed pair of Petzel Qaurks for most of the season and I'm having a hard time deciding which tools I like better. I kind of feel like the Quarks rounded handles are more comfortable than the Rebels pistol grip shaped handles... DMM Rebels... bad ass and sexy

Incredible fun guys. Way to work it!

On Sunday, John Angulo and myself decided to take a chance and go take a look around the upper end of the Alpental valley to see if anything had survived the week long warm spell. We theorized that "The Source Lake Line" might survive because it’s relatively high in a very cold basin and was very fat. We kept our expectations low. As we drove the final stretch of I-90 towards the pass there were significant remains of road side ice; a good sign. As we proceeded on snowshoes in the lower Alpental valley all the small ice crags were mostly intact; a very good sign. At source lake we looked straight up the leftward fall line to the high cliffs and we could see "Flow Reversal" WI 5 R/X looking relatively complete and possibly climbable. We could also see a nice relatively long (1-2 pitches?) moderate flow about 100 yards to the left of "Flow Reversal" that I'm not sure is normally there that looked climbable. We couldn’t yet see “The Source Lake Line” so with much anticipation we worked our way up towards the high cliff alcove that holds the route. We jumped for joy when the route came into view because it was continuous from top to bottom and looked intact enough to climb safely. The ice turned out to be a bit mushy, rotten, and hollow in places but overall it was definitely reasonable. We climbed the steeper direct finish (left side). Here are some photos… The climb... yahoo! it's still intact Best action shoot... Jeff makes wild moves near the bottom of the pillar Preping in a safe area near the base of the route View out over snow lake divide area Jeff starts up the route Cozy mid point belay alcove Super satisfying solid belay anchor Tools of the trade parked in belay alcove at the base of the pillar pitch John relaxes at the belay alcove Jeff leaves the comfort of the alcove to start up the pillar Up the pillar and soon out of view of the belayer Jeff belaying at the top of the route

What an incredible play ground! Nice pics everyone! Nice job on "Dial 'M' for Mountie" Alex! What were the temps like up there up Sunday?

Nice climbing pics! Love that high exposure photo of Martin on the fifth pitch.

It was early afternoon when we we at Frenchmans but I dont think it would make a difference... huge open water slot at top with egg shell remenants dangling and getting hosed by high volumes of water.

Way to go Gary and Wayne! I look forward to seeing the full TR.

Sweet climb Brian. 6 nice pitches! Dam. Glad you got out and had some fun. Post a few photos of the climbing if you had the time to get any.

Looks like alot of fun. Thanks for the nice pics.

John Angulo and myself went to Vantage on Saturday and climbed Fugs Falls, which looked a bit anemic from the base but turned out to be fine and quite entertaining. After that we headed to Frenchman Falls, which looked potentially dangerous from the road, but we wanted to take a close look to be sure. Up close it was tantalizing but we deemed it unsafe to climb due to open water and dangerous danglers at the top of the route. On this trip I got to try out a new set of tools for the 2nd time, DMM Rebels, which Marmot Mountain Works of Bellevue and DMM graciously loaned me to demo. The jury is still out but so far I'm finding them very light and nimble with a good head weight and center of balance. They have super comfortable handles with built in pinky rest/knuckle guard and built in adjustable trigger finger rests. They seem super well built and look sexy as hell. Below are some photos from the climb and of the DMM axes. First view of Fugs Falls on approach from the Feathers parking lot At the base of Fugs Falls we meet Chris and Ryan climbing the route Jeff leading up the bottom tier of the route... the only climbing photo we managed to get On the way back to the Feathers parking lot we get a distant view of our next objective... Frenchmans Falls Approaching Frenchmans Falls Open water and dangerous dangling ice on the top part of the route At the base of Frenchmans Falls Last look up the route before running away... dont want to climb under the dangerous danglers of death... not as easy to appreciate from looking at these photos as by being there and seeing it with the naked eye DMM Rebels... bad ass and sexy

Anyone got a glimpse of Dury in the last week or so?

Yes, its quite a playground. There's even some mixed climbing potential.

Ya, just a little bit fatter and softer on sunday then when you guys where there. Under current conditions I have no doubt you would have given them a go. It's seems like you and I are the Mountaineers Creek explorers this year, eh.

The ice was so good at Mountaineers Creek when Glen and I visited it on Wednesday I went right back there on Sunday. This time I went with Claire who is preparing for a her big trip to Banff. The ice is still fabulous on the lower tier. We did not go to the upper tiers but it looked great from a distance. I lead "MR Seattle" again by a slightly different line and rappelled to the bottom so I could belay Claire's follow and watch her climb. After that I lead two more undocumented lines which Claire followed parts of. Just to the left of "Mr Seattle" there is a steep line that I am calling "Snake Bite" WI 4+ (25 m). And 60 feet right of "MR Seattle" and 20 feet right of "Exit Wound" is a pillar line that I'm calling "Last Rites" WI 5- (20m). Here are some photos... Claire starts her follow up “Mr Seattle” Claire is styling on her way up “Mr Seattle” Me leading up towards the fangs on an undocumented line I’m calling “Snake Bite” WI 4+ (25m) Jeff enters the jaws of the snake Jeff tackles the short steep tight akward corner crux Jeff emerges above the fangs without getting bite Here’s the undocumented line that I lead that I’m calling “Last Rites” WI 5- (20m) Its about 60 feet right of "MR Seattle" around the corner “Last Rites” as seen from a different vantage point Me at the base of “Last Rites” Me getting started up “Last Rites” up… up… and away