DonnV

I'm in my third year of using the Scarpa Manta. DPS is right about them not being all that light, but they climb very well and they're fine for approaches. For any climb that has some approach miles, some snow and ice and some rock, and you don't want to carry extra footwear, they don't seem to be much of a compromise in any area. I've spent a good part of the last two summers in my Mantas and Stubai Ultralight Universals.

A buddy just sent me this. Look what was in the Wall Street Journal this morning: Mount Rainier Guide Hopes To Fend Off Competition Renowned Mountain Guide To Summit of Mount Rainier Fears Competitive Onslaught By JUSTIN MATLICK Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL June 25, 2004; Page B1 With more than 36 square miles of snow-covered terrain and a 14,410-foot summit that looms above Seattle, Mount Rainier is the most sought-after mountaineering trophy in the continental U.S. -- and Rainier Mountaineering Inc. has guided more climbers to the top, faster, than anybody else. Some who have done it say the 36-hour rush to the top and back makes RMI climbs feel more like boot camp than a wilderness experience. But every year about 2,000 climbers each pay RMI $770 for a shot at Mount Rainier's summit, contributing to the company's annual profit of around $2.7 million -- a gold mine by industry standards. "Most of our clients just want to get to the summit the fastest way they can," says Lou Whittaker, RMI's 75-year-old co-founder. That entails a one-day instructional course, after which the company's teams ascend to Camp Muir, a narrow rock ledge that juts out of the mountainside at 10,000 feet. After a rest in a tiny bunkhouse, those who still are up to it head for the summit in the middle of the night across crevasse-ridden glaciers, arriving at the top just after dawn. Before descending, there is only time to take a brief rest and snap a few pictures. RMI was granted exclusive rights to take climbers to the top of Mount Rainier in 1968 and still leads the vast majority of trips. But its business could soon be up for grabs. Mount Rainier National Park officials are considering a plan to end the company's near monopoly by splitting its Camp Muir express routes among three companies. While RMI is likely to be one of the three, Mr. Whittaker is no happy camper. "They want to cut my business by two-thirds, but they didn't give us much say in the matter," says Mr. Whittaker, a mountaineering legend who led the first successful ascent of Mount Everest's treacherous North Col route in 1984. The dispute over RMI's fate is part of a larger trend: Nationwide, the U.S. park service is working to wring more income from commercial enterprises, which generate more than $818 million a year and include everything from firewood sales to white-water rafting trips. Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga says political pressure on the park to boost revenue has increased in recent years, along with lobbying by companies seeking to cash in on the Camp Muir routes developed by RMI. The park is preparing its first overall commercial-services plan. "RMI has been a good business partner," Mr. Uberuaga says, but revising the concessions contracts "is just good management." Mr. Uberuaga says any of the climbing alternatives will increase park revenue, though he won't provide estimates, and he says any changes would better serve park users. The park has received 1,900 letters about the proposed changes in RMI's business, and 80% of those favor loosening RMI's hold, according to Mr. Uberuaga. Mr. Uberuaga and 11 other park officials meet regularly to discuss the Mount Rainier commercial-services proposal. The group has considered environmental-impact statements and other studies of how multiple guide services would affect both climbers and the mountain. Mr. Uberuaga says the committee is nearing a consensus and expects to announce its final decision sometime around Labor Day. If the group decides to open the Muir routes to more competition, the new guide companies would be able to take to the trail by spring 2006. Mr. Whittaker, who has climbed to the top of Rainier more than 250 times, says increased competition could undermine safety on the route. RMI doesn't oppose more guide companies on the mountain's longer, less-crowded paths but insists the safest plan would be to leave the Muir routes in its possession. According to Mr. Whittaker, RMI's sole access allows it to make unilateral decisions about gear storage, route selection and climbing schedules. In an environment where climbers must contend with hazards such as avalanches, rockfalls and altitude sickness, he says these decisions are essential to safety. "It's life and death up there," he says. It certainly isn't easy. Park officials say factors such as exhaustion, route conditions and bad weather force about half of the people who try to climb Rainier to turn around before reaching the top, and RMI says its overall success rate is about the same. Mr. Whittaker says guides face intense pressure from the hardier clients to reach the summit, and he fears the presence of other guides could increase this to a dangerous level. "When someone else is heading for the top, it's going to be hard for a guide to tell his clients to turn around," even if continuing means endangering the group, he says. RMI's competitors insist safety won't be compromised. Eric Simonson, a former RMI guide who now is co-owner of International Mountain Guides and Mount Rainier Alpine Guides, says increased competition will actually increase safety by putting pressure on guides to make the right climbing decisions. "We have to be safe because we know our business is at stake," he says. Mr. Simonson and other competitors also say that RMI isn't meeting consumer demand with its one-size-fits-all approach. They point to the popularity of climbs offered on Rainier's Emmons Glacier route, a more technical climb that usually takes four days. Each year, the park lets four companies take 36 clients each on the Emmons trail, and the trips are so popular that "they usually fill up in a couple of hours," says Gordon Janow, programs director at Alpine Ascents International, a guide company based in Seattle. Mr. Janow says each company tailors its trips to different clientele, and he says the same could be done for climbs on the Muir routes. For instance, Alpine Ascents caters to experienced mountaineers as opposed to the amateurs who typically climb with RMI. Mark Gunlogsen, vice president of Seattle guide company Mountain Madness, envisions using the Muir routes for a multiday mountaineering school culminating in a climb to the summit. "It would be a great training ground, and a good feeder climb for our other trips" such as to the Andes and Himalayas, he says. RMI has its fans -- though even they concede it isn't for everyone. Katherine Mathews, a 23-year-old Louisianan, made the climb last August and recalls wanting to abandon it after hours of navigating snowfields, rock formations and gaping crevasses. "I was breathing so hard that, at 12,000 feet, my lungs felt like they were going to fly right out of my skin," she says. Exhaustion already had forced 11 of the 23 climbers on her guided trip, including an Ironman triathlete, to quit. Her climbing partners persuaded her to continue on, and, at the volcanic crater just below the summit, the group huddled together while their RMI guide snapped a quick photo. "I couldn't even stand up," she says, "but now I feel like I can do anything."

Climb: Rainier-Sunset Ridge Date of Climb: 6/18-20/2004 Trip Report: This past weekend I climbed Sunset Ridge on Rainier with partners Matt, Seth (swaterfall) and Chad (vw4ever). Matt and Chad left at 3 AM from PDX and picked me up north of Vancouver at 3:45. We met Seth at Paradise just before the ranger station opened at 7. We were able to get the permit we needed for the surprisingly heavily booked west side, grabbed breakfast at the Inn, left Seth's truck at Paradise and drove to the start of the approach at the end of the West Side Road. We noticed at the Inn that what had been a near-perfect weather forecast now mentioned "isolated afternoon thunderstorms." Hiking 4 miles of road and another 4+ of trail put us above timberline at St. Andrews Park. Along the way two guys who had just done the route gave us both some helpful route info and a warning about soft afternoon snow. At St Andrews we started slogging up Puyallup Cleaver, benefiting from previous steps, looking ahead at a mostly clear mountain while nervously looking over our shoulders at the dark thunderheads not too far to the west. We stopped for the day at about 7600' and set up camp just above Tokaloo Spire. The storm clouds continued to build throughout the afternoon, there was plenty of thunder, a few less threatening clouds drifted around the upper elevations of the mountain, and it was clearly raining a few miles away, but we escaped unscathed. By sunset the skies were clear. Our plan was to set up a higher camp on the ridge itself, and we were moving by 7 AM. Just above our camp we roped up and started the gently rising traverse of the Puyallup Glacier on perfect neve, right next to the deep postholes left the previous afternoon by parties retreating from Tahoma Glacier attempts. We stopped briefly at the toe of Sunset Ridge at about 8300', then turned the corner and headed up the 40-45 degree slopes toward the first bivy option at 10,200', the one Mike G calls a "sensational tiny bivy ledge." Well, it was that, but it was pretty small, and it was only about 11 AM, so we hung out for a while in the sun and then continued on up the slightly steepening slopes to a spot where I had spent a night on a previous stormed-out attempt (that was 25 years ago, but I remembered it like it was only 20 ). In less than an hour we arrived there, a roomier spot on the north side of the broad ridge at about 11,100'. More snow there than the last time I was there, but that allowed us to dig out a pretty comfy site for our one small tent and two bivy sacks. As forecast, the stormclouds began building in the afternoon, and soon enough we were getting some wind, hearing lots of thunder, getting occasionally engulfed by cloud, and then it started snowing. We kept telling ourselves that it was just the same afternoon pattern as the day before, but we were definitely more in the thick of things now and we were soon all crammed in the tent. After an hour or so Seth and Chad headed for their bivy sacks during a break and we all spent a few hours sacked out while the snow and wind continued. As unpleasant as it was where we were, we could see this was very isolated weather. We could look down and see our entire day's approach and we could see Puget Sound basking in sun. By about 7 PM the snow stopped, it began to clear and, like the day before, skies were clear by sunset. High winds and spindrift didn't let any of us get much sleep by the time alarms went off at 2 AM. It was cold enough that our pots of water for the morning required some serious ice chipping and it was still windy, but skies looked clear as we packed up. We were moving just before 3:30, and by that time had noticed very light clouds over the summit. We started up slopes that were probably mostly 45 degrees, maybe 50 in spots, and excellent cramponing. As we ascended, those light clouds up high thickened, and we could see that there were high winds from the other side of the mountain. We were clearly going to be climbing up into a cloud cap, and the winds picked up considerably, but visibility remained good. At about 12,800', we left the ridge and traversed on steep bad snow out onto the upper section of the Edmunds Headwall. The angle bumps up here to a pretty consistent 50-55 for about 500', where the gradient eases for the still long slog up to Liberty Cap. By now we were getting up into the lenticular, really getting pounded by the wind, and visibility was in and out, but we could still see occasional bright spots and it still looked like a thin cloud cover. We topped Liberty Cap at about 7 and kept right on moving. Visibility was poor but we were now helped by quite a few old tracks, probably from Liberty Ridge climbers. As we dropped into the gap between Liberty Cap and Columbia Crest we were also dropping out of what was now a very thin cloud cap on LC. Down in the gap we found ourselves taking break in our first sun of the day, searching our packs for water that wasn't frozen, and watching a small horde of climbers topping out on the Emmons. The cloud cap still over the summit was fighting a losing battle, we slogged the last slopes to the top under clear skies, and Chad was able to celebrate his birthday with his second ascent of Rainier. As planned, we descended the DC rather than the longer trip down the Tahoma. Not too crowded on the route but got very hot. Seth got his first look at Muir. Being a sunny Sunday at the solstice, both Muir and Paradise were zoos. The beers we had left in Seth's truck weren't cold, but Matt filled the cooler with snowmelt water and by the time we got back to my car on the West Side Road they were chilled to perfection. A few miles outside the park we grabbed a quick meal, Seth headed north to home, we headed south. Nice route in a great position on the mountain, and one I had been wanting to get back to for a long time. The weather proved to be just a complication and not a problem, and snow conditions were mostly excellent. Great group for what was largely a cc.com blind date. Even though Matt and Chad had never met before Friday, and none of us had met Seth before then, we all had great chemistry from the start. Lots of stories, lots of laughs, lots of song lyrics I didn't know. Good times! Chad on the approach with dark clouds looming behind. Sunset Ridge and Sunset Amphitheatre from our first camp. Route goes up the snowfields on the left. Our next bivy is on the left skyline just left of photo's center, where it looks slightly lower angle. It's better to travel when the snow is hard! Crossing the Puyallup Glacier. Low on Sunset Ridge, approaching 10K. Moving from the rejected 10K bivy to one about 1000 feet higher. The bivy at 11K after the snow ended. The surrounding rocks had been bare and dry when we arrived. Donn starting out on the last steep section of the upper Edmunds Headwall. Route goes up and right of the large rock and into the worst of the wind, then another 1000' to Liberty Cap. Bright spots like to the left kept us optimistic that the cloud cap was thin. Chad and Seth on the upper Edmunds Headwall. Between Liberty Cap and Columbia Crest. The first time we've been in the sun that day. Birthday Boy Chad and Seth arriving at the summit. Gear Notes: 1 60m half rope 2 pickets and 4 screws - not used. 2nd tools - not necessary but used 'em cause we had 'em

I think Ivan may have misread your post and assumed you were talking about the Kautz Glacier. The Kautz Cleaver is quite a ways left of Hazard and definitely finishes more steeply than the typical Rainier slog. I have not done the cleaver itself, but have done the easternmost Success Glacier Couloir, and those two routes merge for the last couple thousand feet. What I remember of the upper section was that it was consistently 40-45 degrees and had maybe one very short steeper section at the very top (about where Gauthier shows the Headwall route joining on page 108). We used no protection and had no problems descending the route. I have often recommended the SG Couloirs as a good moderate route to avoid crowds. From what Mike G says, the Kautz Cleaver would offer the same, and be less prone to slides (the lower SG Couloirs are not a good place to be in anything but pretty stable conditions).

Last July 4th I descended the SE Ridge of Middle and climbed the N Ridge of South. The SE Ridge of Middle would be a very straightforward non-technical climb and you can come right back down the same route. Note that the Thomas guide mentions that crevasses can come right up to the crest of the lower ridge, so don't venture too far to climber's right. The N Ridge of the South Sister is 95% slogging up pumice or snow, but there is a buttress up high that you need to get around. It puts you onto an exposed slope for a while that is maybe as steep as 40 degrees. If your team is really comfortable on fairly steep snow, you won't have any problems, but it is exposed so you can't fall there. I've never done the NW Ridge, but the guidebook indicates it's entirely a slog. If you're going to carry gear up the South Peak and descend the south side, the NW Ridge might be less worrisome for beginners. And grabbing Broken Top on the way in sounds like a good plan! Have a good time.

How long it takes for your body to "absorb" protein after a workout isn't really at the heart of Burke's ideas. He stresses, as vw4ever suggests, that the ingestion of carbs after a workout is absolutely essential, since the ultimate goal is to replentish muscle glycogen. But while we usually think of taking in protein as a way to "rebuild" muscle tissue, his MAIN reason for including protein post-workout is to boost the insulin response which he claims is largely responsible for getting glucose stored as muscle glycogen.

For what it's worth, this is from "Stove Tips" on MSR's site. MSR recommends 4 oz. (114ml) of liquid fuel per person per day for cooking or 8 oz. (237ml) of liquid fuel per person per day for melting snow and cooking. An extremely cold trip, like skiing in Antarctica, may require as much as 15oz. (444 ml) of liquid fuel per day. All of my "cooking" is just adding boiling water to something, and the 8 oz figure is excessive. I typically use the 4 oz number and then add some extra. Probably ends up at 5-6 oz per person per day, but I never really measure it that accurately. I always come home with a bit of fuel left. Then again, I've never been skiing in Antarctica.

I climbed it several times before it blew, and spent the night on the summit in March, 1980. Definitely not the last ascent, probably at least one of the last "legal" ascents (I think the mountain was closed 3 weeks later when quakes caused massive avalanches), very likely the last overnight on the summit, but we are sure it was the last time anyone drank Inglenook Burgundy on the summit. That's our one claim to fame and we're stickin' to it! The only routes of any technical interest at all (i.e there was a crevasse or two to negotiate) were the Forsythe Glacier and the Shoestring Glacier. The latter was sort of interesting just because it was so narrow. Some group in SW Washington or Portland had published a guidesheet to St. Helens climbing that listed the primary difficulties of south side routes as "boredom and mosquitoes." There was outstanding glissading off all sides of the peak.

I agree that the Burke book is worth the read. I was left with the impression that, while there are several things about his R4 drink that may have some importance to muscle recovery, the real key is the carb-to-protein ratio and taking it at the right time. Since I already take some other supplements (including antioxidants), I just made my own R4 by taking whatever other energy drinks I had laying around (Cytomax, Powerade, etc.), buying some powdered whey protein, and figuring out the correct mixing ratio to end up with 4:1. This isn't quite as easy as it sounds, since all of these carb drinks have different amounts of carb, and different brands of whey protein powders not only have different amounts of protein, but also contain carbs. But you only have to figure it out once for any combination of energy drink and protein powder. I've been using whey protein, but I'm sure soy or other sources would work just fine. Just a thought for others who want to go the R4 route but want to try it on the cheap.

No, they do not. Actually, the new 2004 Alphas come with a "Thermo formable" liner. May be made by Intuition or some other supplier, but the liner says "Scarpa" on it.

I've looked through older threads but still have some questions for any of you who have these boots. I've been looking for a pair in my size and have found an '03 model for $245 (old style liner) and an '04 model for $290 (Thermo liner). Both pair of boots feel like a great fit right out of the box. If there was no '04 model, I'd wouldn't hesitate to buy the old ones. 1) What exactly happens to the fit of the thermo liners after the heating process? The one fit problem they have right now is that they seem too large at the top of the ankle, and there's barely any overlap to the Velcro. I can always resew the Velcro, but I'm wondering if the fit will change there after heating. 2) Is there any reason to consider the cheaper boots with the older liners? I get the idea that everyone is sold on the thermos. I like the fact that the older liners have a "sole" that allows you to use them as camp boots, but I realize I almost never did that with my old plastics. I would also like to climb in these as much of the year as possible without them being too warm in the summer. Are the Thermo liners so much warmer that they'll make the boots too warm for summer use, like on Rainier? 3) If I had the bucks I think I'd go with the older boots and then buy some Thermo liners for winter climbs. I've seen posts about buying cheap thermos. Have they worked out okay for those that have bought them? Thanks for any info!

This thread from a few months ago has a bit more info on approach options for Ptarmigan. Ptarmigan thread

Since you mentioned a 2-man rope team, something else to look at is the Garda knot, which uses 2 carabiners to allow for one-way hoisting. You can pull rope through it one way, but the rope will not slide back , so you don't need a prusik to hold the rope when it's time to reset your Z. The cost is that it adds considerable friction over a decent pulley, although I've practiced with it and the friction didn't seem that bad. No reason to use it if there are plenty of pulleys and prusiks available, but it's worth knowing and trying out sometime in practice, especially if you do travel in 2-man parties. I first ran across it as part of a 2-man system called the Canadian Drop Loop System, described in the Falcon book called "Glaciers! The Art of Travel and the Science of Rescue".

Better than tame. Almost nonexistant. We all took a few smallish hits on the traverse between Yokum and where we started up, but central part of the face itself was remarkably quiet. Really great conditions all the way to the top. And no wind to speak of until we hit the crest above the headwall. We met a guy up top who had camped on the Snow Dome and had come up the right side of the Eliot Headwall. He said winds were near 50 all night long at his camp.

I've not done the "standard" version of this route (i.e. directly up the glacier), but have been up and down the Sickle via Lower and Upper St. Andrews Rocks, and have used the Sickle as a descent route after doing other routes. I've also failed once on the standard route due to endless time needed to negotiate crevasses in late July down around 9500'. The St. Andrews variation isn't bad, and avoids the crevasse fields of the middle Tahoma, but might be a bit steep and exposed in places for a newbie. The Sickle itself is a great crevasse-free way up and down the upper part of the glacier, but I wouldn't want to be roped to someone who wasn't really solid. It's steep and smooth and you don't want to have a fall on it. The center and right sides of the upper Tahoma are definitely steeper than the other dog routes, but didn't look to me to be too extreme for a fit newbie. I agree with other comments above that seem to be warning you off of this route with this one partner. Back in ancient times before the West Side Road closed, this route got much more traffic than it does now, and you'd have a better chance of having other parties in the area. It's really much more remote now, and the middle glacier often gets quite broken fairly early in the season. Lots of crevasses and lots of time needed for routefinding. I personally wouldn't want to be in there in any party if I were the only one with glacier experience. Add 1 or 2 more experienced members, hit it before about mid-July most years, give yourself the extra time this route takes, and I think it's a good moderately easy route and would be no problem having a newbies along. And it's also a great side of the mountain to be on and worth the longer approach. So much solitude compared to the trade routes, and the lights of the I-5 corridor are really a pretty cool show from west side high camps.

If you're thinking about going as high as pitch 10 for a bivy, keep in mind that you're damn near to the top by then, and consider the summit itself for a site. Things get very ledgy as you approach the top, plenty of places to hang out without having to tie in, and your views would really open up. That may not be the exposed experience you're looking for, but it would be a great place for sunset and sunrise. And you're that much closer to water in the morning.

A few pitches below the top of the NE Buttress of Slesse is one that is labeled in CAG as "incredible 5.8" and "80 ft of continuous 5.7." That is maybe my favorite single all time alpine rock pitch. One move after another with good pro, decent rests and, obviously, outstanding position. The approach to this pitch takes a little while.

I've done this route and highly recommend it, but don't underestimate it as someone's first Rainier climb. Not extremely steep or exposed, but certainly enough so to get a beginner's attention. Unless you camp very low, it really has to be a carry over, so keep emphasizing the training advice. And the year we did it, in late June, we had a very tricky schrund crossing to get onto the headwall. All that said, really a nice climb, but a definite jump up from the Emmons or DC, and probably not one I would do with a relatively inexperienced partner on their first time up. I'd think about heading over to the Tahoma Glacier. By the way, if you do the South Tahoma, a descent down Success Glacier Couloir works well to dump you back down where you started.

A buddy and I did it as a minor epic in early March many years ago in very wintry conditions. You should have far better (and faster) climbing conditions in May, but the road issues may be about the same. Our approach then was from Ipsut Creek (2300' or so at the end of Carbon River Rd, which should be open in May - it’s open right now) up the trail through Seattle Park. We spent one night at 7500' on lower Ptarmigan Ridge, the next night at the saddle at 10,200 where the more technical climbing begins. Snowshoes, deep snow and big packs made for pretty slow going to here. We followed the standard upper route as described in CAG (left of the upper buttress) and the only problem was very slow postholing from 12,000 to 13,500 (and the incoming weather - start of epic). Skipping the ugly details, we eventually made it down to Steamboat Prow. Our plan from there was to cross the lower Winthrop to lower Curtis Ridge and get back to the car. Crevasse problems (like falling into big deep ones that were completely undetectable under the newly fallen snow) forced us to exit down the Inter Glacier to the White River Road. But in spite of our problems, I think the loop back to Ipsut would be a good one for May. Where to start and end this climb that time of season really depends on how far the WR road is open and whether or not you can do a car shuttle. If you have a second car, you might want to consider hiking up the closed Mowich Lake Road. If you only use one car, I'd say that unless the WR road is open at least most of the way, the Ipsut Creek loop would be better. The trail up to Seattle Park from there was a good approach even in winter. I'd agree with Forrest, though, that the WR finish greatly simplifies the descent, especially if your weather window slams shut earlier than expected. Awesome, big route. Well worth doing. Good luck.

Aha! That makes sense. I knew one team ran into another up there, and I knew Swenson was among the names, but the brain cells that held the rest of the details are long gone. Let us know if you learn more.

I did the N-S traverse in summer about 20 years ago, and I'm sure I remember some summit register entries on the north and middle peaks that indicated that the two parties you mention found themselves on the traverse at the exact same time. My recollection is that they had decided to join forces, but that the coalition didn't hold. I don't think we ever saw a register on the summit of the main peak, so I don't know how it all ended. Maybe one group started first but the other finished first? In any case, it's not exactly the sort of route where one 4-man party can easily pass another, so I wouldn't be surprised to learn there was some contention. My guess is that Jim Nelson knows the details.

This may be easier than what you're looking for, but Tomyhoi Peak is another incredibly scenic summit that is nothing more than a scramble for the last bit. No glacier travel. Really just a hike (look for Yellow Aster Butte in hiking guides). Really nice, but often crowded, area about halfway up to camp on benches amidst pools and rock.

Yeah, this version makes much more sense to me and your new lines look a lot like what we did at the start. Our first pitch followed yours and ended at a good stance probably in the shaded alcove above the green dot. Pitch 2 followed your blue line and ended at about where your blue dot is. The last 40 feet or so of that was a vertical off-width above a wide ledge. We just assumed this was the 4" crack that was mentioned, but I can't remember how wide it really was. At the blue dot belay, though, we didn't follow your line but definitely went left and up in a 3' wide easy groove for maybe 60'(?), probably through those two shaded pockets, then turned straight up (maybe one 5.8 move) to a belay at a largish tree and ledge. After that was one more mid-fifth pitch up and right to easier ground, probably back to your blue line.

Agreed! Hmmmm. I'd say a "normal extraction" would typically include more bodies to haul and reset prusiks, and more pooled group gear to work with. If you are the only rescuer and your partner is injured, you still have big problems to overcome even after you get an anchor in, and significantly different options than when you are in a larger team. I guess my point would be to not ask what gear you need to bring, but ask yourselves exactly what it is you, as a single rescuer, will need to do in the event of a fall, and then figure out what gear you'll need to pull that off. That would likely mean more extra prusik loops, cordalettes, pulleys, anchors, etc. than you would normally carry per person on a larger team. There is something called the Canadian Drop Loop (or Lone Rescuer) system that you might want to take a look at. I can tell you that it works great in practice under ideal conditions, and becomes increasingly difficult once you start adding in things like a rope trenched at the lip, steep terrain, bad weather, injured victim, insufficient gear, etc. One place it is described is in the Falcon Press book called "Glaciers! The Art of Travel and the Science of Rescue." It does require a 60m rope to be very practical, but it allows for either climber to have enough rope to rap to the victim if necessary, and to set up a 6:1 system for extraction. I do a lot of 2-person glacier travel and use this tie-in method, not because I know it will work for sure, but because it seems to slant the odds in my favor more than anything else I've come across so far.

A partner and I ran into similar problems while heading up to Redoubt a couple of weeks ago, except that the Canadian border guard actually made us park our car and go back, with some accompanying paperwork, to US Customs to get official permission to cross the border on the trail. The US side simply said that it is illegal for a US citizen to cross from Canada into the US at other than an official border crossing (like Blaine or Sumas). We asked how we can go about getting permission, and they repeated word for word what they had just said. We then asked how we can go about getting permission in advance for next time, and they ANGRILY repeated word for word what they had just said. Since my partner's employment situation doesn't really allow him to have any sort of run-in with Customs, and since our inquiry was actually down on paper and they now, of course, had his car's plates in their photo album, we headed down and climbed Shuksan instead. I think the moral is to always climb "Slesse" when heading into Canada. Nice TR, Boone. I've done the standard NB, so I'm familiar with the wonderful approach. I'll do it again one of these days to get the DNB. Uhhhh, that will be the DNB on "Slesse."