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Mike_Gauthier

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Everything posted by Mike_Gauthier

  1. He soloed the first run, but yes, simo-solo the second... And yes, his partner down climbed what David fell on... I didn't know DAvid, but he seemed very, very fit.
  2. He soloed the route, then skied it back to Thumb(He skied the bergshrund and the Black Pyramind) on telegear. Sadly, on his SECOND run, he missed a turn on the Black Pyramid section.
  3. There is going to be a Pac NW memorial for Charlie in the upcoming weeks. Either I, or someone else, will post information here, and on my blog about it. We are very heartbroken on Mount Rainier about the loss of Charlie. He was just a fantastic guy.
  4. Some of the "summiteers" sent me a few notes and images. I've added that information here...
  5. Had a nice chat with these guys today... They shared a few details ... but intend to post more soon. As it stands, Rainier has only seen 2 ascents in 4 months. Liberty Ridge and of course, NIC... This could be a very interesting year.
  6. Jim, Ken and I talked about your climb, I don't recall any mention of it being called the "Middle Finger," but thanks for pointing this out... It's easy to fix. Chester, you can carve out some nice bivy spots between 9,500 and 11,200. Yes, you could get something higher, but it's a lot more work to haul your equipment that high... And if you're doing that, you might as well take it to the top!
  7. There is plenty of sport climbing up there. You just haven't been trying hard enough.
  8. Thanks... but... the blog was established based on a little frustration and an urge to do something more/better. We'll probably try to do more during the summer when there are more climbing rangers to help w/ reports, etc. And as always, I'm way into good suggestions or information you (the climber) may provide. So... if you've got em, email them to me. Trust me, we're (I'm) not trying to scare anyone off! Watching the number of climbers decline has been of concern to me and others. Many of us wonder if outdoor recreation has taken a turn towards more day use type activities.
  9. I've posted the entire 2005 Mountaineering report. I wasn't able to get the tables to work, but you can review other events such as rescues, etc, here on the blog.
  10. Patience... Patience... People on this board seem to think that non-standard routes on Mount Rainier get climbed (or even attention) during the winter and spring (like neoday2 who was seeking specific/detailed info on Liberty Ridge). This is RARELY the case, as climbing ANY ROUTE on Rainier from Nov-through April is a HUGE endeavor for most parties, even stout ones. In 17 years, I can't recall anyone climbing either LR or SC in the winter or early spring... but my memory may be off, as I also thought the Federal Way REI was still open. To give you a sense of things, only 5 souls have summited Rainier since Nov 1 2005. If your trip is in late June, you may get better research in early June. And if you don't get any info... oh well. I think that part of the joy in climbing is the exploration of the unknown (or at least the unknown to you). That said, Success Cleaver IS a great route and it sees FEW attempts. As Sweatinoutliquor said, GO FOR IT! Mattp's suggestions are also great... BTW Matt, KC is definitely an early season route. Other than a little bit of glaicer, it's a lot like Success. You'll fly up it, it's not as tough as Lib, but certainly looks that way.
  11. I thought they all went to Muir last Saturday...
  12. Just a reminder that reservations for permits begins on April 1. I've also posted some information about the winter season here. Folks seem curious about route conditions, but until someone other than Hannah climbs this thing, their really isn't much to report! Otherwise, I do update the site with useful climber information when possible.
  13. Everyone knows that the evil dark lord is actually a good guy in big black suit with a jedi heart of gold.
  14. Hey, we just posted at the same time. Jinx... I have wondered this too. I suspect Denali "7 summits" status helps...
  15. I'm also hearing "through the rumor mill" that the numbers are also down on Hood, Shasta, in the Tetons, and in other mountaineering areas... I think Denali is the one major destination that seems steady however. I wonder if it's b/c of the international attention?
  16. Thread revival... I followed this thread, but waited to get our final numbers. I'll post more information on my blog (which as you can see, I'm heavily promoting ) at: www.mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com. Year: 2000= 13,114 Year: 2001= 11,874 Year: 2002= 11,313 Year: 2003= 9,897 Year: 2004= 9,251 Year: 2005= 8,972
  17. FYI, I've posted a little information about the 2005 season here on my blog. I'll put some road opening information up soon...
  18. I've never heard of anyone repeating it... But who really knows? The original post above, brought up by Dru, seemed totally bogus.
  19. RE: Low snowfall... I've a few observations about the upper mountain snowpack. But more on that later... As I see it, Ptarmigan is probably in FABULOUS shape if you like lots and lots of steep ice at altitude. Hey Couloir, you asked on another thread about PDX, I'll be there next week at The North Face. I'll put something up soon.
  20. More Props for the Mount Rainier Climbing Page... See: www.mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com I'll put some answers in CAPS BELOW NO ONE HAS REPORTED ANY CLIMBING CONDITIONS FOR THAT ROUTE, OR THE NORTHSIDE OF RAINIER FOR THAT MATTER... BUT AFTER SEEING THE MOUNTAIN OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKENDS, IT'S MY GUESS THAT MOST THINGS ARE QUITE FROZEN AND SOLID UP THERE. OF COURSE, WHAT NOW MATTERS NOW IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN (WEATHER-WISE) THIS WEEK... BETTER GIVE YOURSELF AT LEAST ONE DAY, PROBABLY TWO. DEPENDS ON WHETHER YOU WANT TO CARRY SKIS OVER A TECHNICAL CLIMBING ROUTE. IF SO, AND YOU WANT TO SKI THE SUMMIT, THEN YES... BUT, YOU MAY HAVE MORE SUCCESS IF YOU BRING SNOWSHOES AND FOCUS ON THE ASCENT. SNOWSHOES WILL PROBABLY WORK WELL. SEE THE ACCESS ON THE RAINIER CLIMBING PAGE FEDERAL WAY REI IS PROBABLY YOUR MOST CONVENIENT STOP. SEE GOOGLE/MAPQUEST.
  21. This thread makes me miss Rodchester... I interviewed one of the first ascentionist... They named the route "Thermogenesis" b/c it was the "hot/new" route. Obviously, Thermo for hot, genesis for new...
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