bobinc

from the first ascent of Hozomeen, in reference to an earlier incident in a cafe where someone had spewed hot coffee on a waitress: "We traveled late at night, stopping in cafes where we were not known." Any Fred reference to "steep" or "steepening" should be taken very seriously.

As Alan Bard used to say, "the techniques and gear you use are up to you. It's all skiing." As someone who's been almost 100% tele for most of my skiing days, I'm finally coming to realize that if I only ski 10 or 20 days per year, there's no way I'm going to get the conditioning I need to ski the steeper, harder stuff on teles. That's why I'm seriously considering trying AT this year. Tele forces you to ski better or face (plant) the consequences. You have to be more active on your skis and pay attention all the time. If you have the time to ski more, then enjoy the tele. But don't discriminate against those who want to try something different.

Start on the easy stuff with a good partner and pay attention to the basics: anchors, smart placement of gear, recognition of rotten rock, etc. Remember it's a different ball game when you are placing the gear and depending on it. Oh -- it might also help to be in some sort of aerobic shape. Trad climbs generally don't feature belays from the front seat of your van.

NW Face of N Ridge of Forbidden has more than 1000 feet of steep snow (maybe ice) then a couple pitches of moderate rock. The approach makes you corkscrew around varied terrain (with tremendous views throughout). Nothing much in the way of hard rock climbing, but going around to that side keeps you away from the crowds on the other side.

A friend of mine has REALLY funky feet the kind where use of a Black and Decker sander wheel would really help) and says Mates has done great work on her boots...

It's straightforward to get over to the toe of the WS Glacier from the Mt Baker day lodge, especially when there is snow. Take the service road that goes into the woods from the lodge and more or less contour arounds through a couple of tree bands (probably 3/4 mile or so) and then head down and east, making one small ridge crossing to the toe of the WSG. We did this approach 2 summers ago (after the big snow year) and I was amazed how easy it was (given the tales of awful brush). The ascent to the top of the Arm via the WS is very straightforward, and the skiing is excellent!

One of the couloir slogs is most logical for a solo effort. These are a lot of work but nontechnical and get you up there. PS: It's spelled "Stuart".

I second that one; truly legendary potholes and so many "can I make it?" partial washouts in wet years that you lose count.

The thing of it is, now that the bloodlust has quieted somewhat, a few people are actually trying to figure out what the most effective response might be. Just as there was a lot of history underlying the Gulf War, there is a lot of history underlying what is going on now with the Taliban. Treating this as a simple case of revenge won't work to our advantage (which is very frustrating for those who wish it otherwise) and I sincerely hope that those who have their fingers on the switches of destruction have a clearer idea of what can be done than Mr. Rybolt appears to. In essence, the US and its allies have to be as crafty and devious as the terrorists. Running out into the middle of the street and shooting off your pistol might feel good, but it means very little to someone who is prepared to fly a commercial jetliner into a skyscraper.

As far as I know, MC is still private property so the owners control access to the road. It has been this way for a long time. They've struggled over the years to keep the road drivable, as washouts are frequent.

Wasn't there an avalanche up there recently (in the approach gully from GBasin?) What did it look like?

The whole climbing thing is well into flabby middle-age, and this has always been fertile ground for commodity fetishism.

It's true: REI is just too easy to pick on if you're talking about climbing gear (or boating gear, for that matter). Once they made the Big Decision to become a KMart of the outdoors in the late 70s, which entailed reselling lots of cheap clothing and getting as big as possible, they lost any ability they might have once had to offer consistently good advice. It is truly remarkable how a store with alleged "departments" can't seem to hire/retain salespeople who can answer even the simplest questions about gear. They have used the "democratic" approach for years in recommending stuff: lots of people bought that, so it must be okay. Perhaps I was unresponsive to the original thread because I haven't had the trouble with OR that you had. Years ago, when I needed an OR gaiter repaired, I absent mindedly sent in both in the pair. Not only was the one I wanted repaired fixed for no charge, the other one also came back with new Velcro and reinforcing stitching.

What does REI actually stand for: REturn Every Item Return Everything Immediately Return Equipment Indefinitely My friends and I have so many REI stories we've lost count. But I've lowered my expectations so low, I don't get so worked up during my occasional visits there.

The Pretzel Reverso is also intended to belay 2 2nds; haven't used it this way yet but we'll see...

Hey John -- I'm sure Dallas K plans to do it at least once this year... perhaps he isn't on-line, however...

Second that on Josh routes. At many, the first one or two moves aren't rated and the first clip is often 12 feet off the ground.

I've had both diurnal and nocturnal encounters with goats. Nocturnal experience was up near Mt Anderson (Olympics) years ago. We camped on a sedge patch at the toe of the glacier and were kept up much of the night by a large male in search of sedgy snacks. More recently, we observed the small pack up near Wash Pass in the Liberty Bell/EWinter Spires basin. They seemed more diurnal, but I think they were willing to work overtime in search of salt. We used big rocks as splashblocks for urine but it appeared others had not been so careful and there was ample evidence of vegetation damage.

Ditto on the Betadine or Hibiclens. Also, although it's bulky, an Ace bandage is extremely useful if you have a bad ankle or knee (or anticipate getting one). Add a few antacid tabs in with the Vitamin I (ibuprofen). If you get the right multi-tool (eg Gerber Lite), there's good scissors right on it and it doesn't weigh a ton.

Good luck, Beck. But I think Bridge burned to the ground. Perhaps MegaFest will become SootFest.

About 4 hrs without killing yourself. You may get a better price doing it through Sacramento but the drive is longer by about an hour.

MattP, are you sure that one isn't in the book? I did something there more than ten years ago -- might have been East Buttress, though. Lots of Class 3 and 4 and at least one rappel required to link up the route. Even found some historic "crampons" fashioned from plywood and roofing nails.

Haven't done it but did the approach some years ago. Using the boat/shuttle through Stehekin saves a few miles on the trail vs the Rainy Pass approach but is more expensive and time-consuming. All reports I've heard on the descent suggest rappelling/downclimbing the NE Butt or using the Goode/Storm King col descent is much superior to carrying over (especially if you walk in from Rainy Pass). There was a thread on this sometime in the non-too-recent past.

Hey, TimL -- we talked to you from the summit of NEWS. That route looks outstanding -- may have to be the next one we try at WA Pass.

You already know about this, Mr. B, but I'll post a quick one to encourage others: we did the West Face and NW Corner of North Early Winter Spire. Great weather and rock. There was goat visitation but no gear became cudified.