bobinc

Brush is a preserver of wilderness values. Plus, ya gotta admit, having a trail of any sort into BB is a bonus, given how close it is to the road and the peaks you access. It's easy to make fun of the rangers, but most of them are good people trying to do a good job. Consider the culture they operate in and think how you would do if you were in their shoes.

No prob, web-meister. I'll be headin' up there tomorrow, looking for the bear and some creamy corn.

The Snow Dome I'm talking about is on the north side of the mountain; it's accessed out of Cloud Cap and is about half way up the Sunshine Route. Right now, from my kitchen window, it looks like there is enough snow for some decent turns. Which Snow Dome are you talking about?

Did you go all the way up to the 'Dome? Did you have skis?

Glad your party got back in one piece. I was up there with PMS in 2000. The two harder spots were getting over the schrund (and then onto steep scree) and the aid step Jim mentions (which was a bypass of the Yellow Step). The ridge itself is mostly running belays. We used a 30m rope and had only a small rack. The Yellow Step didn't look that compelling -- perhaps 2 pitches of fairly steep face with some pockets and small cracks that would take protection. It's a long way to go for a little bit of rock climbing but Bonanza is spectacular so any route is worth doing. Holden Lake trail is dusty and buggy, though. Make sure to spend a little time in Holden looking through the museum.

2 items to start: Get ready to get schooled on cracks; keep in mind many of the early Index climbers spent time in Yosemite. Don't go in the middle of summer unless you like crowds and a dry throat.

When we climbed it last year in mid-June, there was no cornice to deal with. I haven't been up there this year, however, so last year could have been anomalous.

What I do is use a double loop bowline, so as to build in some slippage potential for easier untying afterward. Backed up with a double overhand, of course.

Have the Avalung people kept track of the number of people who have been caught in avalanches because they felt invincible after strapping on the Avalung? This would seem to be the most important statistic of all.

Going to the west side also avoids the hordes on the usual route, but you will have to spend longer to traverse over there on snowed-in roads. Good for conditioning, though.

Hurricane is a slum of Flag...

Yeah, I don't think we have the classic slots here like Brimstone, Death Hollow, Wild Horse, etc because of stratigraphy. But... for a real thrill, how about getting some caving gear and heading to Dynamited Cave out near Trout Lake? It has multiple levels, pits, big chambers, and running water. True, it is 38 F and underground, but that's the nature of the beast.

In general it helps what I do, especially for stuff way out in the future, but I agree it is probably overkill for many people. Having the phone list is convenient, especially if your address book gets older and packed full of obsolete addresses. Plus some of the add-ins are extremely useful, depending on your needs. In my line of work, it's handy to be able to access some calculation programs from such a compact platform. Unfortunately, if you get too dependent on the thing, it can let you down. I had one go dead for no obvious reason; even though it was backed up, I couldn't reset it through any means and had to get another one. A second one turned up with a cracked display, so it, too, was toast. Backing stuff up on pencil and paper is always a good idea...

The quick answer is to lay the incoming rope over the small piece you use to tie into the anchor. There are also "rope hook" gadgets you can buy, but this seems unnecessary. Other tricks are described in readily available books such as "How to Rock Climb" or "Climb On" etc.

Juan -- what are you suggesting?

Anytime after 7.

I think he was caught up in war fever and was frustrated he couldn't torch something in the Iraqi desert with full approval from the feds. Southern CA is a pale substitute.

W Ridge of Forbidden isn't that big of a deal; the main issue is the condition of the approach gully. The E Ridge or NW Face of N Ridge are more interesting, in terms of variety and difficulty of climbing. The N Ridge of Stuart is more of an endurance test than a technical challenge if you do it the standard way. Climbing the Gendarme is more sporting, but it's a long way to carry the big gear for a limited number of moves. Haven't done the other ones...

That last brain cell fights REALLY hard...

Ginger Cracks (much less crowded than CChrysalis) Eagle Dance (3 hr walk so no crowds)

Why don't you go around to the west side (Sheep Creek) and miss all the crowds?

Even more fun if you take you skis.

Sounds like a poorly paid guide...

To all concerned: I have spoken to my friends who were involved in this terrible event and hope to have some information posted next week which will be useful to many people who come to this site.

Glad you had a good outing. It's hard to answer the question posed by Dalius objectively given I've just heard of the avy accident near Slocan Chief and know one of the victims quite well. Be careful.