slothrop

Well, I'm already a millionaire, so I don't need the prize money.

nah, i'll let someone else more skilled do it...

I failed four times on the North Face of Chair last winter without ever leaving Seattle.

I was in pretty much exactly the same position as you, KK (had an REI Shasta, got tired of the size/weight, wanted to be able to use a smaller pack for climbing overnights). I bought a used ~20-deg. down bag that just fits, has kept me warm on 3-season Cascades trips, and packs down half as big. I've usually got some kind of insulating jacket along with me, so I can sleep in that if I get cold. The ol' Shasta is strictly for car camping now. For winter, I have a 0-degree down bag. I don't think I'd be warm enough in anything else on a cold winter night... like the time on a ski trip to BC where water froze two feet from the stove.

I'm a millionaire in Zimbabwean dollars and have seen a bun dance in a cartoony baked goods commercial. Alas, I am not having conversations that you are liking to be in. You should hook up with that Dwayner guy, he's training to onsight 5.13 to win a bet.

You could put it on Library Ledge for public enjoyment.

http://www.phat5.com/features.asp?StoryI...;StoryYear=2005

When exactly was Twight reincarnated as Steve House, anyway? Is is karmic punishment for all the times Twight has slagged gumbies that he is forced to relive his career as an alpinist over and over in other people's bodies? The Squamish article made the whole issue worth it.

The cheapest ones that fit the best. You'll shred them with your crampons anyway. Better yet, get cheap softshell pants from MEC--every day out this winter I wore them and girls say they're hot.

Yeah, was it a pretty old movie? I saw it, some pretty decent climbing footage, with a gnarly chimney. The Mountain, with Spencer Tracy, that's it... from 1956.

Is that a picture of Klenke finally snapping in the face of an impenetrable bushwhack?

"2 Ti blades"... is that Jim Nelson? Looks awesome!

Did you just move to Cap Hill, Jay? You'll love it!

Oh man, up that fall factor by .1 and you sure woulda been fuct. That's a two-tentacle-ripping fall for sure. Close one there.

They'd grease right out of their harnesses as soon as they weighted the rope. Looks like the yellow one is the instructor of the group, what with the whistle and all. This must have been what the Mounties were like in the 80s.

Thanks, Matt! The flavor of the month effect, even before cc.com existed...

Yeah, but I don't hear about it, so I gotta ask. I figured you'd pipe up.

Thanks for the insight, Mal_Con. Standards of safety have certainly changed. The Coleman Headwall seems like a fairly serious route nowadays, not one I would think to lead fourteen relative newbies up in marginal weather. But I learned to climb in a very safety-conscious environment, so what do I know? There's still a UW climbing club, but they are all hip to the latest in liability awareness, so no "official trips". Oh, and some guy named Captain Defecto recently put out a buildering guide to UW.

David Gunstone, I believe. He was a pretty active climber around here, did some route development at Index. He died not too long ago climbing in Squamish.

While googling routes on Mt. Baker, I came across this bit of weirdness: http://www.geocities.com/redmondrose/FlyingDutchman.htm I had heard rumors of the UW having had formal climbing courses years back... anyone around here take part in them? The Coleman Headwall trip described in the above page sounds like a bad idea from start to finish.

Sounds great! OK, gotta ask: anyone know of previous winter ascents? Beckey lists one of the nearby Roman Nose, but they ain't the same.

Wow, cool photos, Klenke. So are you saying you took your rack for a walk this time?

Come to where the flavor is... Klenke Country. Nice job, Ade.

It was raining a little on the drive over and sprinkled slushy stuff on us in the Blue Lake parking lot. Perfectly clear in the morning, though.

Climb: Kangaroo Temple-NW Face Date of Climb: 3/12/2005 Trip Report: Eric Gratz and I climbed the NW Face route on Kangaroo Temple on Saturday (3/12/2005). Originally, Eric just wanted to go to Index or something because he had to study for finals, but all I had to say was "Washington Pass". We left Friday night. Things looked sketchy right away, as Eric wasn't diggin' the Zappa on the stereo, fell asleep, and started to snore. It rained. I worried about the rain. I worried about having climbed nothing but Coach's Crack in months. We laid out sleeping bags in the back of the Subaru and Eric conducted his snore orchestra, heavy on the bass and oboe parts. For breakfast, Eric shared his magical long-lasting burritos. Their effects lasted well into the approach, their taste returning now and then. We sidehilled ridiculously in our snowshoes through the trees after Kangaroo Pass. The mountain looked cold. We wandered to and fro near the base of the route, looking for the best start, finally settling in to belay at a tree partway straight up the first pitch of the summer route. Eric led in crampons with much scraping on the traversing, slabby bits, then was rewarded with some thin ice and mixed climbing to a tree. This first pitch had a little of everything: drytooling on slabby granite, moss/dirt, sticky ice, verglas. Really fun. Verglas was treacherous, collecting in the positive dimples on the slabs. Eric took a nice leader fall on pitch three, right as he was reaching for a piece of gear. I reeled in several armfuls before he scraped to a stop, upside down and saying "eff" in his inimitable way. I cheese-gratered off at nearly the same spot while following, swinging to a stop directly over a big smear of ice. We were in rock shoes at this point, which is really the best way to play "find-the-verglas". Eric after pulling the tree on p4 At the "Dance Floor", we went the way labeled "variation" in Beckey, belaying in a snowy, dark, windy alcove. The sun was on the face at this point and I chose the only dark spot to belay. For the last pitch, Eric led past in a shower of oatmeal granite, up the rightmost of three weaknesses. It was sunny and frickin' beautiful on top. What a day! We gaped at some skiers across the way (Kam, Chris, was that you?) and I looked in vain through my spy scope for climbers on the Liberty Bell group. We took four rappels to get down, leaving three runners, a pink tri-cam, a quicklink, and a dropped green Friend for you bootyhounds. Shoulda used the two short raps off the north side. NW Face of Kangaroo Temple Beckey doesn't list any winter ascents of this peak, but Steve House probably climbed it accidentally one day while finding "The Way". In any case, it was a fun climb in the conditions we found it in. Gear Notes: cams and nuts to 2", brought pins but didn't use 'em Approach Notes: Hey! The highway's open! Rode the slowshoes; hard 'n crusty near the hairpin, slushy 'n sucky on southern exposures