Walter_Burt

There's an area around S. Sister that's bulging at a rate of about 1-inch per year. Data from water sampling in the area is conclusive that there is magma underneath the bulge, but they haven't picked up any seismicity associated with magma movement. The USGS says that there doesn't appear to be anything imminent, and it nothing may happen, but they're starting to instrument the place in case. Get your runs in in the next couple of years just in case. Recent satellite measurements confirm continued uplift over the past year. Check this page out: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/CurrentActivity/2001/current_updates_20010508.html

Matt, Ditto on Scott's message. I've only been up there once, but was very impressed with the climbing, setting and the time and effort you have spent promoting "quality of climbing" issues. Thanks WB

Eloquently put Beck, Matt and MattP. There are practical considerations that favor AT gear in certain situations, not to mention the relative safety advantage of the AT binding (esp. given the trend towards bigger plastic tele boots). On the other hand, there is nothing like the feeling of carving a big radius tele turn on the steep in calf-deep powder. Both styles have their practical, and not so practical place. That's enough for me.

Well, that's a good question. Might be nostalgia and a misplaced sense of aesthetics - I started xcountry touring and racing at an early age, so the free heel feeling is ingrained. I don't care much for the lifts except as an occasional tuneup of my turns or to catch a powder dump on a weekday when the crowds are down, so piney skis are out... maybe it's the clunk, clunk, clunk of the AT boots on the uphill that is a bit of a turnoff. Up till this past year or so, I've associated AT gear with ski approaches to climbs, but I'm coming around to the leg-saving advantages of AT. The way tele gear has headed, the difference w/ AT is in some ways moot except for the flex in the forefoot of tele boots. As a matter of fact, my tele bindings are mounted on Atomic AT skis - nice combo. How's that for a non-answer?

The Chouinard toepiece was for approaches w/ plastic boots as Beck said. They discontinued it because folks were whining about high speed face plants when the toepiece failed under the torque. It consisted of a plastic toe mold with a thin metal hingepin that connected to the old Chouinard 3-pin binding. Nice idea w/ poor execution. Tele's the best, but old knees are starting to like paralleling - might switch to AT gear to make the paralleling even easier.

That exlains why we ended up where we did - same place as Nic I think. Am planning on doing it again with an uninitiated friend next year. Will do it right this time. Thanks

Freak, we did the same thing - scary, especially crossing the ice/snow in the couloir to exit. It's much better to continue another pitch or so up the Fin to finish.

Last I knew a number of the large glaciers in AK and the Yukon were pushing 1,000 feet+ The Ruth Gl. in particular is many thousand feet thick making the Ruth Gorge one of the deepest canyons in the world, if you take the ice out.

Hey Terry How about the N. Buttress of Bear Mtn? Grunt approach, great view of Challenger, the border peaks, the N. Picketts, interesting crevasse maneuvering and exit into gully and nice rock on ridge just across the valley from Redoubt

The offwidth is a relatively low angle (60 degrees?) right-facing corner that isn't that bad - you don't have to crawl inside it. A leg stem on the face to the right, a foot inside and creative handwork get it done. Something like a #5 camalot is nice up higher. A #3 and #4 work on the lower part. The left side is harder and somewhat mossy and slick - more like a 10a or 10b layback. My partner took a 20+ ft winger/slider on the left side before we realized the offwidth was around the corner. I'll never forget watching him slide down the slab on his feet face-first towards Colchuck lake. Bet he won't either. Backbone Ridge is a much nicer route than Serpentine, especially the upper pitches. But it is much more of a commitment. You need to boogie to get up and off.

Depends on the snow year. Probably not before late December unless it's a heavy year. Best time to hit it is right when after a high builds in and the freezing level drops, but before the winds start hammering out of the Gorge. There's a camera of the south side of Hood from Timberline on the web somewhere - when it's good and rimed up on Illumination rock and on the east side of the crater rim, it's a good bet the ridge is in decent shape.

Yup. Never done the Colchuck Gl. descent from Dragontail.

Get used to v. steep semi-consolidated snow and rime ice. I haven't done Yocum, but did Castle Crags in the winter, which is reputably similar (it's right above Illumination Saddle and traverses above the Reid Headwall). Think lots of steep and unprotectable rime and snow with a fair bit of traversing on the steep. If the easterlies are blowing, which is not uncommon when the weather and conditions are favorable, count on high winds (40 to 50+ mph) on the ridgecrest and lots of spindrift. That said, it's a neat looking route and I've been told is not that technically difficult - more of a mind bender than anything else.

Alasdair is right. I've done both Backbone and Serpentine from the parking lot, which means descending the snow slopes in the shade. You should assume it will be hard this time of year and the base of the slope is littered with rocks - a very unpleasant landing. The first time I took an ice axe. Last time I took a ski pole and some aluminum 10-pt crampons - this was the better way for me - you can move faster.

Matt, I did it a few weeks ago and highly recommend it - I'd volunteer but am on kid duty this weekend and next. FYI: you probably know that you don't need a lot of clearance if you know how to drive the ruts - my Subaru (Forester) was a cinch - tough on the paint though. good luck

Oops, yes the Sherpa-Argonaut Col. 11 years and the dark side of 40 are showing. That descent requires a lot of entertaining traversing and about 1,500 feet of boulder hopping on the way down - harder than the ascent. I'm impressed with the time Daler and Co. made given the approach route. My partner and I contemplated a one day try via that route and decided that our old knees would be worth the price of a shuttle.

I did the complete ridge from Mtnrs Cr back in 2+ days in '91 - we descended the Colchuck/Sherpa Col. The approach is good, but you want to scout it prior to doing it in the dark or you can lose an hour or so wandering around in the bog. Daler, I'm assuming you used the Goat Pass from Ingalls approach?

Polished by the hordes?

"The Long Walk" and "No Picnic on Mt Kenya" besides those other worthy suggestions. R.E. the Long Walk - the guy was tortured before he was put in the camp in Siberia and escaped the Gulag in mid-winter with next to nothing. No Picnic on Mt Kenya: Italian WWII POW escapes to climb Mt Kenya because he's bored - then returns to the POW camp after the attempt. The Brits put him in solitary until they found out what he did during his "leave."

Thanks a lot for the info. I've had similar luck with my shoes on CLEAN rock (did Deidre in the rain about 11 years ago with great footing), but don't know the situation at Darrington at all. Thanks again

We're thinking of going to Darrington this weekend to do Dreamer, etc. Does anyone know what the odds of Dreamer or other climbs in the vicinity being dry by Saturday morning?