jordo

You see Wayne, you really weren't supposed to see that book. Its a huge secret that we Canuckleheads are trying to keep to ourselves. So mind your own damned business! Just kidding. All the routes in Chilliwack are killer, the North Rib on Slesse is underrated next to its more famous neighbour, the NE Buttrash. A traverse of the Rexford group is about the best damned day in the mountains you could have, and the two eastern ridges are nice too. Beware though, not all of the routes are weekendable, even from Vancouver. Any route in the Chehalis is going to be a hell of a lot more enjoyable if you've got three days. I've heard Wahoo Tower is mind-blowing -- if you can swing a helicopter. Steinbok Arete is one of the best kept secrets in BC -- hard and clean on the upper bits. Yep, pretty much all the routes are good and there's lots not in the book!

Anyone who's been up to do S. ridge of Gimli, I'm heading up next weekend. What is the state of the Bannock/Burn FSR? (Can't find that damned issue of Gripped from a month ago with all the beta!) I found a Rec site that lists the road as high clearance, but I know of people without who have gotten by. Am I going to be able to do it in a 2WD? Also, I know that the climb, particularly the 1st pitch, sucks up hand-sized gear, but did anybody need big pieces. I usually take a 3.5 or 4 BD everywhere, but I'd really like to leave 'em behind! Cheers.

Heard that Beckey also found that driving with no shoes or socks on keeps you aware of the road and more awake. Hmmm. Tips on climbing in Utah: 1. Pull into campgrounds reeeaaaallly late at night, get four or five hours of sleep and a shower, then leave at five in the morning before anybody gets up. Then catch a siesta at noon when its too hot to climb anyway. This is gruelling at first but I met a couple of girls who had it perfected. 2. Food and especially leftovers goes rancid in hours in the desert sun. Rancid peanut butter = farting fire. 3. During the Independence Day long weekend, find somewhere to hide. If you stay at any BLM campground, you will not get any sleep, you will see people cut down every tree in sight for firewood, and you will have gear stolen by Bigfoot-driving yokels if you leave it unguarded. My loss was an MSR Whisperlite and a Petzl Zoom. 4. The "Desert Rock" guidebooks by Beckey's buddy Eric Bjornstad are useless unless you're into Walt Shipley-style A4 desert towers that use two-by-fours as aid pieces in chimneys that have never been repeated. Buy the latest guide to Indian Creek, 'cos that's where all the best cracks are anyways. Sure, do Castleton for the tick and have a look at Fine Jade to marvel at a beautiful climb, then get yourself away from the rotten towers! 5. Cops, i.e. "The Man" just love to pull over scruffy looking out-of-towners, especially from Canada for a little car search. If you have any herbage on you, or even if they think you do, you're going to jail Mormon style! 6. Bring the boards and grab some cool late season turns in the La Sal Mountains east of Moab. Roads run to 9000' and you can get in some awesome runs into June. 7. Restaurants in Moab are expensive. Find the Booze Barn for great deals: $2.50 for a mickey! (I don't know if this is typical in the U.S., but up here in the Great White North, a mickey is $10 Cdn. which = about $6.50 USD). Then buy the weak beer to rehydrate. 8. I still haven't found a good way to stay awake while driving at night through the desert where the roads are straighter than "Supercrack". Last time I started to halucinate that I was driving through the Florida Keys and that on either side of me was an ocean.

Access to both sides of Slesse is two wheel drivable. The Bypass Glacier is almost entirley avalanched but both sides of the mountain are almost completely devoid of snow for water. Do yourself a favour and pick up Kevin Mclane's "Alpine Select", it makes life a lot easier.

Was in there on sunday and had a very close look at the west face of S. spire. Total choss, best to leave it alone. Every single corner system is full of dirt and shrubs once you get up into them, better stay off for your own safety! Oh, and the west ridge -- which I cant find a record of -- is heinous, that beautiful dihedral is actually a KB seam dripping with water!

This area is finally getting its due attention and is now quite popular. I climbed the N. Ridge of North Nasakwatch Spire on Sunday and over the weekend saw at least two parties come off Rexford on Sat., a party of four going up Rex. on Sun, and fresh footprints on the N. Spire. The North Spire is a fun route, but just when the climbing gets cool, you're on the summit. We were on the ridge at 7:30, simuled about four pitches of blocky stuff, pitched out three pitches at about 5.6, 4th, 5.6 and were on the summit by 9:15. Watch out for the five-foot flake of death when entering the last crack! There are three systems that breach the final spire. Take the furthest left one. The flake is the only thing to stand on to reach the crack above you! Lots of fun! Dru, must have just missed you by a couple of hours -- we had a good nap at the col between the spires and were on the trail down at about 1pm. [ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: jordo ]

The Yank system of fees kills me! I guess Canucks totally take reservations and fees and permits for granted -- unless you're in the Rockies you can park or camp wherever the hell you want. At the Raineer park gates a month ago, the Ranger informed us of the mandatory entrance/use/whatever fee to which we told her, "actually, the guy in the back seat, we're leaving him on the summit," to which she responded -- absolutely straightfaced -- "it doesn't matter, he still has to pay." Couldn't get enough of that one! It is said that Leonardo da Vinci upon entering Austria ,I believe, was charged, say, two Lira as a toll. He apparently replied, "Two Lira? Why that's a bargain! Back in Italy it costs me five Lira just to get my member in, but here I get my whole body in for just two!"

Hey Dru, noticed on bivy.com a pic of the north buttress of Tricouni. Everybody I have talked to has approached via High Falls Creek, contoured around and climbed only the upper part of the ridge above the main buttress. Did you guys tackle the whole thing? If so, did it remain low 5th? as per Fairley? Also, know of anyone whose tried the W face of Blanchard? These routes seem to have been forgotten in the past thrity years, probably for good reason!

Thanks dru. The other spires look pretty neat too and there seems to be about four lines that I can't find any ascent record of. Gonna check 'em out this weekend.

Anybody out there ever tried the Labour Day Buttress south of Slesse? Which of the 6800+ summits is it actually on? Fairley refers to GR035305, but this seems way off as both he and Beckey refer to the eastern of the two summits. Any beta, is 5.4 accurate? Descent?(Why didn't KM put this in the Select? Hmmm) Cheers!

Late notice, but anyone interested in a scrambly sort of trip in BC this sat/sun? My partners have ditched climbing because of the weather forecast. I have an exploratory bent for out of the way sort of climbs and am thinking of something in the area of the Dickson Range or the Eastern Cascades. Have gear/car, no "4X4hc" Takers?