Doug_Hutchinson

Nice work Michael and Eli! Visionary to remove the need for the pesky Polish's dagger to be in. I'm giving you permission to upgrade it to WI4+++ but, this being Washington, no way can you call it WI5- 🙂 I fear for the aspiring moderate alpinists who attempt some of the WI4+/M5 routes put up in the last several years without knowing that WI4+/M5 is the new 5.9+/A2.

SOLD

Size 43.0 (US 10) Phantom Techs. Used about five days but too small for me. No nicks, cuts, or signs of noticeable wear. Pick up in Seattle area for $350 or you pay for shipping.

Nice one guys, good on ya and all that, but no one reads cc.com or blogs anymore, and you lost me on the WI2 bit...no one climbs ice anymore, dry is the future in case you haven't heard.

Just like the title says, I have one brand new BD Ultralight 16cm ice screw for sale for $50. I live in South Seattle. Just received a few weeks ago This is the screw you want for your Cascade glacier adventures.

Thank you Jeff and Priti, for doing it so now we don't have to!

@kukuzka1 thanks for sharing, so cool. TR soloing a high alpine route in 2010 seems really ahead of its time. We did see two anchors that made no sense for an ascent, so thanks for solving that mystery. I really liked this route.

I climbed it last October so get ready for my TR in about two months...it's gonna definitely kick Michael's TR's ass

Hold on Michael, people actually climb during the long shoulder season known as summer?!?

Following in the footsteps of Haireball, the OG ass conditions reporter; Tom Beirne and I went on the final Alpental valley ass scouting mission of the 2020-21 season yesterday. Not that Alpental is competing with the Icicle or anything, but a reported tiny avy debris pile of only 30 feet deep below the Funnel (can someone please buy Mr. Piton a camera and teach him how to use it?) is nothing compared to the 2,000' slide that started on Chair Peak that ran over and out of Source Lake: For a lackluster ice season, the big news in the Alpy environs this winter is the snow pack, it is huge. My memory is not good enough to compare to the '98-99 season, but it is deep as I have ever seen now. But deep snow, high sun, and warm temps are essentially shutting down the lower Snoqualmonix ice season. Somewhere in this photo is Flow Reversal (blue bleached white): Our plan was to climb Source Lake Line, but the ice looked too aerated, too top heavy, and there was still too much hang fire (cornices are huge now) to risk it: The consolation was climbing the aptly named Hot Line, which was in WI4+ condition (versus the FA WI6 pillar condition) - Tom Beirne pic: Kiddie cliff was basically buried too. There still may be some low ice to still swing tools into, e.g., I saw climbers on Stellar Falls a few days ago, but it is going to fall apart pretty quickly and any snice top out will probably be scary rotten. Time to move up into the alpine or dig out the rock shoes.

Haireball, you came so close to keeping all the ice conditions in the same place, and then that senior moment. Someone delete that Leavenworth thread... Both the skiing and climbing has been great over the last two weeks of awesome PNW winteryness, so here goes my attempt to recap recent waice conditions. The first legit cold snap of the winter hit from around Feb 10 to 17. The temps were decently cold enough to get lowland ice forming, but what was somewhat unique is the cold was accompanied by non-stop precip so tons of snow fell during this cycle. Avy conditions went through the roof so most of the ice that got climbed was the lowland variety (I assume). But this snap happened late enough in the season, that the higher sun will tear things down quickly. Based on daily drive-bys to Crystal, Skookum Falls looked climbable from maybe Feb 12 to 15 this year. Here is @moyboy 's Skookum TR from Feb 15th. The mighty and mysterious Snoquera did not form completely during this cold snap. By around Feb 17th, it became kind of game on at Banks. The lack of much snow on the ground limited which seeps were seeping when the cold arrived. Many of the usual climber suspects were out there over the last few days, but it was nice and empty as usual too. Tom and I had a successful quick hit visit on Feb 18-19, and like most Banks trips, things were the same and different than previous visits. For the first time I have seen, Children of the Sun was surprisingly in, not just a thin smear wilting in the sun; so that was our first climb. The golfing is not good now because of the recent snow, non-white golf balls recommended: Children was pretty wild and more three dimensional than it appeared from ground. Pic of Tom about 1/3 up - I built a belay about 2/3 up because I was not sure I could get to the telephone pole anchor (visible in pic above) at the top of the climb from the base, but it IS less than 60M from the base: The mega pillar on Clockwork Orange's P2 was still not touching, will someone please haul an extension ladder up there for future ascents: After such better-than-normal conditions to the south, I was excited to see the big boys on the Million Dollar Mile, but it was more hit or miss. The Cable's P1 was not touching: For the connoisseurs, check out P2 on Thursday (above) - probably climbable, but here is how it looked it looked the next morning: Based on the weather forecast, I assume P2's fate will befall most of Banks by Monday. Moving north, H202 was very in and very fun: With a name like H202, it was wet of course, but I have never climbed a dry Banks pitch: Moving north, Salt and Pepper - who wants to describe the beta for the approach, mixed pitch? This climb looks so cool: The spectacular Zenith not close to touching: The Pee Wee's Playground lines have never caught my eye before, but they looked all mostly climbable, depending on your tolerance for brush bashing topouts. We climbed this fun line, which I am calling Pee Wee 4: Shitting Razors does not deserve a picture, the ice was not there enough to even call it shitty. Maybe the most noteworthy formations and ascents during this cycle where two big lines up and right of the Punchbowl, I have never seen these form before and don't think they have names. To avoid and/or add to future confusion, I propose Twin Towers Left and Right for these climbs, with TTR being the right-most line pictured (the one that has it's own twin flows - confusing, huh). The pillar just right of the Punchbowl was not touching down and not climbed, I assume, and I've named it the Devils Deathcicle, AKA Trotsky's Terror (all Banks lines need at least two names). On the way home, we climbed the classic Champagne which was much less fat compared to my two previous ascents in years prior, and there was a surprisingly thick jungle to bushwack/ice climb through to top out (which either grew really fast or is usually much more buried), but I still love this climb, one of the best in WA because of it's Cody-like ambiance. As seen from the walk off: Starting up P2. This pic shows a close up the condition of most of the Banks ice we climbed (going, going, soon gone...): How long will Banks be in? Let's just say if you are not there now, I would hesitate heading out after the weekend without some very current beta. Some shorter climbs came in and were climbed near the Railyard crag rock area. Based on old tat I have seen stranded on the west facing wall, I have often wondered about how often these, or climbs around Merritt falls, or even some of the south facing gullies on Nason Ridge come in. The Hidden Lake ice on the north side of Nason was in a few weeks ago and is probably still good, but again, the avy conditions remain sketch so no one should be up there now. Haireball, please add these areas to your future ass-clamming missions.

Great TR, thanks for the best Skookum beta I've seen. +1 Temres 282-O2s and steel screws.

Here is the the Climb Ski Rip edit of Post Nasal Drip. If climbing does not feel as serious as a heart attack, you are doing it wrong.

Since the CC.com cert has expired again, here goes another update for the two people that may risk lurking this page. This cold snap will help form some ice, maybe we'll actually hear about things getting climbed outside of Snoqcompton (redact! redact!). A third hand source reported that Banks is still not in, not enough snow was on the ground to melt before the temps plummeted. The Rap Wall action has been so hot lately, I am surprised that the ice there has survived. The first shot was fired by Kurt Ross last week who nabbed the second ascent of my homie's Roger Strong's ahead-of-its-time M11 test piece Ghost Dog, almost 20 years after the FA. Congrats! Yesterday, the Rap Wall sickness got way sicker. At the same time, Wayne Wallace redpointed his new, bolted M8+ test piece Bring da Ruckus, Tom Beirne was launching into the unknown on a ground-up, gear only, wild ice chimney - the 36th Chamber. We graded this fragile, overhanging line M5+, WI6 R. This was a two hour, intense lead on poorly bonded, thin ice - a proud freaking lead. Christian Junkar and Tom cleanly followed Ruckus, and me and Christian followed the 36th Chamber. This are two of the best mixed pitches anywhere. Rap wall overview, L to R, 36th Chamber (red), Ruckus (purple), Ghost Dog (yellow, approx location): Wayne low on Ruckus: And Ruckus is a little overhung: The 36th Chamber before getting de-daggered: Tom entering the 36th Chamber: Very three dimensional: It was a very good day: So much #waice awesomeness!

Some chick who decided to ski into a tree as her way to take over my bedroom for a few weeks

For those suffering through another boring Zoom meeting, I finally found the 36 hours I needed to pen the Snostril TR

Trip: Snoqualmie Mountain - [FA] The Snostril and Post Nasal Drip Trip Date: 01/29/2021 Trip Report: Since it took three attempts to send this climb, this TR will take the insufferably long form, written in the “how-the-sausage-is-made” and “what-I ate-for-breakfast” style in homage to the golden days of cc.com. Had I more time, I would have written a more concise TR. The hipster TL/DR version goes: “Major Tom, Christian, and I ran a quick Snostril lap the other day, condis were all time.” 12/4/2020 – Background and first attempt. The seasonal stoke to bash metal into ice seemed much stronger than usual this fall, corresponding to the collective increase in strength of the local crew, many of whom I am only recently met. These guys had been spending months training in a dimly-lit, south Seattle pain cave, and outside at the new Exit 38 dry crags - Wayne’s World and the Road House, and they were burning to get on the real thing. When Tom Beirne and Christian Junkar called and asked me for ice climb ideas and if I wanted to join their early season Alpental Valley ice hunting exhibition; I knew it would be futile, way too early and way too warm still. But I had only taken the tools for a walk once this season, so I signed up for their second day. On their first day, they scratched their way up Chair’s NE Butt, so we decided to see how things were coming along on the NW face of Snoqualmie. I had never seen this face so early in the season and it was what I expected – some thin smears, towering walls of bone dry rock, and none of the usual mixed lines had enough ice to launch up. The best looking “ice” I spotted was a continuous smear between the Snot and Thunder Basin exit shoulder, just left of a cave, which we marched under heading to the bigger but unformed mixed lines on the middle of the face. I have skied below this western aspect of Snoqualmie’s backside too many times to count but no ice ever caught my eye in this area before, probably because it is usually covered by a heavy snow blanket. The ice that grabbed my attention, would not be called ice in most other places but we take what we can get around here. Much discussion and indecision ensued as the team pondered the best of a lot bad options to attack. Not being known for my patience, I dramatically kept looking at my watch and stomping my feet until Tom agreed to belay me on my route pick. The climbing wasn’t exactly cruiser, but was thin aerated ice, not much more than one inch thick, with front points searching for rock divots, not thick enough for stubbies but just enough pin and poor cam placements to bring it down to around PG13. After about 40M of tenuous climbing, I was ready to be done and pulled into an alcove on the left with a faded of piece of tat around a chockstone (buried now). Tom lead up another 20 M of thin ice with some rock gear to a four inch diameter tree (buried now) with old tat up and right of an icy couloir above. The next pitch looked even thinner with more rock and less ice, but we could see a huge chockstone roof with a steep smear barely visible on the right which set the hook for a return visit after the ice got a little chubbier. Christian’s video of our first attempt: 12/26/2020 Second attempt, one pitch higher. A desired high pressure system proved elusive but Christian and I went back for round two anyway based on my stupidly optimistic read of the forecast. I saw a potential 12-hr window between one low exiting and another, more vigorous low, arriving. We skinned up marveling at the magnificent ski conditions (deep and soft) and knowing a serious effort today may not be a good idea. When we left skis at the top of the exit chute's shoulder, it was obvious that even our descent into Thunder Basin would put us on a potentially loaded slope, so instead of booting down this slope I have skinned up so many before, I rapped off a tree for some insurance against the millennial snowpack (i.e., easily triggered). Pitch one got about 5M shorter compared to our first attempt due to growing snow fan at the route’s base. With a higher base and thicker, more mature ice, I was able to quickly combine our two previous pitches into one 55M lead to our highpoint on the small tree out right. Christian led the next pitch which went around WI4- and was a 60M rope stretcher into a huge cave formed by a gigantic roof chockstone. He had already endured a nearly continuous spindrift shower following P1 but that was just the warm up for his P2 lead as the snowfall intensified. The conditions turned pretty full on, and it was hood up, zip up, and don’t look up because there was no respite from the parade of sloughs from the chute above. After some more thin ice with marginal rock gear on the left wall, Christian topped a final bulge and cruised some steep snow into the huge cave - the Snostril’s nostril had been entered. I really wanted to lead us out right and up to what could only be an easier slope above, but the problem was a short, overhanging rock wall had to be breached to exit the cave. Up and down I went to try to find a way through or around this wall. Straight across on dry powder over rock, or on some ice smears up high just below the roof, or down and around perhaps? I kept getting stopped due to either the lack of gear, the lack of tool/’pon placements, the lack of ice to stick, or perhaps the lack of big enough balls. Way up at the top of the cave above the belay, there even was an invisible nasal cavity which was snorting out wind and snow that I considered trying to access and squeeze through, but the rock up there looked too overhanging to explore. The view of the crux from the belay: Meanwhile, if I could climb out from the cave, the reward would be swimming in the fire hose of snow pouring down now, so our yellow light was clearly turning red. Time to flee to fight again another day… I built an anchor by slinging a boulder with my cordelette (love love love the much maligned cordelette) and equalizing a knifeblade in the upper left side of the cave and we rapped. All the new snow made the ski back to the car as fun as skiing with a heavy pack gets. Just climbing these first two pitches, rapping, and skiing down would qualify as a pretty rewarding day. The Snostril cave may not be as high and wild as Supercave’s cave, but it is still a really cool piece of mountain architecture - a sheltered room with a great view, and even a Covid-friendly icicle shield if you end up sharing this belay cave with climbers from another pod. 1/29/2021 – Third attempt and send. If someone put a gun to my head and forced me to leave the PNW for one month every winter, I would pick January. The jet stream's snow machine typically shifts south or north, the ice is typically anemic, and I typically flee north to Canuckastan for one of my two favorite playgrounds: the Powder Highway and/or the Icefield’s Parkway. Due to the current northern border wall, I left WA in early January for American’s best substitutes – Cooke City and Cody. Upon my PNW return in mid January, temps were still on the warm side but the continued dirty ridge of weak high pressure with occasional rain events started to open alpine possibilities. @Michael Telstad and I enjoyed a splitter day climbing a new mixed climb on the Upper West Side and Mik Metzler and I climbed the NF of Index under cruiser conditions, which was quickly repeated by Michael and Sean @sfuji Not able to come up with another inspiring ice objective (this simply has not been a good ice season in the PNW), I signed on as wing nut/belayer to Michael’s idea of climbing Goat Wall’s next gen, multipitch, dry af route - Mazama Queen. We spent another half day on Mazama ice before beginning the long drive home. I was completely ice satiated and really looking forward to giving my tools a few weeks off and spending some quality time with my skis. As I was bludgeoning Michael with another loud listen to the new Avalanches' record, ring ring goes my phone as Tom calls in while driving back from competing in the Ouray Ice Comp with Christian. We trade stories from our recent adventures and I proudly proclaimed my ice retirement plans that I have repeated one too many times to Michael already. My ice rat was stuffed, fat, and happy. Well, after nine days straight of climbing, Tom and Christian’s rats were still surprisingly hungry, borderline ravenous even; so Tom starts grilling me for beta on the two new climbs next on my list; one being pushing our Snoqualmie line higher. I nonchalantly provided some vague details and didn't think much about it because they have a long drive and I am just settling into ice retirement, so I tried to steer Tom to the other FA that didn’t really speak to me by texting some photos. As the conversation was winding down, Tom causally mentions that they will probably drive through the night and try to finish the Snostril before the weather window slams shut the following evening. Well, I’m here to tell y'all that retirement is a myth, a fallacy, nothing to strive for. “Can you drive a little faster Michael? I’ve gotta get home and start drying gear.” The three of us left the Alpental lot at 6am, this time without skis. Arriving home the previous evening, Tom had just enough time to remove the camper from his truck but not enough time to sharpen his tired picks, so Christian graciously arrived late to afford Tom some parking lot maintenance time. The drier and warmer recent weather made it relatively easy to boot up what is usually the 5.11 Phantom skin track. Because of our prior knowledge of the route, the good conditions and weather, and our collective stoke and fitness levels; I felt zero anxiety, today was going to be straight up fun in the hills. Better yet, we divvied up the leads on the approach so that everyone would get a new pitch, and Tom would get the crux. The send was almost guaranteed. Christian led P1. The ice was fat and straight forward, great screws everywhere, fun WI3+. The stoke was high. The belay tree we used previously was buried, so Christian built a belay on horizonal dead branch and gear just right of the P2 couloir. I took P2, which was mostly good ice with a short crux of rotten egg shell which fooled me into swinging picks into rock way too many times until I got smart and used a few rock footholds on the left wall to gain some higher sticks into better ice out right. Pulling over the bulge put me high enough to see the crux cave exit wall I backed off a month ago and fuck yeah, yeah, oh yeah! Lots of new snow accumulation had made the rock step shorter and there was ice everywhere now. This was going to go down! Tom and Christian quickly followed up into the cave and Tom got busy doing what he does best. Tom is not only the strongest and best technical mixed climber of our crew (and our second best freestyle MC), he just placed third in the Ouray ice speed comp so this thing was probably going to go down fast. As I belayed, Christian scurried around the cave like a rabid snafflehound, shooting video. Tom placed a .75 cam up high and left, tried to force the direct rock traverse that previously stopped me, but then climbed down and right onto a snow step above a small moat. This enabled him to climb up a body length, scratch and sniff for some decent sticks, place a stubby and then a #3 cam, and turn the corner out of the cave and onto some thin ice up and right. Tom vs the crux: He exited on some more barely-stubby-thick ice to the bottom of the upper couloir, and built an anchor on the left rock wall to make this a 30M pitch. This was not straightforward climbing and not an easy crux to figure out, but Tom is one those climbers that you watch and can’t determine how hard or easy something really is because he climbs fast and makes everything look chill. I went next and tried to avoid committing to a thin icicle mono foot placement he used because it seemed unlikely it would hold body weight, but once I did, the crux went pretty quickly but was definitely not a gimme. There was just enough ice for decent feet but it was still balancely and insecure in places. I robotically removed all the gear without thinking so Christian got to follow with no directionals in place. We agreed on a grade WI4, M5 but pitches like this are difficult to grade because it was not the ice or the mixed that was the specific crux, it was moving from one to the other and back again, balancing on so-so feet, while taking any gear you could get. (To keep this under ten pages, I'll spare everyone my recent rant where I ponder out loud if we are beginning to sandbag the grades of our new mixed routes, and I would not recommend a leader that maxes out at WI4 or M5 try to lead this route.) We were now in the bottom of a 100M long, mostly snow couloir that is reminiscent of the Snot proper, below the steep entrance at the top. Christian was up next and the agreed plan was he would run out the rope and Tom and I would start simuling to the trees we could see at the top of the couloir. After 55M of snow up to about 50 degrees, Christian stopped and spent a decent amount of time playing around on the right vertical wall. We thought he was bootying an old anchor but then he yelled off belay. It seemed strange for him to decide not to simul to the top since the last part of the couloir looked so low angle. Looking past Tom to Christian at the P4 belay. Royal Robbins, in his masterpiece of snark and self-awareness, Tis-sa-ack, about his and Don Peterson’s ascent of the NW face of Half Dome described feeling his younger partner’s impatience “running up the rope like a continually goading electric current.” When I reached Christian, I could feel his overflowing stoke running down the rope to me like a positive electric current, he was almost jumping up and down for a reason I did not yet understand. (I encourage you to click that Tis-sa-ack link, for no other reason than to see the best Glen Denny best ever photo of Robbins and Peterson after they topped out. I'll never be able to write that good but I have a chance of maybe equaling Peterson's disdainful sideways glare). OK, OK already, back to the Snostril... Christian had stopped and built an anchor because he could not just walk by an aesthetic pitch of mixed ice steps leading left out of the couloir, which he knew was a better finish compared to the easy snow finish if he kept going straight. This should have been my lead but Christian wanted this lead so bad he was almost vibrating. I can be pretty selfish with taking the sharp end especially on a money ice pitch, but there was no way I was going to assert my lead rights and take this pitch from him. This season I have really enjoyed roping up with new partners who are so strong and stoked that sitting back and watching has been almost as rewarding as leading. Tom belayed and I shot video while Christian entered his happy place cleaning loose rock from behind a flake for gear placements and working out the opening mixed moves. Christian getting ready to plug gear: He fired a lower mixed crux and pulled over an ice budge leading to thicker and better ice – definitely the best water ice of the day. The pitch ended with a 10M vertical ice curtain leading to a big tree belay and an easy walk off. This was 30M of fun mixed awesomeness which makes for the preferred alternative finish to what would be the P5 final snow slog of the Snostril. Christian taking us to the top: It was such a cool pitch, we gave its own name, and Post Nasal Drip, and we graded it WI4/M5. (Note - copy and paste sand bag rant here.) An easy snow slope walk-off brought us down to our packs, and walking down Snoqualmie did not bother this skier one bit today. (My notes here say something about Tom going down the most on the descent and owing us many beers, but my hand writing is hard to read at this point). I have become used to getting back to the car hours after sunset lately (or, in the case of Index, a few hours before sunrise) and we still had over an hour of daylight to spare. The Snostril is a great introduction to the mixed playground that is Snoqualmie’s NW Face and is a nice addition to face's previously established routes, especially if you are not in the mood for a longer day. The day we climbed it, it probably had the most pure ice climbing of any route of the face. By leaving the anchor in the cave, one can retreat easily after the first two moderate ice pitches if not feeling the mixed crux above. As the snowpack deepens, this crux will become easier. If this route sat above Cham, it would have gotten a ski descent by now. I made you slog through this narrative so your reward is viewing Christian’s video of the Snostril’s second attempt and send: Excitement is building for the ClimbSkiRip Post Nasal Drip edit, soon to drop... Here is the route as seen from John Scurlock's plane, image used by permission (note - the original name of Post Nasal Drop was Temres and I aint gonna attempt editing this photo, I paid way too much to my 6 yo nephew to create the original): I am still waiting for some retired hardman to reset his cc.com password to let us know that he hiked this route back in the early 80s, but the wifi may not work that good in his assisted care facility. Gear Notes: Single rack to #4, knifeblades, short screws, Temres 282-02s Approach Notes: Up and over, walkoff

Fuck yeah, Sean and Michael, Barn Animals #waice takeover!!!! That route is mega, those raps nearly broke me, nice freaking work!!!!

Climbed a probable FA yesterday on the western NW face of Snoqualmie with Christian Junkar and Tom Berine. This is the route we started up under very thin conditions on Dec 3rd (shown in the third post of this thread and a vid link later on page 1). Although it seems unlikely that something that is hiding in plain sight has not been climbed before, I've asked around and no one I know knows of any previous complete sends. Jim Nelson reported he got up a pitch or two and bailed. On our second attempt in late Dec, Christian and I got two pitches up but couldn't turn out of the huge chockstone cave because there was no ice at that time. We found a two piece rap anchor below this crux, and tat on top of the first pitch. I've skied by it dozens of times but only by seeing it under early season conditions did it catch my eye. Yesterday, there was just enough ice and the accumulated snow (the whole thing is a spenddrift chute) shortened the mixed crux enough that we were able turn the roof. I am still expecting to hear that Swenson's little cousin sent it in 1978, but until that time, we are calling it the Snostril and feel it is a very worthy addition to the longer mixed routes between the Slot and Snot. Our line is only 5 pitches but has a distinct and aesthetically cool crux exiting the Snostril's nostril, and as a bonus, we added a final alternative pitch - Post Nasal Drip, which is a decent one pitch climb by itself. The main line and Post Nasal both go at WI4, M5 currently although the Snostril's crux will be become easier as more snow and ice accumulate. Overview pic, John Scurlock image used by permission: I am aware this image makes it look more like a ski descent than an ice line, but it is a worthy climb. Tom climbing out of the Snostril's nostril (AKA a huge chockstone cave with a view): Christian on the Post Nasal Drip alt finish: Go ahead and call BS on the FA, we can take it. But I do plan on getting around to a TR on this one because it is cool climb to do when you wanna sleep in a little. As threatened here is super-longwinded Snostril TR (I get paid by the word).

How about some ice conditions from somewhere other than Snoqualmonix? @Michael Telstad and I drove up to the Methow and found not much ice, reportedly the mid Jan warmup/rain killed a lot but it is healing and reforming (other than one day on Goats Beard, I haven't chased any ice up there so take anything I say as BS). Yesterday, we climbed the only decent looking ice we saw = the Standard. I would describe the ice as in the later adolescent phase, definitely fun and worth doing. The Standard P1: P2: Based on a quick glance, I would assume that the Czech Gully is in typical, mixed conditions, but again, I would assume I don't know what I am talking about. The previous day we climbed the first 6 pitches of Mark Allen's dry tour-de-force Mazama Queen. If you don't like ice getting your tools wet, this is the route for you. Michael starting P3: Goats Beard will not be getting an ice ascent this season: Bonus condition report - on the drive home we detoured up the Entiat. Nothing worth shooting for there yet, and the private property/access issues in that valley make me have mixed opinions about climbing there ever again. The left side of Tyee Falls is probably climbable but much leaner than when I climbed it in years past: Preston Falls is nothing but flowing water, and the Fang has a long way to go to touch down: And that, my friends, is what rainy Weds mornings are for...

I've recruited some crushers who are much better writers than I for a Nordwand lap so hopefully you'll have that TR soon.

C'mon DPS, I started and have been basically almost single-handedly fluffing this thread for months, isn't that enough?? My publisher has been working with Kyle M on a TR ghostwriting deal, but even with his writing skillz, it will probably be challenging because I haven't had shit for time to recount any of the details, so be prepared to stay let down. And/or someone else go climb that awesome Nordwand and write it up!

Definitely good in the alpine now, really good. Mik and I climbed the NF of N Index yesterday and found excellent, firm conditions - hard to imagine it in much better shape. Despite its pedestrian grade, the NF is a mega route, even in a cruiser conditions, it is about 8x harder than Chair despite being "only" 5300' tall. Some pics: The hidden ledge traverse: Upper north bowl with tons of real ice everywhere: Mik leading the upper N Ridge: Final pitch:

Wow, the ice conditions have been great lately...in Wyoming. In WA, conditions are taking the slow-is-smooth approach, it has just been a little too warm for too long. There is some ice out there if you are willing go hunting. Yesterday @Michael Telstadclimbed a new route on Chair Peak. The Upper West Side There is a lot of anticipation building for an upcoming cold snap to happen this weekend and beyond before the snow machine turns back on, so start sharpening yer tools...

Perhaps the first ever double Chair climb/ski orbit in a day! Like Michael said, the best way to do it would be sans skis as a carryover but then you would miss thousands of feet of skiing icy avy debris in the dark, where's the fun in that?