Know_Fear

Anybody going to the Hans Florin show tonight? I think it's 7:30 p.m. The Old Market Pub & Brewery, 6959 SW Garden Home Portland OR I'm up for a beer and a show. Anybody else going?

I just did a trip to Cord Real last June. We brough our own white gas (gaz blanco) in from Peru because I'd heard there was none in Bolivia. It's relatively easy to find in Peru. I didn't look that hard in Bolivia, but the locals were eager to take our left over fuel when we left the country. It seems like I saw the small gas cylinders in several shops in La Paz. There are all sorts of climbing/hiking outfitters in La Paz and they all use cylinders. I suggest you send them an email. Else bring a multi fuel stove. Test it with gasoline before leaving home. P.S. not sure how often you fly w/ your stove, but the airlines are really cracking down up here. You might want to bring a new one - in the box if possible. You can probably cook your own dinner on the Bolivian flights however. Via con dios

I was still editing - try it again.

Skied 1/2 the Mt. Hood circum nav on Saturday - Timberline to Cooper Spur snow park. It's a great ski tour! Unfortunately we spent too much time switching between skis/crampons and opted to bail at the Elliot Glacier. Great corn snow on the Elliot. Skiing on the middle Elliot Glacier was a treat. Normally it has too many cravases for skiing. The route is in good shape this year. Most of the cravasses are filled. The snow was a bit hard in the morning. You'll definately want to have crampons/ice axe. Be prepared to ski several steep, exposed sections or drop lower to avoid them. The Coe has a lot of debris from recent avi/ice fall. Links to annotated photos: N. side of Illumination Rock Leauthold area - upper Reid Glacier traverse Reid Glacier exit (lower Yokum Ridge) To Reid exit To Sandy/Glisan N. of Sandy/Glisan Glisan/Ladd crossing Looking at Coe seracs Coe Glacier icefall Coe Glacier exit West side of Elliot Glacier Our exit, and high exit from the Elliot Glacier

Sorry for the double post. F.Y.I. I'm selling a pair of new Scarpa Lasers men's size US 9 in the Yard Sale forum. Still lots of spring corn out there. These boots are goin on e-bay soon...

I've got a pair of Scarpa Lasers for sale. They were used once or twice, i.e. they are new. They're in the original box. See attached photo. I've got more pic's if you're interested. Asking $120 O.B.O. Send me an email: riedener@comcast.net

I'm interested in skiing/climbing in the B.C. Coast Range this summer - around Aug. I'd consider anything 1-2 weeks in length. I'm not set on one particular area. It can be moderate alpine w/ base camp, or long ski traverse. I've researched the Waddington area a bit. I'd also consider the Stikine, or Junau Icefields. I have a sense of flight cost if we go that way. Please look into that if you're interested. I'll consider other approach options too. I have about 16 years of alpine climbing experience, and I've done several long trips like this. Send me a PM if you're interested and serious. I'll finalize plans by mid April.

You have several options from Bend, i.e. Dutchman Flat snow park near Bachelor Butte (the most popular start point). Short tour - Tumalo Mt., med tour - Broken Top south side, long tour - S. Sister/Morrain Lake. You might also consider Khowl Butte wich is S/SE of Bachelor Butte. You'll see it on the left just before you get to the snow park. It's a haul, but the east face gets cooked in spring and can be the best corn around. It's bigger/steeper than it looks - roughly 1.5 X Tumalo Mt. I posted a TR for 3/14 re: Tam MacArthur Rim wich is the E/NE approach to Broken Top. P.S. I suggest that you pick up a copy of "Oregon Decents" by Dave Wagg.

Thanks - I was tired last night, and the insert function was giving me a hard time. P.S. round trip time was 6.5 hours (5.5 really would be controversial). We did it 5 up and 1.5 down. That's one long corn run! Although, I really was towing a sled full of rocks...

Just posted a TR and some pics from last weekend. Whohoo!!!

Climb: Mt. St. Helens crater rim-Swift Glacier Date of Climb: 3/20/2004 Trip Report: Awsome corn on the south side last weekend. Nearly bluebird day too. Up and back to Marble snowpark in 5.5 hours. Hey can we start a controversial forum for fastest time up Mt. St. Helens? How many seconds is that anyway?

I was contacted by an extras agent in PDX re: an up coming Sprint add. They need a male climber about 30 years old. You must be a real climber - no actors. They're sceening candidates today and tomorrow in PDX. The shoot will occur around Mar 27th/28th. The candidate will be paid $400. For more info contact Amy O'Rourke at: Danny Stoltz Casting & Extras Only 635 Nw 16th Ave Suite A Portland, Oregon (503) 227-6055

Hi, I'm very interested in climbing, and/or skiing in the Coast Range. Are you looking for partners? Send me a pm and I'll contact you. I've heard a few general route descriptions, but no specifics. Have you looked at John Baldwin's books. Very inspriational...

Climb: Tam MacArthur Rim - SE of Three Sisters - Date of Climb: 3/14/2004 Trip Report: I noticed this forum needs some read'n material so here's something to keep you busy until next weekend. We did a ski tour out to the Tam McArthur Rim Sat/Sun. It's not a big knarly climb, but the views are good and it beat sittin our asses. Besides, we needed to work on those heel calluses. I was also curious about winter access and/or skiing in this area. It seems like the Sisters area is neglected by climbers/skiers in winter. I guess the mountains aren’t quite big enough; else the walk is too long to warrant much attention. It’s actually a nice place in winter. We skied about six miles south from the Upper Three Creek snow park. We were on our “across country” skis to save weight. Since we didn’t have skins, we had to put ‘em on our pack when it was time to climb up on to the rim. We spent a night on the rim, and then skied over toward Broken Top in the morning. We had great views of the Sisters, Tumalo Mtn., Broken Top, Broken Hand, etc. The sun was cooking us both days. We even had some corn on the way down. All in all it’s not a bad ski tour. It looks like it’s about sixteen miles round trip weather you go from the north (our tour) or come up from Dutchman Flat. The north side requires less driving if you’re coming from PDX. Looks like Ball Butte has some good skiing on the east side. Circum Broken Top would be cool. Too much avi potential on the Rim (this time) to consider skiing off of it. More photos in gallery. <img src="http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/512/1156P1010009-med.JPG">

We're just back from the Icefields Parkway. We stayed at Rampart Creek hostel Friday evening and heard the news. I didn't get specifics, but there were a lot of wardens parked mid point on Mt. Wilson Fri/Sat. It sounded/looked like the accident occured near Lady Wilson's Cleavage. Thurs was abnormally sunny and warm - blue sky all day. It hadn't snowed for almost a week and temps were generally below freezing. However the sun was causing wet slides on Thursday. Otherwise condtions were ideal for climbing. We were sorry to hear about the tragedy.

Re: ski poles. It's just one of those strange things. Later that evening, over beers, somebody asked if I lost my equipment. It occured to me that my poles must have been in my hands the whole time. Because once I got on my feet, we skied down to check on the others. I wasn't using wrist straps. I had wondered before how one could "swim" with skis on. But, it seemed as though I didn't have skis or poles... I even remember trying to change course slightly so that I intercepted the tree.

Our weekend was a little more exciting than we had hoped for. I triggered an avalanche and slid about 50 feet downhill until I managed to grab a tree. Read on… There were five people in our group. All of us are experienced BC skiers/climbers, one an experienced climbing guide with formal avi training. At least one other person besides me had read an avi forecast and telemetry data for White Pass before leaving home. We made some casual layer checks, but we didn’t dig a pit. Our observations matched the forecast. Besides, the risk level was obvious enough. We skied in Saturday and decided to sit out a very strong storm. We spent the afternoon setting up camp, cooking and socializing. Visibility was poor, it was dumping snow, and the wind was howling. We probably got a foot of new snow that night. It was one of the worst storms I’ve camped in - if I hadn’t dug out my two person tent in the middle of the night it would have been completely buried by snow drift. We got a late start Sunday. Visibility was still poor, but we decided to make a few runs. We knew the high bowls were too dangerous so we chose a tree run that we were familiar with. We’ve never seen a slide on this run, and there were no signs of slides, e.g. bent trees. We were on our third and final lap. The others dropped in first. Thad and I waited on top so that we could cut new lines. Until then we had avoided a small depression at the top of our run because it looked susceptible to slide. This time I cut straight across it. About mid way across it cut loose. I heard Thad yell avalanche, but I was totally helpless. I’d heard stories about staying on top, and swimming so that’s what I tried to do. I could see a small tree coming up toward me. I decided to grab it and hang on no matter what. I hit pretty hard, and snow poured around me. The slide went past me in seconds and my partner was there in no time. My left leg and arm were around the tree. My skis and pack were still on and my poles were still in my hands. We immediately checked on everyone else. The others had heard Thad yell and they moved out of the way. The debris extended for several hundred feet down the hill. Fortunately nothing besides the patch had given way. The trees broke the debris up so the lower portion of the slide was soft, albeit thick snow. It was a relatively small slab slide – about 40 feet in diameter. The crown was about 12 inches thick. Conclusions: we ski more often, and endure more conditions than 99% of the skiers and climbers I know. We ski steep terrain, and deep snow. If you think that you would’ve gone home, or skied someplace else then perhaps this info won’t benefit you. We obviously have a high tolerance for risk and a strong desire to ski the big powder. The dangerous areas were avoidable. But, we wanted something steep/deep, so we picked a run with trees. I realized that we push the envelope from time to time and things usually go right. I was reminded that once things begin to go wrong there’s no turning back. If you’re in this latter group then you might think about how you’re going to deal with an accident before it happens. A large group size gave us some security, but our up-track was a 25 minute climb. Three people were effectively 15-20 minutes away. Three out of five of us had radios. That helped us communicate even though we were spread out on a long, steep hill and behind trees. Beacons, shovels and probes are a no brainer. My partner said my bright yellow jacket and orange pack made it easy to track me during the slide. I’ve read the more you know about avis the more likely you are to encounter one. In this case I think it’s true.

A couple friends and I are heading to White Pass this weekend. We plan to leave PDX early Sat, camp near Hogs back Ridge, and return Sun evening. It would be great to get meet some more BC skiers from the PDX area. Should be some good powder runs this weekend. PM phone number if you're interested. I'll check back this evening.

A couple friends and I plan to ski south of White Pass Thurs-Sat and/or Sun. We'll leave PDX early Thurs morning. The more the merrier considering avi conditions, etc. Awsome BC if you haven't skied in that area. Reply and/or drop me a PM if you're interested.

It's on my list too. A couple of friends and I plan to do it this winter. The more the merrier. I'd also consider a 1/2 traverse some weekend to scope it out. If you're interested we're heading up to White Pass this Thurs -Sat and/or Sun. We could talk some more then. Why don't you send a PM w/ your email address?

Three of us are flying from PDX to Calgary on Feb 7th for a week of climbing and skiing. It would be nice to have a fourth climber. We climb WI3 +/- a grade and we're competent BC skiers. We plan to do a few days of each. We plan to base out of Canmore. The itinerary is flexible if you can only make part of the week, or prefer to drive. We'll probably ski a resort one day, but will consider BC or hut skiing. Ideally we can hook up before the trip for some skiing and/or climbing.

All, I am desperately seeking info for alpine rock routes in the Cordillera Quimsa Cruz Bolivia. I have heard great things about the alpine rock climbing there, but I can not find any details. Yes, I have read Yossi Brain. I am currently in Cuzco Peru and will be in Bolivia for the next few weeks. Please post or send me a personal message. Posting is better since I have limited internet access. Thanks, Chris

Tex, We met at Shredder's slide show/party. I know you're an aspiring rock/alpine climber. Having spent lots of time in the Sierras, Tetons, Winds, etc. I can sympathize with you. How is it that we live in this amazing place - on the threshold of the Cascade Range and all everyone wants to do is slog up the same 5 trade routes, and hang at Smith Rock. Have you climbed Green Giant Butress - Giant Tears, or the Kone? I think there are some "real" climbs in the Darrington neighborhood (here it comes...). The Washington Pass/Wine Spires rock looks pretty good. Squamish has some fine rock routes. Adams Glacier is a nice route if you haven't done it. The north and east side of Adams are rarely visited. Crack open the Becky guides and review the section on Mt. Rainier. There are some big technical glaciers on that mountain that see very little traffic. It's in our back yard! But why limit your search to OR? Have you seen the new Alpine Guide for B.C. by Mclane? I recommend John Baldwin's "Mountains of the Coast: Photographs of Remote Corners of the Coast Mountains." Peter Croft and Conrad Anker have been pioneering some stuff there recently. That's the future of alpine climbing in the Northwest (especially if all these f*ing glaciers keep melting) What's my excuse? I have a ball and chain "real" job, a girlfriend, and I'm gett'in old (I'm not fat yet). Take my advice - don't waste your youth on B.S. like work, or love. Go climbing! And take some of these wankers with ya - they're spending way too much time on CC.

Joe, The mountain is in good shape right now (my opinion). In general we've had a very low snow year, i.e. the snow pack is about 10-15 feet thinner at 6000 ft than it normally would be. This makes the skiing suck. However, again my observation here, the upper mountain has it's typical layer of rime. I attribute that to normal precip, combined with freezing levels above 8500 ft. Freezing levels have been down to 4000 for a couple of weeks now. About 1.5 weeks ago we got a big dump of snow down to 4500 (late winter?). There were some avis on the north side - mostly on the Elliot and Coe from what I've seen. In summary the snow is hard - lots of styrofoam, and the climbing is good. We've had several very nice weather windows this winter. Cooper spur isn't as popular as some of the other Mt. Hood routes so recent beta may be lacking. Good luck.

I was climbing on the N. Side Sunday. We saw that stuff come in. It wrapped around the mountain, then came over it. We were above the clouds until 2-3 p.m. Then all hell broke loose. I've never seen wind like wind like this. We drove to Timberline around 6 p.m. and there was an inch of new snow on the ground. The forcast Sunday was for partly sunny skies.