jhamaker

>>From the top of White Slabs you traverse downward to the right and pick up the next crack system<< The next "crack system" would be that awfull 5.8 gully/chimney/crack thing - 50+ ft past where the route is indicated. So, no one who is a heavy cc.com person has gone up it eh?

I think I found the start of the rt. Has anyone done it? Does it protect? Where exactly does it start? cc: Rock Climbing Forum, Alpine Lks

I think I found the start of the rt. Has anyone done it? Does it protect? Where exactly does it start? cc: Rock Climbing Forum, Alpine Lks

Climb: Snow Cr. Wall-Umbrella Tree Question Date of Climb: 6/14/2004 Trip Report: I think I found the start of the rt. Has anyone done it? Does it protect? Where exactly does it start?

I'm looking for a cheap approach bike. $100 or less 206-550-7543 cell

I'll trade you my Bluet Camping Gaz !

New in bag. Beal Iceline, just one rope, dry. Very light, 42g/m. $111 James, Tacoma pm or 206-550-7543 cell

I've been leaning towards leather. I just thought of annother reason for it - the leather will stretch to your foot, or you can stretch it. Also less seams to try to waterproof.

From personal experiance, can anyone say how durrable kevlar is compared to leather? My uncle says he has abrasion issues w/ his kevlar sails.

I found 5 ticks on myself last wk at Fossil Rk. Number 6 I missed, the sucker burrowed in behind my shoulderblade. These ticks are half the size of Leavenworth ticks, and are black and red.

If you are unfamiliar w/ regular rock climbing but climb 5.10, just spend a morning watching folks head up. Realy the only difficulty is finding the base of the rt. From the base, just follow the line of least resistance and best rock. If you don't like run-out 5.7/5.8, bring a few 3.5 camalots for the blue flake? pitch. And of course remember to bring a few doubles and lots of singles to reduce rope drag even though you have two ropes.

Been up that side twice. First time we spent 4wks - 10 days waiting for weather. Second time, rt in 2 wks - practicaly perfect weather.

Your only choice should be between bc skis (fish-scales, good for logging rds below tree line), tele skis (if 30% of your time is spent on flats), or randone skis (if you skin up all the way from the car to the summit, remove the skins, then ski all the way back down - randone is also good for ice and wierd conditions above tree-line.) Short and fat and cheap is what you want for the back-country. Short and fat for turnability in thick trees and narrow gullies, cheap because real snow has lots of logs and rocks hidden and you don't want them to discourage you from having a good time. Crampons on my tele boots work for everything except ice climbing. I bring randone gear if I expect to climb ice. Skis also make great pickets, tent stakes and back-rests. The times I've been out in realy deep snow, my skiis kick ass over those w/ slow-shoes.

James in Tacoma wants to climb the Sandy headwall. Two days, w/ skis (wich make great pickets). rsvp to jhamaker(nospam)@operamail.com

I was up there last Fall. Yes, the walk approach from parking to the climber's trail is 30 minutes (no gain from parking). No water. You could gain 1000feet or so on logging rds directly above the parking area if you have 4 wheel drive and good clearance, or if you don't care much about your car. Then you would only have a few thousand ft of bushwacking to camp!

I don't piss on the carpet, and I don't leave garbage in the woods for many of the same reasons.

I can wrangle up to two wks in April. I'm mostly interested in grade III's and IV's up to 5.9 if I lead. They don't have to be particularily chalenging as long as I get to spend most of the day on the rock! jrh jhamaker@operamail.com

A word of caution about snow pits and snow pillows. A story. A few yrs ago, before opening day, a friend and I were skiing at Crystal. We spent hours breaking trail (which the ski patrol joyfully used after us) from the pass on Lucky Shot up to High Cambell. Avy danger was Considerable or High so we skied down the ridge (E) and into the trees. As I did so, I triggered an avalanche over Lucky shot. Although the face is perhaps 150yard long, the slide had a crown of 2+ ft and 80 ft wide. The slide ran down into the Bear Trap and out the other side onto Lucky Shot. The ski patrol then bombed the hell out of that slope *but nothing else slid* ! Conclusion: Snow pits are reliable only for that (two yard) area where you dig the pit. Snow pillows and other hazards can exist just steps away from your pit. p.s. Last Fri I was cautioned by PB, Ski Patrol for Crystal to especialy beware of N facing slopes. For this reason I picked a south aspect in Boulion Basin. The micro climbate and wind eddies here, however, actualy loaded the S aspect above the basin's meadow. Most turns resulted in a 6" deep sluff propogating for 10 ft sq but not going anywhere. The E aspect, however, near the pass only had 3" of deposition over a hard crust. Conclusion: Constant vilagance and re-assesment is critical. You often can't tell much untill you ski it.

Many good thoughts and questions. Clarification: The victim in Source Lk Basin was with a party following tracks broken by an earlier party. Scraps of info can be found at king5.com, komo website, seattletimes.com and, of course, turns-all-year.com Intelligent use of beacons is smart, intelligent route-finding is better. Would somone post the "red light / green light" avy decision making chart here? Does any one use it and like it? I think I want a copy for my car and pack.

Background: Dec 12-13, two avy fatalities. Two deadly avalanches. 3 snowshoers (not just one, but the whole party) caught "near" Artist's Pt, 1 snowshoer caught in Source Lk Basin following tracks set by a group lead by Mtn. Madness Inc.. YOU can help save lives. >>. . . I am thinking about my own decision-making process. . . << - markharf IHMO Mtn, Madness had no buisiness leading folks up avalanche central in Saturday's conditions. It is hard, sometimes, to question our leaders and experts. Their job, after all, is to lead, but is it yours to follow? Question authority. Not to pick a fight, but to better understand the reasons behind the decision. Help them revisit the decision and prove, not justify, the action to your satisfaction. Never delegate decisions to others with out understanding them. I fear that this weekend's avalanche fatalities could be the sign of a disturbing trend. The recreational industry wants to sell as much gear as possible. It is more difficult to sell an activity that apears dangerous or fool-hardy. I fear that the industries reaction to the sad events of this weekend will be to sell more avalanche beacons, or as I call them "corpse finders." It is a simple thing to buy an avy beacon, play with it a little, and feel safe whereas what is really needed is the training to be able to identify avalanche zones and route-find around them. Unfortunaley, this type of avy training is not something I see the industry selling in a box at the local recreation store. I call upon all of you to educate your fellow back-country users, be they skiers, snowmachiners, snowshoers, or others. Promote avy classes that emphasise route-finding and safe travel. Help other parties make informed decisions.

W ridge of Stuart How many people do you know who read Becky so try to do it in one day!

Come ski around Crater Lk w/ me, or ski out of Bend. Day trips to Broken Top, 3 day traverse of the 3 Sisters, lots and lots and lots of groomed x-c near Mt. Bachelor. Flat bc out of Sisters and that pass W of Sisters. Rd skiing in the Strawberries, but not worth the drive. OR, a free heel paradise.

This is a bit of a long shot, but would (you) be interested in a ski around Crater Lk durring Thanksgiving? It is about an 8 hr drive and a 30 mile ski. The park brochure reccomends 3 days to ski it. They have good snow coverage. Crater Lake Cam: (overlooking the lk and pking lot) http://www.craterlakelodges.com/cratercam.htm James 206-550-7543

How close can I get to N Sister this winter? Will there be a snow-park NE of the pk?

Simple Solution: Take a medium hot iron and use it to even out the skin glue. The glue should smell but not smoke. The hot skin smell is toxic.