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Poison Ivy Crack, hopefully...trouble uploading...

Good climbing now on S. side of Icicle Canyon. Spent time at Poison Ivy Crack and Careno Crag, Bale-Kramer Rt. Check out pics. Stuff if drying out fast on south facing slopes. Castle Rock appears dry as well. Happy climbing!

The weather this weekend? Perfect for climbing my friend. As for this winter, forgetaboutit. Come September/October, there's going to be a lot of complaining about snowpack. Any precip we get from here on out will be warm and followed by rain, just as it has been all winter. Who cares, right? It's all a big cycle anyway. Get a few descents on the volcanos next month, enjoy the sun, and start climbing. Snow will be suncupped by end of April, stumps and rock showing. It's all good. Anyone interested in skiing Mt. Baker next month? Easton Gl.? North side route?

Kyle Flick and I climbed Ingraham Direct on 1-19, just 17 hours short of breaking the new speed record. We were pissed, but will keep training. The other parties Sunday morning were turning back at Ing. flats due to the high winds and spindrift. We decided to stick it out, since Kyle needs the training for Denali, and I'm too dumb to know better. 'Ol Dan wouldn't have broken any record with that wind on Sunday. Summited around 7.30am, just as the sun was rising, and visibility was waning. However, a 1,000 feet below the summit, things were clear again, but windy still. Ingraham Direct route in excellent shape. No postholing, no problematic crevasses, no one on the route or summit. Awesome time to be climbing Rainier.

I was leading Air Guitar two weeks ago when near the crack starts to get wide, there was an older twin-stem #2 Camalot jammed in the crack, blocking a really nice hand jam by the way. I later went up again to try to extract it, but it's going to take some hammering. Reading these posts, I suspect it's the camalot they were testing on and which indeed looked like it exploded. What I also remember of the camalot is that it was looped with green spectra (5mm?) and not a sewn sling. Just a detail I thought was worth adding if anyone else is alarmed by this "test". Like others have said, the rule at Vantage is sew it up. If you have the gear, use it.

A friend and I went to Vantage this sat. and noticed new debris around twin cracks. The pillar housing the Positive Vibrations climb at Vantage toppled. This is the same pillar Smoot warns against climbing, since it was due to topple. Well, it did. Didn't appear as anyone was on it at the time it fell, but must've fallen within the last week for sure, since it was there last weekend.

I knew it. My cynicism about "winter" (of course, technically it isn't winter yet)thus far is bearing true. High Pressure is dominating. I originally predicted no snow till Christmas. But now I'm revising it and saying we'll be lucky if we're making turns in WA by January. Freezing level 11,000 feet?! And don't give me any crap about there being skiing on the Muir bunnyhill. I'm talking about real terrain and about the deep stuff WA used to be known for, right outside your car door. Welcome to Winter in the 21st century. Oh, and careful, the sky is falling!

last year was much better than the previous, but no complaints at all from the Spokane-CDA area. I'll agree last year was fine. Just fine. I want a freaking bounty of powder, though. In the b/c I can usually find the stashes, I haven't bought a lift ticket in 3 years. And last year had its moments, but I want it like it was in our nuclear winter was it 4 years ago??? This is Washington, it's supposed to rain every day in Seattle, and snow in der mountains. That's the rule, but lately it's been the exception. And what pisses me off even more is to hear the weather forecasters in Seattle so giddy at all the sun we've been having. Gawd, get a life, we need moisture!!!

Bro, They're a couple of wet noodle, fatty mtn. surfs. Not worth much, since I drilled t-nuts all the way through to stop ripping my binders out. I haven't tore them out since, though I've gone through a couple pair of superloops since then. If I'm not getting face shots by January, I'm burning the surfs.

Just wonder if I'm the only one with the news: Forecast looks like no snow till after Christmas, at least enough to rip on. That means I'll be climbing in Leavenworth till January, which is good. The winters in WA the last couple years has made me a cynic. Not that they've been bad, but they've been so erratic and unpredictable. I think I'll sell by damn boards and move to Phoenix.

I think having climbed the NW Corner, having it more or less wired, an efficient team could climb both routes mid-summer, from base to top on both. A long day in the summer. The rappel route isn't difficult if you had to do it at night. I don't know, just an obscure plan for next summer.

Kyle Flick and I thought we'd brave the forecasted cold and climb NEWS's Northwest Corner. The temps hovered around freezing on the hike in, but didn't seem that bad. Once in the sun, it was almost hot. The first pitch was a crappy crack with bad gear, just as the beta suggests, both Beckey and Burdo's. Kyle led up this and the chimney to the tree ledge and continued to the first large, wide flake. Getting there, he had to use a couple large pieces he thought he'd need higher on the pitch, so he decided to set up a belay under the "heinous undercling" Beckey and Burdo mention. I followed and took the lead for the undercling/layback up to the base of the corner, where Kyle graciously allowed me to continue leading up the corner to the alcove and belay. The corner pitch starts out wide-5 inches with not a whole lof of feet for the left foot. However, by stuffing enough appendages in, it felt reasonably secure. I ended up scooching up a #4 camalot all the way to the belay. The corner narrows to perfect hand jams, though spots of verglas and snow kept my attention. After 90 feet or so, turn the corner and you're at the alcove and belay. The pitch from the undercling to the alcove was nearly a full rope length. The alcove belay takes small aliens really well. Kyle followed and led off towards the final roof pitch, which was thin and difficult as well. After the roof, it's a breeze to the top. Overall, the climbing was great, and didn't let up too much at all. We encountered a little verglas and a light dusting of snow, but nothing too sketchy. There's even a cool free rappell off the giant chockstone near the bottom. On a longer day, it'd be sweet to link up both west-side routes on NEWS.

I have a potentially uncomfortable question. If you were like me last year, how do you reconcile climbing without health insurance? I'm insured now, but last year I found myself worrying about it at the base of climbs, but forgot all about it once climbing, then thought about it all over again at the end of the day's climbing, especially leading climbs beyond my comfort zone. I had nightmares of six figure hospital bills in the event of an accident. I hoped any accident resulted in death rather than debilitating hospital debt. Anyway, if you are or were uninsured, how do you justify lead climbing with the potential for injury and an outrageous hospital bill?

Anyone interested in climbing Outer Space Sunday 9-8, give me a pm. I climbed it earlier this year and have been itching to get on it again. We topped out in the dark and descended in the dark. I want to get an earlier start for a more liesurely climb and less harrowing bushwack to base. I'll lead any or all the pitches. John

Thanks so much for the information.

No ice on the glacier, just slushy snow, but hard enough that the crampons bit well. Used our strap on crampons with our tennis shoes was sufficient. Took too much pro, though. Definitely fewer cams next time, and leave the #11 hex for the o/w. The chockstone, plus a #4 friend, and the stuck camalot are plenty for the 2nd pitch gandarme o/w crack. If you do bivi at the notch, take care of your pack and other gear, or you'll find a big hole chewed through it from the rather large Pikas hanging around there. Small cat sized. Biggest ones I've seen.

Fun Guy and I had an outstanding climb on Stuart last Saturday and Sunday. Started at the trailhead at 11am on Sat., and bivied at the notch for the upper north ridge. The glacier was quite steep in a couple spots. I had ice axe and crampons and was quite thankful, while FG used a rotten stick for an axe, but had crampons. Not a good runout on that glacier, especially towards the east end by the entrance gully. With just one party of four ahead of us, we quickly passed them on the first pitch, "cut" the rope in half, and did a running belay all the way to the gendarme, with FG leading the whole way. Most of it felt like soloing since he placed probably three pieces of pro the whole way. He made the tricky downclimbing and traversing look really easy. At times we just had to stop and marvel at the surroundings and exposure, and at the soundness of the granite. At the gendarme, it was my turn. The first pitch was part perfect layback, until I needed to place pro, which is a perfect left hand jam with right foot jam. If you've ever climbed the gendarme, you'll understand the feeling of exposure standing on top of the detached pillar of the first pitch. Incredible. The second pitch, o/w crack made me think and cuss, but I finally figured it out, with a couple thousand feet under my feet. There's a handy chockstone right at the beginning that's good to sling, then a #4 friend protects the next few moves, then there's the stuck camalot up higher. I continued left and up out of the o/w to a belay in an alcove. FG took us up to the 5.9 wall, where I led above that towards easier terrain. By that time, thunderheads were building and clouds started moving in. The rock started buzzing with electrical charge, the hairs on the back of my neck started tingling, and the tip of my ice axe right behind my head started making this electrical popping and buzzing sound as well. We booked it to the summit at that point, and it actually cleared up. What an outstanding climb with a great climibing partner. The guy's amazing on 4th and 5th class alpine scrambling, especially the tricky downclimbing. Both of us had not climbed on Stuart before, so it had a adventurous feel to it, even though the route finding was straightforward. If you're planning on climbing it, bivi at the notch, it's so much quicker from there, and the views are cool too, both east and west.

A couple months ago I read a post about some guy in California who does and excellent job resoling climbing shoes. I've looked but can't find the information again. If anyone has it, please send it to me. In fact, any good alternative to Dave Page would be appreciated. Thanks. Suggestions?

Fear serves an addictive need in climbers as well as other adrenaline activities. Without fear, you would never feel that absolute exhilaration upon reaching the top of the climb. Overcoming fear is one of the most satisfying emotions I have felt, and one of the main reasons I climb.

Anyone interested in climbing N. ridge this weekend, 8-24 to 8-25, let me know. Never been on the route, but always wanted to climb it. I have moderate alpine experience-Mt. Rainier 6 times, 4 different routes (1 one-day push from paradise, car 2 car in 12 hours), led all pitches of outer space recently. Self reliant. PM me if interested. Thanks.

But, I think the cord I have is regular nylon, and not spectra. Insufficient or adequate?

I started out using a 7mm cordelette, like 10' or so, but found it too stiff to tie off quickly, and almost impossible to tie in to three pieces plus a tie-in knot on a belay station. I've since been using a 5mm cord, about 15', and it's great and never kinks up. Am I compromising safety by using a smaller dia. cord? Obviously, it's not going to take a dynamic fall, so what diameter do other climbers use for cordelettes? Is 5mm too small?

Thought I'd pass along this little gem: My friend and I were on our way down Muir snowfield sunday, after climbing DC Cleaver that morning. Around panorama point, a pretty young lass looked at us curiously and asked, "Did you climb Rainier?" "Yes." "So...they let you come down at your leisure?" "Uhh....yes."

The fault-catapult-bone connection is a great way to get to logger's ledge. Climbed it twice now. The swing onto the bone is a kick. I'm kinda in a rutt on these routes, but they're fun, and I don't have the gumption to get on brass balls yet. Any info. on that route?