Farrgo

The snow in the Andes is unbelievable unconsolidated. Even the best snow in the Andes would be considered complete sugar in the Cascades. I can't imagine rapping off a snow bollard in the Andes. Pickets work in the Andes but only in neve...

Never been to the Andes?

I think the big faces on the valcanos are pretty fun this time of year. I climbed the Coleman during a dry November it was all ice from bottom to top. Also, I've heard that the N Face of Shuksan can be spicy and fun this time of year.

Wow, definately makes me feel better about backing off this below the pins a couple weeks back.

Corvalis sorry for the plagerism. Maybe it was just the way I went but I changed a couple go left/go rights. The information was good, we just followed the bolts as best we could and this didn't always jive with the route description we found on SP.com. I thought I would change what you had written to fit my experience on the route.

I just want to reiterate before this goes any further, this may have not been a new bolt. I don't want these guys to get blown up in this thread if they didn't do anything. The pin was old, I didn't test it, it may have been good it might have been shit. Whatever is there has to be bomb proof because if it pulls you're looking at a long fall onto a ledge... it would be ugly.

My bad I thought retro-bolting was replacing bolts. I think they're may be a new bolt on the crux pitch. The description led me to believe I was clipping a bolt and then a fixed KB above it. However there is a fatty bolt right next to the KB. Someone with more experience on this route could probably clear it up. It doesn't really matter. It's still a bold route, no one is going to say its overbolted.

Trip: Wolf Rock - Barad Dur Date: 10/6/2009 Trip Report: Rodney and I went to climb Wolf Rock yesterday. We didn't find a lot of information, and since some retro-bolting, even that information wasn't that current. It's a great climb, well deserving of more attention. I was expecting much worse rock than what we found. With the exception of the 4th pitch and after the crux of the 5th pitch, I though the rock was pretty good. The old bolts have been replaced. Almost everything we clipped was 3/8" shiny and bomber. You climb left of the main corner/roof difficulties for pitches. Pitches 5 and 6 traverse right and up through the corner and roofs toward the summit. Absolutely incredible exposure! The route starts a couple hundred feet of main arching corner/roof system at two bolts at chest height. P1 - 5.9+ - Head straight up following 5 bolts and the occasional gear placement to a belay at a small stance. P2 - 5.9 - From the belay head up and right past bolts and up to a left facing dihedral, climb the dihedral to a belay ledge. P3 - 5.8 - Climb up and slightly right clipping bolts to lower angled terrain head up and then left following bolts and gear to a small belay ledge. Look far to your left. It could be easy to miss this belay. P4 - 5.9+ - Head up and right on easy 5th class climbing then up to the crux moves below a roof head left to the belay at a small stance. P5 - 5.10d - From the belay traverse out and right to a blind reach around the corner (crux) and then head up to a hanging belay. Short pitch ~20m. P6 - 5.11b - Head straight up past bolts and and a fixed KB make and awkward move (crux) up and then right. Continue rightward traverse on handrail under roof. Belay is located shortly after traverse. Another short pitch ~25m. P7 - 5.4 - From the belay head up and left following weaknesses looking for a bolted anchor. P8 - Easy 5th - Head up weaknesses to the ridge, then follow ridge crest West to summit of Wolf Rock. 1/4 mile of low 5th class climbing. Gear Notes: Medium set stoppers Single set of cams from tips to #3 Extra couple cams in finger size Lots of runners Approach Notes: Approach: Drive until you are basically under the route. Bushwack up to route(5 min). Descent: From summit head West passing gullies on the South. Take the third gully (steepish). Follow trail back to road (30min).

This article should help: http://cascadeclimbers.com/ice/gear/

I'll definately yield knowledge of Beacon to you Joseph. I was comparing the lines to Tim's newest Beacon topo which shows Black Maria as the line over. Whatever it is, I think trying the dihedral to the right via the column proper is the way to go.

I went back and took a look. The dihedral immediately right which looks to have better pro is Black Maria 9+. Locals is one more dihedral right.

The descent is strictly a walk off. However, I understand the confusion. There are a series of cairns heading off skiers left of the summit. These lead to some rap slings. If you come out East? of the summit and do not top out, you might be tricked into thinking this is the regular descent? I climbed Backbone two weeks ago and due to the icy conditions we opted to not head skiers right toward the snow slope (regular descent). We followed the cairns skiers left. We found only a single 30m rappel. Following this we descended climbers left and picked our way to the basin. FWIW, I though this was a good way to descend if you encounter icy conditions sans pons or axe as we did.

I'm pretty sure he is on RR. At least that's how everyone climbs. The dark dihedral to the right does look much more protectable.

You can definately teach yourself with a book and a good toproping venue. A guide will really streamline the process. I've watched friends who anted up some money for a guide when they started, quickly achieve a level that took me a couple seasons to reach by myself.

If a bolt got thrown in Reasonable Richard, in the right spot, there would be absolutely no room for griping about that route. It's not too bad. However, there is insecure 5.9 climbing well above any protection. I bring tiny RPs with me and I can't find anything that will keep me off the slabs. It is definately R rated. Actually, one pillar to the right seems to have a finger-handcrack running down it. There appears to be a bouldery section above a fixed pin at the start of the pillar. Above this, it should yield perhaps harder but more protectable climbing. Has anyone done the traverse in from Steppenwolf? I can think of one arete in particular that would be pretty stopper. Since RR is typically more dirty than even the above pitches and only used as an access for moderate pitches above maybe we should add a piece of fixed gear? However, if there are easier/safer ways, such as a traverse off Steppewolf or the piller right of RR, we should forego the bolt.

Flying swallow is next on the list. 1 #5 is fine if you bump it as you climb. It just seems like 99% of climbers will climb Dod's 3x a season and don't even realize that there are equally impressive lines 30 feet to the right.

Fully knowing that this thread will degenerate into the shit storm from which all Beacon threads are born... Cleaned and climbed Flying Circus today. Such a good route, on par with the other more traveled routes heading to Big Ledge. No more bushes, less lichen, the whole route is good to go. It needs more people climbing it to keep it in shape. There's no reason that someone who could climb B.S.S. or Dod's couldn't gun this route. I took RPs, TCUs, doubles in hand sized gear, a 4 and 5. You don't need the 5, but can climb the entire OW without going above your gear with it. The middle section of the climb is an awesome handcrack with great stemming and layback moves. Many routes at Beacon would be a whole lot more feasible if they saw more than an ascent a season. I can think of climbs like Takes Fist and Bears in Heat that are great climbs that need more traffic to keep clean. Are there anymore?

No... tons of quality ice potential around Colonial. Of course, if avy conditions line up... you should really be on something else.

Seems like there have been more than a handful of FAs put up at Beacon within the last year or two... So this is the first pitch of Takes Fist, or is it between this and Ground Zero?

Very cool. Where?

There are other seracs to climb at, depending on your local. It's not entirely uncommon to solo them, but if you're learning to ice climbing... probably not recommended.

Get the Wa Ice guide. There are areas that can come in, especially near the Mt. Baker Hwy, but they are not consistent. If your jonesing... get up to the seracs.

How about something in the Tattosh or Goat Rocks. There is some really fun terrain around those parts for scrambling.

Maybe from there up? I remember some pretty sketch fixed gear.