Bug

Due to avalanch danger, it is usually safer to go up the south side through the trees. If you go up the north side and cut over above the lake you will be crossing a lot of wide open 35 degree slopes. Have fun!

Very nice. Especially the fact that you didn't whine about loose rock in the gray band. So what did you think about my secret project Joe?

I second this. I use runners on lots of pieces to prevent them from being pulled out and to prevent rope drag. The first piece is often the one with the most potential to cause rope drag.

Dru searched on "thong".

Hope he recovers quickly.

The climbing at Devils lake is short but high quality. Check it out for sure.

Free climbing means he didn't pay to park there.

Looking at this picture, it seems like not such a bad spot. With all the trees above, any avalanche would not have been that huge. I suspect there is some rabid mountie bashing going on here. People getting out is a good thing. Granted, I would not take people into slush in that valley but WE all go up there. Even you did. Just a thought.

Octavius, Good work getting people out there and learning avalanche safety. Glad things worked out OK for you and your group! Bug

It sounds like a memorable adventure and you will think back on it more often than most. Good job keeping your head together and getting off safely!!!!!! You live to climb again, only faster.

What did they want you to do? "Hey man. I am up here and I am cold and can't get down quickly enough to avoid being benighted. Can you please waste a bunch of time getting halfway up to me so we can talk all night?"

Interesting statement concerning the availability of this: http://www.firstascentpress.com/butte-guide.html You are so naive! The butte chamber of commerce cooked up that book to lure tourists into their raped valley. Check out the coordinates they give you in that book. It puts you right in the deepest part of the Butte pit. It is an old open pit copper mine over a mile deep. It is now filled with arsenic laden water that will overflow into the headwaters of the Clark Fork killing the entire river down to the Snake, and then the Columbia. How else would they get you there? I've heard stories of climbers wandering through the hills for days and only finding toothless unemployed miners trying to sell broken lawnchairs for beer money.

BigChief say too much.

Sweet Index Granite.

I talked to the Park yesterday and they said the road will be closed all summer 3 mile from the Cascade Pass trailhead. That pretty much means that if someone climbed Eldorado, the road is now passable as far as it is going to be this year.

Great info and the picture was exactly what I was looking for. We will be skirting the rappell stuff down low. But we will take a 30m rope and axes. July 11 is our entry date if the snow is melted off enough. We will see. The Hinman area was my 'plan B' already so good suggestion.

Thanks Mo. The road is closed 3mi before the th. Did you come in from Sibley crk?

GF liked the Enchanments loop. Looking for something to top it. Thinking of this; in via Cascade pass/Sahalee arm. Over to Boston Basin then Edorado. Out via Hidden Lake. She is NOT a climber but had no trouble scrambling class 3 in Enchantments. Questions; Where are the places she is likely to freak out? How hard, How much exposure? Any info will be appreciated. Bug

That's kind of my point about bivvy bags. Assuming a party of two, you can bring two full function bivvy bags, at 5 pounds, or go light and maybe they'll total 2 1/2 pounds, but a tent for two weighs as little as 3 pounds and is generally preferable. Or find a bivy bag that weighs less. Mine is a Marmot with coated nylon on the bottom and gor-something on the top. Weight 1 1/4 lbs. Coarse, it won't make your coffee or keep the bugs out. Just a human-storage ziplock bag.

Nice troll but I happen to know that that dome is in Southern California. There is nothing even remotely similar to that in Montana.

I think I read somewhere that Alpental is the most avalanche prone ski area in the US.

YES GROUND INSULATION WILL SAVE YOUR BUTT. I always have an insulite pad and a 3/4 thermarest on snow. Definately take a warmer bag than my previous post if for no other reason than that is what you feel you need. The extra weight isn't that much and there is a lot to be said for peace of mind. But the ground insulation is at least as important.

Nice pics. Bummer about the class getting dumped on but I think you are right. The leaders had them in a bad spot.

I have a 1lb 8oz Moonstone Polarguard 3D bag rated to +45 that I use as a 3 season bag. I also use a gortex bivy tent and sometimes wear my medium weight clothes to bed. I have always slept pretty warm anyway. So use this as a gauge. Same as bstach said.

I have placed a pink tricam on almost every pitch I have lead. My red tricam only gets used half as much. Different technologies do differnt things. Tricams are bomber in horizontal cracks, flared cracks and pockets where often times, nothing else would have any hope of sticking much less holding a fall. If you haven't mastered them, you are doing too many long runouts or not enough hard climbing.