Mtguide

Here's part of the attitude that I think needs to be "adjusted", if you will. First of all, it wasn't "a freak accident". We all know, or should know, that avalanches are an extremely common hazard, they can and do occur EVERY season without fail, as long as there's enough snow. It's absolutely, completely normal and inevitable as part of the alpine environment. Secondly, say what you will about the airbag device, although it seems to be a major factor in this woman's survival, it's equally possible that, especially had this been a larger event, the airbag could just as easily have not made one bit of difference. I have to reiterate that it's just as easy to get killed wearing the latest gear, as it is without it. Please DON'T depend on your gear to give you permission to take unwise chances. And don't credit it with saving your life when you were in a place you probably shouldn't have been in the first place. There's a lot more to it than that. It's this very kind of simplistic thinking that gets people killed in the backcountry all the time. One last time, folks, the mountain, and the avalanche, DO NOT CARE. YOU have to do that.

Certainly the human factor is a major component of overall risk; after all, it was the presence of people on those slopes that made this particular avalanche a tragedy, and not just an otherwise ordinary, commonplace winter backcountry event. And I think that's the big shift in both individual and group mindset that needs to happen if accidents like this are to be avoided in the future. There has to be a stronger sense of being temporary visitors to that environment, that we are guests who MUST play by the rules of nature or risk everything. Regarding group mindset, that implies respect and consideration for others,and a responsibility TO them, so that the motivation/optimism/desires of one or a few don't override the safety of all, AND vice-versa. For some who are extremely talented, strong and ambitious, it can be very difficult to learn and understand that other people are far more than just a support to our own success. Many younger climbers and backcountry skiers have a very hard time with anyone who counsels caution; one of the basic rules of the group that I first heard in the Mountaineers some 40 years ago, was that (1) the party can only travel as fast and far as it's slowest member, and (2) that if even just one member of the party felt insecure or sensed a dangerous situation, the entire party was obliged to consider it seriously, and in some cases even to turn back, or modify the objective if that person's opinion is based in implicit factual conditions. At the time, I was just 17, and I really hated that idea. I just thought it was ridiculous and completely unfair that any one person ( or "chicken-shit worry-wart asshole", as we termed them) should ever be the cause of losing an opportunity. And it led to my leaving the club after just a couple of years. But over the years, as I saw one after another of my cherished boyhood friends and former climbing partners fall by the wayside, now to the number of 14, and saw the causes of those deaths return to haunt me with the very rules I'd heard during the Mountaineers courses, I began to see the practical, level-headed, common sense wisdom of those rules. I am only extremely fortunate that I survived my early climbing years, some times by the narrowest of margins, and have not been, so far, the object of those bitter lessons. To me, an NWAC forecast of not just High, but Extreme avalanche danger, would be just exactly the kind of factor that should warrant an entire group heeding the advice of a single "worry-wart"; and indeed it seems that at least one person, the woman wearing the safety device, was concerned enough to take responsibility for her own safety. We don't know, of course, but I have to wonder if she had to put up with any criticism or joking about it. I'm also very impressed at the fact that this woman's life was saved by that device. And that's a step in the right direction in terms of some increase in the margin of safety. But I hope that people won't now get yet another false sense of security from another advancement in gear."Oh yeah, all you have to do is have one of those things on, and you'll be fine. Sweet!". I say, THINK AGAIN. I have seen, in the debris-fields of large avalanches in Glacier Park and the Wasatch Range, green trees of up to three feet in diameter, smashed and broken into small chunks no more than 2 or three feet long, with all the bark and branches stripped and shredded off, and the carcasses of deer, bighorn sheep, and elk flayed and mangled, torn in half, missing limbs, heads, hide, skulls crushed or exploded, etc., all mixed up with stones and boulders ranging in size from big pebbles to the size of footballs, engine blocks, large appliances and cars. The violence and power is just incredible. For that avalanche device to do any good, it has to remain unpunctured and otherwise intact and undamaged, and it has to STAY ON. I don't care how well it's made, I still think that's asking an awful lot of any comparatively flimsy man-made piece of equipment in the face of forces that can tear apart large trees and big game animals. Another thing to be noted is that, depending where you are on a large slope, the presence of timber may or may NOT be a protective feature. If you're still high on the slope, where the avalanche may not yet have gathered a large amount of material, you might be OK, in fact you most likely will be, if you're in the trees. But if you're well downhill from the trigger point of an avalanche, especially a "ground-release" slab avalanche, and you can't get out of the slide path, you're in big trouble. As I think someone said earlier in a post above, the avalanche just doesn't care. Yet another security falsehood is contained in the idea that you're skiing on a "small" or "short" slope, or maybe the snow isn't very deep, so even if it did avalanche, you're safe, because it couldn't do much. Again, NOT SO. If the snow is up to your knees, and the slope is taller than you are, that's more than enough, especially in wet, heavy conditions, to knock you down, cover you up, set up like concrete as soon as it stops moving, and of course smother you to death. Obviously big slopes can kill. But little ones can be just as deadly, maybe even more so since everyone thinks they're harmless. Finally, the factor of highly skilled and experienced people caught in fatal accidents cannot be emphasized strongly enough. Just a few years ago, it was none other than famed BC guide Rudi Beglinger who was involved in an accident in which one, or perhaps a couple, of his clients died in an avalanche. (For those of you in Portland, there's a film about this, this coming Friday evening at the Mazamas' clubhouse,527 SE 43rd(at Stark)at 7:00 PM. I highly recommend going to see it.) Long experience and a high level of skill can certainly be a big risk factor for anyone who allows it to engender a sense of comfort and security that ignores or diminishes the importance of warning signs, whether those signs come from NWAC or just from subtle on-site indications, as if the long experience and skill would just automatically take care of things by themselves, somehow. Again, the skill and experience are only as good as the USE YOU MAKE OF THEM, moment by moment, day by day. YOU have to be the one driving the ship, constantly, tirelessy vigilant, not some idea that just because of who you are and what you've done,everything is all taken care of, and the outcome is assured. And, this goes as well for the idea of depending on anyone else, a famous guide, or more experienced partner,to ensure your own personal safety. You HAVE to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, and some times that of others. This means, as the woman survivor did in this incident, having the right equipment and knowing how to use it, but even MORE so, educating and training yourself so that you hopefully don't get into bad situations in the first place, and knowing what to do if the worst does happen. It's also a well-known principle that the last hour or last mile of an outing can be the most dangerous. I'm not sure what part this factor may have played in this accident, but it seems likely that the rise of temperatures later in the day may have had something to do with it, which could also add a fatigue/relaxation factor to the mix regarding judgment and decision-making. But as I say,I don't know that for sure, just a guess. Years ago, I heard this little tale of the Ancient Chinese Tree-Climbing Master: It's said that in Tang dynasty China, word began to spread of a great tree-climbing master of great age and wisdom, hidden deep in the mountains. One young man decided to seek him out, and after some years of searching, found him far into the remotest reaches of the Tien-Shan mountains, and asked for his instruction. Taking the young man farther into the peaks, after several days they stood at the base of an immense pine, the largest of a giant grove of ancient trees. Turning to his student , the master gestured upward and said simply,"Now climb...", and the young man began his ascent. From time to time the young man paused to look down and ask the teacher how he was doing, but the old man said not a word, just silently motioned for him to continue upward. Finally, over 300 feet off the ground, he reached the very top of the tree, and shouted down to the master, "What do I do now?". The old man said,"Stay as long as you like, and when ready, come down." After enjoying the exhilaration and tremendous view for a while, the young man started down, and as before, would ask the teacher from time to time how he was doing, but again the master never said a word, just gestured to him to continue his descent. As he climbed down, the young man began to discover a certain facility and skill in his movement, and began to increase the speed of his descent. The old man, was watching, but never said a word, until the young man was less than ten feet off the ground, when he suddenly and unexpectedly brought his right hand above his head with index finger raised to the sky and roared in a booming voice, "BEEEE CAAAAREFUL!!!!!!", scaring the young man nearly out of his wits. The student then climbed the last few feet to the ground with extreme caution, and thus learned the deep, deep secret of successful tree climbing, and many other things as well.

I don't know who you should vote for, but if these are your concerns you shouldn't vote Republican as they are significantly worse than their opposition on almost all the counts you mentioned. Absolutely. It seems that many retirees, red-staters, small-business owners,and middle class from upper to lower, tend to vote Republican because they've been led by decades of Rethuglican hype from Nixon and Goldwater, to Reagan and the Bushes, to believe that the Rethugs will take care of their money. Well, they've taken care of it all right, as in "Here, we can manage that for you much better than you can.." and have consistently cut taxes on the wealthy, starved government regulation on banks and other financial institutions so that it can't do it's job, tilted the playing field continually in favor of the upper 2%-- and as a result now control most of the money. It's been mystifying to me to see how this (formerly--now on it's way down to the bottom) middle stratum has continued to vote, time after time, against their own best social and economic interests. What many of these people don't seem to understand is that, to the people in power, whether political or corporate--(and these are often one and the same--witness Romney) the "little people" are simply not even on their radar. They hardly even exist in any significant degree other than as an amorphous "base". Furthermore, the working class has actually begun to be demonized by the anti-union, anti public-service workers,anti-public school, anti-teacher, anti worker's rights propaganda of the Tea Party, Limbaugh, Grover Norquist, Ron Paul and the Republican governors in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, etc. Working people and the former middle class, have now taken the place of Clinton's "welfare queens" in the conservative mythology. Who would ever have thought, even 10 or 15 years ago, that the very people who have been the backbone of the American economy and stable community life, would be hated, vilified, and attacked for wanting some measure of consumer protection, workplace safety, financial security and a reasonable retirement after faithfully punching a time clock for 40 or 50 years, serving the corporate chain gang? I'm not saying the Democrats have been innocent in all this. Clinton's NAFTA and GATT, the continuing complicity in butchering things like truly meaningful health care reform (Nancy Pelosi's "Single payer is off the table"--thanks a lot, bitch), unstinting support of two needless wars( and watch out, because they're pounding the war drums again for Iran) and going along with the tax cuts for the rich, have been disastrous for the vast majority of working class Americans. Democrats have been drinking the Koolaid for a long time now. However, there is still a small constituency of realistic and truly compassionate Democrats along the line of Barney Frank, Robert Byrd, Kucinich and others who represent what the Democratic party USED to stand for, and FIGHT for. And Obama does seem to be waking up a little, realizing that there's no compromising or playing nice with Republicans. So there may yet be some small hope that total collapse can somehow be avoided. Democrats offer no guarantees. But to vote Republican is, without question, to simply assure that you will wind up penniless and homeless just that much more quickly.

I have known hippies who smelled like rotting food, cat piss and dogshit because of living for months with stacks of unwashed dishes in the sink,never cleaning out the frig, never emptying the litter box, and letting the dogs shit and piss in the house, and of course never cleaning it up. This, combined with weed, sour wine, well-ripened BO from never bathing or doing laundry, and patchouli, is the true essence and olfactory patois of the species "Hippieanus californicus",subspecies "Urbanus haightius-ashberya". The subspecies "californicus ruralis' can be identified by the additional essences of woodsmoke, chainsaw gas and chicken shit.

Wow,I guess things have changed since I was in school, they never used to charge fees like that. Seems to be a growing campus industry. They probably picked it up from the banks, credit card and insurance companies. Well, what am I saying? OF COURSE, they're offering you the Geico discount. Smells like "racket" to me. Never a good idea to pay money to get money. But that's how insurance is sold, plus you get to bet against yourself, also not the best idea. :: Too bad about the haughty New Englanders, they sound like they're a bit of a tradition/hidebound bunch. Next time you see 'em, just ask if they brought their nailed boots/ rope-soled shoes/alpenstocks/bota bags/lederhosen,etc. today. Sad to hear of the young acting like such snooty,stodgy, stiff-necked old farts, there'll be plenty of time for all that later... An' jes' keep a 'swangin them thar tyools, a good alpinist is always happiest with one foot on the rock and the other on the ice.

Although I still do alpine climbing, I very much agree; I've lost 14 friends who died climbing. Of those, just two died rock climbing, both while on rappel. One rappelled off the end of his rope during a nighttime rescue on El Cap, and another whose harness failed during the descent on Leaning Tower, also in Yosemite. Both of these can be directly attributed to human error, the one for failing to knot the end of the rope, the other for neglecting to replace a badly worn harness. All the rest died alpine climbing on "big" mountains: Rainier, Kanchenjunga, Alaska Range, Andes, etc. , except for one who died descending an uncharted river on the trip out from a climb in the Andes. They had elected to foregoe the mule trip out, and wound up going over an 800 foot waterfall. That one could also be at least partially attributed to human error, for risking descent of an unknown river on a spur of the moment decision. Also interesting is the fact that of all those who perished on large peaks, all but two (killed by massive rockfall during an ascent of Curtis Ridge on Rainier) died during the descent, which sadly holds true to many years of statistics kept by AAC's "Accidents in American Mountaineering". So two basic principles here: big mountains are dangerous, and descending is dangerous. And descending big mountains the more so. And, of the personal close calls I've had so far, all but one occurred on big peaks and involved objective hazards such as weather, rock- or ice fall, crevasses and avalanche. So I think there's definitely something to the rock vs. alpine comparison of risk.

Churchill would have no problems trusting Keenwesh, who has a pretty good handle on adventure and enjoying life, is not unacquainted with the term "party", and is indeed a good egg from good people. Good to hear... it sounded like he was, just from the fact that he was willing to question himself first before finding fault with someone else..pretty rare; a good egg indeed.

My sincerest condolences for the loss of your, and our friend. Although I didn't know Jered, in the fellowship of the climbing community, whether local or international, the loss of one is a loss to all. I'm still somewhat in the dark as to the cause of this accident. From what I'm gathering from this post and others, had he removed his crampons and helmet? Was high wind a factor? I lost two close friends years ago, who had removed their crampons after summiting a peak in the Kichatna Spires. Although there was fairly solid snow cover, as they began the descent they hit a large sheet of ice just under the surface and were unable to arrest. In that instance wind was not a factor. But the winds were pretty steady on Hood during the time of this accident, and I'm wondering just what the combined factors may have been that led to this tragic loss. As you say, we need to learn if we're to avoid this kind of accident on what should have been a relatively safe and easy descent. Since Jered was alone, we can't know his state of alertness, fatigue, etc. as he reached the area he fell from. But it's not uncommon for climbers of all ages and levels of experience to sometimes relax their caution and vigilance as they move onto easier ground, with the crux of the climb well behind them and more or less hand-in-the-pocket travel the rest of the way. And unfortunately, often the greater the level of skill and experience, the more likely this is. A number of world class alpinists have died because of this kind of lapse in a variety of situations. Among them was none other than Todd Skinner, who neglected to replace an old and dangerously frayed harness. As Rebuffat writes in "On Snow and Rock"; "With the possibility of being put to a severe test, the equipment must be in perfect condition before every climb.Every detail is important. There should be no boots, breeches or windjackets with stitching coming apart,no Vibram soles coming unstuck,no pullovers, jackets or socks too short. The least negligence, such as a glove with a small hole in it, may be a starting point for serious trouble." Finally, it's a simple fact that the great majority of both survived and fatal accidents occur during the descent. You are simply still on the climb until you're back to the car. The last climbing friend I lost was on Hood. He fell descending Cooper Spur on a beautiful, perfect climbing day about 8 years ago.

hardly! conservative or liberal, all economists are full of shit hasn't the historical answer for low employment/recession been government spending on a wide variety of projects? "The only purpose of economic forecasting is to make astrologers appear to be respectable." -John Kenneth Galbraith

Totally agree with you on the social or society frats. If you think a smaller school like Mt. State is bad, you should see places like the frat scene at the larger schools. Just crazy. Animal House is alive and well. Also totally agree on your view of respect for women, sounds like you come from good people. But the fraternities I'm talking about are ones like Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Theta Kappa,Sigma Alpha Iota, etc. which maintain offices and records, but are not residential houses. These are professional organizations for people of consistent high academic performance and brilliance in their chosen field. Phi Beta Kappa is perhaps the most famous and universally recognized among 4 year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa for junior and community colleges, for the sciences and liberal arts and humanities. I just googled Alpha Lamda Delta and was very favorably impressed by the Wikipedia description. I think it's definitely an academic, and NOT a social fraternity, and again I'd strongly encourage you to take a second look at it. They offer scholarships, professional referral, research opportunities, etc. You may be confusing the beer-drenched sex party-type frats with these very sober and enlightened fraternities who would never have anything to do with that kind of behavior. Alpha Lamda Delta was actually begun as a women's academic society, no less, but has in later years become coeducational.I highly doubt that you'd ever see so much as a hint of a gang-bang at one of their functions. I respect your skepticism regarding the social fraternities, but don't lump the good in with the bad just because of an aversion to "anything greek". If you do that, aren't you being kind of like your New England friend who refuses to get on certain routes? Reasonable skepticism is healthy, but don't let it close your eyes, or worse, your mind, to the truly wonderful opportunities that are available to you in the academic world, places where you can meet people of brilliance and creativity who are serious about their time in university and full of positive and realistic idealism for making the world a better place. College is all about opening your mind, casting off ill-informed doubts and fears as you enlarge your understanding of life and the world, step by step, class by class, person by person. Above all, don't be afraid of things that are new or strange to you. Sure, check things out in a clear-headed manner, but, just like in climbing, don't be afraid to step through doors or launch out onto a pitch that you're not quite sure you can climb. Sounds to me like you've got a good moral compass and solid belay of character, so go take a look. Always, always be ready and willing to GO SEE. I love Kipling's poem "Ranges"; "..something lost, behind the ranges, something waiting,go and see! Something lost, beyond the ranges,across the ranges, go you there!" That's the spirit of adventure, the sense of wonder and imagination, from which greatness is born. So, I more than just strongly encourage, I challenge you, my friend, to go walk through the doors of Alpha Lamda Delta, and at least really go find out. You never know what might be waiting behind those doors; international travel,the career of your dreams, the love of your life. In life, as in climbing,there are no guarantees, but I can guarantee you one thing: IF YOU DON'T GO, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW. Go ahead and Google Alpha Lamda, Phi Betta Kappa, etc. I think you'll find it very interesting. And, don't be too strait-laced about things. I believe it was Winston Churchill who said that he would "never trust a man who won't take a drink." You don't have to get wild and drunken out-of-control, but don't forget to enjoy life and fun while you're young. Partying and socializing are a very important part of college life, after all, the academic grind is damned hard, and we all need to let off steam once in awhile. It doesn't have to be a gang-bang orgy, you know your own limits. But it's true, some people just go off their nut in college, and if you're gonna get wild, that's the time and place to do it. I wouldn't be too judgmental about that hotty slut in Bio 256, she might actually have a heart of gold and a mind like Leonardo Da Vinci for all you know. Hell, in ten years she'll probably be packing her 2.5 kids into the minivan to soccer practice or ballet, married to some corporate dickhead, still wondering about that cute guy she sat next to in bio 256 that never would give her a tumble. Life goes fast, man; relax a little, and "gather ye rosebuds while yet ye may", as the old saying goes. You'll be pushing around a walker soon enough. Never be afraid to let a little cutie turn your world upside down once in while, be good for you. Who knows, maybe someday those'll be YOUR 2.5 kids; just make sure you're a damned fine husband and dad, and not that corporate dickhead. Cheers.

Thanks Keenwesh; you know, I wonder if this fellow is so new to climbing that he needs to get on some easier stuff to get going, gain some skills and technique before jumping onto stiff routes. You don't say much about his level of experience, physical conditioning, etc. Maybe he's insecure because of some shortcomings there and just doesn't want to embarass himself by failing in front of others. (As if we don't all have to do plenty of that while learning to climb.) And if he is pretty new to climbing, for some it takes awhile to learn to trust the gear, so that getting up off the deck, even on toprope, is still pretty scary. Although if he was doing that ice line you mention, well, it seems he'd have to have some fairly good level of experience. Did he set up the TR on that route? Any way, you're taking the right approach, just one step at a time. Try like hell to refrain from busting him one; my martial arts teacher used to tell us NEVER engage in a fight unless absolutely cornered. "Run ten blocks if you have to" he'd say,"but don't fight unless there's no other alternative." It really is too bad he won't even try something; he might not know what he's missing. But, don't push him on it; some guys just have to do their thing. And as Alex Lowe said, "The best climber is the one having the most fun." To each his own, no matter how weird it seems. Oh, one last thing, BTW. I was looking back at your original post where you mentioned the Greek honor society, which I assume is merit-based on your GPA. And here, I have to say, the $100.00 would be very well spent. While you're going through your university career, it won't hurt you one bit to amass as many awards and honors as possible. And this isn't just because it'll look great on your resume. Academic fraternities are very different from social ones; they are a true reflection of your abilities and accomplishments, and they're also a much more genuine fellowship of shared trials and triumphs on the way to mastery of your profession. As such, things like this can be a real foot in the door in later years as you climb to the summit of your chosen field. It can open doors for you, not just in terms of employment and financial compensation, but also in terms of mutual respect and genuine lifelong friendships with your colleagues, things which no amount of money can buy. So you might want to take a second look at this one. I have had many lifelong friends as a result of my membership in several academic fraternities, and as you journey through life you never know when you're going to run into a fellow honoree, and what might result from that meeting. Invitation to participate in wonderful research or creative opportunities, with the potential for exciting discoveries or once-in-a-lifetime breakthroughs and achievements in science, the arts or humanities, these are the things we're here for, to help each other as we all rise together, for the betterment of all. The academic societies are very old, and yet forever young, continually challenging and supporting the expansion of learning and applied practice; they're well worth the nickel.

To begin with, from what I can tell from your post; No, you are not an asshole. But you're running into a few, or at least that's how they BEHAVE. Very important distinction there. In my life I've known a number of people from New England, and have noted that many who were sent to prep schools and places such as Andover or Seton Hall, and then later went on to very privileged educations at Ivy League shcools(misspelling intentional here on my part )suffer from an illusion of social and intellectual superiority. It's because of being raised in a pretty rarified and privileged atmosphere. Their parents and families, often going back generations, are extremely status conscious, and it can have major implications for one's continued position and fortunes whether social, political, corporate, etc., in the real world, or at least the real world as it applies to their position. Acceptance into various country clubs,golfing or polo circles,certain colleges and universities, fraternities and sororities, or business organizations can be incredibly cutthroat, snippy, catty, well, many other adjectives apply.It really is a very different world back there. Among the Trustafarians and other scions and debutantes of wealthy families I've run into in places like Jackson, Wyo., Sun Valley, Tahoe, etc, you find many times people who've never had to do a thing for themselves, who've had no need or experience in earning their own daily bread or making their own way, and while they can appear to be very secure on the outside, often suffer from profound feelings of inadequacy, aimlessness, and disconnection from others of more modest backgrounds. So their social skills, while not exactly lacking, are better matched to the pressure cooker situation from which they come. And those skills can show a marked lack of "real" manners, of simple respect for people based in real substance of human character, rather than on financial status. This can become a very serious handicap in later life. Witness the current crop of privileged political candidates and some of the myopic attitudes they display about the poor and working class. But I've run into some very, very fine people, too, those who were raised never to think of themselves as more important or more valuable than anyone else. The very best families (and again, by that I DO NOT mean in terms of financial assets alone) have taken care to inculcate compassion but not paternalism, sociability and friendliness of true warmth rather than expedience or social maneuvering, and that "real" manners are paramount, based in genuine consideration for the worth and feelings of others, no matter what their walk of life, graciousness and calm under pressure, being assertive rather than aggressive, and never to think for a moment that life is in any way assured or certain. A quote I got from one of these friends ( and we are still friends after 35 years) goes; "It's easy to be pleasant and cheerful, when life flows by like a song; But the man worthwhile, is the one who can smile, when everything goes dead wrong."(Ella Wheeler Wilcox) There are all kinds in this world, as I'm sure you know, and some of them can definitely ACT like real douchbags, but sometimes when you scratch the surface, you find a real person in there, who's just like the rest of us, with all the fears and insecurities and blind spots everyone has. I once caretook a huge house in Jackson Hole for an elderly woman who was from an Eastern family of well, pretty much unlimited money. She was one of the unhappiest people I ever met in my life, extremely lonely, and she could be very, very hard with people. And she used to come and regularly sit and bemoan her situation to me because she was continually and inescapably plagued with lawsuits and days spent, or wasted as she felt, in law offices and courtrooms, because her entire family was at each other's throats over money, and it was just as mean, vindictive,bitter, underhanded and brutal as any gutter fight you could imagine. She told me so many times that her money was a terrible curse, yet she couldn't let go of any of it. And her children were the same. Lots of problems with alchohol and drugs in the family, suicides, etc. So, not to lecture, but maybe next time you have a chance,with some of these douchebags, stop and think, look below the surface a little. I've always liked what Will Rogers used to say: "I've never met a man I didn't like." Now that was a true aristocrat, a man among men. And how to respond? What can you do? Simple. There's an old Zen proverb which says, "You should conduct yourself always, as if in the presence of an honored guest, even when alone in a darkened room" So, you act like the true gentleman you are, in spite of your "friend's" unsociable behavior. He very much sounds like someone who's got some things bothering him, all right. Doesn't sound like a very happy person to me at all. Now, you don't have to let anyone walk on you, to be sure; but you can be magnanimous, kind, and unruffled, generous. You can let it pass, let it roll off like water off a duck's back. Smile and offer a hand, and say, "Hey, sorry if I somehow offended you, let's be friends." Then the ball's in his court, isn't it. And if he's still nasty, you can shrug your shoulders and say, "Hey, OK, take care.." and just walk away,let him be.If he's not too messed up, he'll figure it out eventually. That's one of the great things that climbing's all about, after all, the fellowship of the rope. You need friends if you're gonna climb, at least to begin with. You need climbing partners to learn, and the mountains play no favorites, the rock and ice are always the rock and ice, and they continually face you with ...what? YOURSELF. Even on toprope. This is what the old-time mountain men and trappers used to call, "The University of the Mountains", and Montana is such a great place to get that kind of education. That country is known as a great leveler of men, whittling big egos down to size with utter disregard for fancy college degrees, high-falutin' titles or blueblood pretentions. The Chinese have a great folk proverb: "On the hand, fingers are easily broken, but a fist, not so easily." Or like the saying that "A single stick is easily snapped, but not so a bundle." A single person , until fully trained,strengthened and matured, can go down quickly. People are strongest when they come together. To do that takes cooperation and understanding, and in climbing, money might buy you a new set of tools, but you still have to do the climbing and be part of a team to accomplish great things. My guess is your New England acquaintance will either discover this, if he's smart, or move on to something where his money or attitude will find more application. In the meantime, what a great opportunity for you to meet with a truly difficult person and to sharpen your skills in dealing with him. Just like climbing, here's a crux or tight spot, if you will. When you get past it, your ability and confidence grows. You'll meet people like this guy all your life, there's one around every corner. But you're on a lifelong climb, and this fellow just hasn't realized that yet, or what it really means. Even enemies are a true gift, because of what we have to call on from within ourselves to face them with courage and honor. Just remember that we're all just folks, like Will Rogers said. I always get a kick out of the way he'd call the greatest cities in the world "big camps". From New York or Paris or Rome, he'D write to his friends and say, "Well, folks, here we are in the Big Camp on the Hudson," or "the Big camp on the Seine", etc. And he was so right; we're really all just camping here for a while, can't stay for long, might as well try to get along and just be folks, help each other out when we can, enjoy life day by day. Easy does it. Climb On.... PS/ Read Rudyard Kipling's great little poem "If", especially where he says, "if you can walk with Kings, nor lose the common touch". Some good material there.

Over the course of a 10-year project span, and adding in all the yearly costs for office, personnel and facilities expenses,plus architects, permits, contractors, land acquisition, easements, engineering, it can really add up. I'm actually surprised it wasn't higher considering the length of time involved. It comes out to $320,000.00 a year, or just under $27,000.00 a month,about $900.00 per day, which seems extremely reasonable when you account for wages and salaries, and all the other above-mentioned particulars. It does seem that it shouldn't have taken ten years, but then there's a lot that I don't know about the whole process. Things can be delayed by tight fists in the legislature, which often winds up costing even more in the long run, than if there had simply been an early decision to go ahead and build. Personnel and staff on hand have to be paid while they wait to get a go-ahead, working on other things in the meantime. After all, it IS a bureacracy....

It might still be worth telling the Park Service about that bottle; things can be buried during storm and then uncovered again by the wind and abrasive effect of blowing snow. Even if it is on the main route, it might well have been buried the last time SAR went by, only to be in plain sight on your trip. I'd certainly tell them. And please, no need to feel stupid, your conclusion was perfectly reasonable and logical. No blame.

Hey, c'mon, this is old news---Bush-era. Date on the article is 2009, and the construction was just another no-bid boondoggle of that whole Bush craziness. Don't try to hang this one on Obama, cause he didn't start it. It was a long-done deal by the time he was elected, not a whole lot he could have done about it.

AP reports that Rainier Park officials are handing out fliers to visitors asking them to report any physical evidence (but not tracks--which could be confusing)of the missing climbers and campers. The search is termed "no longer active", though several park employees were to have searched the Muir snowfield yesterday, Sat.,Jan.28th.Very sad. Sincere condolences to friends and families of the missing.

On the south side I'd say above crater rock, as far as the other aspects of hood, wherever its steep enough to slide...all those (steep) headwalls and gullies would be death traps in the right (wrong) conditions. But I'm no expert, either Second that, except to add that BELOW Crater Rock can be hazardous depending on how close you are and time of day. If you're heading up to do one of the standard S.side routes you have to go right past it to the east.I've been pegged there a couple of times by small zingers even well before sunrise.Fortunately nothing serious, but it will wake you up. West Crater routes generally skirt further to the west of Crater Rock, but then are of course exposed to anything coming off the rim above. The last avalanche fatality on Hood, to my knowledge, was about 10 years ago in the West Crater, on a Mazamas climb that went ahead despite all warnings and indications of high or extreme avvy danger. Always check NWAC warnings on their website before heading up. With the changes in S.side terrain/slope angles above the Hogsback in recent years,(steeper up through Pearly Gates) this area has become somewhat more "interesting"; while steeper slopes might shed more readily during storms or warmups,reducing danger, they can also compromise your speed of ascent and keep you exposed to potential avvy/icefall hazard for a longer time. Super early alpine starts, timing to summit before sunrise, cold temps, conditioning and speed reduce (but do NOT eliminate)the danger.

I still haven't heard which route the two climbers were supposed to be on--did they register at Paradise?

Many thanks for the corrections viz. Unsoeld, and the perspective on comparative altitude effects depending on latitude. No judgement of anyone currently trapped on Rainier, or of other climbers in similar situations in the past, is intended. However, what little I've been able to gather from news reports is that both teams were somewhat lacking in experience, and that's not a good thing in an otherwise unsupported attempt on Rainier. The principle of a minimum 72 hr. weather window was something I first heard of from Fred Beckey himself back in 1967, and my own personal experience since then has simply borne that out. Of course there are always variations depending on the length of the climb and the conditions, and I tried to allow for that in my comments. There are still a lot of climbers who head out without fully realizing just what it might entail to get back down in terms of time and effort.If you've never been down the other side of a peak before, having a little extra time with good weather might make a huge difference. The figures on the effects of altitude I got from a presentation by Dr. Peter Hackett, a well-known research scientist and climber who specializes in the study of hypothermia, high alt.pulmonary edema,and hi-alt. cerebral edema,and cold weather injuries, at a 3-day conference on Climbing on Denali held at Portland State U. in March of 1996. The figures are from notes I took. Finally, I have no argument whatsoever with anyone having their very own set of principles, guidelines, and rules to go by, provided they have the training and experience, and know what they're doing. After all, you are the one who's on the mountain doing the climb, and you're who has to assess things by the hour or the moment as you go. You're the only one who knows your level of conditioning, how strong you feel that particular day, etc. I'd begin to question the intelligence and ability of any climber who failed to develop such a personal set of standards as they gathered time and miles above timberline. That's only common sense. But there are plenty of climbers of lesser skill,experience, conditioning and training who don't have a very good idea of what they're doing. For those, some guidelines and rules based on the long and hard-earned experience of others, are very appropriate, and can save everyone a lot of trouble. And, since we do have all the advances in weather information, avalanche forecasting. etc., it's not only common sense to use it, but also consideration for the trouble and risk you can subject rescuers to, and the emotional pain inflicted on friends and family, in case you don't and then get caught unaware. It's very natural for young climbers in particular to find freedom and escape from the confines of the workaday world and the sometimes stifling strictures of our so-called "civilized" society. That's indeed part of what climbing is all about, and in his wonderful trip report on the first ascent of the West Ridge of Mt Huntington in the 1965 American Alpine Journal,the great French alpinist Lionel Terray expressed it with eloquence and power: "But soon we have to start the descent. Suddenly I feel sad and despondent. I am well aware that a mountaineering victory is only a scratch in space, and for me, after the Himalaya and the Andes, Huntington is just another peak. But in spite of this, how sad I feel leaving that crest! On this proud and beautiful mountain we have lived hours of fraternal,warm and exalting nobility. Here for a few days we have ceased to be slaves and have really been men.It is hard to return to servitude." Cascade Climber mentions going ahead on days when others have turned back, and turning back on days others went ahead. That's the attitude of a mature and accomplished climber and person, and that's really freedom. He'll probably be around a long time, and I certainly hope so.But it's also an attitude based on long experience, and I'll bet he wouldn't have said that early in his career. The main thing is to utilize every advantage you can, within reason, especially in the winter, because the mountain and the weather are way more powerful, a very worthy challenge for even the best of alpinists. You have to plan for the whole climb, up and back down, and make allowance for the unexpected;in spite of how hard it can be to leave that summit, we always have to return to the world of cities and men, if we want to continue climbing. In 1987 I lost a very dear friend, a superlative climber,on Kanchenjunga because he didn't allow for the time and energy necessary for the descent. It's in his memory, and in memory of over a dozen other dear and treasured friends who died climbing, that I continue to write, and hope that my words might be useful to others on their way up. I'm not exactly speaking from a comfortable armchair here.It's not for nothing that Joe Simpson titled one of his books "This Game of Ghosts". And I hope and pray fervently for the safe return of the people on Rainier.

Hmmm; I've never heard of Ed Viesturs saying anything like that, although that doesn't mean he didn't--I just don't know. But in the climbing that Viesturs has done on Himalayan 8000 meter peaks, it's inevitable that you would run into winter-like conditions,even during the regular season, and to be caught out in it at times. In those cases being well-prepared with the right gear, skills,conditioning and experience, can make the difference between a routine bad-weather day on the mountain, and a desperate survival struggle, or worse. However, having said that, there IS an extra consideration to be made regarding winter climbs in the Northern Hemisphere, and especially in the Pac NW. And that has to do with the combination of what are generally more severe winter conditions on Northwest peaks, than are found on Himalayan peaks during their regular season. Because the Himalayas are near the Equator, the air pressure of the atmosphere is greater; the atmosphere is thicker at the Equator than at the poles. Therefore, the farther North you are, the lower the overall atmospheric air pressure. That's why climbing at 17,000 on Denali can equate to being at 24,000 or more on a big Himalayan peak,just in terms of the oxygen content of the atmosphere. This effect is of course intensified during a storm, when a low pressure system is moving through. With the added factor of much more serious cold (Denali can have storms with winds of over 100 mph combined with temps down to 70 below, and windchill chill factors of 100 below zero) and longer storms of greater sustained intensity than is common on even the highest Himalayan peaks, that's very serious stuff indeed.Conditions like these can make it an extreme struggle to just to do simple things like melting snow for water, and if you can't stay well-hydrated and warm, you're at increased risk, or inevitable certainty, for frostbite, hypothermia, and death. Now that's for Alaskan mountaineering. I'm not sure what the corresponding factors are with Cascades peaks. Obviously the altitude is far less, and the cold is not as deep. But the winds can be every bit of what Alaska might provide. And I think it's notable that the 1963 and 1976 American Everest teams, and others since, have trained on Rainier because they felt that Winter conditions on Rainier would actually be MORE severe than anything Everest would throw at them during it's regular season. And of course Rainier has claimed the lives of many good climbers,including, sadly,its' own son, the great Willi Unsoeld of that very '63 Everest team,killed with several of his students from Evergreen State College by an avalanche during a winter climb. It doesn't matter to Rainier, who you are, or how good. Mt. Hood, although only a comparatively humble 11,234 el., is a whole 'nother story, as they say. After the three climbers were lost during the winter of 2006, Fred Beckey had some interesting things to say about the incident, and about general considerations for winter climbing on Hood. First, he felt that the climbers had seriously underestimated Hood due to it's small size and relatively lower altitude. After all, that team had just summited Denali a few months prior, and that may have made them a bit over-confident. And, it's true that all the routes on the North face of Hood are indeed just day climbs, and can be done in just a few hours for the face itself, with a few more for approach and descent. Also, a lot of it can be simul-climbed. Secondly, they did not allow a minimum 72 hr. weather window in which to do their climb, and because they thought it would only be a short climb, they elected to leave most of their survival gear at the Tilly Jane cabin. And finally, they were unfamiliar with the mountain, and evidently did not know how to find their way off the summit down the South side, which can be tricky in a whiteout due to the famous "Mt.Hood Triangle". And, a serious complication was added with the injury of one of the climbers just before summiting. Now these are all things that would cause problems on any peak of comparable altitude anywhere. But the unique nature of the weather patterns around Hood was the clincher. Because the storm that hit the climbers that afternoon was a "Pineapple Express", with a huge shot of warm air and moisture coming all the way off the Pacific from Hawaii, and picking up a little extra oomph from the Japan current as it crossed the coast on its way inland. LOTS of water. Next, Hood sits right astride the Cascade crest, which causes the storm to rise as it passes, increasing condensation in the upper atmosphere, creating even more, and heavier snowfall. Then there's the huge"well"of supercooled air just to the southeast of Hood in Central Oregon, which just happens to get sucked right past the east side of the mountain on it's way down the Hood River Valley to the Columbia Gorge, which can happen any time a big low pressure area passes over the area, and the counter-clockwise rotation pulls that cold air into the mix. That adds more intensity, and further increases the density of snowfall and the violent strength of winds on the upper mountain. And finally, there's Mt. Adams sitting almost due North of Hood on the other side of the Columbia River and just about 100 miles away. Another 1000 feet higher than Hood, and believe it or not, with greater actual mass than Rainier, Adams acts as a very effective inside linebacker to help impede the passage of the storm front, and together these two sisters of the Columbia can make what might be an ordinary blow of a day or two anywhere else, into a Force 10 monster lasting for a week or more. And of Course Rainier can do that, and then some, all by itself. So the upshot, according to Beckey, is that when the conditions are right,and all these factors come together, little old backyard playground Mt. Hood can be the equal in ferocity, danger, and savagery, of any peak on the planet, hands down, and you'd better have the utmost respect for this "dayclimb" peak. The storm that killed those three climbers in 2006 lasted for almost 9 days and subjected rescuers to winds that reached 115 mph with windchill factors on the upper mountain of over 75 or 80 below. Climbers with Portland Mt. Rescue came very close to being literally blown off the mountain, hanging on to ice tools with all their strength,ice-covered ropes bellied out into the wind, having a difficult time keeping their crampon points in the ice as the wind blew their legs out from under them, let alone trying to make any forward progress. Nor was that anything unusual for a typical winter on Hood. In almost every winter you'll certainly see at least one big blow like that, and sometimes several. Just last year, a record snow year on Hood, was a great example. So I can well understand that a climber as highly skilled and experienced as Ed Viesturs would have good reason to say something like that, and it might be why he, and guys like Fred Beckey, are still around after all these years. Fred himself is famously an absolute weather fanatic, in the old days before online Doppler radar, obsessively putting in so many calls to the National Weather Service in Seattle that they began to recognize his voice and they quit speaking to him, forcing him to alter his voice or have someone else make the call. Eventually he got the number for aviation forecasts and wore them out too. But in this part of the world it can be a life and death matter, no joke. And no, not really all that odd, not if you're a smart and experienced climber who knows what the mountain and the weather can do.

AND, I forgot to mention Hendrix' former bandleader and mentor Guitar Shorty, who is still around and still just a choppin' away like a mad woodsman--his signature grand entry number "Caught in the Crossfire" is a barn-burner. It was in Shorty's band that Jimi matured into the master he became. God, I still miss him...

Since I first heard about this on the news a few days ago, I've been wondering if anyone on these two teams was aware of the imminent major weather event bearing down on the Pac NW before or perhaps, as, they began their trips. A good plan is,(besides not pushing it and taking risky chances with the weather) to begin your approach while the previous storm system is on it's way out, putting you in safe position to make your summit attempt the moment the weather window opens. And you then have a little longer margin of safety for your descent than you would have had if you'd waited till the weather was perfect to begin your approach. The basic rule for one-day climbs in the Pac NW/Cascades is to allow a total weather window of at least 72 hrs from where you begin your summit attempt, NOT from the start of the approach. And that 72 hr. number can be increased if the good weather is available, and if the climb might require more. But it should never DEcrease in the case of even easy routes on large alpine or glaciated peaks. 72hrs. should be considered the MINIMUM time allowable for anything involving an overnight stay on the peak. I'm not talking about things like day trips to Chair Pk or the Tooth,Town Wall,Tumwater Canyon or Snow Creek Wall. But if you're doing Mt. Baring, Prusik Pk. or Stuart, anything on Rainier, Baker, Adams, big peaks like Hozomeen, Slesse, Logan,Bonanza,etc., there's your basic rule, ESPECIALLY at this time of year. I also hope the climbers (has anyone heard which route they were on?) have some avalanche knowledge and don't try to move too soon once the weather breaks. It'd be a hell of a thing to tough it out for 10 or 12 days, and then get killed by an avalanche on a beautiful day on the way down. It has happened. Prayers and best hopes for everyone's safe return, and that includes the rescue team as well.

Sonny Landreth is a truly superlative guitarist and musician. I also think that one of the all-time great guitar leads EVER is Eddie Van Halen's solo in "Jump!". Just a soaring, magnificent, towering, flaming tour de force. As imaginative a passage of music as has ever been created, in any category of music you want to name. Intricate, speed,dead-on phrasing,tonality,complexity, passion, power, sheer exuberance and joy, I mean it just has EVERYTHING. My Mother,who was a professional concert pianist,pipe organist, and composer, listened to that lead at the age of 83, and said "You bet, that boy can play; it's AS GOOD AS ANYTHING HAS EVER BEEN...". I rank that lead with anything in music from Bach,Beethoven and Bernstein to B.B.King,Clapton,Duane Allman, Johnny Winter,Hendrix, Zeppelin, etc. But you can go on and on; Frank Zappa's lead on "Orange County Lumber Truck"(Weasels Ripped My Flesh)--Zappa was one of the greatest lead guitarists, and totally, truly, complete musicians who ever lived--Keith Richards' on so many things from "Gimme Shelter"and "Live With Me", to "I Like It", "Start It Up" and "Dead Flowers", Mark Knopfler on "Sultans of Swing" and "Telegraph Road", Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny"(utterly sublime), Leo Kotke on almost anything he's recorded--talk about "complete"? fucking amazing; Jesse Cook on "Tempest",Al Stewart's "Time Passages",Felix Pappalardi of Mountain on "Nantucket Sleighride",and Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane on "Embryonic Journey"(Surrealistic Pillow)and Bert Jansch on "Pentangle",to name just a very, very few of the best. Now I don't mean to put anybody down, or to malign anyone's personal tastes in music, but IMHO, you guys haven't even begun to scratch the surface yet; do you know your history, where all this great stuff that we're seeing now, has come from? All these guys today are standing on the shoulders of the giants of the past, and they've done their homework by listening to absolutely EVERYTHING that's a moment of vibrant passion and truth in music. So come on, dudes, fucking get serious.. and as I said, I'm not meaning to put anyone down here, but I AM trying to egg you on, push you out of the box. Listen to some of the things that were done BEFORE we had fuzz-wah and feedback, or intentionally done without it, just pure, solid, ass-kicking woodshed-garage-grown sore-fingered slavery to the muse that has produced so much great musicianship. Listen to the great dobro player Jerry Douglas doing "Wheel Horse"or "Georgia Brown", and then track that stuff back almost 100 years to where it comes from, and then come back and kick THAT up a notch.Listen to Jorma Kaukonen from the 60's, and then go and find out what he's doing NOW--you'll be amazed. Same way with the old Ventures-"Walk,Don't Run","Apache", "Pipeline", they're still around. But they haven't settled into a rut, they just keep growing and getting better. Doc Watson is Bluegrass, and one of the greatest guitarists who's ever lived--just ultimate musicianship, crisp, flowing,rolling like a clear, sunlit mountain stream. There's just SO much more; so I'm just sayin',shred, psycho-billy and death-metal is great,but if you're REALLY talking about being a COMPLETE guitarist and musician, and this is what you're showing, then I gotta say,"Izzat all you got????"

Shocked, but not surprised. This is why we call them "Re-thug-licans'. They think the laws apply to everyone else but them, and that there are two main ways to be outside the law. The first, if you're in a position of power; therefore above the law, immune from prosecution. The second, if you're poor or minority; therefore not worth the time and effort of protecting or defending under the law. And of course a third category in which the law is applied punitively, and unjustly, if necessary, to exclude, intimidate, eliminate or oppress the poor, minorities, illegal immigrants or any others of contrary political, social or cultural persuasion. Sheriff Arpaio is well known as a bully and selective practitioner of law "enforcement". There is also a fourth and all-inclusive category, that of "human being", which Re-thuglicans and conservatives generally prefer not to recognize or discuss. Those who endeavour to keep others down, lower themselves in doing so.

Any rope you use will last longer, and be safer, if you wash it thoroughly after each canyon venture. If you're on an extended trip where you can't do that, then try to take several ropes, using each rope no more than once or twice. Otherwise the sand will seriously compromise the strength over repeated uses.