Gary_Yngve

Wasn't that yesterday? You finally get that flux copasitor installed in the Delorian, or what? That's his secret for how to keep his girlfriend during climbing season.

In summertime, I like approaching via Snow Lake. It's mindless trail the most of the way, whereas Colchuck->Asgard is more rugged.

There are definitely places to put a #5 Friend on that route. Whether it's necessary is your call. Personally, I lug the boat anchor along because I'm a wimp.

Indirectly, through all your dogging of noob idiots who can't climb 5.4. Please explain to me how leading a pitch on Ingalls slowly with lots of pro is endangering the follower. You signed up for the Mounties and you got what you paid for. Shell out another $1000 and get professionally guided if that's what you want.

Rockguy, I would think you'd like the idea of a couple "designated" newbie climbs to take the traffic away from anywhere a self-proclaimed stud like you would want to go.

RuMR: Yes, intermediate students instruct basic students -- alongside experienced climb leaders. Not much different than TAs and professors. Yes, the Mounties are notorious for having, "The good way, the bad way, the Mountie way" and for getting absorbed into minutae. Things are changing for the better, but it takes time. In the olden days I don't think many learned the way you suggest. I think it's an option, but not necessarily overall better or worse. Some folks in the Mounties vehemently disagree with you on your last statement. Folks come in overweight and out of shape, or scared of heights, and they want to try and climb. The Mounties are patient and receptive to others' needs and desires, and I think it's great if someone who might normally never have a chance to climb something can do stuff with the Mounties. And the Mounties have never been about money. The course is dirt-cheap and requires way more time than a week-long AAI course.

Yeah, the fires from 2000ish made that side of Cannon crappy. My friend suggests hiking up Mtneer Creek maybe a mile or so? and then going up Cannon. Going from Mesa/Earl Lake to The Mole is pretty mellow.

The Mounties lead A LOT of climbs. So does RMI. Both have incidents every year. If you look at the past ten years (past year is meaningless statistically), the Mounties have not had an abnormal number of accidents. If I recall correctly, last year an RMI party required assistance too from a client falling and pulling the guide down as well. I guess I should wonder about them too. Oh, and if you say the Mounties are unsafe, what about Jim Wickwire? We can take statistics anywhere. Sheesh.

up and over Cannon Mtn and out via your choice to Snow Creek TH. longer, but very scenic. (we did standard SW Face)

Sharkfin 7/05 They weren't on a rockclimb when that accident happened. They were off-route in a shitty gully. The Mounties did an extensive review of their practices following the accident and had several widely respected non-Mounties on the review board. The conclusions were that for the most part, the Mounties are doing most everything right. They did identify some areas for improvement and are in the process of implementing them, including smaller party sizes.

I disagree. The Mounties have not had any recent problems that I can recall on the other classic easy rock climbs (Tooth, Ingalls, SEWS). There's just something about YJT that causes problems. I don't see what's wrong with a bolt. The Mounties certainly weren't the ones who placed the bolt on the fin of S Arete SEWS. Maybe you think that the folks who placed that bolt are incompetent and prone to epics?

Where is it that most Mounties climb leaders get hurt on the climb? The final pitch? I know it has somewhat of a "reputation." I've never done the route myself -- there are so many more appetizing things in the area.

1) Yes, use the head of the axe. But be careful not to chop your leash in the process (stupid thing I've done). Also keep your pickets with one in the hammer end and the other end the virgin end. It sucks to have a picket with both ends mashed, though you can file an end mostly back to normal. 2) two-foot for Cascades summer snow. For winter stuff, a deadmanned picket or a fluke will likely work better than a three-foot picket placed vertically. 3) Girth-hitch the sling through the picket hole beforehand for a vertical placement. A carabiner is a waste. If you need to dig a horizontal slot, it won't be much more time to transfer the sling to the middle.

It seems the past few months have been really bad for unroped falls on snow/ice, especially on scrambly terrain.

I recall Meatgrinder (in between Z Crack and Dogleg) having what seemed like a mandatory fist jam. Blue camalot for me is the transition from cupped hands to fist. True fist is more like #4 friend.

The Zig-Zag Flakes pitch on NW Corner from a different view: I think once you do enough of those (top of Aries, to 1st bolts of Sagg, the two Dreamer traversy parts, Zig-Zag flake, the 10b exit of Ultimate Everything), you just get used to it. The runout knobby 5.8 pitches on the top of Dreamer were pretty thought-inspiring. For a while, I've been intimidated by EF Lexington and Rebel Yell. Hopefully this summer I'll finally get around to doing them.

Great show!

I don't understand all the hype that Saggitarius gets. It's a little burly, but not that hard technically. And the pro is great for the 10a lieback up top. Now the top part of the approach pitch to Thin Fingers, that thin crack above the ledge, that's spooky because rope-stretch will likely make you hit the ledge. G-M p3 feels more awkward to me than Saggitarius.

See the Beckey guide. They are mostly short routes (1-3 pitches?). I recall a 4th-class way up and a 5.8 crack.

Matt is correct. This time of year it might be really fun with skiis.

The original poster and gang found the ice cliff route to be in good shape, though with the requisite rockfall that everyone seems to encounter.

The same applies for a topo. If the site hasn't been surveyed, then it's +/- 20 feet. Or more, if the terrain is irregular.

http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/factsheets/fs04000.html#accuracy

I'd bring an axe.

Climb: Mount Stuart-Stuart Glacier Couloir Date of Climb: 5/13/2006 Trip Report: Aaron Zabriskie and I hiked in early Saturday past Stuart Lake to check out the Stuart Glacier Couloir. It was quite the slog to the base of the couloir. We scooted around the bergschrund on the right. The couloir was in great shape, and the bottleneck even had a little ice. After the bottleneck, the couloir opened up again. I don't have any pictures from the west ridge due to lack of inspiration, crappy composition (belays often out of view of the action), and wanting to move fast. So here's the description: After topping out onto the west ridge, Aaron went a little down and around a small tower to the West Ridge Notch. This was just scrambling, but a little tricky due to thin snow and ice. Then I went up nice rock and turned to the north side, where I encountered soft snow mostly covering rock, making for tricky climbing. When the pitch steepened, I turned right back to the crest to belay. We topped out from the Stuart Glacier Couloir behind the triangular tower in the foreground. And it looks like there's a smudge on my lens. Eff. Aaron then led up pair of cracks (hand and fist) on a slab that took him to another belay on the crest. I then dropped a little down and crossed the south side until I found something I felt like climbing -- a short but steep step that I recognized when I was up there two years ago with Ania. But this time I had boots instead of rockshoes, and the top four feet of the crack were iced. After a lot of cursing and groveling and pulling off a tool, I cleared the bulge. Aaron took the final pitch to the summit, a finger crack on a slab with a fixed pin. Token summit shot toward the Enchantments: We were on top, but it was still a long way down. We frontpointed down sections of steep hard snow going from the summit to the false summit, as well as the top of the Sherpa Glacier Couloir. The hike out was especially grueling, due to a combination of my residual cough from the flu two weeks ago, the accursed break-a-leg hidden holes on the bootpath, and the general exhaustion / lack of food and water. We didn't have the energy to drive home that night, so we crashed at the Plains Rest Stop until first light. Thanks for a good trip, Aaron!