Alpinfox

"Left" and "Right" are a bit confusing. Better to use "North" or "South" or "Climber's Left" or "Skier's Right" etc... However, based upon your avatar image, it seems that you are used to having poor direction skills

Don't forget your nitro!

Lots of ones listed that I would second, but not already mentioned: Pretty much anything by Terry Gilliam, especially "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Fearless (my favorite?) Fisher King Gallipoli Dead Poets Society Fargo Thin Red Line (Hans Zimmer soundtracks are awesome) Natural Born Killers Grand Canyon Falling Down Baraka Pulp Fiction Airplane! ("Pardon me, but I speak jive") Princess Bride O' Brother Where Art Thou (read Ulysses first) This thread is great because my Netflix rental queue was getting a little low. Keep it up!

The forecast calls for choss with scattered low-lying choss in the morning with increasing choss in the evening followed by more choss. Bring a helmet, maybe two.

Yeah, I carried those stinky ass socks you left in the plastic bag at the 7300ft campsite down off the mountain. Describe them and buy me a to pay for the decontamination of my pack and you can have them back.

Crazy Jeff, Climbers get up early on mountaineering routes because the snow is firmer, snowbridges are more secure, to avoid sun exposure, and sometimes they have lots of climbing to do before dark. The first two issues are relevant on Glacier Peak. Someone posted that they punched through a snowbridge on the Sitkum while descending. I did too. The crevasse that I punched into (fortunately with just one leg) was big enough to have fucked me up pretty badly had I gone all the way in. It was at least three feet wide and deep enough to be black. Use care while descending. People carry over because the descent route is shorter, less steep, safer from rock/ice/snow fall, etc, or because they want to see more of the mountain. In my case, I wanted to see the Sitkum Glacier route because it is a well-known route and I thought I might be interested in climbing it someday (not anymore). Brief TR: Partner and I climbed Heatstroke Ridge (aka Frostbite Ridge) in 28hrs (not super fast) with a camp at 7300ft on the ridge. This was one of the top five most scenic climbs I have ever done. Beautiful views of the entire Cascade Range and even the Olympics. Beautiful wildflowers and heather. Spectacular alpine environment. Would make a great backpacking/hiking trip up to our 7300ft camp. Route is pretty straightforward. Partner was nervous about the last icy bit below summit, so we roped up for that and I placed one screw and one picket while climbing with just a regular mountain axe. Partner had the "third" tool. Spent 1.5 hours on the summit and had a little session. Did not see anyone until we started descending Sitkum route. Sitkum route is long, dusty, rocky, steep, and with much less viewage than Heatstroke Ridge. LOTS of deer flies and a few mosquitoes below treeline. Deer flies are annoying and are too slow to bite you much. Partner used DEET which didn't seem to slow them down. I relied on my leg hair and quick hands to fend them off. Lots of trail work/construction going on in the area. The PCT is washed out at Kennedy Creek (48degrees07.463minutes North, 121degrees10.255minutes West, 3940ft elev). The NFS has diverted people through the Kennedy Hot Springs area, but be aware of this and don't try to go North on the PCT from the Boulder Basin trail. We added about 1.5miles onto our day because of this mistake. Despite what Crazy Jeff says , I would say that crampons and an axe are required equipment for safely ascending the icy northern side of the old crater up to the summit. People without much steep snow/ice experience will probably want a rope and a couple of pieces of pro. For people with some experience, the route is definately solo-able and the runout at the bottom of the icy section is mellow. The route is definately downclimbable, and unless you really want to see the Sitkum route for some reason (not a great route) I would recommend downclimbing and going back down Frostbite. Much more scenic and a much better trail. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful route. Go do it!

Yeah, it is just make sure you stick right on the ridge top. It's easy to get suckered off left (west) and end up cliffed out. Stay RIGHT ON the N. ridge crest. A great solo trip: up the west face of the pineapple, down the north side, up the south face of Das Toof, down the north ridge, up the west face of Bryant peak (a little licheny but solid) then down the north ridge, then hike back below the West face of Das Toof, up to Pineapple Pass and descend back to the car. There are also some really cool small pinnacles north of Bryant peak (20-30' scrambles) with ~200ft vertical/overhanging exposure on the east side. Fun to peak over the edge.

Thanks for all the recommendations, though I didn't see any of them except JoshK's before I left. The South Arete on SEWS eh? Didn't think of that one... I climbed the Direct East Buttress and SW Rib on SEWS on Tuesday (and downclimbed the South Arete twice!) with BobbyPeru. We did DEB in 5 pitches (3.5hrs car to summit). Beautiful day, perfect climbing, and a great partner! WOW! We saw two goats and two people. Not a bad ratio. We could see a huge mushroom cloud of smoke from that big fire (Farewell Creek I think?). This was my first experience finding a climbing partner through cc.com and it worked out splendidly! Thanks BP! On Wednesday, BP went off to work on a big project that I'm sure he will tell ya'll about when he gets back, so I headed for the NE ridge on Black Peak. I had an enjoyable hike in past all those lakes, over Heather Pass, and up to the base of the ridge. Traversing the snow was a little slippery in my ratty, old, bald running shoes without crampons, but doable and with a mellow runout. I got about a third or halfway up the ridge (8400') and the rock was blazing hot and burning my hands, so I decided to bail. Black rock + intense sun = ouch. I was also pretty sunburned, and a little intimidated by all the loose stuff on the route and not knowing the descent, so that factored into my decision too. I turned around at noon and was back at the trailhead at 2pm (ran quite a bit on the way out). LOTS of bugs in there, especially around Lewis Lake. Bring bug dope if you go anywhere in that area right now. So I wimped out, but had a great time doing some scrambling and covering some ground. Thanks again for all the recs.

Hey JK, Thanks for the info. I've done the Beckey Route, but not solo. May try that or NE ridge on Black.

Howdy Ya'll, I'm heading up to WA Pass in the next hour or so to do some climbing tomorrow with a partner. However, the next day I'll be solo. Any recommendations for some easy 5th class (less than/equal to 5.5) or 4th class scramble/climbs? I've done South Arete on SEWS, but may end up doing that one again if I don't have any better recommendations. Thanks, -AF

Did the following climbs: Boredwalk, Til Broad Daylight (finished on last two pitches of The Kone), When Butterflies Kiss Bumblebees, and The Chain Route on Sat & Sun. Short traversing section near the top of The Kone is attention-grabbing. I got a .5 or .75 camalot in a crack midway between two bolts, which was the only gear I placed on the whole climb. I don't know why the description says "gear to 2"", plenty of bolts. I think the chain route, listed as "5.9?", is more like 10a. Steep friction slab. The first bit of "Butterflies" has a lot of small salmonberry bushes in the crack which could be cleaned relatively easily (bring some gloves). All around good climbing. A little hot, muggy, and buggy, but beautiful clean granite! Not many people out there for a nice July weekend. Next time I want to do Tidbits, looks like a great route. Bluegrass on Saturday night was ho-hum. They don't allow alcohol ! The Navy String Band annoyed me by playing Lee Greenwood's anthemic "God Bless the USA".

Dance Dance

OK. Thanks for the beta folks.

A little wide eh?

sez who? Kevin McLane. "A fine climb which offers 3 sustained pitches of hand jamming". You disagree? Fill me in.

I thought there was about 1.5 cool pitches on Calculus Crack, though the baseline ledge approach pitches are unique (tree/rock climbing). I had to wait a LONG time on CC for a slow group of three. I think Diedre has more like 3 cool pitches. I really enjoyed Banana Peel (just right of Diedre) the one time I did that one. Oh yeah, Rock On is a cool one too, though beware of wetness on the last pitch. Haven't climbed St.Vitus Dance, but it is on my list. Handjams!

GregW, You could probably pass at most of the belays, but that route is often stacked with people at EVERY belay station, it which case I don't think passing is appropriate/polite/etc. Cool route though. Mid-week you might have good luck on it.

Maybe you could take all your potential bivy gear (mylar loincloth, etc) up to a similar elevation and give it a dress rehersal with a real sleeping bag/etc as backup prior to the real deal?

Have you ever seen a "Wildernest"? I think they are out of business now, but someone might be making similar designs. They look like a standard pickup camper shell, but the top flips over the front (or to the side) of the truck and has a built in tent. The ceiling of the camper shell becomes the sleeping surface. They are awesome. The only one I ever saw in person belonged to a Jackson Hole Mountain Guide I met at City of Rocks. He had the bottom all decked out with lockable gear storage and cooking area etc. I tried to find a link, but was unsuccessful.

Trash compactor bags are tougher than regular garbage bags. The first time I climbed Hood, I took a round pizza baking sheet with me. It didn't work that much better than my ass. These days, I just glissade in my pants (usually schoeller) and have never had any rips, just a wedgie!

GregW, Have you climbed EVERYTHING on MattP's website? Personally verified the location of ALL of the bolts, ALL of the ratings, ALL of the topos on the site? I'm sure you haven't. However, it's still obvious to both of us that it is a great website with lots of great information that isn't available elsewhere. I think your point about not passing on second-hand beta has some validity, though not in this case. If I told someone from memory, "there is this climb located at so-and-so and I think it is an easy, well-protected 5.8" when in fact it's a rotten, run-out, difficult-to-retreat-from 5.11, that would be unfortunate and potentially irresponsible. However, essentially HANDING THEM THE GUIDEBOOK (i.e. giving them a URL) is NOT IRRESPONSIBLE. I'm giving them the primary source based upon which they can make their own decisions. Incidentally, here is a link to the Darrington Bluegrass Festival * *The views and information expressed at this website are not mine and may be goofy, stupid, just plain wrong, or possibly offensive to various parties. I HAVE NOT met all the people in these bands and can not confirm that they actually play the instruments they say they do, nor can I confirm that the music at the festival will by true-bluegrass THEY MIGHT SNEAK SOME COUNTRY OR (EEEEK!) FOLK MUSIC in there. Remember, attending music festivals is serious business they may get your drunk, entertained, or even hooked on the banjo! Use this information at your own risk.

I give up, who? BTW: There is/was a #1 Camalot behind a flake on the second (I think) pitch of Orbit. Go get it!

So what is the rule regarding riders going out of bounds? I think the race officials made the right decision by not disqualifying him because he didn't go out-of-bounds intentionally, but if the rules state that the rider must return in-bounds at the same place he went out-of-bounds, or if the rules state that the rider must "complete the entire course" or something like that, then a case could be made that Lance should be disqualified. Whatever. The rule of common sense says that Lance didn't do anything wrong. Go Lance!

Update: Stiff: Yosemite, CA Seneca, WV Veduawoo, WY Eldorado Canyon, CO South Platte, CO Index, WA Joshua Tree, CA Leavenworth, WA (old stuff) About right: Leavenworth, WA (New Stuff) Smith Rock, OR Squamish, BC Exit 32, WA (Little Si) Soft: Vantage, WA Exit 38, WA Red Rocks, NV Where do Darrington, Skaha, Tieton go? How about Rifle, CO or Red River Gorge, KY? I've heard that old school east coast stuff (Rumney, Cathedral Ledge) is pretty stiff. Any opinions?

Hell of a deal on www.sierratradingpost.com if you have small feet: TRANGO ALPINE CLIMBING BOOTS by LA SPORTIVA (For Men and Women) For high-altitude mountaineering and hiking, go with these boots. Comfortable enough to wear on the approach, then strap on crampons and you're ready for the ice and... More Detail # 63349 Price $59.95 Reg. $225.00 Save 73% Size available: 36.5, 37.5