Stephen_Ramsey

Forgot to add that there was some action on the Sherpa Glacier Couloir as well. Saw one cornice drop off the wall on the climber's left, and sweep down the couloir while we were on route, but we had already passed above the point of impact. Provided some motivation to hurry up and finish climbing.

From the basin at 5400', I saw a colossal avalanche sweep down the Ice Cliff Glacier on Saturday at 7:45 PM or so. The avy started above the upper rock band and went on for at least 15 seconds. It filled the cirque below the glacier with debris. I'm told there was another huge avalanche on that route, on Sunday around 4 PM, but did not see that one because I was hiking out.

Alex, Thanks so much. Cheers, Steve

Thanks everyone! Hi MattP, just to be clear, your comment about cornicing and the gully being non-technical refers to the (ascent) couloir above the Ice Cliff Glacier route, and not the descent gully, right? Again, many thanks for your time. Cheers, Steve

Scott, Thanks. Was the descent down the Sherpa Glacier technical, or unpleasantly steep? Just wondering what might lie in store for me, on the other side. :-) Cheers, Steve

Josh, Thinking of going up tomorrow morning. Thanks again for your advice. Cheers, Steve

JoshK, Thanks for your help. Much appreciated. Do you think the cornice at the top of the couloir might be passable? Interested in hearing your opinion. Cheers, Steve

Thanks, Alpinfox. Does the Ice Cliff Glacier share much of the same approach as the Stuart Glacier Couloir? If so, would you recommend snowshoes for the approach? Appreciate your advice. Cheers, Steve

I'm looking for information on the Stuart Ice Cliff glacier route. Do folks think it would be reasonably doable this time of year? Consensus seems to be that it is about 50 degrees in steepness. Is that about right? Any advice would be appreciated. -Steve

I stand corrected.

Well, I'm just a beginner, so take my opinion with the requisite grain of salt. But respectfully, this statement strikes me as a bit absolutist. I think people will have different ideas of what is "best" and most "respectable". Even "safest" is open to some interpretation. I agree with you that a big advantage of overnighting is that it gives you some flexibility to choose the ideal time of day for the ascent. I don't feel that I was much better rested after humping my overnight gear to 6300' the previous weekend and camping at the base of the north buttress couloir, as opposed to Sunday when we did the northeast couloir car-to-car. I wholeheartedly agree with Tod that it would be great if more people would, instead of just criticizing beginners, take a beginner under their wing. [Fleb, I know you often mentor less experienced climbers so this is in no way a criticism of you]. Climb on.... -Steve

I agree, it would be helpful if it were more commonplace for experienced climbers to take less experienced climbers or beginners under their wing. I have learned far more in an informal one-on-one outing than in organized group instruction settings. Unfortunately, it seems to be generally difficult to find more experienced climbers who are willing to do this. Just my $0.02. -Steve

Tod, Congrats on your Triple Couloirs ascent. It sounds like a challenging and fun route. It was nice meeting you and your partner. Cheers, Steve

John, Thanks for your post. You make some good points. I guess there can be a fine line between a route that is challenging enough to push one's limits, and a route that is too challenging to be led safely. This is especially true for beginners like me. With the benefit of hindsight I think this route was in the former category for us, but that said, it did turn out to be slightly more challenging than we expected. Perhaps others, thinking back to when they were beginners, can relate to this? Anyhow, thanks for the sobering post. Definitely something to think about. -Steve

The following is a trip report from yesterday's climb of the northeast couloir route on Colchuck: http://www.speakeasy.net/~sramsey/climbing/triplog/200304-colchuck3 Thanks to everyone from CC.com who provided beta and encouragement (particularly Colin).

Alex, Yes, that was me and Elain. Trip report at: http://www.speakeasy.net/~sramsey/climbing/triplog/200304-colchuck3 Thanks for all the advice and beta, fellow CC.com climbers. Cheers Steve

Thanks everyone for the great beta! I'll post a TR on Monday. -Steve

I'm looking for information on the Colchuck Northeast Couloir. Has anyone out there done this route? Beckey grades it as II-III, but I have heard that the supposedly 60-degree headwall is more like 70 degrees, which sounds pretty sporty... Anyone know which of the finish variations is likely to be the least technical? Is the headwall at the top of the couloir the only really steep part of the route? My partner and I are a bit unsure if we are up to the route, so any information would be helpful. Thanks in advance, Steve

Actually it sounds like conditions on the N. Face of Maude are not so good. So maybe some route on Mt. Shuksan (e.g., Fisher's Chimneys) or Mt. Baker (N. Ridge or Roman Moustache) would be a possible alternative. Really, I'm just hoping to get out there in the hills. Got car, rope and tools. Anyone interested?

Hi all, Is anyone interested in doing some kind of 2-day alpine climb over the weekend of Aug. 17-18? I'm looking for a partner. Some possibile destinations include the N. Face of Mount Maude or maybe something on Mount Shuksan. I'm open to other ideas as well. The goal is to climb something moderately challenging, but without any real 5th class rock climbing (and no, this is not a contradiction in terms). I can contribute: two 50m x 9mm "half" ropes, ample pickets, a little 2-man bivy tent, an XGK stove, and a Jeep to the cause. You should have: experience doing sustained climbing of 50-degree snow/ice, and a conservative attitude about safety in the hills. If interested, please e-mail me at: sramsey __at__ speakeasy.org Cheers, Steve Ramsey

Is there anyone out there who has any information about the "Nisqually-Gibraltar Chute" route on Mount Rainier? Note that this is not the same as the Gibraltar Ledges route; it is a variation that meets up with the Ledges route, bypassing most of the ledge (at least I think). I'm wondering if this route might be climbable this time of year, and if so, how serious the rockfall/icefall hazards might be. I'd especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has climbed this route, as to its difficulty level and the ease/difficulty of routefinding. I tried to observe the route from the Muir Snowfield over the weekend, but without binoculars it was hard to really see much of anything. Since I almost never hear of anyone climbing this route, I'm wondering if that should tell me something... Thanks in advance, Steve