Stephen_Ramsey

Paul, Thanks. I'm interested in checking out Kyes Peak. Cheers, Steve

Anyone have any suggestions on how to get to Curry Gap, this time of year? I called the USFS and they told me that the North Fork Skykomish road is gated at Troublesome Creek, much too far to walk to the Quartz Creek trailhead. Is it accessible via the PCT? If so, how far would it be to get there? Thanks for any information. -Steve

The CAG (Cascade Alpine Guide) is your friend. There are tons of routes in there. One winter/spring route that comes to mind is the NE couloir on Colchuck Peak (8705'). Grade II-III, snow and ice up to 65 degrees, and likely a "fun" cornice to dig through at the top. By veering climber's right for the final pitch (rather than escaping through the small left gully for the last pitch), you could likely find some quite steep mixed climbing. Another route that comes to mind is the Stuart Glacier Couloir on Mount Stuart (Beckey grade III maybe?). I haven't done that route, but the description in Nelson's "Selected Climbs in the Cascades" sounds like what you might be looking for. JoshK has a trip report which describes this route (when the west ridge was in challenging rime-iced condition), somewhere on the CC.com web site. Other winter routes that may be of interest: (1) "The Standard," Mazama Goat Wall (WI3, 2-3 pitches) - see Washington Ice guidebook. Fun route. (2) "The Tooth" via the NE Slab (Grade II, with some class 4 rock climbing). The slab itself looks to be about 50 degrees. If on the other hand you are looking for more serious (or longer) winter alpine climbs, ask around on this board for suggestions of grade IV winter alpine routes. People will be happy to recommend routes to you. Have fun and climb fast.

Found an article that says the following: Full article is here: http://www.skipressworld.com/us/en/daily_news/2002/02/colorado_backcountry_brawls_raise_slope_rage_concerns.html?cat= That's messed up. It seems (to me) unfair that BLM should close the land to the general public, and only allow people pursuing commercial use (guided skiing) of the land. That said, I don't condone what those "trespassers" did (in the Silverton iincident). But the BLM has overreacted. IMHO.

Are you not the LAW goddess? Seriously though, I have heard of BLM restricting access to certain sites. But AFAIK, most ski areas operate under a permit from the USFS that allows them to operate their lifts and such. It does NOT mean that the ski area owns the land (although they sometimes act as though they do).

My short "gumby report" on ice-hunting in MRNP: Elain and I drove up to the Narada Falls TH on Sunday, hoping to find some ice somewhere. The WI2 flow opposite Narada Falls was not really "in" (ice coverage was too sparse for my taste), although I'm sure it is climbable. The other flows in that same gully did not appear to be "in", either. So we hiked back to Lane Peak, to look for ice on Lane Peak's NE buttress. We did not find any significant ice there, just a few icicles starting to form. Some of the steep gullies are filling with snow, which is a good start, I guess. There is a hill east of Lane Peak's NE buttress, whose north face had some ice smears forming. We hiked up to it but found the ice was way too thin. The 30-degree slope leading up to it was a cause for some concern; unconsolidated snow on top of a sheet of ice. Given what we found at Narada and Lane Peak, we decided not to bother hiking in to check on "Mikey's Gully". But from the road it looked as though two steep pillars are starting to form, on the cliffs above the Nisqually. I have no idea if those pillars are named, accessible routes or whatever. I imagine that the many people going up there for skiing had a much more productive day than we did.

For what it's worth, I like the Bibler I-tent. I have one with just one opening (to save weight). It makes a nice tent, and also makes a nice two-person bivy sack if you choose to leave the tent poles at home (to save weight). I've also used a two-door Eldorado tent. As one might expect, the two-door models are easier to ventilate. But for a carry-over, I would prefer the I-tent over the Eldorado, because it is lighter weight. When I checked last year, the weight of the I-tent (without poles) was actually less than the weight of two Bibler bivy sacks. For winter climbing without a carry-over, I prefer the two-door Eldorado. More room for gear and ventilates better. Oh, I just re-read your post. You're looking for a tent with some room for gear. The Eldorado would probably be a good bet, then. I have tried the Eldorado/I-tent vestibule, and it is OK. But I almost never carry it because I find that it is not worth the extra weight. If you are camping above treeline, I would caution against considering the Stephenson Warmlite, despite the glowing testimonials you may hear. The first time I used one (at Camp Muir), it was subjected to a sustained 50-knot crosswind. It tore open. Hope this helps. Cheers, Steve

Josh, If you are in the Queenstown area, check out Ben Lomond (1746m). It is a good summit scramble. We climbed it in December and it was still snow-covered (!) Cheers, Steve Ramsey

Thanks Rollo. Hope your ankle recovers well from the surgery.

Thanks everyone! -Steve

Is anyone out there taking glucosamine on a daily basis, to manage pain from damaged cartilege, and curtail further damage? Seems like the jury is still out on the effectiveness of this supplement for arthritis and related ailments... maybe some climbers out there are taking it to deal with climbing-related injuries? (I'm going to ask my doctor too, but wanna hear from climbers who are taking this stuff). Thanks, Steve

Sketchfest, Check your PMs. Cheers, Steve Ramsey

Thanks Alex. Nice pictures!

Jason, OK, thanks. Appreciate the info. Looks like a great resource is being developed, for mixed climbing enthusiasts. No worries, Jason. It's not like I could climb an M7, in this or any alternate Universe. :-) But I hear what you are saying about the red tape. Good to know. Cheers, Steve

Alex, Do you know, is it a standard practice for ropes to be left on that wall? If so, why? (I'm not trolling for a fight or anything... just curious). Cheers, Steve

Just to clarify, "Northwest Mountain Guides" is a completely different guiding company (see www.gotrek.com). I think the NWOG site now has the title "Northwest Outdoor Guides".

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but for the sake of the USFS people who have apparently been reading (and misunderstood) this post, I would like to clarify: the guide possessed a valid permit (or concession, whatever you call it) from the USFS to guide on the north side of Baker. I can provide more information (names, dates, etc.) if contacted by private message. Thanks, Steve

Mattp, I totally agree with your post. Several times I've posted on CC.com asking for beta on a moderate/easy route, and received a snide or belligerent response. I've observed a clear tendancy on this web site for some people to back-handedly put down (or worse still, directly belittle) TRs of easy routes. I'm not whining or complaining. CC.com is what it is. I'm just agreeing with your post, and making the point that that beginners *do* notice the subtle (and not-so-subtle) put-downs that inevitably follow a trip report posting for a moderate route. Count me as one person who chooses to post his gumby/beginner trip reports elsewhere (in what is frankly, a less judgemental/negative forum). I'm sure there are others. Inevitably someone is going to reply to this saying "who cares" or "fewer gumby TRs -- no big loss", or whatever. In a small way, it will just validate my point. I do enjoy and appreciate CC.com for what it does well, especially getting the latest information on ice conditions. But let's not kind ourselves-- it isn't particularly newbie-friendly.

Hi John, We camped in the snowy basin just below Spider Gap. Yeah, the step was short, but we were really tired. Seems like the route was in fine shape, but I don't really have a basis for comparison. Certainly was a fun day of climbing. Cheers, Steve

Hi John, We summited at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning 10/26. Our ascent route skirted the first large bergschrund (the one at the very base of the route) on the climber's left, then traversed climber's right. Went into a moderate-angle mixed gully, then straight up a 2-pitch, 45-degree ice tongue leading up to the snout of the icefall. Then directly up through the icefall. We passed the final schrund (the one just a few hundred feet below the wide snowy saddle) on the climber's right, very near the moat, then traversed climber's left once above it. On the descent, we followed some tracks along the climber's right-hand side of the Lyman Glacier. We rapped on a V-thread into a wide (but largely snow-filled) crevasse, but downclimbing or scrambling through the moat would certainly have been an option. This may have been the same ice step you mentioned in your TR. Then followed the tracks down more easy snow slopes, then down about 800' of 3rd-class terrain that alternated between snow and rock slabs. Then down a steepish snow gully, to reach the first crevasse at the bottom of the route. Followed tracks (climber's right) into the moat to bypass the crevasse. I second this. My partner punched through on the lower Lyman. Her first time punching through into a crevasse, something of a right of passage I guess. Didn't see a black ditty bag, but it was dark when we got to the trailhead. Sorry. Cheers, Steve

Juan, Thanks for the tracks! My partner saw your name in the summit register. We used your tracks for the descent, and it saved us some time. Cheers, Steve

Maude, perhaps? Phelps Creek trailhead is open. Entiat Icefall might still be in shape.

I second the endorsement of North Cascades Mountain Guides. I did a three-day ice climbing trip with one of their guides, and the trip was awesome. The guide was super knowledgeable and professional.

My wife found a black fleece glove on the Nisqually moraine on Saturday Oct. 4th. It looks to be in brand-new condition. If this belongs to you, please PM me a description and it's yours. -Steve