iain

Thanks for posting that. I have been using this knot for quite some time and it is nice to have data-based fact on the table rather than hearsay. I guess the bottom line is I've fallen on it a lot and I'm still here.

It must get totally wicked once you get above treeline. Oh, wait.

TRIPLE black diamond terrain. Damn!

My advice to all of you is to stay away from anything to do with this. Far away.

Ice climbing is practice for Alaskan crabbing.

It would be conceivable to rap off the south end of the pinnacles to get on the south ridge w/o entering the bowling alley or doing the traversing. Did you rap off the NE side of the summit or something? I can't imagine that looking more appealing, esp with the bulletin posted. It is good to see you are recovering. Others have died falling down that route.

Anyone skied wyeast on hood recently? I haven't had a good look at the east side of Hood. I'm talking about from the crater rim down, not the chimney. This weekend is not looking so good for weather I guess.

I think you will do just fine with what you have, and that is a healthy sense of caution more than anything. July is considered quite late to be climbing Mt. Hood, and the primary concern is rockfall. This past winter has seen a well-below-average snowfall, though our late spring has made up for it a bit. However, these spring storms melt out very quickly with no base. Interestingly, the mountain currently has a very high snow line, but once you are on the upper mountain, there is a healthy amount of snow. Perhaps even more than average for June. The mountain is just more asthetic to climb right now or earlier in general. The crevasse danger is minimal on the south side of Hood, and by July, what you see will most likely be what you get. The most well-known concern is the bergschrund on the Hogsback ridge. It will be quite clear where this is in July. You just have to be careful you don't fall above it, and it can be intimidating for beginners to downclimb while looking directly at it. There are also quite a few larger crevasses starting to form out of White River Glacier that have caught a few climbers last year, resulting in a rescue for one of them. Here's a photo of that one, just climber's left of the main run. The black below is where it opens up into a cavernous thing. Incredible! You most likely have experience navigating in a whiteout, but it should be stated that even in July the mountain can be socked in, and the wide-open slopes of the South side have seen countless epics as people wander the hills. In short, you'll do just fine. If you do feel you want a guide, Timberline Mountain Guides are excellent folks.

If you don't trust someone to do a change over, you can feed the rope through the chains, then attach a doubled-up sling with two biners (or however long you need it) to the bolt, and clip the rope in the draw to take the weight off the chains. This way the top-roper can just climb up, unclip the draw, and they are back on the chains ready to be lowered.

Hilarious how these biner threads get all preachy and religious. Neutrinos are small but if you can get them for cheap they are not the end of the world. They work fine. They look funny as quickdraws though. Like little toys.

Just sling them over your shoulder. With short enough webbing they are not that bad. And they are next-to-bomber placed vertically in most cascade snow.

1. Skis don't really care how tall you are; they care how much you weigh. I am 6', about 180ish, and for general skiing I like about a 184cm ski. You might want a shorter ski for tight couloir skiing, or a longer one for more high-speed GS-type skiing. 2. The Atomic R:ex from a few years ago is a really nice ski for aggressive skiers. It is quite stiff and pretty light for what it can do. Of course, Atomic no longer makes that model, but the same ski shows up each year with a different name in their line. Some gearhead might be able to point you to the right name. This is marketed as a downhill ski. 3. These days, skis really cross the boundaries all over the place. A lot of AT skiers use old alpine boards, or new ones. It can be hard to find ones which are light, however, but often weight is secondary to performance. You really don't want to be skittering around on some steep icy thing with a pair of classic Tuas, for example. At least I don't. Even many telemarkers are now using alpine boards, though certain skis are still flexed for the telemark turn (usually a little softer). Hope that helps, I'm sure others will ring in with good skis. There are a lot of them. There are always some good deals to be had on the used alpine market. Another, much lighter option is the Atomic TG.10 Superlight. These are really nice and light, and ski well. I have them in 175cm, which is very short for me, but they are great for zipping around and really nice on the pack. Again, discontinued, but available under another name.

I have used the C4s a bit now. If you get them, the larger sizes are the real payoff. For example, the purple "5" is now lighter than the old bluish-purple "4", yet larger (if I remember right, I don't have them in front of me). The smaller sizes lose much of the weight savings, but the triggers are a lot nicer than version 2 of the BDs, and obviously much better than the old camalot jr's in the 0.5 and 0.75 sizes. They are sweet, if you can find them for the right price. You just can't beat the #0.5-#2 camalots!

I'm not sure what you guys are talking about, but I think it would be fun to work there. The guy who runs ClubSport is into climbing and a cool guy. And a free membership to the club is a nice perk.

Man I miss Calvin and Hobbes

Have a great time Mr. T. Even though you can't ski you've always been cool. Always funny how you casually put up some hard stuff on the rock and act all modest about it. Your love of climbing of all kinds is infectious. Good luck and enjoy the skiing on Mt Charleston.

More people would smoke pot if it were legal. Then again, who's to say who's smoking pot right now? Hard to say.

Oh come now, if you were given the financial opportunity to climb these mountains, no matter how cheezy the line you used to fund it, would you not leap at the chance? I'd do just about anything to go climb K2 or something like that. Unnecessary hype seems to be part of the reality of climbing the big stuff over there. I am not suggesting that it is right, but I can understand the need to do so.

You have to consider all the hidden costs of making mj legal. For instance, the state would have to double the amount of road signs to account for all the people getting lost out on the roads. The financial blow to the DOT would be tremendous. On the flipside, Taco Bell sales would be through the roof, providing a boost to the local economy.

there are a hell of a lot of stone walls constructed in unusual places on the nr of stuart.

Things that keep me awake at night: earthquakes, al Qaeda, and FrontPage users.

There were a number of Mt Fury summit register entries for N. Buttress climbers with the phrase "we had a beautiful sunrise"....

Wow, summer is here, apparently. This is perhaps the best trip I've had in the North Cascades. A must-do for anyone who enjoys that area. The hike along Easy Ridge is spectacular. I wonder if you were one of the first in there for the year.

Thanks Bill! Chuck - yeah not sure if it is necessary but I have neither of those items right now. I would like a nut tool with a good bashing end on it though, like the metolius ones I guess.

No, I'm looking forward to info about this product from someone who has actually used it.