dR

Actually, it's now 40...but who's counting?! The ridge connection to Edge/Golden Ears should be done North-to-South (finish on Blanshard). It's class 3-4 and quite brushy. It is kinda fun to link them all together though. Dennis

that was me and a couple friends...the skiing was mediocre due to the icy conditions, but i knew we would encounter those conditions ahead of time...just eager to ski something...pretty fun though...

sounds like you guys had a sweet day, killer weather too...luego...

hi COL....a friend of mine has the trango s and loves em...can't help you with how cold to go as he just got them this summer...have you seen the lasportiva hyperguide?...i have only seen them on the web and was curious how close they resemble the trango s in fit and flexibility...i know they weigh about the same so i would assume they're close?...any feedback would help...thanks...dR

Dru...the 'mountaineer dude' you spoke of in the opening post...do you know this guy?...if not, how do you know that ALL he did was bag peaks?...just a queery...

go in to GEars via the regular trail...then cross over to Edge...traverse on the high descending ridge towards Blanshard...climb Blanshard then descend the regular route and out via Evans creek...one thing to consider is that i had more daylight hours than now, and am pretty familiar with the way off Blanshard and the way out Evans creek access...have you been up there before? otherwise, hike in saturday afternoon/night with headlamps you could easily make it up to panorama ridge...from there you would have all day sunday to finish the traverse...the hike up to GEars is the longest part...12K or so one way?....

ya, that's plenty of time...I did it in a long day not too long ago...the most technical situation is negotiating the krummholtz (sp?)...those nasty, tenacious, unyielding bushy little trees that cover much of the terrain...otherwise, the W face of Blanshard is a very doable day trip...good luck...

FenceSitter....from Alouette it's just a long 10K or so hike to Alouette then drop down towards Blanshard..easy...Ya Dru, the scree is not that bad but I have encountered boot deep mud up that gully before, maybe not now...just trying to give as much info as possible...FenceSitter, are you doing a traverse of the peaks or just blanshard??...if doing a traverse I'd highly recommend climbing GEars first then Edge, then Blanshard...a few reasons for that choice...

Yep, that is Evans peak...you can make out the white dyke on the lower right of the pic...Evans creek is way way shorter of an approach to reach Blanshard...I spent a couple rainy days with some friends clearing the trail this spring so it's in good shape right now...when you leave the trail and begin heading up the creek bed you will eventually come to a V-junction..take the left side or you'll be heading off into the rhubarb...I came down the gully a number of weeks ago from a traverse and found very little snow in it, making it a scree/mud slope right now, but very do-able if you're in the right mindset...I'm betting the snow is pretty much all gone now?...I have chosen to head over from Alouette this time of year, longer on time, but less unsavoury...

I guess one would have to define the term "peak-bagging"...everyone has their own reasons for climbing, labels are just one of the things climbers and non-climbers alike feel a necessity to use...if a person heads out into the mountains for their own reasons, whether it be for the climb itself, the views, inspiration, photography, exercise, etc...and happens to climb a multitude of peaks, does this make him a peak-bagger?...if someone calls themselves a 'mountaineer', we all have some idea what that means...but do we still call him a 'climber' or a 'peak bagger'....i have personally climbed multiple peaks in a year...i never have the intention to reach a certain number though, but i do have a list in my mind of peaks i'd still like to climb, don't we all...and if we do, are we unwittingly signing on to the idea of peak bagging?...so if i say that in the last few years alone i have reached nearly 300 summits does this make me a peak bagger...perhaps it does...but i'm okay with that because i really don't care...no, they all were not technically demanding, but many of them were...again, i really don't care...if you were to count the number of summits done including repeats then the number would be alot higher...i'm not obsessive about only and strictly doing new peaks and routes...some people ask why i'd bother climbing the same peak 26 times...why not? training/exercise, enjoy the climb for variety of reasons, can do it quickly and efficiently, with others or alone..why do some people go to the same gym or crag all the time and do the same routes?...i will leave it with you guys, it is an interesting topic though....('mountaineer dude')

Don, no hard feelings...I guess i should have stressed my point more that if you could catch it when good conditions prevail...this may seem a little light, it is a hearty approach in winter with dwindling hours of light...i was also responding to a posting by fence sitter (bad pun there) that he was looking for things to climb in the coast range (things not done all the time) in the winter as he is up here for school during the season...onwards and upwards...

check out the lions for winter climbs...if you can catch the time when good conditons prevail there are some good climbs to be had...

check out the routes for winter climbs...the right conditions can yield a great climb if you can time it right...

Dru...there were no signs of anyone going beyond the summit of edge to blanshard, except tufts of goat hair clinging to the trees and shrubbery...it's not the 'smoothest' line, but there were some solid, clean, exposed spots that made the bush seem not so bad...ya, I thought maybe Moorehead had done it back then, have to ask Colin?, he may know......dR

jesse, i was just on edge sunday, have some beta about the descent...up_to_date ideas anyways...