JoshK

http://www.esuvee.com/game/ Ironic that something like thie would come out under a Bush attorney general.

How is one supposed to forecast avalanche conditions for a specific area and for a specific time of year? It could be anywhere from completely safe to loaded and dangerous. Check out the forecasts (which are currently for either considerable or high most places) and if it looks like it you are willing to give it a shot, go up there and dig a pit and evaluate it for yourself. There is really no other way to know.

Jan 2 is pretty good too.

Now that you mention it, it does seem like the hummer drivers always tint their windows. Maybe a little shame factor??

Rock crawling is pretty stupid, yes, but I want this thing as an approach vehicle.

Darren, the green line was the one I actually ascended when I did the route since the glacier was a mess of rock hard ice in October (or September, i forget...) Your green line is the ridge to the left of Cyclone lake when looking up at the summit, correct?

yeah, try it...it takes forever I was faced with this same situation last month and sawing it over the top of the pick took quite some time.

Hey Mark, I P/Med you...

Gonna be pretty tough this weekend...I think even the stuff up in Canada within that range is pretty melted at this point but somebody else would have to answer to that.

Phil, you are probably corect. Darren, thanks for link. You are right - definitely not much snow in those pics. That ridge does look like a very reasonable route however. I agree that doing it in the winter in a day is reasonable but I somewhat doubt it would make sense considering several feet of unpacked snow. I'm not sure I'd be able to pull it off in a day given that and the relative lack of daylight at this time of year. I am more and more tempted to give it a go, however! Darren, were there any spots in particular where you would be concerned with avalanche danger with a full winter snowpack? -josh

You game to try it? Or anybody else interested for that matter? I would think 3 days and I was considering this small "break" in the weather the next couple of days.

Yeah, yeah...it would be one hell of a haul in there - up the snow covered washed out road, all the way up the mega steep forested hill, all along the forested ridge, then up the ridge from cyclone lake to the summit. Despite the ridiculous amount of energy I assume it would take busting all that trail in the winter the route looks very reasonable from the standpoint of travelling through avalanche terrain. The majority of the way to Cyclone lake is through forested terrain. After that you gain a ridge (directly from the forest, if I recall correctly) that leads all the way to the summit. the ridge is defined and swept rather well as I recall from my fall trip up there. Has anybody ever considered this trip? I'm sure the area would be beautiful this time of year and would make for a great adventure.

Oh and thanks to both of you for the good tips. That would have certainly been handy to know when I last built a v-thread sans hooker.

I actually think I side with Dru on this one...I realy can't imagine even a very sharp ice edge being capable of resisting deformation enough to cut through a rope. If a few seconds of pulling makes you feel better though, i certainly think that is reason enough. v-threads are one small reason why I like ice climbing in forested settings more - i like the feeling of rapping down on a nice pine much more.

Wow, i honestly don't think I could keep a straight face if I saw somebody climbing with that! "On Belay!" "Blue, Iowa, 42, Hut, Hut, HIKE!!!"

Ali-G is awesome, esp. as Borat.

Hey, looks like the toof at sunset.

So should we take this to mean John isn't very fun to climb with and Ivan isn't a good guy?

"Not only is Danielle a bit smaller than the traditional mountain climber, she has also spent her life struggling with the challenges of Attention Deficit Disorder. " ADD is the biggest load of over-diagnosed crap IMHO. Pretty much everybody I know, including myself, has been diagnosed with it. I know a ton of people at school that pop one drug or another because their "ADD" prevents them from being able to study or write a paper or whatever.

A much better look than the overly skin cancer laden Annabelle and her stupid ass staged ice climbing photos.

I know somebody with the same syndrome and it definitely puts a big load on the parents. It doesn't sound like they are overpaid yuppies considering he is a professor and thus probably does something more than your traditional overpaid yuppie. Who knows tho. Good job on the kid's part - it's a great experience if nothing else.

Erik, i thought having a wife meant your old smelly shit dissapears at random when you aren't looking?

Looks like it is constructed from whatever random color fabrics they had lying around.

Seriously. It's ridiculous.

Yes, you always can...that is the standard winter closure.