Buckaroo

The hardest routes in the Cascades The North Norwegian Buttress (has it even been climbed to the full summit?) If you're talking how many time it gets climbed then Eve Dearborn would maybe be a candidate, but maybe just because of conditions, with global warming it may never get climbed again. How about just adding "in winter"? Has the full N Ridge of Stuart in winter been done yet? How many times has the NE buttress of Sleese been done in winter? How about the N Norwegian Buttress in winter or Liberty Crack Free in winter? How about adding "free solo"? Don't tell me there's nothing hard in the cascades.

Good question. Rainier 2 failures before first success, 12 failures total, including 8 on one route, 3 successes Liberty Crack 4 fails before 4 straight successes Chair Peak 5 failures before 3 straight success and then the last fail Mt Alberta 4 failures Climbs that I'm happy to have nailed 1st time NE Buttress of Slesse (twice) Salathe N face of N Index in summer (solo up and down) Stuart full N ridge NW ridge Ice Cliff Glacier Adams N face of NW ridge Hood, Coleman headwall Shasta Hotlum-Wintun Ridge Assiniboine NE ridge Outer Space 8? times Drury Weeping Wall Murchison Proffessors

Michael 8-9 as is, 9-10 with a little polish, reminds me of Twight with a touch of macabre thrown in. You should have played in "meat grinder of the Christ", I would have been yelling for help before crawling through a cactus gauntlet. I've been through the masochistic nurses bit, they left me on an unpadded xray table for what seemed like hours right after I tried face skiing on asphalt from a 60mph motorcycle launch. I think they notice your a self abuser or are trying to play tough guy so they just pile on. You can't scream at them because you need their help at some point. You learn from your mistakes or you wind up dead. I finally learned to identify and avoid the circumstances that lead to accidents, luckily before dying. In this case it would be not having the descent sussed before the climb and unplanned soloing on chossy rock. It's also good to tell your story, maybe some newbies can learn without the same drastic consequences. Don't shorten your story, if anything make it longer. The mags are mostly a bunch of posers anyway, besides your published right here. Publicity and fame aren't worth it anyway and so many times lead to tragedy. I've seen so many people who've been published on a large scale and soon thereafter wind up dead. I can name at least a dozen climbers just from memory who died shortly after being widely publicized. I know in my lifetime for a couple of different reasons I've been on the cusp of being widely publicized and some trick of luck or fate has always happened to stop it. I think it has to do with your identity being given out to far too many people for your guardian angel to keep track of. One way this happens is with a photo. The Native Americans in some places instinctively avoid photos especially ones that show their eyes, it's your identity. It's also best to write things down right after they happen when they are freshest in your mind. In this case it would have been like a journal as your ordeal unfolded. A rough draft which you can then go back and polish at your leisure, but the facts are the most detailed and accurate this way. With "at least you didn’t have to cut your arm off!" people were trying to say it could have been worse, I know you were thinking, hey this is ffing bad enough.

"Were they overweight to start with?" Yes the survivors Willi Bauer and Kurt Diemberger were overweight to start with. Julie Tullis, Alan Rouse, Alfred Imitzer, Hannes Wieser and Mrowka Dobroslawa were all normal to lean to start with. "Were the missing climbers accounted for?" Not sure if all the bodies were found/recovered or not, don't think so. The best account is Diemberger's "The Endless Knot", a tragic and illuminating tale about what can happen when people tackle the 8,000 meter peaks.

"Bullshit, bullshit. Fat does NOT help you climb." Depends what your climbing. On K2 in 1986 7 climbers got trapped at the high camp on the shoulder of the Abruzzi in a late season storm with no extra food or fuel for water. The 2 that made it down alive were considerably overweight to start with. The other 5 all lean climber types died of attrition and exposure either at high camp or on descent.

Depends how much hiking/climbing your doing. I know on the Ptarmigan traverse that we spent 10 days on I ran out of food on the last day. Of course that's 60 miles and climbing about 8 or so alpine peaks. Also some fatty foods like butter or olive oil. Canned fish seemed to hit the spot also. If you plan your meals like a normal long weekend trip you'll run out of food. After about 4 days hiking/climbing you start to eat more each day. Of course if your flying in and out and not hiking much this info may not apply. Tent bound you can make a chess set out of paper and pen.

any of them (in WA) BECAUSE THEY NEVER FORM!

That's sad. Rest in peace. Where are the International Cliffs? Alpental isn't even open because of low snow. Were these guys cross country skiers or downhillers that climbed up to ski? We were at the top of the big lift almost all day and didn't see any of this. Must have been a big wind load, most of the stuff we were on had the ground cover showing through. Just goes to show you can never be too careful.

Went up to the ice near the top of the big chair lift at alpental today (wed) it was very thin but sweet. Too thin for screws so we top roped it. It's about 50ft tall with the bottom half WI3 and the top 4-5. the bottom half was thin ice over slab the top was chandeliers pillars and mushrooms with two small roofs. Never had so much fun on such an insignificant looking climb. We ran laps on different lines, you can really work on your technique when your not worried about pro. Did quite a bit of hooking, primarily at first to save the ice for multiple laps but toward the end of the day (and into night with headlamps) really noted how much energy it saves. You're all pumped out cranking a roof and you reach up and swing repeatedly to get a good stick, it's tiring, when hooking you just reach up and crank, sweet. The last headlamp pitch I think I hooked about half the placements. weather report said winter storm advisory, never saw it. It was gusting a little and a little graupel snow but no storm.

It's been below 25F for almost 9 days, mostly in the teens, according to NWAC YEEEEEE HAWWWWW, HAVE AN ICE DAY!!!!!!!!! Looks like we might "hook it up" this year

"What you may be offered in a moment all eternity will never give you back." Schiller kill your TV "To find adventure on a tame planet, the children of comfort plunge themselves into ever more bizarre escapades." Whilhelm Bittorf "I don't watch movies, I live a movie."

""I agree that wet shafts are slipperier, which is why I 'm wondering how tools can be modified (at home) inorder to negate the slipperines"" try some Xcountry ski wax, the sticky kind, works good when it's wet.

Tax return is burning a hole in the pocket. What are some opinions on one piece down suits? Was thinking about a long winter attempt on Rainier and maybe eventually Denali. Small, low body fat and starting to feel the cold with my age. The only thing I'm worried about is the down getting wet, but I guess you carry the thing to high camp and just use it on summit day.

"The secondary points are to far back. This doesn't give enough stability to the placement." I've heard that but have never noticed a problem, my arms always give out first, especially on the 500' 5's. I guess it's just perspective of never having used anything better and having got used to holding my feet still. Switchblades were a vast improvement from what I was climbing with before. " that modification looks like a cut rope waiting to happen. " I suppose, although the edge isn't that sharp, the rope would have to be under tension and/or be pinched between the edge and another object, but anything is possible. In that case a better mod would be to make small teeth on the curved surface instead of a continuous edge. FWIW the sharp edge did improve performance.

Black Diamond Switchblade crampons have one flaw. The lateral brace between the front points has a flat surface on the front of it which sometimes hinders good penetration. You have to take a die grinder or file and sharpen it. For best grip it should be sharpened at a downward angle so the sharp edge is on the bottom.

The White Spider The Endless Knot by Kurt Diemberger Fifty Favorite Climbs

"A problem for who? Climbers, thats it." ha ha. Rising sea levels threaten all low lying costal habitation. Changing weather patterns and water shortages threaten farming that feeds billions worldwide. "I just think that because we have had a few years of some warmer weather everyone wants to jump on some global warming doomsday forecast." The current warming trend has existed since the initial consumption of fossil fuels, almost 100 years. "its much too soon to predict this" disagree, and when do you suggest we start trying? "What happens if this warming trend is normal, this may be the next path the earth goes down, probably better than another ice age." What happens if it's not normal and we ignore it? "Unfortunatley we dont control this..." "it seems as though you are declaring yourself an expert and have decided that global warming is caused by humans" Petroleum reserves were formed over geological time during the Carboniferous period from 354 to 290 million years ago. Man has consumed about half of all known and predicted petroleum reserves in a period of 100 years. So a form of solar energy that was accumulated and stored over millions of years has been released in only 100 years. All the greenhouse gases and some of the heat energy accumulated over millions of years has been released in a relative nano second. "...and this is the problem people have, along with change people just cant accept it." Damn straight, people just can't give up their wasteful consumer lifestyle and their gas wasting SUV. " You might as well get over it,the earth will change, climate will change,and hopefully humans will be able to adapt quickly enough." Can you say "dieoff"? "If you want something to worry about why not worry about our water supply" Directly releated to global warming.

Tie in short to a 50m to facilitate crevasse rescue At least an ice screw each. Ice axe each, maybe one hammer. It's a dillema, maybe a straight black prophet and bring a hammer head for it. Prefer plastics but one step down would work. The key is to have bullet proof crampons. People have died on Rainier because of faulty/dull crampons. You go up in OK conditions and then the thing freezes hard once you're up, even the easy routes can become treacherous. Would never go on Rainier without an insulating jacket, prefer man made fibre. And wind jacket and zip wind pants. You've been to 12,000' on Baker but remember it's that extra couple thousand feet that's a kicker on Rainier from an aerobics and weather standpoint. Sept is getting colder, the air is thinner. The snow gets melted off the glaciers from the long hot summer then gets covered by the first snow of the season. Powder covering the crevasses can make it tricky.

"most parties laden with 45-50lb packs will not chose to ride the 1st 7km cause you ass would swallow the seat and post" This is true, but when we did Assiniboine we took bikes for the first 11 miles. From the trailhead we had regular rear bike racks that we were going to strap our packs to but they were too big and cumbersome to stay in place. We carried them on our backs but it's very hard to control a bike on rough terrain with 45lbs. swinging around on your back. On the trip back we got smart and took all the heavy stuff and put it in a sleeping bag sized stuff sack on each bikes little rack. Made ALL the difference. With only 25/30 lbs on the back it was a cruise. On the Assiniboine trail it was 11 miles downhill back to the car, made it in about an hour.... sweet. There was even a bike rack to lock up to where the bike trail ended on the approach. Now when I go to Canada for a long road trip I take a bike. Many approaches allow them, it's a lot better than in the states.

damn that looks horrific, but I think it's wet from rain just as much as it is from snow melt, the N face takes the longest to dry out from the rain, basically you need several dry days then enough good days to ascend. I think it's a trade off between the yellow band being iced upped and mixed and the headwall being dry and ice free. The yellow band is easier iced up but then the headwall is going to have ice also. I think it's rare conditions that you have the yellow band iced and the headwall dry. I believe the route is to the left of where the serac calves. Deklerck said the headwall pitches were dry and went at 5.10 no aid, but knowing Deklerck it could have been runnout.

come on Dru, you know he was on the N face, but his ghost did rattle the door on the hut while I was there ACC accident report for Mr. Sorenson

Colin, August 1999 from the rap off point (wet year) August 2003, airial view, (dry year)

8 to 12 hrs? If the approach couloir is melted out take the rock on the left side of the couloir. If that's the case that will be the crux of the route.

"How was Alberta? Did you finish the Japanese route?" No, I got rained off the upper technical pitches. The climb to the upper bivy was pretty interesting though. I would describe it sort of like your approach to the N face of Robson, tedious with tricky routefinding. There are a few cairns but basically it's 1,500' of very winding route, only one path through lots of vertical cliffs, and continual exposure. The worst section is the last 3 pitches which is the loose yellow band that runs all around the mountain. It starts out with a bunch of very loose plate type steps where basically almost everything is loose your just looking for the occasional piece that's solid enough to climb. Sort of reminds me of that game "operation" where if you touch the wrong thing... BZZZZZZT! There's a lot of these plate steps that are overhanging and supported by smaller loose pieces underneath. It's ok when your going up, you can see which ones are suspect but when coming down it makes for more traversing so you can see what's under that ok looking step. This band steepens on the last pitch with some mandatory loose 5.5. ending in a rappel point. The yellow band doesn't actually end here but continues with sloping scree ledges up to the start of the final black headwall. From the middle of the yellow band, the exit is up and left Down from the bivy, (4 person, the largest flat spot on the entire route), looking at the rappel from the notch at the top of the last hard pitch of the yellow band. Mt. King Edward in the back. The furthest right "elephants ass". The gulley is above the snow and delineated by shade. The route starts left out of picture, you can go up the gulley also but it's prone to rockfall. From 8,500' and below the lower black band. All 3 "elephants" are visible, the first above the wet yellow wall on the left, the 2nd dead center, and the 3rd just to the left of the V gulley on the far right of the upper black band, which is the Japanese gulley. The route actually starts just to the right of the center elephant. The first pitch of the upper black band is very broken and loose. I ended up descending from the bivy in pouring rain, the wet actually binds the loose dirt in the scree, you just have to move fast through the gulleys to avoid rockfall. I sort of compare this climb to the north face of the north peak of Index in summer, although it's a lot looser, longer and worse weather. It's similar in that it's almost as safe to solo as it is roped in that the protection and belays are sparse and questionalble, and a rope may also cause rockfall.

Met these guys at the parking lot for the approach to Mt. Alberta/ N Twin on my most recent attempt on Mt Alberta, before their little epic. Chris is from Golden and Ian is on the road. Their plan was to be to the top of the headwall in a day and then "forced bivy". I got a photo of their story in the hut log and took this verbatim from there. I know it's not the Cascades but thought it might make interesting reading. +++++++++++++++++++++++ Aug. 14, '04 Two hosers have a go at the North Pillar of N. Twin, in a day, yeah right. Started at 3:30 am Wed. morning, from a bivy at the lake at the base. 9:00 pm saw us at the top of the snow patch, in good shape aside from being a little frazzled from all the rock fall. Took a small hit in the lip and on the forearm, otherwise both of us unscathed. A bit of a chilly night on a small ledge w/ no bivy gear, but fired up for the headwall the next day. Made it about 4 pitches up the headwall, still shouting "incoming" more than "climbing" or "on belay", but feeling like we were getting out of the wet zone. Just when I was thinking one more pitch would surely put us in a safer zone Ian gets smoked just below the elbow by a limestone baseball. Lots of blood, no function of the left arm. He's able to finish the pitch by jugging and we decide to try another pitch, see if it's possible to continue. But with only one useful arm the belaying is tough, let alone jugging. On a nice little ledge we weigh our options, and decide to descend. Yikes. I remember reading somewhere that retreat from the headwall would be a memorable and expensive experience. It was indeed. About a dozen pitons, twenty nuts, a few biners and slings, ten meters of climbing rope, 43m of 5mm accessory cord (We brought one 10mm rope and the 5mm as a retriever line), a nice selection of cams (up to BD #2) and two more shiver bivies get us back to the lake, about 11:00 am today. We started descending 1:30 pm Thurs. After a little rest and food at the lake, and a little herbal remedy we think we can make it back to the highway tonight, but we're both wasted so it's to the hut to pilfer all the food here, rest a little, then hopefully out tomorrow. Ian's arm needs some medical attention despite what he says, and I think both our brains and bodies need some other attention (i.e. girls). May be back, maybe time to take up golf. Chris xxxxxxx Ian xxxxxxx Spit off the North Twin Aug 14 Can only think what a different outcome it may have been if that rock was only a foot further left. Them's the breaks. Just glad to be away from that heinous screeching roar of missiles careening off that big wall. Down for the luxuries of town. Ian xxxxxxx The photo is from the 10,100' upper bivy on the Japanese route on Mt. Alberta