Dustin_B

How good of a skier do you have to be to be a ski patroller at say Stevens Pass? Does it vary from ski area to ski area? What about some place like Whistler? Do you have to be a 'better' skier to be a patroller at Whistler? I realize its not just about your skiing ability, what else does a ski area look for in a potential patroller (other than EMT-1 cert or Outdoor Emergency Care and Avalanche Saftey experience)? Thanks.

No, its "Git 'R Dun"

It sounds like a manufacturing defect to me. I've been using the same camel back hydration bladder for 8 years (yes, 8 years. I used it for mountain biking before I started climbing ~5 years ago). I have never had any problems with it and I'm actually not very careful with it. (actually one time the tube popped off when I sat on it in an empty pack, oops. but that only happens one....). About a month ago it finally got a tiny pin hole size leak near the cap. duct tape stopped the leak for the climb, but I threw it away after. I figured it had served it useful life. I switched to my other camel back that is 7 years old. As expected I've had zero problems with it. Not sure why so many people have problems with their bladders. I guess you either love them or hate them. In the winter or on something like Rainier, it does require extra attention (insulation tubes, caps, blowing water back out) and yes the tube had frozen on me when I wasn't careful but that has only happened 4 or 5 times to me but considering the number of times I used it and how much I like it, I don't see a reason to stop using a system that works so well. But I always carry a .5-L nalgene for stream side fill ups.

I used the rainbow 2 all summer long on all kinds of climbs including a 6 day Pickets trip. We've put this thing to the limit and now understand the limitations of an ultralight backpacking tent in a mountaineering setting! We once had to rig up an internal strut system with trekking poles and duct tape and it actually worked great! I've used it in snow storms, rain storms, and wind storms (always dry). I'm extremely impressed. that said I would not take it on a big mountain (Rainier, Volcanoes, etc.) or use it outside of the summer/fall season.

Most people I know carry their helmets inside their packs! its safer in there!

from the above linked article "The gym has been open since February, and it's not for everyone. That's the way Aillaud wants it. "We're an invitation-only facility," he says. "You have to be invited to train here. By me." To join, prospective clients must pass a 30-day boot camp intended to weed out weaklings and wimps. If you can't stick with the diet or hack the drills, you'll either quit or Aillaud won't invite you back." Hmmm. I'm sure this type of training environment is great for some people, I'm just not one of them.....

My HP C3180 all in one printer came with some fantastic photo stitch software. Its super easy to use. I have some panoramas in the gallery that I created with the software.

Nice. Makes me wish we would have tried to get over to the true summit of Luna. At the time we were content with the south summit. good work.

the thread was okay, but not really what I was hoping for. certainly wasn't the "best thread ever" or anything.

There will mostly likely be a way to get past the schrund lower down on the left side (climber's left), it will also most likely involve some pretty steep snow. In this picture you can see the schrund running more or less the length of the upper glacier. The easy snow bridges over the bergschrund were just to the left of the fin of snow running up the right side (this fin of snow can be seen in the other poster's picture above). We ascended straight up the groove to the left of this fin. I would imagine that you could find a way through on the left side somewhere although it would likely involve climbing (and down climbing) 50+ degree snow up the upper face. This picture was taken 2 July 2007.

How bout we start another one and call it Fucking Troll It can be a five X thread It was not a troll. After hearing about how "fucking awesome" the thread was, I had the gumption to read it for myself. I see that its not 70+ pages, but a mere 28!! I shall get back to you all in several days when I am finished. Thank you.

Someone told me about a 70+ page thread (which I missed because I have not been working for the past year) called something like "the women of cc.com". I believe it was a 5 star thread. I have used the search function but I can't find it. Can anyone send me the link to it? Apparently it was related to another shorter thread called "the men of cc.com". Thanks.

except that a double 9/16th sling (which isn't even long enough for a diaper harness on a guy my size) weighs 3 oz... you'd save .3 oz over the camp; if you are thin enough to get buy with just a double... of course its much cheaper than the camp harness.

Here are some pictures. (in case anyone is interested this is the tent Ken and I were using: Rainbow 2) Panorama from summit of Point 7505 (above Colonial/Neve Col) looking at the Snowfield Peak Massif and Neve Glacier. Panorama from summit of Snowfield Peak looking at the Neve Glacier. Colonial is the peak on the far right, and just left and in front of it is Pt. 7505. Tents at camp and (L to R) Paul Bunyan's Stump, Pinnacle Peak, and Pyramid Peak in background. Cool clouds, rain, and light from the Neve Glacier.

There is a huge log jam over Big Beaver Creek at around 2,400 feet. Here is how to find it. If you are looking at a USGS Quad for Mt. Prophet, find where Access Creek - not labeled - drains into Big Beaver Creek. Follow this confluence down stream to where another stream enters from the north side of Big Beaver (right where the 'v' in 'Beaver' is). Just north of the confluence with this stream and Big Beaver there is a huge, easily passible log jam across Big Beaver Creek. We reconned the passing on the way in to Beaver Pass and easily found it when we came out Access Creek, because we knew exactly where it was. Once on the west side of Big Beaver, Access Creek is easy enough to cross near where it joins Big Beaver. I suggest crossing over Access Creek down here. There are 3 or 4 small branches of the creek with the northern most being the largest, but still easily crossed via a log or rocks. Then I suggest ascending up the ridge which is mainly open forrest to around 3400 feet where there is somewhat of a large flatish bench (can't really see it on the map). Then start heading up valley slowly gaining elevation until you reach 3900 feet. There is no reason to ascend higher than roughly 3900 feet on the north side of Access Creek. Its fairly open up here with several gullies full of Devils Club to pass through. But they are short and for the most part its fairly open forest and easy going. If you roughly follow this 3900 foot contour (give or take 100 feet along the way) for most of the way, you'll eventually come to Access Creek. This is where to cross to the south side of Access Creek (rock cairne on other side). Now on the south side its easy, open boulder hopping the rest of the way to the head of the basin. Choose your gully and off you go.

Can't say much about the other two gullies we didn't take, other than either one has to be better than the one we chose.

Once we arrived down in the basin of Access Creek we immediately saw our error. I think choosing the wrong gully was about our only mistake on the whole trip (that and forgetting to take the cell phone up to Luna summit to call for a boat ride out.... cell phones don't work from Big Beaver camp or Luna Pass.....). Just to clarify. Toast and Ken were perfectly content to frontpoint down climb the entire gully. I'm the one who requested the 5 or 6 single strand rappels as it sketched me out big time. Those gully shenanigans were the worst part of the trip for me. Toast and Ken took turns removing my anchors and downclimbing while I rappelled the whole thing.

As Toast said, yes. But I don't think you want to drop into Luna Cirque from just anywhere. Actually, I believe there is only one 'easy' way to drop into Luna Cirque from up there and that is to descend a shoulder coming off the Challenger Glacier due east, down to around 6,300 feet, then traverse the cirque (counterclockwise obviously) first to the southeast slowly loosing elevation to drop around some cliffs and steep snow, then maintaining your elevation for a while as you contour around the cirque (to stay above hidden tree covered cliffs below). Don't drop to low (into the trees and hidden cliffs beyond) and don't stay too high (ice cliffs, hanging glaciers, steep snow, smooth granite slabs). The path became obvious to us once we were dropping down the shoulder off the glacier. We could see where we needed to descend to, and then where we needed to maintain elevation and contour around. Picture showing Luna Cirque and Mt. Challenger from near Luna Lake. The shoulder I was referring to above is the one on the right skyline. When starting to traverse, stay on the snow above the rocks and cliffs until where the snow is almost continous down to the bottom. From Luna Lake we took a path to the far left - not pictured here so don't get confused - (to avoid steep and discontinuos snowfields heading directly up from the lake) bushwhacking through some cliffy treed areas and then traversing back right and up to Luna Pass. Toast or I can give some beta on the Access Creek approach. Make sure you choose the correct gulley to descend from Luna in to Access Creek Basin. If you didn't go up that way it can be challenging...... Gullies leading to the southeast ridge of Luna Peak from the head of Access Creek. Coming down, and not realizing there were 3 options, we took the first and steepest gully on the right. Shenanigans in the gully:

Here are a few pics to appease Toast. Ken and Tony (Toast) enjoying breakfast before we set off for the summit of Challenger. Challenger and a nearly full moon loom behind camp: Heading up the Challenger Glaicer: Crossing the last suitable snow bridge over the schrund near the top.

dropping the handle of your shovel into the pile of shit you just shat (happened a couple of weeks ago).

I don't have time on this trip unfortunately. Only time for some cragging in Thailand.

I'm going to be in Krabi, Thailand (Ton Sai Beach) in about a week for about a week (my dates are very flexible). If anyone plans to be there around around that time and wants to hook up for some climbing please PM me. Yes, I'm fully aware that it is fairly easy to hook up with climbers once I'm there. Thanks.

Hmmm, that is what I was afraid of. I was thinking that AA would have stricter regulations. I think I’m still going to take my chances and hopefully I don’t loose it at the airport. They say “lighters without fuel” are okay, so I don’t see how a pocket rocket is any different (‘safer’ actually). I’m not worried about the return trip as I’ll be coming in on another airline from a more ‘lenient’ country. I certainly hope my pack is under 70 lbs since it’ll be on my back for 7+ months…. Thanks for the info.

good on BD for taking a positive step! lets hope his other sponsors follow.

Has anyone ever had any problems flying internationally with an iso-butane stove? I’m flying internationally on American Airlines with a pocket rocket. It would be in my checked luggage. I called AA and they couldn’t confirm nor deny if a used stove would make it past security. They only said a new stove in its original package would be okay. I know people fly with stoves all the time though. Thanks.