chris

This was also in the last issue of Off Piste...

Thanks. I've emailed Matt...

I tracked down the new (for me) WCC site, only to discover that I don't remember my login/password info to enter the discussion forum. When I try to use the "I forgot" function, the page doesn't exist. OK, I'll email the WCC, but all three emails I attempted to send to info@washingtonclimbers.org were undeliverable. So what gives? I remember this buzz of activity last summer and early fall, and I haven't heard anything in the last three months. I'd like to participate, but I have no way to reach anyone at the WCC. Help?

No, WWU Outdoor Center

Does his instrutction include the proper use of a pocket knife?

Me too...

I was looking on the NWAC site for their 1-800 number with no luck. In fact, I can't find their phone numbers listed on the site at all. Maybe I'm just not a smart man, but does anyone know their 1-800? And do they have a 360 number too?

Most ski guides I speak with recommend that your avalanche transeiver be handled like a rope - replaced at least every five years. One guide I met this winter said he refuses to guide clients who insist on using dual frequency beacons. I have a barryvox that I'm extremely happy with. I particularly like how I can change the default settings.

Thailand is still paradise. Check this out http://www.simonfoley.com/climbing/

No, can't say I did. But my attention was focused elsewhere - I had the first lead!

Ortovox makes one called the Gemini.

You should talk to Jackson Hole Ski Patrol as well. They possibly have the most progressive back country policy in the country.

Climb: Hope-Powerhouse Falls, WI 2/3, FRA Date of Climb: 1/14/2005 Trip Report: McBee and I were getting ready to hike to Piccadilly Circus, but saw a tempting target directly behind the Power Station 11km west of Hope on Hwy 1. A great short approach up a gravel road led to two full 50 meter pitches of WI2 or 3. We continued on up the gully system for another 500 feet of elevation gain, soloing four more Grade 2 steps before ringing the bell and descending. Even though this climb isn't in Don's new guide, I am very skeptical that it hasn't been climbed already. We did see boot prints on the approach, filled in slightly by the last storm cycle, but saw no signs of passage on the climb. McBee and I joked about naming it "Shock and Awe." Gear Notes: Standard ice rack Approach Notes: Exit at the Power Station, an unmarked exit ramp immediately before Herring Island exit. Park on the shoulder of the pavement. Walk up the gravel road heading behind the Power Station. When you reach the Battery Room building, head left on an old FS road to the creek. Powerhouse Falls will come into sight, just a few more minutes uphill.

Just heard from a WWU student - Hope ice melted out last night. No more ice! Dru, can you confirm?

Make sure to give Second Ascent and Recycled Cycles immediately. Both are in Seattle, and deal with high-end used bikes. Andrew at Second Ascent keeps a notebook of reported thefts to keep an eye out for.

Cause its lllllllllllllooooonnnnnnngggggggg.

I heard a rumor that the G3 factory in Tunisia was the Tua factory before...G3 insists that the ski designs are solely theirs, and not taken from Tua or shared with other companies (such as Movement).

You're right, I agree that you could say you've climbed the route (but not the mountain). But the easiest and fastest way down would be to reach the east crater and descend the DC. If this is a summer ascent, you can often simply follow the DC climbers' boot pack in the dark. Success Cleaver is one of the longest climbs on the mountain, and I wouldn't want to downclimb it!

There are significant crevasses to cross from Point Success to Columbia Crest.

Just drove dow nthe toll road from Merritt to Hope, and saw a lot of ice!!!

This is long winded, but please put up with me. Perhaps grab a beer first... OK, I've finally bought a copy of R&I #139. I'm going to quote Mike Preiss's letter exactly. "I solo-climbed this line on July 23 through 24, 1999, making the first ascent of this face on-sight, ground-up, boltless and pinless, with one bivy. The article in No. 138 by Andy Dappen ["Infinite Bliss"] failed to mention this. [My line] shows that this face didn't need to be bolted into submission for the sport climbers to play their no-risk sport/game. Only as a lastresort should bolts be placed. I can't speak for the bottom three to four pitches or the last four to five pitches (they take a harder direct finish). I do agree that some of the middle section could use a few belay bolts, but I found the protection decent on most of the climb." Here's what I notice when I look at Dave's photo with the line of Infinite Bliss and the Preiss Route marked in, and compare it with my notes from an ascent of IB in May last year: 1) That the picture fails to show the bottom six pitches. If the photo accurately depicts Preiss's entire route, then he can't speak about pitch 1-6... 2) The photo also incorrectly details pitches 7 - 10, and is very foreshortened... 3) According to the photo, Preiss followed IB through a pitch of 5.9+ (Pitch 9) and a second pitch of 5.10- (Pitch 11), but detours around the easy 5th (or hard 4th depending who you talk to) of the 15th, 16th, and 17th pitches... 4) The Preiss Route seperates from IB at the top of Pitch 17 to head left on easier ground. This means Preiss can't comment on another six pitches to the summit. So Preiss can't comment on 12 pitches of a 23 pitch route... So, what else did I read? I went back and sorted through the Infinite Bliss conversations of the past on Cascade Sprayers. I found one comment by Marko about knowing someone who soloed the face - I can only assume he meant Preiss. I re-read the NWMJ, but nothing. I also double checked the 2000, 2001, and 2002 AAJ's, and just for kicks 1999 as well. Finally I read the Brown Book (Beckey's Vol. I: Columbia River to Stevens Pass), Third Edition (printed in 2000). No mention of the Preiss Route, and no surprise since Preiss probably climbed the route when the latest edition was being proofed. But it was cool to read that the first ascent of the South Face was done by Gerry Roach, Dick Springgate and John Wells on 22 February 1963. But when I climbed IB last May, I was aware that someone had soloed the face before, and I looked around to see how it could be done. I sincerely wonder why Preiss would solo up two pitches rated 5.9+ and 5.10-, respectively, but then take an easier line than the three 4th class pitches conecting the bottom to the final headwall. And as I look at the photo, the obvious, alpine-style route that I would assume a soloist to take follows the most logical system of ledges. It is a sinuos (sic?) line that would enter the face and cross IB at pitch 10, rejoin IB at pitch 15, and then seperate at pitch 17 to follow Preiss's finish. Preiss should get full credit for such a bold climb ( ), but I question if it was the identical line. The 4 hardest pitches of Infinite Bliss are unprotectable without bolts, as is almost all of the route. I disagree with his claim that Infinite Bliss could have been done without bolting. By soloing, yes. But with trad gear and pins? No. Hence my doubts...

I remember reading an older piece (perhaps in the AAJ? - I can't remember precisely where) describing the Preiss Route zigzagging up the face via moderate ledges, and the crux being the final headwall. This is not how I would describe Infinite Bliss. Give me some time to find the material and I'll post it here.

But Preiss' own route description is notably different from IB and the route drawn on the photo. I wonder if he has climbed Infinite Bliss, or even returned to the face since IB has been put up...

I'm Gonzo too!!!

Check out the website and give a call to North Cascade Mountain Guides - they're happy to share BC information with visitors! www.ncmountainguides.com