kurthicks

I drove up the Tumwater this morning. the righthand column of The Drip fell off. Most everything else is already suffering and delaminating from the rock. Looked like plastic ice, but going downhill fast. Maybe some of the top roping routes (Rainbow, etc) would be OK tomorrow, but probably not worth the drive after that.

A day of companion rescue practice will help illuminate these things. Most people don't practice often enough. Go to a Beacon Basin/Park for transceiver practice and then bury some beacons in backpacks and practice with the probe. BCA Avalanche Education Stuff

just up from the Visor, across from the Snow Creek Parking lot. 3 pitches--the first is mixed, 5.8 or so, the last 2 are ice. It starts in a left facing corner about a minute off the road. I should mention that there is a decomposing deer carcass in the middle of the last pitch. Pretty cool really.

Look back one page on this thread for a picture from the attempt yesterday. We gave it another go today, hoping that last night's cold would help staunch the flow, but it did not. No wingers were had since the pro would have been useless. lots of falling unconsolidated icicles though. We did go up the Corner Route earlier this morning though. I can't recommend it enough for folks up to it. Super fun!

A good man that Graham. Nothing but props to him.

it was climbed today. pics to come. good stuff. oh yea. we failed on this one because it was too wet. Goretex tomorrow.

FYI everyone - still in and good looking, but snow covered right now.

Lots of growing ice in the Icicle. The inversion was pretty strong the last few days and things are looking good. Rainbow routes are A-OK!

ice update: careno routes - left maybe, right not in rainbow - maybe, but not looking that good Pivotal Moment - not yet The Drip - almost touching the pencil - looking good Drury - looking good. Rain coming on thursday!

speaking of, i'm in town now and have some boots for you to try on.

I just got back from two months in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. No problem with chalk, draws, ropes, harnesses, grigris, or any other sports climbing gear on international and domestic flights within the area. go and have fun.

You can probably dig in at the Early Winters Campground, but I wouldn't find it to be too much fun.

There are also killer bivy sites at the top of Winnie's Slide. Better than below the slide IMO, with more reliable running water coming off the Upper Curtis.

just after the snow creek wall turn.

yea, the millennium wall forms early and seems to have less flow than rainbow. maybe it's ok?

I've seen a picture of a shortened Raven Pro online on some Canadian forum. It was 38cm to fit in a Bullet pack. The spike was reinstalled. The guy who did it was Janez Ales. Perhaps you could email him.

I've got s pair of sportive nuptses in a 44.5 (i think) that id also let go cheap. But i can't get them to you until after new years

why? are the bolts bad?

getting out of Pullman was always the crux of the driving to Banks. Just go.

i'm into a couple books. i'll shoot you an email.

I climbed genuine snice pitches with bits of actual ice last week on shuksan. I'm in the desert now, so i don't know how conditions have changed...

I just got to Vegas and the red rock campground is closed for "improvements" until october 1. I don't really want to drive to the other free camping way out of town. Any word on good neighborhoods to urban bivy in a small rv?

the place was surprisingly clean on Tuesday. almost too hot, but way better than being on the wet-side.

here's the approach beta: Hike up Heliotrope until near treeline. stay left at the trail junction (the right goes to Hogsback). Continue across a couple streams (troublesome on hot afternoons), going east towards Survey Rock. Follow the trail to the last creek, cross it, and descend into a flat forested camp area on the ridge crest. This is Harrison Camp (for the USFS) or, as we call it, Mirkwood. walk east through camp, then turn left when you reach the eastern edge of camp/the moraine. follow a trail near the crest as it goes down the hill, descending a couple hundred feet. wrap around and onto the flats of the Coleman at about 5000'. the best climbing is in the upper icefall, around 5700', give or take. stay away from the huge cave--it calves off frequently. the right side seems the most stable.