kurthicks

arc terryx nozone. http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/551240/an/0/page/0#551240

Plab Timmy!

there was still ice at Alpental last weekend, mostly buried though.

ours was definately water ice.

Heard from friends who've gone that it is Uber-Chossy. I might check it out this spring, but from what I've seen when I've ice climbed there the rock is basically junk. wear a helmet. definately not worth going to from Wenatchee. Go climb anywhere else within a 3 hour drive. http://marcus.whitman.edu/~pogue/dikesguide.html

I heard that it's just a little early still. patience is a virtue.

Abiel: CC.com flava of da month! Nice work guys! Your line is quite a bit more veggie than ours, but it looks like some quality climbing too.

a couple of us went in to do this route yesterday. There is no climbable ice anywhere right of the north face route. From what we could tell, the route forms in a small depression just before you get to the NW ridge (which looks like a fun winter climb). I think the route is a melt/freeze and has not come in yet, but should soon. Alternately, it could be an early season route and has melted out already. Dave took a couple pics of that side of the face. perhaps he will post them. In other news: the NEB is still in good shape and much firmer than last week...reasonably fast and secure climbing. The NF is still good. The downclimbing couloir was very solid and would make a fun climb. the huge cornice in the rap gully is still growing. Beware, the snow has some sketchy layers.

approach, descent, and special gear requirements in that order. Grade is nice, but not critical since I can either do it or i can't

Time to get rid of stuff that I don't use. MH Absolute Zero Jacket - Men's Medium, Black $400 OBO. used 4 days on Denali, stored under the bed. practically new. Scarpa Inverno, size 30. $150. Used on Stuart Glacier and Denali. some scratches, but everything else is nearly new. 22cm BD screws. placed (I think) once at a belay, mostly carried in the pack. [/b]$40 for both [/b]or trade for stubbies. prefer trade. Coleman 440 Dual Fuel stove. $20. good shape, don't know about the legality of mailing it though. buyer pays shipping on items, except the jacket. PM me. Kurt

susan B

Spectre?

Here is a much better topo of the face. (Photo courtesy of Stephen_Ramsey) Yellow - North Face Direct III, WI4 (Hicks/Miller 2006) Green - North Face Couloir III, WI3 (Kloke/Wiedner 1997) Red - North Face Gully III, WI3 (Bunker/Gullberg 2006)

I saw that spindrift. It looked absolutely miserable.

It might not, but it definately should!

There are 2 more hard lines that are in pretty fat (relatively) now. these are right of your line. i think your estimation is right on. there is also a nice looking line that starts up the first debris cone left of your route and goes up the mini-couloir. Probably WI3+, mixed. The left facing corner just left of our route looks good too. Probably AI3/3+. There is also a variation to the NF Couloir that looked good. go about a pitch up the couloir, then head right up steep ice (AI4?) for a pitch to trees. Nope. good temps for climbing in the hills. --Kurt

I'll show you aesthetic when you see the photo of Ade leading the crux pillar...much better than you'd expect. just wait!

done. TR

Thanks Ade for pairing up on such an awesome route. We took what appeared from the lake to be the longest and most direct line up the face, but there may be one more gully left of ours that is a little more "direct." We were glad to have thrown in extra screws as an afterthought; they came in mighy handy on all the ice we climbed. This route has the most pure waterice that I've done on a route at Snoqualmie Pass. Highly recommended. As mentioned before, there are numerous lines up there to still be done--from WI3 to WI5/mixed. Go get some! Complete photos will come in a week or so when Ade gets his slides done.

Thanks for sharing the rope guys! I found the route to be easier than expected, but a lot more interesting than the North Face route.

saw some climbers on what I think is Bryant Buttress left today climbing some ice. Chair NE Buttress is still in, though a little wallowy on the approach. good skiing in the Chair Bowl.

often times resorts have leases with the USFS that only permit them to be open until a certain date, regardless of the snowpack.

$41.50

and scurlock comes through for inspiration! new uploads today! http://www.pbase.com/nolock/inbox