RideT61

I have got to go there someday.

The ironic thing is that you and your partner probably know some of the people who were in that group. I think Dave Moroles was paddling Icicle that day. I suspect you may know or have heard of him? My only point is that we are all (myslef included) a little too quick to draw conclusions from afar. The paddler in question had just styled the rapids upstream of there with are significantly harder. By the way, I'm still curious to hear what looked so awry from way up on IB that it made you think they were idiots as you called them in your first post.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said you had novice kayak eyes. The guy who swam has been paddling for over 20 years and is very good. We all mess up sometimes. By the way, how can someone with novice kayak eyes determine what constitutes bad style that led to the swim? Also, I agree, the old bolts are the real problem on Tober, I have thought about repacing them but fear being called out online.

Assuming someone is an idiot kayaker because they swam on the Icicle is a little like saying a climber is an idiot because he took a lead fall. I doubt very much this person was learning to paddle on the Icicle. By the way, Tober is a fun route, if it were easier to access it would get climbed a lot more.

I've seen lots of bears in the the Cascades but there was only one time when it scared me. Last summer I was kayaking Tumwater Canyon when I noticed a sow with 2 cubs about 10ft away on the shore. Being in a kayak made me feel a little vunerable bacause it would have been tought to get out of the boat and defend myself simultaneously. I quickly paddled to the other side of the river.

North Ridge - Spearhead Peak Complete Exum - Grand Teton Diedre - Squamish Snake - Squamish Nutcracker - Yosemite N. Ridge Stuart E Face Whitley Mathes Crest Cathedral Peak (California or Washington) W. Ridge Prusik

True enough Peter, I just think them as trad areas even though they have a fair amount of both. Maybe it's bacause they just don't have the same feel as a place like Smith. Kind of funny now that I think about it because my favorite routes at Smith are trad LOL. Plus, sport routes on granite (unless they are slab routes) tend to be harder than a poser like me can climb.

Your right, for those of us who spend lots of time in the mountains it does not make sense that the forecasts are only givin in the wonter. My guess is that NWAC simply lacks the funds to operate year round.

Kyle, Relative to places like J-tree and Bishop you are going to be very disapoited with Mt. Erie, particularly if you prefer tp boulder and sport climb. There are several good places within a 4 hour drive of you. Squamish, Index, and Leavenwoth are all great climbing areas but, unfortunately for you, they are primarily granite trad areas some sport climbing mixed in. The biggest sport climbing areas are Vantage (still a fair amount of trad) and the Deception Crags area in N. Bend. Bouldering in Washington is pretty limited although there are a few areas. I'm not sure where the closest gym is, maybe Cascade Crags in Everett. My advice is to embrace the full mountain cluture and start skiing, trad climbing, and alpine climbing. THis will allow you to stay bust regardless of the weather. My guess is that if you do you will slowly begin to realize (if you don't already know) just how amazing the Cascade Range is and fall in love with it. If you just stick with bouldering and sport climbing you are going to miss SoCal. Good luck, Tom

you are me.

I find it really hard to beat 25F Cascade Powder. Unfortunately one is more likely to find 35F Cascade crud.

So the reseach says that we remember memorable events better, because they are more memorable than events that are not memorable. On the other hand, if an event is too memorable, we might not remember it.

Yep, Sgagit Gneiss. Most of it was good, though there was plenty of lichen because it is not well traveled. It would not surprise me if we were the 2nd or 3rd ascent of the ridge. The best rock was, as is typical, on the ridgetop. The worst spots were where the ridge intersected the giant chimneys/coulours on the N Face. THis route was definitely better than some of the routes in Nelson's CLassics. THe NE Ridge of Black Peak for example, other than the longer approach this route is MUCH better. Better rock, scenery, climbing, etc. Here is a photo of me on the ridge.

So I asked this before the trip but am still wondering if anyone has an answer. What is the easiest way to cross Austera Ridge? I'm interested in traversing the Icecap nect spring from south to north but this looked to be a mojor obstical from the summit of Primus. You could go around it to the east but that loses a lot of elevation and the glacier is pretty broken up. Maybe someone like Mr Skoog would know.

Not surprising, the Cascades are full of hidden gems. Hard to believe a mountain that is 8508 ft. can be overlooked. Most of us, myself included, just spend too much time hitting the "classics" in the guidbooks. The lack of any good beta certainly made this more of an adventure. Without a decent description deciding what gear to bring, how to decend, and even how to get there are certainly more challenging.

Trip: Primus Peak - N. Ridge Date: 9/16/2007 Trip Report: This is my first TR. I usually don't post TR's because I'm a poser and nobody want to read my account of "Das Toof" or Ingalls Peak for the 100th time. For a change I got out and did a real honest to goodness climb (if you call 5.6 climbing) that is, I hope, worthy of a TR. Inspired by John Scurlock's image of the N. Face of Primus: http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/46937949 I decided to get off my fat ass and head for the hills. Leaving the car at 8 pm on Wednesday we hiked 6 miles in the dark to Mcallister Camp and crashed for the night. Early Thursday morning we started our way up Mcallister Ridge. There is a faint climbers trail marked occasionally with survey tape, taking the time to find it made the approch less miserable but still much harder than Aasgard. Then again, maybe I'm just too fat. We made camp Thursday evening at the newly born Borealis Lake (signs of recent glacier retreat were everywhere) and started scoping out our route. Friday morning we headed around the west side of the lake and made our way up to the base of the N. Ridge. The climbing was mostly low 5th with a little 4th and an occasional steeper section climbing to 5.6. We simuled the 1000ft ridge in 4 pitches. The views from the summit are some of best in the range, Baker, Shuksan, the Pickets, Glacier, Forbidden and the Eldorado Icecap. After lounging on the summit for a half hour we began the descent to Lucky Pass between Primus and Tricouni. We contemplated traversing below the N Face but decided that the icy slopes (now in the shade) were a little steep to cross without pickets so we headed down the Borealis towards the icefall. Once on the rock we managed to downclimb a few hundred feet of 3rd class terrain to the climbers right edge of the icefall. From here we made 2 long raps (the 70 meter rope was just enough to reach good ledges) into the moat at the headwall above the Lower Borealis. My patner Steve made a bold lead up 20+ feet (but with the bottom of the moat 40 feet below) up and out of the moat. He was not happy to hear that I was able to pull the screws out after only 4 turns. I on the other hand was was more than happy to be on TR for my trip out of the moat. Being fairly late we quickly made our way across the lower glacier and around the lake back to camp. All in all this is a great trip with a typically hard Cascade approach, a glacier crossing, and fun exposed climbing (knife edge in places) on good rock. The Green Becky has the 1st ascent of this route in 1986. The remote location in combination with the lack of any signs of previous parties makes me wonder how many times this route has been done since. It deserves more in my opinion. And now for the mountain porn: Ascent in faint blue-descent in faint red Steve en route to the N. Ridge Climbing on the ridge Forbidden Borealis Lake Rapping into the moat Gear Notes: Gear to 2", Gu, 70m rope Approach Notes: 6 easy miles to Mcallister Camp, 3 hard ones to Borealis Lake

Not exactly the fluury of responses I was I was hoping for. Well, here is part 2 then, does anyone know if the glaciers (Mccallister, Inspiraion, Klawatti) are broken up enough that I should consider approaching via Thunder Creek instead. There will definitely be more bushwacking but it is a bit shorter and may save time if the glaciers are getting beat up.

I'm planning on doing some climbing on the north end of the Eldorado Ice Cap and am wondering if anyone knows the best way to cross Austera Ridge from the south to the North Klawatti Glacier. If I have time, I'll just climb a route that look fun and decend the other side, but if not... any ideas?

Can't wait!

Thanks for the TR, I've always wanted to do that route, primarily for the setting. I think it would be a great way to spend a day in the fall. I was paddling Tumwater Canyon Saturday and saw mamma bear and 2 cubs about 1/2 mile above town on the road side of the river. They were cute, but I decided to paddle a little farther from shore, 10 ft was alittle too close.

I noticed 3 or 4 roadside sport routes on the lower righthand side of Icicle Butress. They are probably in the new guide, but I don't have it. Anyone know what they are?

Lets pick a night then. I nominate Friday, anyplace in the area have good beer? Now that I think about it, probably not that good in SLC.

I hope it never dies.

I'd be interested in some craggin or a Pub Club. I'm arriving ubtil 8:30pm on the 8th and leaving Sunday afternoon. Also, it's my 1st show so if you have any tips, I would appreciate hearing them.

Bolts, If you place them, they will come... and complain (too close, too far, blah blah blah).