curtveld

Sun is out - take a break from skiing and plastic! I'm up for a half day kinda thing.

Um…yeah, I too got up and enjoyed some mountains I was not really technically prepared for. And that was after a Cascades apprenticeship of skiing, backpacking and ‘Parks and Rec’ climbs. I’ve also recommended an ‘easy’ climb to a friend that just about got himself killed. Bottom line is veterans on this board need to be careful about making assumptions about the capabilities of who they’re advising. Even a ‘non-technical’ climb takes basic abilities they might take for granted: - Knowing what to wear and what to (and not to) carry, - Knowing how to interpret a mountain weather forecast and track conditions during the climb, - How to self-arrest and be prepared for crevasse rescue, - Having a good aerobic fitness, - And most importantly, knowing when to turn around. Sure, the school of hard knocks and books can teach you a lot, but there are safer ways to learn too, including guides, classes and starting out with less serious mountain activities. So be careful with the advice and consider your options, HB. Good luck

Heck of a trip, and, with Denali, a hell of a year! Great sandstone pics - makes me want to pile up some cams and head down there.

Good folks - went in there today with an exchange and they gave me the sale price a day early!

Beautiful - Life on Earth? How long is the approach?

Holy crap Off, you must be sponsored or a 'trust-afarian' or something...

I talked to the FS folks, and the damage is extensive enough that they will be applying for federal flood $, which could mean a year or two until fixed. No fun bearing bad news, but that's what I heard.

Nice! I figured it must have had some exploration at some point. Seems the access from the Mt Baker Hwy wouldn't be too bad with skis.

Damn, those are some pretty shots, Jason! I've always figured that E Face of Tomyhoi (lowest photo) ought to have some routes on it. Anyone know?

Um, sure...whatever I can fit into the rainy days, anyway.

You guys and your 12s – bah! My goal is to send some 10s for the 25th straight year...which will be half my life. Whoah...

Nice to see someone else still rocking the Dachstein mitts! Looks like tons-o-fun!

Awesome! A good day to go out and see if you got your $s worth on your '4-season tent'.

I dropped a quick five pounds on the fabulous 'stomach-flu diet'!

You guys just need to find a Dtown local that'll rent you their dirt bike or quad! Otherwise I'm guessing about an extra hour of mtn. biking each way to 3OC or Exfo? A longer day but not prohibitive. Any updates on whether the Squire road has new damage?

Advice worth listening to – if anything, this is an understatement! You might consider hiking one of the Beaver valleys to Whatcom Pass and bag Whatcom Peak and maybe Luna on the way. If that goes well, the views will give you a decent idea of what the step up to a full traverse might be like for next time. And no, your mom didn’t pay me to say this, just trying to point you toward a successful trip.

Bummer for sure. The scale of damage sounds way beyond what can be patched by a work party. Or for a small backhoe project that is probably all the FS could commit this season. Sounds like it might be a bike-in deal for a while? Or a good year to get to know Spring and Squire better.

Gorgeous pics as usual, Mark That's Zappa Wall. There's a good topo on line. I'm suprised you all walked by Owl Rock without trying the classic 5.9 line Nightstalker. Considerably more adventurous than the Zappa routes!

Um...yeah...that is a fairly convincing detail I overlooked..

Thanks Will, for the beta and photos And say hi to Dave West - I climbed with him a bit when he was in Bham.

I'm not entirely convinced it is recent and there is no date posted. I'd call the NPS station in Marblemount to double check.

Great info guys - thanks a bunch - though not quite what I wanted to hear. Sounds like the Tetons summer season is pretty similar to the Cascades - July/Aug/Sept. And I would guess the story is similar for the Winds?

Wondering if June is a good month for alpine rock objectives (Exum, N Ridge). Snow on approaches, T-storms, crowds...?

Hey Goofy, you'll find plenty of exploring in Oregon, and pretty much anywhere else in the west for that matter. Hopefully your next post will generate a little more on-point conversation. Maybe start with a more specific question ...and don't be put off by the banter.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts on this overworked topic