OlympicMtnBoy

We here at cascadeposers will be happy to sign on to a letter to the finance minister to support your project. Nice work (backcountry climbing and pics)!

Looks like a beautiful time to be up there! That was one of my first alpine climbs as well, many years ago . . .

Thanks Rad! Great to see this sort of stuff still so close to home. Reminds me i need to get out more in my own backyard! Thanks for suffering through (the TR posting, not the climb), hehe.

Ahhh sounds fun, someday I'll get around to this.

What they said. I'd just wear some light high top hiking boots. Strap on crampons are fine for such a classic route. Have fun!

That's awesome. Also I don't want to climb it. Nice work guys.

Always more memorable with the shiver bivy!

Looks like you had a good time and nice weather! One way to avoid the crowds is to use the super sweet bivy ledge, we didn't have a single party on route when we started climbing at 1 pm. Don't ask Steph about what happens if you don't stay on the ridge on the rap #3.

Awesome! I need to go there!

It kind of depends on your ability to climb rock in your approach shoes/boots. When I did the west ridge several years ago I opted for strap on crampons over low top approach shoes and climbed the route in the shoes. Low top shoes may get wet and generally kick steps poorly, but the trade off was not having to carry rock shoes too. In the Bugaboos last week I was happy with a light boot for all the glacier walking and then I carried rock shoes for most routes (5.8 and up). My feet were dry and the step kicking was chill (enough so that I didn't bring crampons after the first day). As has been mentioned though, ski boots, mountain boots, flip flops, it can all be done, they just have different trade offs. And make sure your crampons fit what you are using. ;-)

Woot woot! Thanks for putting up the TR Oly, it was a right fun climb up there! I should have a couple more pics to add if I ever figure out an efficient way to get them from my smartphone to here. ;-)

Or is it really just screwing over the community in favor of the individual? Kind of like going to cc.com (or any other site) to see "what" has been climbed lately is different than going to Facebook or whatever blog to see what "so and so" has climbed lately. Pretty different things. A deep water solo glamping trip makes for pretty photos but doesn't inspire me the same way a hardcore solo FA in Baffin might, even if the pics aren't quite pro. It's a loss. Now go smash computers and burn the microchip factories down so we can get on with being old curmudgeons by a smoky campfire.

Nope, wanna do Pershing? It's been on my list.

Go up Nada creek and the back side of Temple Ridge for fun and you can add that cute unnamed tarn to your list. I camped back there several years ago and then came out Toketie. The path down to the snow lake trail was long hot and dusty. Cool loop though! Although I might be free this weekend for the Olympics. :-p

Are you volunteering Oly?

Yes, he's like super old, fairly cranky, and can't get too far off the road right now, but he's also a legend and is looking for someone to do something with this weekend! I'm heading out of town to Banff tomorrow but said I'd post up for him. If you are free and want to put up with Fred for what will be a memorable day or two let me know and I'll connect you. Alternatively he's been invited to a 4th of July party Sun-Mon in Leavenworth but would need a ride or someone to drive his car (he can't drive anymore). You'd probably get into the party too!

Hey thanks everyone for the suggestions! We are planning to drive up through Idaho but make it pretty quick to get up to visit our friends and then take longer on the drive back on the northerly route. Brewer's buttress and that hut sound pretty nice and like my wife would have fun. We'll look at some of the other Lake Louise options too. Or go caving? We thought it would be fun to hit Mt. Sir Donald on the way back but it may be a bit early for the ridge route still? Maybe the same for other Roger's Pass climbs or are there ones that melt out earlier and don't require too much snow gear for approaching?

Great TR, thanks Bellows! Oly, I need to hit up Mystery too! Also this Anderson thing.

Sweet! I'm glad you got up both of those. We actually were socked in almost all of Saturday up at Harrison Lake so you had much better weather. We had killer views from 5345 though across to Constance and the Brothers in the morning though!

So the lovely wife and I are taking the 4th of July week off and heading to Banff to visit some friends that moved there recently. We'll be cruising up in my camper. We'll probably jet up there and visit our friends for a few days and then take the next 6 or 7 days to work our way back. Neither of us has been to Banff before so I'm looking for suggestions on good day climbs up there or on the way back to Seattle. Overnight is a possibility too although it's nicer not to have to pack too much extra gear. Since my wife is along, probably keeping things at 5.7 ish or under is good, long alpine rock, moderate snow/ice, even good scrambles. Or cragging/multipitch along the way? Our camper is a 1984 Nissan Sunrader so it's fine on moderate dirt roads, but not 4wd and not a huge amount of clearance which I know is limiting for some spots. It sure is a nice place to get back to after a long day though. Thanks all!

Me of course! I haven't even been out there to climb this year! That being said, I might be booked pretty much through July except maybe the weekend of the 16th. I might be able to swing a weekday if I'm not traveling for work. There are still a ton of peaks I haven't done!

It really wasn't too bad, but it was a bit scary to have to get out of my aiders. The 5.8 mantle at the beginning of the pitch is chill, then it's just some easier but true slab (no obvious holds or well trodden path). Do it! It was a fun route.

And where are the pictures of HandyCorn??? Hehe, thanks for putting up the TR and belaying me dude!

C'mon old people, it's only 5.1. You can climb that with a cane and depends. Hehe, close enough though, nice TR.

Yep, kleenex!