ashw_justin

I was there yesterday too, we were the large group of snowboarders. There was a little bit of new snow over an ice/slush crust. In most places there wasn't enough new snow (i.e. post 10-day cornbake) to make slides a concern. We only caused some minor sluff while traversing. Coverage is good, cornice jumps abound. Attached is a photo of our "snowpack analysis." ps: Mt. St. Helens isn't in Oregon!!!

Actually any GPS can give you highly accurate elevations solely by virtue of the GPS calculations, so long as you have locked enough satellites (5 or more, easy to get above treeline). You don't need to buy an expensive GPS just because it has a barometric altimeter. Sure, it is nice to have because it doesn't depend on the GPS signal, but it's not absolutely necessary. Case in point at the summit of Baker, my eTrex GPS (the most basic model, no altimeter) read exactly 10,778 feet elevation. It's always been accurate as long as I have at least 5 satellite signals.

"Do you ever sometimes think, there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, good looking?"

A year back a friend wanted to climb, so I take him to Stone Gardens. This yuppie ponytail dude tells I have to re-take the belay test, but that I can't use my figure eight to belay there. So I quip "alright, well how about a munter hitch?" I get a blank stare. Finally I do the test and I get "well, that'll do, I guess." Then he warns me, I'm not allowed to show my friend how to belay there, and furthermore, he's "not allowed to take the belay test the same day he learns it." Nothing like being on the receiving end of a gym-rat superiority complex. And the best part is I paid good money for it. I'm never taking a newbie to a gym again. Straight to the rock.

Are you referring to this? http://www.avalanchenw.org/blog/ I know it says no trip reports, but it seems like what you describe...

my little website spiel: http://www.neolectric.com/~justin/hardboots.html

Do you ski/snowboard? I'd climb, but I don't have any pro.

For a more in-depth report of me cheating myself out of all the fun, go here, under "Eldorado Attempt": http://www.neolectric.com/~justin/NWframe.html So, anybody want to go do Eldorado? Could be some light freshies this week...

emm... sorry to gross you guys out. I think it's a good reminder not to mess with ice crust without the proper protection, certainly was for me at least!

oh well if you're going to Baker you can hit up the North Fork Beer Shrine or Grahams. Sorry, that's my only beta.

Oh, that's more like it... freezing at night I mean. NWS is forecasting a freezing level of 11000' (?!) Wednesday night. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/ORZ011.php?warnzone=ORZ011&warncounty=ORC027

oh but that's part of what I meant by technicality.

So what if you had a three-factor rating such as: (angle).(surface).(technicality) angle - convert from the S system surface - 0 powder, 5 clear ice tech - 0 impossible to encouter an obstacle, 5 impossible without rappels and/or suicidal cliff-hucking so, the rating for any particular slope would occupy a range, varying within this range depending on conditions. Maybe that would defeat the whole idea of trying to rate it anyway, but at least you would be closer to being able to realistically classify descents.

Forgive my confusion, but it seems like you are describing this week's conditions...

Does anyone know what the circumstances, snowpack/weather conditions were?

Hey... there's $576,241 in here... better round it off to 500,000 to make it easier on those overworked police.

Hey if you want a climbing partner for this, I'll go. I'm a splitboarder, can go roped or unroped. justin AT neolectric DOT com

I've been thinking the same thing, so I went down to the local used gear shop (Re-Sport, Bellingham) and found these (see attached photo). I went down there with the intention of finding some AT boots, but I found these instead. They are Nordica "SBH" snowboard boots. They supposedly can be switched between rigid and semi-rigid, but they are stuck in semi-rigid (which is what I wanted anyway, so...) I'm not sure that they are all that different from AT boots to be honest. I haven't gotten a chance to use them yet, and the Voile mountain plates are still on the way. What prompted me to look toward plastic boots is that 1) they are crampon compatible, 2) they should give a more positive edge response firm steeps, 3) they are better than soft boots for kicking steps, 4) I expect an improvement in control while in ski mode, and 5) plate bindings are faster to use and can be rigged for quick-release. Oh and the clincher: the boots were $25. I'll say more when I finally get out on 'em.

We'll just have to invent a new sport: Aid Kayaking. Use of ropes, fixed anchors, and belay teams to descend otherwise unrunnable river features. The hard part is setting intermediate belay anchors while being pounded by several hundred tons of falling water, while the payoff of the new discipline is the 100 meter freefall that the higher boater gets to do following the placement of said anchor. YEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAWWW!!! edited to attach photo

Hence my opening statement. Obviously the best way to judge a slope is to find out when you get there. Just wondering how you would rate conditions, hypothetically, as if you cared.

The system seems incomplete and unnecessary, but just for the sake of argument: http://www.wildsnow.com/articles/ratings/s_ratings_article_web.htm Discuss... Maybe an additional rating qualifying the surface conditions (ice>corn>powder) ? Technicality (crevasse field, tightness, etc) ? Care to rate some local favorites?

Yet another example of life imitating South Park.

I bet that's because you cashed in the Hummels' tickets too eh? Guess I should have made the trip down there last night.

eh... There's no point in coming up this way, Baker's, er, done for the year. Yep no more snow up here.

OMFG it's Bono! He's not French..