Friedrich

Survey not working. On the 1-7 page, I only selected on column per question, but still got an error. It's not a super well designed survey anyway. It should be more clear which is best 1 or 7. And most surveys use a 1-5 range, with labels aboe each column so people don't get confused. Good luck with your app. As a model for a PERFECT user interface, check out MeteoBlue. It's by far my favorite weather app for climbing. Discovered it in a blog on hiking in the dolomites. Used it all over italy and still here in the states. it's brilliant.

Great trip report, and thanks for writing it up in such an honest way! That's how you learn. We all did stupid stuff above our heads when we were younger, and those of us still posting made it out alive, but not everybody did. I advise you to do what I did. Take some of that money you are going to spend on new gear and invest it in getting some in-person instruction from a really well qualified guide. Get a little group together and the cost will be reasonable. or at least find an experienced ice climber who is also a good teacher, buy them a case of beer to take you out somewhere nearby and teach you as much as they can. Congrats on the probable FA. So I actually want to congratulate you on the decision to rap the route. I don't know the mountain or the descent options, but just going from the TR info, it appears you didn't also. so in my opinion, that was your best decision of the day and just might have saved your life. if you're not absolutely sure about alternative means of descent, it is ALWAYS better to go back the way you came. Well done. So many climbing accident reports begin with "they decided to seek an easier way down" or "they descended via _______, a route they were not familiar with." You can easily be cliffed out or find yourself in even more of an epic, and once hypothermia sets in, you start making stupid decisions without even realizing it. Others have commented on your rappel techniques. Trying to save 10 bucks by threading your rope through a wire made my shudder. You were lucky to survive that as well. You DO need to spend more time learning and PRACTICING rappelling in a safe environment. You can read great techniques in books but you need to dial that shit in at home before you try it in the field. (it's by far the most dangerous part of climbing as you probably know intellectually). If you haven't read through any of the "American climbing accidents" annuals, I highly recommend it. You can learn a lot from the mistakes others make, and it's a guaranteed injury-free activity, as well as being a pretty compelling read. One last complement- your willingness to keep learning is what will save you. Well done. Lots of people think they're invincible and aren't as self aware as you seem to be. It's great to see.

Hey there Rat & Marko, It's 4 years after your post, but I stumbled upon it and want to offer my congratulations. I made 3 or 4 serious attempts on this route from 2013-2015 or so, and chatted with a few other people about it including Jim Nelson. Nobody knew of any serious attempt, let alone a successful ascent. And it's a damn hard mixed climb. I think you can safely assume yours was the FA. The earliest reference is a Mountaineers report quoted in the Becky guide. I actually went down to the Mountaineers Library and looked up the original report at some point. It wasn't helpful. It's certainly been looked at a million times, but on my attempts (and on one summer scouting trip) I never saw any gear or evidence of prior attempts. (besides my own bail pitons) I believe the combination of the remoteness and difficulty of the route, the distraction of all the good skiing to be had, and the fact that you have to walk past several other easier and more enticing lines on the way meant that it was neglected until you made it up there. You didn't rate the climb, but as you know, the route is pretty damn hard, with the angle of the face and the lack of pro being the main problem. If it were more vertical it would actually be less scary. Any fall would be a face-scraping tumbling disaster. One time, the conditions were ideal and there was solid rime ice all along the face, for the right foot and tool, but not enough for a screw. Pro was hard to find. I would be curious how you would rate it. Big props to you both for getting it done. Especially climbing up into that overhanging stuff and finding a way. I never got higher than your 2nd pitch. One up there I concluded it was too scary and beyond my abilities, so I abandoned the project. I doubt your route will see many repeats. Turf Testament was an act of faith. Congratulations on the FA.

Good TR! Glad you made it out OK. Seems like everyone has close calls when they're new to the Alpine game, but your situational awareness and humility saw you through. Well done and congrats on the classic.

Maybe next time. Found partner via PM, Thanks CC.com! Weekend warriors unite!

ps: leaving Seattle 6:30am, return by 3pm or so. I'll drive.

Partner cancelled, I see 3 are viewing this board.. what the heck. I'm running up Guye Peak tomorrow as a warm-up/start to the alpine season. Easy climb, have brought newbies up there before, but it's fun even for crusty old veterans like me. I even have an extra set of gear, if you're not fully equipped PM me ASAP thanks Friedrich

Well done! Love that route. I agree, the crossing is the crux, the rest is just conditioning. DS dragged my ass up there about 15 years ago, on an overnight blast from Seattle. It feels like you have the whole mountain to yourself over there. I seem to recall we elected to rap down to the Yokum and the Sandy, using a snow bollard. Might be quicker than going way down low to find a suitable down-climbing spot. Of course, like anything, it's conditions-dependent.

Officially the overnight parking lot ($15/night) is for lift-ticket-buying clients only, and you need to be in your vehicle overnight. Unofficially there is a possible work-around. I happen to be camping on Saturday night as well, and just got off the phone with Alpental Guest Services. I explained that my friend and I want to ski all day Sat & Sunday, and camp overnight in between, and need to buy an overnight parking pass. The guy on the phone said "no problem, just walk into the guest-services area, tell them you need to buy an RV pass. It's $15/day with a 3-night maximum." I pointed out that we don't have an RV and won't be in the vehicle, and he said "no problem." ProTip: When you go in to buy your pass, make sure you resemble a lift-skier more than an alpinist. Just to minimize nosy questions. As far as I know, if you just leave your car overnight in one of the other lots, without a pass, it will get towed.

Outstanding! If there were a "like" and a "jealous" button on CC.com I would be clicking both.

I need a doppleganger so I can be in two places at once. Got Tix for Banf Mountain Film Fest tonight, had to buy way in advance of course so it was before this was announced. But it looks pretty cool! Have fun

Woah, check out these crazy wild ice formation pics. This is in Antarctica and were taken by a researcher named Tony Travouillon. http://news.yahoo.com/photos/antarctic-waves-slideshow/antarctic-waves-photo-1126234579.html

A quick +1 for AAI. . They have a well-deserved reputation for high quality instruction, and they also go out of their way to support the NW outdoor community. That should count for something. But don't spend too much time deciding. There are a lot of places to get good, AAIRE level 1 Avy instruction, and most people are fans of whoever they learned from. I don't know anyone who can claim to have tried all the various offerings in order to evaluate "the best." The main thing is to get signed up for an AAIRE level 1 course that works for your schedule and location ASAP, since they fill up quickly, or at least the ones on convenient three-day weekends near Seattle do. Then you and your partner can get the benefits of your increased avvy awareness this season. Almost all the places mentioned on this thread are offering their free or donation-based "intro" workshops right about now. It's generally just a slideshow, but it'll give you a chance to learn how much you don't know, and get a taste of what you'd learn in a full level 1 course. AAI is doing a couple of events to benefit NWAC this month in Bellingham and Everett. The Mountaineers will let you attend their intro event as a guest member. Gary Brillill be at Feathered Friends and Marmot next week, and there is also the David Pettigrew Foundation, which is not a comprehensive course, so no substitute for AAIRE level 1, but their "intro/workshops" are outside, and "pay what you can," so a good supplement, if you can snag a spot. Downside to them is they have a 100% skiing focus. That's in keeping with their mission but might not be what you want. Hope this is helpful.

Ok, in all seriousness now. Just go to Marmot in Bellevue and ask for their most experienced boot-fitter, then go over your problem with them. From my own gear-shop-employee experience it sounds like you might have a low-volume foot as well as a small heel. That, coupled with long foot length would cause heel lift unless you can fill that volume space with extra socks, inserts, etc, and lace the arch area extremely tight. If you have a really weird foot and nothing else works, you might try a moldable thermo-fit inner boot in plastics as OlympicMtnBoy suggested, which they can also do at Marmot.

Mad props to Matt for catching the reference.

Never was a statement more true. I have socks older than some of these young climbers. Wisdom and treachery rule over youth until you get on the rock. LOL Yes keep telling them that. We can use their ego to trick them into leading the most gymnastic pitches, then at the summit, drink the beer we stashed in their packs.

Jah it really is all about the weather around here. More resources: The NW Avalanche Center site http://www.nwac.us/ Awesome and really unique resource, and fantastic to have in this area. Read it daily to get a feel for conditions in season. I've been using it since '96 but I think they've been around much longer. They get reports from all over and *really* know their stuff. Even reading their historical snowpack reports is educational, and a nice supplement to in-person avvy training. I don't know how experienced you are, but if you don't have any avvy training, I or others can point you to some good resources, some are even free. One caveat: unfortunately the "season" for NWAC detailed forecasts has completely arbitrary start and end dates, and winter conditions can often extend far beyond when they go dark on April 28. Last year was a good example. After they shut down for the season you are on your own. Don't believe them when they say "if conditions are REALLY bad we'll say something." Not always true. Be careful and as always use your own judgement. The potential for avvy danger surprises many people new to the area and conditions can change quickly. Re. general weather reports, long-range forecasts (2 days+) have improved considerably with last year's installation of coastal doppler radar, but local meteorologists are still getting a feel for how to incorporate the new data. Cliff Mass is a UW prof and his blog is another nice supplement for weather geeks. (which you will become after a while climbing around here) http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/ Welcome and good luck.

What a pile of shit! Thanks for the TR and pics. Now I know where to go, next time I feel like climbing a large pile of stale granola.

Question: Did you also run out of water while writing this epic trip report? Were you benighted at your computer and forced to bivy? Kidding!! Actually I totally enjoyed that. Well done on the pics, TR, and climb. I love that kind of exploratory adventure climbing. Never know what you're gonna find, and somehow the perfect bivy always seems to appear at the right time. Or at least usually. But I think we all know the lesson here. Next time, if there's any doubt about the water supply, have your partner bring extra! [Reference: Eiger Sanction, Desert Tower Climb]

If Bill were here, (From Bill & Ted, OK?) he would definitely say "Woah." I did. Nice work!

Found Last weekend up the Alpental Valley: Black Diamond Avalanche Shovel HANDLE ONLY. PM me with the model name of your shovel, condition, and approximately where you lost it, and it's yours. Freidrich

Thanks for the Beta, Kurt. Love your site BTW. If anyone is jonesing for that route right now and has been up there before, PM me. I've done similar routes in the Alps and am a solid leader/partner on that type of terrain, but I'd prefer to go with someone who knows the way to speed up the routefinding, especially on the descent. Lets go have some fun. Cheers

Yes to Aliens. They are legendary for a reason. They f*ing fit, everywhere. And now that Fixe has brought them back on the market you can buy them new again. Which is cool. On trad or mixed climbs, I almost never leave the ground without them, winter or summer. The red, yellow and green sizes are what I have, and they seem to fit the gap between the smallest of the "normal" cams and "too damn small for a cam" but your mileage may vary depending on where you climb and what else you have on your rack.

Hi, Looking for a climbing/hiking partner to scout new route potential for the upcoming alpine season. Have an eye on a couple of specific potential objectives. Must be able to at least follow 5.9, as we'll do some technical climbing. The plan is to climb the route now, snow-free, then we go back in winter to knock off the winter FA. Ideal schedule: alpine start on sunday morning, long day, back late sunday PM. Could also do saturday but the weather is more iffy that day. Me: competent all-rounder, mid-40's, moderately in shape weekend warrior. Fun-loving explorer type. Good conversationalist. Have gear and car. Seattle based. You: Ready for anything, enthusiastic climber, can at least follow 5.9, likes to hike. Has personal gear. Moderately in shape. Objective: Alpental Valley. Please, ladies, no booty calls. I am taken. (that is supposed to be funny you trolls)