Friedrich

Things are looking too sketchy from where I sit. Bummer. The winter is slip-sliding away...

Droool.

Great pics and great year! Kudos! I love love love the hiking and canyon exploring in Zion. Wish I'd had time to climb when I was there. Amazing place.

You might try the WAC too. They don't do as much in the way of classes, but I used to be a member and met some good people. Several of them told me they gravitated to the WAC because it was a little less "rules heavy" then the Mountaineers. I don't speak from personal experience, just sayin.' http://www.wacweb.org/default.view

Ah! Ok thanks. I'll update the description in the gallery for these pics. Much appreciated.

Acha! Thanks Wayne

@DetachedFlake- Hi there. I *think* this is a shot of the same route in current conditions, but I'm not sure. I took this wide shot and closeup of what I thought might be your route as we passed by on our way to the Slot Couloir last weekend. (See my TR) Is that CK the right? Or maybe the left, or neither. Can you clarify? Here is a closeup of the route on the right, which seems like it might be Calvin Klimb from comparing your pics. But again, not sure. Thanks, I'm trying to figure out the backside of Snoqualmie mtn. Maybe when I've got it puzzled out I'll try to get a wide shot of the face, draw in the lines, and post that for the convenience of the community. Cheers.

@kakuzka1 - Hi there. I *think* this is a shot of the same route in current conditions. Can you confirm? Thanks. I took this wide shot and closeup of the cave as we passed by on our way to the Slot Couloir last weekend (see my TR) Closeup of cave. Is this the same route as "Calvin Klimb"? I don't think so, but I'm posting replies to the author of the Calvin Klimb TR as well. It's tricky trying to figure out what's what on the backside of Snoqualmie.

Looking for a partner for possible new route(s). Did a recon last weekend and looks doable but hard. Mixed with a lot of dry tooling and scrambling. 3 or 4 pitches. See my TR for a taste. Snoqualmie Mtn NW Face Recon 3-6-11 Location is NW Face of Snoqualmie Mountain. Planning on camping 1 or 2 nights to increase chances of success, due to deep snow and longish approach. I have more details to share if you're interested. This is a trip for experienced folks only. Timing will be tricky, we have to wait for good avvy conditions, which might come at any time. This weekend is out. I can go mid-week if need be. Should be fun! Or at least interesting.

Trip: Snoqualmie Mountain - Recon of new route potential- NW Face Date: 3/6/2011 Trip Report: On 3/6/11 with Ktschmid. Avvy danger stabilized enough for us to get out again this past weekend. Saw quite a few skiers enjoying the new snow. As they passed us in our snowshoes we said “well, they may be faster on the way UP, but we’ll be faster on the way.. oh.” Our Recon/exploratory climb/turning-into-showshoe hike around mt. Snoqualmie went up via phantom slide, then traversed below NW Face, checking out potential new routes, then up slot couloir. Then epic wandering descent in the dark, where we got off-route and Karl uttered the unfortunate words “well, as long as we don’t end up above the waterfall.” Of course, we ended up above the waterfall. Out came the rope and 2 raps later, we were past it on the left, and strolling down to the car. 8am departure from car, 12:30am return. Long day! Good workout but wow, once we left the boot track behind and struck off into seldom-traveled territory, we were postholing on the way up, and plunge-stepping on the way down. In our snowshoes. It was that soft. At one point, we said, let’s put the crampons on and try to claw our way along the rock/snow interface to get to the damn route. Bad idea. It took me an hour of swimming uphill in fluffy, chest-deep snow to go the 100 feet to the little patch of ice that marked the beginning of the route. Should have conceded it and put the snowshoes back on, but the snowfield was so steep at that point, the shoes weren’t much better. When we finally got to the base of the route, exhaustion, bad pro and an initial slightly overhanging move defeated us. Given the lateness of the hour, we decided discretion was the better part of valour and left. We barely got 2’ off the deck on our new route. We then traversed over to the slot couloir/enigma gully and slogged up in our snowshoes. Did I mention it was SOFT! Still a great day out and awesome exercise. Fantastic beautiful setting on the far side of that mountain. I’ll definitely be back ASAP. I am gripped by new route fever. Other routes: NY Gully and Pineapple Express were snow covered. PB&J- The Breakfast of Champions. Chair Peak under a brooding sky. It was overcast all day, but no wind (and no blinding heat) made for a pleasant outing. Looking down the descent gully to the NW face. Enjoying the spectacular setting. A fine time to wipe my nose. Nice picture Buddy. Looks like I'm digging for gold. As others have remarked, there are moments where you can get a real big mountain feel over there, especially if some clouds roll in. We loved it. Gear Notes: None yet. Gotta climb it first! Gut notes: Losing 4 pounds in the 2 weeks between our last TR and this one was extremely helpful I was almost able to keep up with my 20-something partner this time. Getting back in shape yeah baby. Now where’s that beer? THE RETURN: Next time, (once the avvy danger subsides and allows another window) It would be better to camp overnight, to get a fresh start on the route(s) in the AM and increase chances of success. Anybody want to partner? Karl is going to Utah for some sport climbing (smart man) and has given me permission to have another go without him. You need to have experience with drytooling and it would be great if you were a hard man/woman who can lead M6 so I can bask in your reflected glory. Approach Notes: Phantom Slide is a nice way up here, for sure. There is a good description by Dane in his TR for Blue Moon which was helpful. Only thing to add is go uphill right after you enter the trees, taking the first solid-looking boot track that offers.

Hi Sandy, I used to live in SE Michigan, and I feel your pain. When you're looking for fun, vertical relief hiking out there, you have to think DOWN, not up. Look for gorges and valley parks that you can hike down and up, fast, with a light pack, to get your cardio on. You're not far from the so-called "Old Man's Cave" in Hocking Hills state park. It's just a sandstone overhang in a gorge but it's quite beautiful. Google it. Otherwise I endorse other's recommendations, Kentucky has your closest "hills". Enjoy!

I found this independent research paper testing various "high strength" cordages in various ways on another forum awhile ago. Good hard data. http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/High_Strength_Cord.pdf'>http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/High_Strength_Cord.pdf Their testing is more extreme than real-world conditions, but so are the standard UIAA tests. Scroll down to the last chart, it's pretty interesting. From what they found, the performance of spectra cordage degrades quickly under repeated knotting/bending. Nylon does not. No info on Dyneema since this study pre-dates the introduction of that material. Sun-fading and exposure to salt water was not part of their testing. Their main page has more studies along with some good stuff about multiplcation of forces, etc. http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/ Hope this is a helpful addition to the discussion.

FF rules.

D'oh! You're right. It was just the thinnest knifeblade, #1. I bring it because it's light and works in thin cracks where nothing else will. It has come in handy a few times. Unfortunately this time I dropped it, so I won't be bringing it again Glad you enjoyed the TR, and thanks for pointing out the clarification. Cheers Eric

Fun thread! Everest: The West Ridge. (Hornbein) There was a large-format version published By the Sierra Club in 1964 that is about 11"X14" - The pictures are printed on what feels like full-on Kodak photographic paper. Amazing. Also great to read about all the local heroes.

Seems like the ideal tool(s) kinda depend on what gear you have. The lightest option for me is a set of 3 seperate tools: 1. Super-lightweight locking blade on a short accessory cord (goes on harness). Got it at the counter of a hardware store for a buck. Sharpened, it is fine. Have never actually used it though. 2. Super-thin and tiny file (just in case I totally mangle a pick or my monopoint crampons on a mixed route). Almost weightless. Can't remember where I got it, but probably a hardware store. Have used in hotel rooms in Lillooet but never on a route. 3. Allen wrench for my Quarks (I've never had to use it, but I bring it just in case) Total weight probably 2 ounces or less, who knows. Scissors might have been nice a few times on multi-day trips for hangnails and skin flaps, but oh well. A fabric bandaid and I'm good for the rest of the day. The skin helps protect the wound anyway. I've never carried pliers. Maybe I'm missing something there. What have you guys used your pliers for?

Thanks for the tips. For me, I think this coming weekend is going to be a hike below snowline, then watch and wait...

Wow nice trip Feck. What do you think about all this new snow we're getting right now? I'm not a skier, but it always seems like it would be exciting and frustrating at the same time, due to the avvy danger. How do you guys deal?

Ausgezeichnet! Great pics too. Well done!

Nice meeting you too. We also got a kick out of watching your headlamps from across the bowl. At first we were looking up at you and it was like "Ha! Someone's coming down later than us!" then it was "Damn, they are totally passing us." But the whole time it was still cool. 3 cheers for climber comraderie.

Like the good comments. Everyone was once new to the sport or this mountain-- let's support him, he's asking for help. Here's my 2 cents: Best way to make the climb easier is to train. Cardio fitness and weather have the biggest impact on success and failure, not choice of route. Best way to make it safer is to hire a qualified guide or bring a more experienced partner who knows the mountain and the route. You'll learn more and will become a better climber.. As to route, I have taken first-time climbers (who were fit and after giving them some training) up the Ingraham Direct earlier in the season. It's a bit steeper than Emmons, but shorter. Best of all there is no rockfall hazard like the DC, and in early season, the snow bridges over the crevasses are more solid. Keep a close eye on climbing and weather conditions on the Mt Rainier Site. I have not climbed the DC and would not do so, despite the fact that the guide service uses it. Too much objective hazard. Any chance of arbitrary death from a random rockfall is too much of a chance for me. Not worth it, plenty of other great stuff to climb. Just be sure that no matter what route you take, spend a couple weekends beforehand to practice glacier travel and crevasse rescue (self and assisted). Even the easiest route on this mountain becomes hard if you find yourself hanging in a crevasse and you don't know what to do. Good luck and keep asking questions!

Haha. Yep, it's a tradition of mine- Bring up the most improbable food to share on the summit. Wait till next time. It might be sushi. @Le Piston: Thanks! Sorry you missed the weather window. Maybe if this snow ends with another clear cold snap as currently predicted, avalanche danger will drop again and we'll all have one last chance for winter ice climbs. Hey, one has to hope, right?

Hey Knuckles, we saw you at the parking lot. Nice TR!

Trip: Chair Peak - Random partners climb NE Buttress TR Date: 2/20/2011 Trip Report: There are plenty of concise, matter-of-fact TR's on Chair this weekend so I'll try to put a little more color into this one. Let me know if you enjoy it. I hadn't climbed anything serious in several years, but on Friday night, I said "This is ridiculous! I need to get up off the couch and climb Chair Peak on Sunday!" So I hit the partners forum, where someone named "Karl Schmidt," had just posted: Same peak, same day. Yayy CascadeClimbers.com! After trading a few text messages, we were on. Like so many others this perfect weekend, we had a great climb. Karl is a solid guy and I would climb with him anytime. His youth and fitness were a good complement to my age and cunning. (translation: he put up with me being out of shape because I had a couple of tips and told entertaining stories.) After an epic approach and a wait in line, we finally started up around 2pm. Knew we were in for a late night hiking back, but with clear cold skies and NE exposure this route could be climbed safely in the afternoon. It was not going to melt out nor storm up. We were confident we could get up and down easily before dark. I took the first pitch. I must be really screwed up, because I found it to be a really good stress reliever. God I have missed this. Never again will I go so long without climbing. Watching Karl come up, it was clear he had better technique than he gave himself credit for. At the belay we discussed simul-climbing to stretch out the 2nd pitch with running belays, as suggested in the WA Ice guidebook. He was totally up for it. He led off and then.. forgot to stop. We simul-climbed quickly through pitch 2 and well into pitch 3. At the ice step, I shouted to him to go for it. He placed his first-ever ice screw, went up the waterfall with no trouble, and kept going until he got to the false summit. Go team! We lingered on the summit enjoying ourselves. I was glad to see my skills were intact. Karl was rightly proud of his leads. Now I just need to climb more and get my cardio back so I can keep up with him! We had no trouble finding the descent gully (despite all the bad descriptions in print books) since I'd climbed up that way years before. We rapped from the fixed pins, arriving back into the bowl while the winter sun was still out. If there is an intermediate rappel station it must be buried in snow, because we didn't see any. With a single 60M rope we ended up roughly 100 feet above where the slope lessens, but the soft snow was easy to downclimb, and we even started our glissade on steeper ground than one would usually do. Hiking out through the soft snow sucked, but we got back to the car eventually, with time out for the old man to nap. Note to self: Before a climb, get more than 3 hours sleep. Conditions were EXCELLENT. There was a bit of solid ice on the 1st pitch, right where you want it to protect the ascending rightward gully. The ice step at the top of the 3rd pitch was short but fun blue ice. The rest of the route was firm snow just right for easy step-kicking. Overall a great climb with a great partner on a picture-perfect day. NE Buttress Route in all it's glory. The ice variation to the start of the route can be clearly seen. Karl coming up to the tree belay on the first pitch. Good times. The money shot. Karl climbing the crux ice step near the top of what would be the 3rd pitch, if we weren't simul-climbing the whole damn thing. Go man go! On the summit. Looking SE from the 2nd saddle below the false summit. These are the somewhat elusive fixed pins atop the SE gully, which is the standard descent route for the NE buttress and NF routes. If you see this you're about to descend the correct gully to get back to the Source Lake bowl. If you don't see this you're about to descend the wrong gully. It was a perfect day to solo the route, and indeed we saw someone else do just that. Here is the soloist in the middle of the ice step crux. Closeup of soloist on the crux move. Aaaaaand he's up! Nice one dude, whoever you are. Gear Notes: 60M 8.9mm single rope Rack: 1 long screw, 2 medium screws, 3 pickets, green and yellow alien, 1 RURP piton, 3 double slings, 3 single, 1 cordelette, 1 daisy chain, 2 lockers. Due to our extended simulclimb, Karl ran out of gear on the 4th pitch. Wanted another picket. Didn't use piton Didn't use 2 of the screws. Placed yellow alien twice, could have placed the red if we'd brought it. Pitch 1: picket, clipped the fixed slings, bomber screw, yellow alien, sling the belay tree. Pitch 2: Picket, sling a rock fin, picket. Pitch 3 (continuing simul): yellow alien, screw, climb the waterfall. Pitch 4 (continuing simul) another picket, to the false summit, belay from 1 ice tool buried as a deadman and sat upon (the classic Butt-Axe belay). Karl pointed out after the climb that he felt a little too runout after the waterfall. Another picket would have been good so there would have been more than 1 piece between us when he was nearing the false summit and I was climbing the waterfall. In retrospect he's right. However he compensated by making sure every move was super-solid. And conditions were so good that self-arrest would have been easy for either of us. Still, every climb is a learning experience for both partners, and I was glad to get a tip back from him. Approach Notes: The crux of the approach was when Karl's car started making scary noises. It took some time to effect a field repair, and we didn't leave the parking lot until 9:00am with the sun well up. My new rule: Always bring snowshoes, no matter what anybody else says, even after a spell of clear cold weather like we just had. Others may report "postholing not too bad", but your car might lose important bits, you might start late, you might have a very sunny day, and you might punch through constantly. Like we did. Also you might have a wheezing old geezer along, like me. 4 hours to the base of the route. Always Bring Headlamps: We were good little boys and brought our headlamps, and we knew we could get up and down before dark. So we had a great time and no worries. NOTE TO SELF: call wife from summit where you might have coverage, so she'll know you'll be home later than expected. This increases your chances of being able to climb again next weekend.

Beautiful! Congrats, great climb and trip report. You aren't kidding about the psych-upping. That climb is super-intimidating! (not that I've done it, mind you. I took the normal route) Only in Chamonix would a route like that be crowded. What a place. JEALOUS!!