ilookeddown

It's been awhile since I have been on this site but live in NorCal now. Planning a trip up to Washington next week. Wondering if the NR on Baker is in. I've climbed it in August before but haven't seen any recent TR's. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks, Dave

Karhu also had a similar product in 2000 or 2001. It was called the Sweeper. It didn't last long.

Including thousands of folks killed in Kathmandu, it is a sad day. Even if the climbers were "yuppies" who would have been climbing on fixed lines, it is still sad. It's not like they did anything wrong or stupid. Just bad luck.

FYI http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/world/asia/everest-climbers-killed-as-nepal-quake-sets-off-avalanche.html

I don't think it will ever be like Hidden Valley. JT is a national park, it has rangers, garbage service and water at the gate near the ranger station and a budget. The only enforcement I've ever seen there over the years at Vantage is the WA State fish and wildlife that drive by and the WA State Patrol officers that sat down at the boat launch all last summer keeping people out of the water while the river level was low. Look how hard it was to just get a shitter put in. Getting anyone to come out for enforcement or provide any type of service seems unlikely. I do like that it is free and unregulated. The issue seem to be that the users just don't seem to care. The camp area is already trashed so what does it matter attitude has set in.

I pulled in on Sunday morning and was shocked at the amount of people and cars. I got lucky and grabbed a camping spot as someone was pulling out. While setting up camp I counted 34 and people hanging out at the Feathers and 2 people actually doing any climbing at any given time. We headed over to a less popular area and had a great time climbing. I hate to say it but the campground is going down the path of the Scull Hollow campground. The amount of litter and broken glass in an indication of a need for change. I'm not a fan of regulation but after what I saw this weekend there needs to be some changes before the place gets shut down and turned into a day use only facility.

I look forward to see everyone again. If you have never been to this area before this is a great opportunity to learn about some of the best ski touring, climbing and mountain biking this state has to offer. I am surprised that more people don't take advantage of this opportunity to come out and go skiing/climbing (the mountain biking is not an official cc.com thing but there will be a couple rides) with us? We don't expect you to be an expert skier or climber. We do expect you to have fun! It's also a great opportunity to meet new people who love the same things you do. Hope to see you there! Dave

I have purchased too many packs to count over the years and I always go back to my old Deuter Guide 45+ for multiday trips. It’s big enough to hold all your crap and small enough so you don’t over pack. It skis very well and carries skis well. You can access your stuff from the top, side and near the bottom and make two separate compartments if you want near the bottom. It also holds ice tools well. I do add an OR Crampon Pouch to the outside and it holds both boot and ski crampons plus screw and two. I know 45L is a little on the small side but if you pack smart it is all I usually need. Mine is at least 8 years old and have stuffed it to the max many times and the zippers have not failed. I like the side and bottom zippers so I don’t have to pull everything out of my pack to get to something near the bottom. I also like the ability to make a bottom compartment the put stuff like my bivi gear. That way it stays dry if I’m in and out of my pack in bad weather changing layers all the time. I also have the BD Speed. I think they make it in a 55L, I have the 40L. It skis great, no zippers but the skirt started to rip out at the seams so I ended up ripping it out. It is very minimalist but functional. Other than skirt problem I recommend it if you want to stay away from zippers and go light.

They were in a dethatched two car garage. Not sure how they got in but the garage door was up in the morning. I always keep them in the basement of the house but was doing some reorganizing and put them out there for a couple of days after my last ride. I have moved for North Bend. It happened on May Valley Road between Issaquah and Renton. One of my neighbor’s bike got stolen out of his Sprinter Van a few months ago and he put up reward signs. Some kids down the street said they found the bike and claimed the reward. I am hoping for the same result. I will be putting them on the stolenbike registry. Thanks for the advice on that. Hope at least the S-Works turns up.

I know this is a climbing site but I know plenty of you mountain bike also so I thought I would post this here. Two mountain bikes were stolen out of my garage last night. One was a '09 Specialized S-works carbon Enduro. Frame size is small, white Stans ZTR rims, and Race Face cranks pictured below. The other was a ’08 Specialized Enduro that is burnt metallic orange large frame with stock components.If anyone happens to see the Carbon one please send me a PM. Thanks, Dave

Haven't been on the route but the hangers are made my Fixe.

Thanks to Dave Parker for another great time at the property he has arranged for us to use. There is so much to do near Mazama and WA Pass this time of year I wish I had 2 weeks. It was great to see everyone again. I am recovering from surgery so I didn’t ski as much as I would have liked but made the best of it. We got there around noon on Friday so we decided to ride the first day. Went ski touring the second day up toward Silver Star Then went climbing at Fun Rock in the afternoon. The next morning as everyone went to ski we decided to ride the trails on the bikes. I got my first mt. bike flat ever but the veiws were good as I changed the tube.

Thanks for picking it up. That would be mine. It must have missed it when gatering up our stuff. I met you partner at the gym today and he told me you had it. I still hadn't unpacked so I didn't even know it was missing. I will PM you with my info and also gave our info to your friend. Thanks again! I own you at least a 6 pack of your choice. Dave

That was a very big group. I don’t think they had the entire camp ground reserved for themselves but the gate was closed but not locked. I assume the camp host did it once the campground filled up.

8 mile and Bridge Creek were both full by Friday evening last weekend. The others further down were closed and the road still had snow on it.

Using rap rings also makes it easier to pull the rope. Less friction and less chance of the rope actually acting as a brake against itself as you try and pull it. I wouldn’t bother retying all the old stuff into the rap rings. If you can get the knot out of a good piece I would add the rings and webbing I was installing and clean up all the old junk.

Love the lift ticket.

The MRS Lightning Ascent is a good choice but the Atlas Aspect has a much better binding system that allows for lateral movement of your foot. With the MSR there is no lateral movement. Both are very similar in design. The decking on the MSR doesn’t seem very durable after a couple of seasons. I am planning to send mine back to get fixed. The MSR Denali (or Evo) is a great choice if you want to save some money. You also have the option to add flotation but again no lateral movement in the binding but very durable. Lateral movement may not be a big deal in soft snow but could be an issue when conditions are firm. It is also easier on the knees. I have all 3 pairs and only used the Aspect a few times. They are replacing an 11 year old pair of Atlas snowshoes that I was very happy with. If you go with the MSR stay away from the Lightning Axis. They are a cheaper version of the Ascent but the strap design to hold your foot in place is subpar IMO. I would also add if choosing poles go with a flip-lock design like BD makes. The “screw to tighten” type are OK but slip at just the wrong time if you don’t wrench them down with all your strength. They tend to unscrew themselves especially in heavy snow.

You are correct. The state gives percentage of the fuel tax that everyone pays by assuming that each registered machine uses 135 gallons a year. Here is how it is calculated: number of registered snowmobiles x .20 cents x 135 gallons. It comes to $27 per machine. Those funds are used for grooming, equipment, snow removal, enforcement, facilities, administration and 4% going into a reserve. I am not against snowmobiles and have used them in the past but if I want to access the exact same Sno-Parks that they use it is still going to cost me $10 more a year. That is where I have an issue. If one can afford a jacked up F-350, a heated trailer and an $8k machine (sarcasm) they can afford to buy a separate Sno-Park permit. It should not be included in their registration fee that is less than a non-motorized user pays to access the same land. Additionally why are the Department of Licensing and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission entangled in this manner? How much of the registration fee goes to the DOL and how much goes to the WSPRC? On a $12 vintage machine registration they are probably losing money in administrative cost between the two of them.

There are more than 120 Sno-Parks (parking lots cleared of snow) available statewide during winter. Approximately 80 of the Sno-Parks are designated primarily for snowmobiling. Like mentioned above a Sno-Parks permit is included in the $30 registration fee for a snowmobile. ($12 for a vintage machine) They are not required to buy a special groomed trail permit even though the trails are regularly groomed. A non-motorized Sno-Park permit costs $40 and a special groomed permit is an additional $40. I called the winter recreation program number in Olympia to see if I could buy a snowmobile permit and save myself $10 but was sent to voice mail. I couldn’t leave a message because their mail box was full. Guess I will have to send an email. I think the snowmobilers are getting a hell of a deal or everyone else is getting the shaft. You would think the price would at least be the same for both user groups.

Duthie also got hit about a week ago. Evergreen lost about $15k in tools http://forums.mtbr.com/washington/evergreen-burglary-duthie-754388.html

You can pick them up at Pro Ski in North Bend for $399.00. That’s not a bad price but I don’t think I would put them on my everyday ski set up. They are designed for racing so I am not sure how much of a pounding they would take over a period of a couple of seasons. They aren’t the lightest out there. The La Sportiva RSR binding come is 84 grams lights per pair than the Dynafit Speed Superlight and the Sa Sportiva RT is 20 grams lighter. I don’t race so I will just stick to my Dynafit Classics that weigh almost twice but have never broken.

I use the Scarpa F3 boot and has similar design to the Scarpa XT Pro. The XT pro is a telemark boot that uses the NTN binding. NTN bindings do not use a boot with the standard (duck bill) boot. The XT Pro is also dynafit compatible. The F3’s also has a flexible toe but is strictly an AT boot. I have never had any problem with too much flex while using crampons and front pointing with them.

I climbed it mid October last year. There was a dusting on the ground but rock was mostly dry. The forcast is call for a 20%-30% chance of snow Friday and Friday night with accumlations of less than 1/2". Saturday and Sunday mostly summy with hight temps in the high 30's/low 40's depending on the elevation. I would say by noon sunday it would be dry on sun exposed rock but you never know until you go. You could always do the south ridge as a backup if the east isn't dry.

I second Moscow. It is an excellent beginner climb. I would say one of the best for a beginner. It has easy route finding, a fun crack at the top and the hardest part is the first 10 feet off the deck. It takes gear just about anywhere and it’s a walk off. There is also no exposure so one can work on gear placement, building anchors and climbing rather than feeling desperate to find a placement.