Pandora

Jeez, you spraying wankers! Does anyone actually want to CLIMB??

The forecast looks beautiful - mid 70's and partly cloudy Wednesday through Friday. Anyone wanna skip work and jam some cracks with me?

Are you going to wear a dress?

Someone please climb some gorgeous granite with me!

Ahhh, Rikki.....

w00t!

I skinned up to Muir on Wednesday. I started from Paradise around 12:15 pm and the going up was nice - warm and sunny, with good skin and snowshoe tracks put in. After hanging out at the hut for a while (it was 4/20, after all! ) I started down, which wasn't so nice. The skiing varied from firm, uneven windscoured snow up high to choppy ski-grabbing shizzle to sweet corn to heavy wet slush near Paradise. It sucked for me but I'm a newbie skier .

Book Tour Dates and Locations RENO, NV April 19, Tuesday Time: 12:30 p.m. Place: Patagonia, 8550 White Fir Street Reno, NV Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Private Contact: Mike Colpo: 888-500-0046 April 21, Thursday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 2225 Harvard Way, Reno, NV Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: 775-828-9090 TACOMA, WA May 3, Tuesday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Mountaineers Club-Tacoma Branch, 2302 N 30th St, Tacoma, WA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Dan Lauren, Climbing Chair, Tacoma Mountaineers, dan.lauren@weyerhaeuser.com, or 253-924-3309 OLYMPIA, WA May 4, Wednesday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Alpine Experience, 408 Olympia Ave. N.E., Olympia, WA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Dave Sandford, 360-956-1699 or dave@alpinex.com HILLSBORO, OR May 10, Tuesday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 2235 NW Allie Avenue (NW 194th at Cornell), Hillsboro, OR Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Janet Schmidt, jschmid@rei.com or 503-283-1300 PORTLAND, OR May 11, Wednesday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 1405 NW Johnson St., Portland, OR Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Janet Schmidt, jschmid@rei.com or 503-283-1300 SEATTLE, WA May 12, Thursday Time: 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. presentation Place: Microsoft, 11/1021 Research Lecture Room, Redmond, WA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Lynn Finnel, lynnf@microsoft.com BREMERTON, WA May 12, Thursday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Olympic Mountaineers, Kitsap Cabin Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Kate Kuhlman kate@greatpeninsula.org or Kathy Parker parker.katherine@epa.gov SEATTLE, WA May 18, Wednesday Time: 7:00 p.m. refreshments and book signing 8:00 p.m. presentation Place: Feathered Friends, 119 Yale Avenue North, Seattle, WA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: $6 Contact: Jeff Greiner, Feathered Friends, jeff@featheredfriends.com or 206-292-2210 BERKELEY, CA May 24, Tuesday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. (near Gilman), Berkeley, CA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Polly Bolling, REI, 510-527-4140 or pbollin@rei.com SAN JOSE, CA May 25, Wednesday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 400 El Paseo de Saratoga, San Jose, CA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: Polly Bolling, REI, 510-527-4140 or pbollin@rei.com RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA May 31, Tuesday Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 12218 Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga, CA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: REI, 909-646-8360 MANHATTAN BEACH, CA Wednesday, June 1 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 1800 Rosecrans Ave Ste E., Manhattan Beach, CA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: REI, 310-727-0728 SANTA ANA, CA Thursday, June 2 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: REI, 1411 Village Way (McFadden Place), Santa Ana, CA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Free Contact: REI, 714-543-4142 VENTURA, CA TBA: Either June 1, 2, or 3. Time: 12:30 p.m. Place: Patagonia, 259 W. Santa Clara Dr. Ventura, CA Event: Slide show followed by Q&A and book signing Admission: Private Contact: Andy Marker, 805-667-4828 direct andy_marker@patagonia.com Hmm, out of all those places, only Feathered Friends is charging for admission. Do the "refreshments" include alchohol ?

Hey, you've got some cool photos there . I like how the blog consists mostly of climbing pics!

Today the area around Paradise had between 5-8" of fresh topped by graupel. The people I talked to who had been higher than Pan Point said the snowfield was essentially the same. It was very fun skiing .

CC and I were up there Sunday...nobody else had gone up the winter route on Pan Point, so we started putting in a skin track. The top few inches of snow was breaking up with every step, so we stopped and dug a pit. There was about 8" of fresh on top of "deep, homogenous wet cement chunkage", as d00d put it. There were no other discernible layers. It was good skiing, but the visibility was less than great, so we dropped into the Edith Creek basin and did a few runs there. FRESHIEZ!

Haha, yes, you should be proud. I wasn't trying to denigrate your effort in the least; the only thing I was saying is that I agree with Fairweather that the calendar winter ends March 21, something that is non-negotiable. Here is a thread about a good website for you to post about gifts from god: Climb4god thread .

Apparently you care, since you are the one who tagged it a winter climb. If you want to read more about what does or doesn't constitute a winter ascent, take a look at this thread . Actual discussion starts on the fifth post.

I thought that cam stops also prevent the lobes from inverting. Right, CBS, the dual axle functions as the cam stops on the BD model.

Winter conditions, sure. But not technically a winter ascent. Good work regardless . The photos make it look beautiful up there.

Why would you place active protection passively? I think I remember reading that BD Camalots are strong enough to be placed in passive orientation, but even so it's not recommended.

I skinned up the lower snowfield on Tuesday. At that time there was a well-established boot path near Paradise, but the tracks petered out long before the snowfield. The winter route up Pan Point is covered in snow again, though there are rocky areas that pose a threat to skis. Forecast for this weekend looks less than nice, so carry a map and compass and know how to use 'em, or choose a hike on which you'll be able to see where you're going .

Is there any chance we can bribe you guys to do your slideshow again in a different venue?

SMIFFAYYYYY???

I missed it!

Rainier in winter: 4 attempts, one of which ended less than 50 feet from the crater rim.

Of course, you'll need some of these in order to make your purchase:

If you thought it was windy in the parking lot, you should have seen what it was like on the upper mountain .

Ah, but her name is all lower-case letters, my friend .

Mountaineering - 2001 Rock - 2004