wfinley
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Posts posted by wfinley
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Thx for the replies. We'll switch to other objectives with something to the east as a backup in case weather is less than ideal.
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Greetings - haven't posted here in a while but am doing a mid-June Cascade's trip & need beta.
I am meeting family for a mid-June climbing trip (6/12-6/17). Initially I had hoped to try Glacier but preliminary research is showing not many people do it this time of year. I'm assuming mid-June is the isothermal muck season between May skiing and July climbing? Is this correct? Do people do it in June or is it just too wet and soft?
Also - what boots do people carry for Cascade volcanos in June? I've done Shuksan and Baker in early June and brought my Nepals - is that the suggested boot type for peaks like Adams and Glacier or do people bring lighter boots?
Thx for the beta. Excited to climb out of state again.
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Looking for a pair of Dynafit Cho Oyu skis in 182. I just need one... so if you just have one I'll buy it. But if you have a pair I’ll take the set. Thx!
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Rest in peace Mr. Beckey. May your stories be told on bivy ledges for hundreds of years. May your corniced ridges terrify climbers for generations to come.
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Nice writeup and rant.
Climbers should surrender their right to complain about crowds when they choose to climb one of the 50-classics on a nice summer weekend. You're on one of the 50 classics - crowds and inconsiderate climbers are expected. Try climbing in France where passing climbers will use your fingers as handholds as they pass .... or in Nepal where they'll use your body as a rap anchor.
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Going rate for a used but good condition set of Nepal EVOs seems to be around 200-225$, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more, depending. I just got a set of Nepals used a single time for $200 on eBay. The benefit to the newer Nepal EVOs is that they are Goretex, unlike the older Nepal Extremes. (Well, technically they maybe aren't "older" as they are still sold in markets outside NA).
Thanks. Didn't even think about ebay!
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The NPS says models certified by IGBA are approved. The list of approved canisters is here: http://igbconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/170811_Certified_Products_List.pdf
Specifically... Ursak Model S29 AllWhite & Model AllMitey
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Trip: Four Days in Boston Basin
Date: 8/1/2017
Trip Report:
Anchorage is having a normal summer (rainy cloudy crappy) so we bought tickets to Seattle. Flew out Thursday afternoon, were at the Marblemount Ranger Station at 10pm where we scored the #2 ticket (thanks to CC.com for the numbers tip!) and then crashed for a few hours of sleep. Back to the ranger station in the AM where we scored a permit for 4 nights at Boston Basin. Then up to Boston Basin where it was sunny and hot and the horseflies were hungry for human flesh.
A nice night of sleep and then the West Ridge of Forbidden Peak. There was only one other party on it that morning and they were well ahead of us so we had the route to ourselves for both the up and the down. The next day we climbed Sahale Peak and on our last day we tried Torment but we turned around right before the summit ridge because we were tired and didn't want to risk a bivy which would have meant we'd miss our flight.
Nothing to say about these routes that hasn't already been said a million times so I'll just share some select photos. If you're interested in seeing all my photos I've uploaded them to my site .
This was a great trip and I've fallen in love with the North Cascades. Scheming on ways to get down there every time it starts raining.
Route notes:
- if the rangers say the west couloir is out, listen to them.
- you can get off forbidden with 1 rope if you keep going down the gully instead of jumping across to the far (climbers right) gully partially down the 3rd rap. Note that the last rap station is pretty much in the middle of the gully and you're really exposed to rockfall if anyone is above you.
- the anchor on the top of Sahale is gone. We downclimbed but people descending the other side used my anchor to rap down to the anchors on the E side.
- you can get off the S ridge of Torment with one rope as long as you do the traversing raps and hunt around for the intermediate anchors.
- the marmots are vicious.
- the NPS has approved the latest version of the Ursack . Depending on what ranger you get they will argue with you about using it - but it's been approved.
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The camp views were pretty awesome.
The rangers told us the couloir was out but I didn't believe them. There was a nice moat 1/3 of the way up which required some wet crampon rock moves and a creative picket aid move. Next time I'll listen the rangers.
Top of the couloir. The weather here rocks!
I took about a zillion photos on this route.
These guys were on the summit after climbing the E Ridge and shouted "Take a photo". I did and I'm posting it here in case anyone knows them.
My wife at the notch. There was much less cursing that I imagined there would be.
LOST Sapphire on the west ridge. Reward! There was lots of cursing and weeping and wailing when my wife showed me her wedding ring. It was me doing the cursing and weeping.
Damn
Party of 5 coming down the gullies well after dark. The next morning I told them I took some photos of their epic and they shouted "IT WASN'T AN EPIC!!"
Sahale Peak - super fun mellow climb.
This is why you shouldn't start glacier climbs at 2pm.
19 people on Sahale.... and why you shouldn't start glacier climbs at 6am.
Double exposure showing how much this route traverses.
My wife doing the traversing downclimb / rap off Torment.
Goodbye sunny granite. We'll be back!
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I switched to Nikon and just got the d750 w/ Nikkor 24-120 f4. Nothing top of the line buy any means, but a huge step up from what I had (Canon T1i w/cheap kit lens from ~2009).
It shows. The images are excellent. I admire people who suck it up and carry their full dSLR setup on an extended climbing trips.
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Beautiful photos. What model camera / lens did you carry?
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I wore a pair of Galibier Super Guides until the uppers wore clean through back in the 70s-80s - resoled (and steel shanks replaced) three times. If the uppers are sound, and the fit is still good, I'd resole.
Thanks. Uppers are mostly sound. Waterproof is questionable... but I think it might be more a matter of leaking around the rand than the actual leather.
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The uppers are in decent shape. I use them enough to justify a resole... I'm more concerned about how many times I can resole before the boot self destructs.
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Considering sending in my (La Sportiva Nepal) boots to Dave Page for a third resole. This time they'll need a full rand / sole rebuild. The boots are almost 15 years old and while they see a fair amount of use... they don't see that much given I have plastics for the winter and lighter boots for the summer.
How many times do you guys resole your boots before deciding it's time to buy a new pair?
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The moats appear to be melting out at this point (at least as of this past weekend!) Both getting onto the Boston from the col just to the right of Sharkfin (with the snow gully then crap gully approach), then getting off the glacier to the upper col. There are 4 bivy sites at the upper col, and access to snow to melt for water was fairly easy. We were able to bypass both snow patches on the left without snow travel (well, three steps in the lower snow patch with our rock shoes on). That said, the 5.6 "crux" right at the start of the ridge was by no means the hardest part, and the upper part of the ridge above the upper snowfield did not appear to be 5.0. "Sketchy Bullshit" indeed!
ursaeagle... I believe these pix are of you. One looking down at you from the summit and one from the start of your "not an epic" descent.
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If you show up the afternoon before, I believe you can get a permit for a trip starting the following day. Also, once they close the station for the night, they are putting out a box of numbered cards so you can come in the evening and grab a number that puts you in a good spot for the next morning.
Nice tip. Thx!!
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I took an old, beat up MSR XGK stove to MSR in Seattle for their $35.00 service. The dude behind the counter just reached into a bin and handed me a brand new stove, wind screen, and pump. I also mailed an old, beat up MSR XGK for their cleaning service and received back a brand new stove, pump, BOTTLE, and wind screen. In both cases, it was definitely worth the cost.
Something to consider.
I've sent at least 3 stoves back to MSR over the years for a full rebuild. $35 will pretty much get you a new stove after they're done with the cleanup. Well worth it.
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Thanks for the info. In regards to forbidden in a day... I'm sure it's doable, but when I'm unfamiliar with area and don't even know what the trailhead looks like, long days have a tendency to turn into late night snuggles on a rock ledge.
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if you can't get a permit for forbidden, there's never a line on johannesberg across the way
http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=484182
So tempting. We have so little shrubbery and choss up here it would be a novelty.
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Hi all. Our local weather sucks so we booked a flight to Seattle where apparently the weather is amazing. Anyways.... (like everyone else) I'd love to climb Forbidden but am completely lost as how the permit process works and the chances of obtaining a permit. Likewise I've only climbed in the Cascades once so I'm totally open to other suggestions.
What is the likelihood of obtaining a permit for Boston Basin if we were to arrive at the Ranger station first thing Friday morning? If everything is completely booked what are some good moderate day routes in the same vicinity that don't require a permit?
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Here's getting onto the glacier in July 2001. I recall getting onto the glacier to be a pain but the bergschrund was a nonissue. I always just assumed the guidebook author deliberately left off key portions like "how to access the climb" and "how to get off the climb" so you could have an adventure. We found the route to be pretty straightforward compared to the access and descending to the AA col.
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$850 for a tarp tent? You can find a megamid for around $200 - is it really worth that much?
PS - nice web site!
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Gaia on the iphone for wilderness navigation. I too have stopped carrying a GPS in favor of the phone. I've found I can do up to 5 days with an old phone battery and no recharges if I'm using GPS sparingly and diligent about turning the phone off when not in use. If I think I might navigate with it for extended periods I carry a little charger that is good for 1 1/2 charges.
For tracking I have a Garmin Edge 25 that lasts up to 10hrs. Super tiny and synchs to the phone / strava without hassle. I like that it's so tiny and that I don't have to carry my phone with me - but if I lived somewhere where there were more roads for riding I'd probably get a larger one that has a built in navigation screen.
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Article here: http://www.rockandice.com/climbing-news/drew-ruana-16-sends-le-cadre-nouvelle-5-14d-in-ceuse
His stick the crux yell sounds just like his dad 20+ years ago.
Glacier Peak Mid-June? And what boots?
in Climber's Board
Posted
Thx. Sounds like it’s mostly due to weather then. We’ll watch weather and snow levels and decide closer to June.