Chriznitch

Climb: Mount Thielsen-west ridge Date of Climb: 1/5/2005 Trip Report: We went down south and climbed Thielsen on Wednesday. The trailhead was deserted... There was a foot of powder to break trail on the whole approach. The mountain was socked in when we could first see it, but the clouds parted and we saw our objective. We put on some sunscreen and were ready to enjoy a perfect, cold day in the mountains... As we neared the pinnacle, the weather moved back in.It started to snow a little bit and visability went down to short distances. We ended up wandering around for a few minutes trying to find the pinnacle. Finally we found it and climbed up. We used a running belay to protect it. The climbing wasn't too difficult but a little sketchy since the rock was underneath powder. I carried some ice screws but there was no ice to be found. We topped out and had a view of nothing. We stayed about a minute, took our "summit hero" shots, and rapped off. The clouds were sitting about 6500' as we descended. Below them there eventually was a nice view of Diamond Lake and the base of Bailey and Diamond peaks. Gear Notes: ice axe, crampons (crusty snow up high), rope, couple pieces of rock gear, snowshoes (critical) Approach Notes: nice trail broken in right now but probably not for long!

we used to drink 40's of Rainier Ale back in the day...

Johnny Cash (Love, God, Murder) Jimmy Smith Ramones Hank Williams Jr.

I've had the jacket for about a year now. Great for temps found on Mt Hood in spring Although it is breathable, I love the pit zip feature for max venting (great when wearing a backpack) Chest pockets are also a must and perfect for powerbars, gloves, etc. For the price it was hard to beat. Plus, it's different than the mountain hardwear and north face jackets that all the city people wear

despite his opponent's strong jaw clench on his scrotum, Billy is able to maintain his focus en route to winning an unprecedented 7th Saint Andrews after mass wrestling trophy

uhh...what the hell were you doing on that page?

one of the fatalities involved someone who was tazared like 5 or 6 times--that could be a little excessive

I've got the mammut champ pants. they're pretty awesome for multiple conditions, climbing, hiking, skiing Totally doable for summer trips without longjohns. Require a belt when I'm not wearing a harness. i usually wear shorts when it's nice though...

I usually get impatient with climbing books, but Joe Tasker's Savage Arena was pretty good Eiger Dreams was good too, but I usually don't admit it cause of Into Thin Air

the route you desire on Hood has no water-ice or rock in March, just moderate snow. it is basically a slog with a final stretch of 35 deg. There is usually one crevasse/bergshrund to avoid (unless you get off route)

i've been using the eldorado for a while. It's super light and great for snowy conditions. Sometimes it's a little too much for warmer weather though, but with 2 doors I get a pretty good breeze through it. Also, having only 2 poles means that you have to position it correctly. Putting a side towards the wind will result in less space inside (wind will cave in) unless you sit against it. The ed viesturs one seems like it would be a little stronger for a couple more ounces of weight. I've been happy with Makalus but I'm sure you can find some lighter fancier ones these days

there must've been some really cool bubbles and formations before it blew

I heard about that too. I know she was working on it last year. It will be put out by the mountaineers and prolly match the Washington version.

if the weather is decent you can follow the crowds (and cc.com amigos) up the mountain. However, with this much prep-time you should definitely practice walking in crampons and using an ice axe. I see you're in Florida so maybe plan to spend a day on Hood before the big summit push

cool guys--nice work. Good to hear about the road too. This route sounds pretty fun. Similar to the line vw4ever and party did a couple weeks ago if I recall.

you got it

at least we can see it now and spend way less than $800

at a minimum Mr Bertulis needs to contact Mr Surdel. He should prolly share the prize $ too. It's weird that he went through so much work but didn't try to get ahold of the guy...

awesome photos

nice job guys! I'm jealous. Here's some food for thought on the ice grading. Based on this info you'd have to say WI-2

ahh...summertime...

corvallis actually has lots of real crime right now(football team beating up soldiers, fatal homeless beatings, kidnappings, etc..) so you guys should be okay

cool pics

yes--the hogsback is basically a class I/II route, but there are a dozen more variations that also begin from Timberline lodge depending on your skill and how many people you would like to meet on the mountain.

hmmm...let me guess: middle sister northeast couloir?