OlegV
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Trip: Mt Shuksan - Hanging Glacier via the NW Rib and the NW arête
Date: 8/11/2012
Trip Report:
The route at glance for hard men and hard women:
1)Downclimbing the White Salmon Glacier to the entrance of the Rotten Gully on the lower NW Rib. The gully is a piece of lose skunk.
2)Following the arête on the good and easy rock (class 4-5).
3)Traversing left the unprotectable and exposed slab (similar to the “Improbable Traverse”) to the base of the very narrow chimney (one pitch, 5.7-5.8); terrible anchor options.
4)Exiting the chimney via the light grey ramp on the left to the toe of the Hanging Glacier.
5)Crossing the middle Hanging Glacier and traversing left to the ice flake on the left side of the Hanging Glacier (close to the NW arête).
6)Climbing up the base of the NW arête to the entrance (5.7-5.8, 70 degree ice) to the upper Hanging Glacier.
7)Climbing the upper Hanging Glacier to the Crystal Glacier below the summit pyramid.
Climbing lyrics for gentle souls:
We were driven by our collective addiction to being a second away from eternity and by a strong believe in our own invincibility. We followed a powerful irrational force that makes you continue upward and be a part of the mountain flow. Honestly, I am not sure why I ignored to check the Hanging Glacier route description in the Becky’s book that clearly states: “…hard to protect class 5 climbing”. We paid the price...
Our trisome-style climbing team consisted of the two distinguished female alpinists, Nastia (Yocum Ridge) and Anita (Ace), and me (as a male):
We agreed that girls will lead steep ice and I will lead rock. Naïvely assuming that the route can be done in a day, we left our cozy nest at 4 o’clock Saturday morning carrying only extra clothes but no bivy gear. Luckily, Anita brought a large black garbage bag that, as time showed, will serve us well next night we will spend on the mountain.
Part 1: The White Salmon Glacier -> the NW Rib –> the lower Hanging Glacier. Nastia leads us 1000 ft down through the crevasses (45 degree) of the White Salmon Glacier and finds a rotten-looking gully at the lower section of the NW Rib. We naively anticipate an easy scramble to the toe of Hanging Glacier.
The ramp is clearly visible at the lower section of the NW Rib:
I lead (class 3-4) avoiding a scary-looking chock stone stuck in the middle of the gully throat.
The gully leads to a nice mossy platform just below easy-looking slabs. I continue up (class 4) relaxing in the sun and whistling romantic songs. Slabs end. For some unknown reason, I continue to climb upwards aiming at the central tower (has a large crack in the middle of it) that dominates the arête. Class 4 turns into 5.too-much and becomes impassible for my mountaineering boots. I am ready to take my boots off and climb barefoot, when I realize that the route must go left off the tower. I down-climb 30 ft to the ledge, hoping that it should lead to an easy ground. Not really:
I start traversing left discovering that the terrain becomes more interesting: no pro and the narrow 2’’ ledge. Finally I hit the deadened facing the entrance to a very narrow off-width chimney (30 ft).
I place a psychological belay and bring the girls up. Apparently, they are not looking too happy to see me.
Anita remarks that our tinny ledge made of dirt and sand is about to go off leaving us hanging on a single piece. Spicy! My only desire is to squeeze my body into the narrow slot and find some pro. Our life gets a little brighter when I discover a baseball-size chockstone stuck at the base of the chimney – the sling raped around serves well reducing our heart rate and returning us to the state of moderate optimism. I climb up the chimney without the pack toying with the idea that this section reminds me the Smith Rock. On the way out of the chimney, I trigger some rocks that hit Anita’s head and the pack. She survives - thank you REI and mountain research. I bring up both girls to the base of the grey ramp (Nastia is correct it is an exit) and finally begin breathing. I lower Anita to retrieve my pack. The grey ramp leads to a nice bench connecting the NW Rib and the glacier. It appears that we are at the spot where the NW Rib and the NW Arayette meet the Hanging Glacier.
View from the top of the grey ramp - down the NW Rib:
Part 2: The lower Hanging Glacier -> the NW arête. We are facing a steep entrance onto the Hanging glacier. It looks fun and surrealistic. Nastia, the brave heart leads through the series of crevasses and ice benches
to the spot where we can actually see the ground ahead of us: gaping voids of gigantic wall-to-wall crevasse cutting the entire glacier like wrinkles.
We can’t pass the glacier. Our collective desire to survive drives us to look for a weak spot on the left flanks – the place where the glacier touches the base of the NW arête. Nastia spots what appears to be a flake of ice connecting the glacier and the NW arête.
We pass it with some fear. Ice shit falls from above released almost in a quantum manner.
Information for tourists: the lower section of the NW arête is currently a water fall that leads to a 20 feet-wide hole – the entrance to the under-glacier river. I climb around using rock to protect potential plunge through the thin snow. We follow the NW arête to the point when it turns into the class 3-4 loose gully.
Anita climbing the NW ariete:
We can see the toe of the upper Hanging glacier.
It is getting dark and we decide to bivy in the garbage bag. Because the angle of the slope is too steep for sleeping horizontally, we have to dig a flat platform in dirt and rock using our ice tools and hands. We use the rope and packs to soften the bottom of the nest and the garbage bag serves us as a blanket. We settle in and prepare ourselves for misery. It comes in different shapes:
A) Skunk smell was very strong – I think it was coming from an army of weed-smoking dead climbers (we also heard voices), or were sleeping on the top of a skunk city.
B) Our bodies barely fit the ledge, and went numb very quickly. I suggested changing orientation and sleep sitting (as mainland older people often do in their in-front-of TV chairs). I think Anita remained in the same position for the rest of the night, visiting new places she has never been before.
C) Cold gets and simplifies you. You stop caring about strange ritual things invented by Homo sapience in the last 5 thousand years. Nastia puts my gaiters over her head, I am wearing my second socks as mittens, Anita seems paralyzed, but fortunately I hear her body’s rhythmic shivers. Time passes…
Nastia in the bivy:
Part 3: The NW arête -> the upper Hanging Glacier -> the Crystal Glacier. We are still strong and motivated, although our bodies shake from a sleepless night. The next objective is to get out of the slot via rock and ice. I lead the rock pitch that tkes us out of the canyon. I find an old sling that looked like a bailout piece. This place is strange and the rock is shuttered and unstable. Thank you to Anita for pointing at the short traverse (maybe a 5.8 move or two) that leads to the right and up to the rock platform just beneath the glacier.
The girls take over and lead a stellar alpine ice that leads to the top of the Hanging glacier. Their moves have no mistakes and the route finding seems easy.
Nastia leading the first pitch leading to the upper Hanging glacier:
Anita following a steep ramp:
Getting ready for the top section of the upper Hanging glacier:
My memory fades away as we enter a featureless desert of the upper mountain. It is a different story, my dear reader…
Beneath the summit:
Gear Notes:
garbage bag, small alpine rack, 2 pockets, 5 screws
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Great job, Nastia and Brad! So, the upper ridge is loose and unprotectable?
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You guys rule the world! Very Nice..
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It keeps happening over and over again on Rainier and Hood. Those people who called themselves (quote) “experienced climbers” should learn how to descent steep terrains and self-rescue, instead of calling a baby-sitting park service and put other people’s life at risk. Nick didn't deserve to die and had a stellar carrier ahead of him.
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Rest in peace, Nick. You took the best possible death we all wish - by serving your duty to rescue the life of others...
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It doesn't look too fun of the route, but is a good training for Yocum! Great effort!
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Congrats on your FA of Mt Hood, Vitally and Nastia! Hopefully, it will be added to a new Mt Hood climbing guide.
Oleg
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I have no interest whatsoever in picking a fight but having struggled up the Eliot Glacier Headwall route many years ago from the bottom up--through the crevasses and over the yawning bergschrund and up the steep rock-scoured ice runnels and then, finally, the rock bands at the top--it seems somehow unearned to slip in from the side, zip up two pitches, and say you've climbed the same route. This seems like Eliot Glacier Headwall Lite.
http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=411172
My first official acquaintance with Mt Hood began when I tried to climb the Sunshine and ended up on a snow part of the headwall. I actually turn around a hundred feet below the summit ridge because of ice (I had a single ice axe). Downclimbing that green line wasn’t fun – I actually nearly fell into lower crevasse. It also felt steeper and scarier than the last time we did it.
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Let's discuss if the traverse to the right gulley of the NF is possible. Maybe we should install ladders or fixed ropes to climb over and rappel down the ridge?
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Congrats Nastia and Vitali!!! Well done. The textbook dogma that the north routes ofn Mt. Hood require long approaches is now officially broken! The North side can be climbed in a cragging style.
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Congrats! Looks pretty sick. Crack climbing is scary.
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We had the best team ever! The division of labor was perfect. Zero drama too. I hope people will pay more attention to the EHW in the future. It is an extraordinary mixed route.
Nastia did the other variation of the North face only in 4 days after we climbed the headwall - the Raven. My greatest compliments to her!
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Well, here is my version of the story… Our trip was a blast by
any means. A day before, the old crippled gipsy told us to
kick some serious mountain ass and get the Eliot headwall
done even if we have to lose a person or two in the process.
The stars and the moon were properly aligned, the weather was
good, the snow was still white, and our spirits were hopeful
and strong. To ensure our glorious victory on the mountain,
the Andy-5.11-no-gear-climbing-machine was added to the team,
not to mention Nastia’s skills as a steep-ice-runner, which
makes her more similar to a spider-woman than to a regular
mortal “let’s-go-shopping-honey” flat-lander. I was and am a
wise-man, a commander in chief, a cautious critic of the REI
equipment, and the inventor of a babushka-style insolation (50
cents) for boringly-designed Scarpa mountaineering boots. We
also invented a head-to-toe sleeping style - highly recommend
for space saving...
Perfect design...
The snow conditions were soft, but we were insistently
breaking our trail, sometimes plowing through waist deep
powder, to the base camp at the toe of the Hog’s Back. The
snow castle was erected to protect a high-tech Nastia’s tent
from NOAA-promised 20 mile/h winds.
Snow shelter
Our plan ingeniously designed by Nastia and her climbing
friend Dane was to spend a night at the Hog’s back, climb to
the summit early morning, down-climb (hike) the Cathedral
ridge to the prominent flat spot, traverse the Eliot glacier
to the base of the headwall, and go up from there.
Summit shot
On the Cathedral ridge
Suffice to mention, a nightmarish climb through the Pearly
Gates, shaky traverse through the (amazingly non-steep) Eliot
glacier, and excellent snow conditions at the base of the
headwall.
Nastia leading WI3, pitch1
Nastia approaching the rockband
We are now approaching the crux of our story, which will add
our names to the history of local mountaineers. I wonder why
people don’t climb this route more often. It reminded me the
North face of the Chair peak: the moderate water and alpine
ice, good protection, amazing views, multiple rock options,
not too long. The rock band is composed off not too bad of
the rock. Andy was able to place a couple of solid pieces as
he led his lucky pitch through the vomiting narrowness of
the “twisted neck” slot. Welcome to a newly re-discovered
Eliot crags! Bring your girlfriends, dogs, and unneeded in-
laws…
Andy leading "The twisted neck" slot
Last pitch
Thanks for not killing your partners leading rock, Andy. Next
time bring ice screws as well… Forgot to mention, we only had
a single rope and had to climb the rock band (and ice) in a
weird two-followers, full-belay style. Essentially, the two
followers, separated by the 10 feet of rope, climb in
tandem. The tandem climbing gets tricky from a thermodynamic
point to view. It reminds me a ratchet movement of molecular
engines, when two objects have to simultaneously overcome the
energy barrier imposed by…the gravity in our case.
Synchronization is a key. While engaged in a hauling
climbing style, we were pretty vocal, I recall. Some people
get quiet; some sing primordial “Atass” songs! Atassss – go
to the summit!!! What a climb!
A couple of individuals at the summit were staring at us as we
were coming out of the abyss of the Eliot headwall - not
realizing high much more beautiful and interesting the north
flanks of the mountain
are.
Nastia nearing the summit
The "Russian-American route" as Nastia reccomended...
For higher resolution images go to:
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That is a powerful story Oleg. You son has a long life ahead of him and I hope this rough patch is relatively short. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, hang in there!
That would be cool if Dave's worked out, they're a great company that I love to support.
Thank you Jason. I hope my sone is reading this.
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Oleg,
My daughter got involved in drugs, was in rehab by age 13, still ended up using. She is in med school now, having turned her life around. I had to do the tough love thing, was very hard, but it worked out. I know both you and your ex Olga are smart cookies, I have no doubt your son is pretty bright. Best of luck.
Dan
Hey Dan, thanks a lot man. I just don't get why some kids are being so blind to real possibilities of this world. Having moved to the US, I expected that my kids will take advantage of opportunities this country has to offer. Instead, I see quite the opposite. They don’t have to stay near the bottom – all it takes is to look up in the sky and think.
Oleg
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Hey Oleg -
You are doing a real solid for your son.
Climbers are the biggest ego-maniacs and non-egotists. With that disclaimer, here is my simple advice:
1) Move
2) Adjust
Best luck,
-Joe
Hey Joe,
Moving is great advice. We live in the village and there is no escape from old shit. He will make it, I am sure.
Thanks!
Oleg
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from that website, oleg:
"...about 240 employees (about 30% of whom, like Dave, are ex-felons)..."
and the employment page: http://www.daveskillerbread.com/about-us/employment-opportunities.html
Eric, he is doing well now, just needs to get rid of his old ballast. It is nearly impossible in electronic era..
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If he's in Portland, tell him to check out this place:
http://www.daveskillerbread.com/
Dave has known some jail time himself, and has a few people who've known hard times working for him. A good man.
Best of luck to your son.
This place looks great! Thanks, man.
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People make mistakes, hope he pulls out.
I volunteer and rebuild at this place - they have a temp position but could lead to something - great place.
http://bikeworks.org/about_jobs.php
Jim, thanks for your advice - I will tell him to check this place out.
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Sounds like he's figured things out now and just wants to get headed out in the right direction for a change - everyone comes to it at different ages and some never do. I know it can be a rough transition, so good on him and all my the best.
Thanks Joseph for your support! I noticed changes when Alex turned 21 and his friend found jobs and he didn't. I hope things will improve.
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Oleg,
Not sure where your son is living, but Pioneer Industries operates manufacturing facilities in Seattle (and perhaps other cities, I don't know) and their mission is to support and help rehabilitate former convicts through gainful employment. It is a very tough job market, even for those up us with advanced degrees and years of experience. I can only imagine what an uphil battle it must be for your son.
Best of luck,
Dan
Dan, thanks very much for your advice. My son lives in Portland. He started using drugs when he was young and that led to where he is now. Fortunetly, he is very smart and is on the right track now. His bad record, however, is tagging alone. He will make it with our support...
Oleg
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My son, 21 wrote it. I decided to post this letter because my son ran out of options. We live in a highly egoistic society, but I feel he may get some help from climbers. I think he deserved a real chance.
Thank you. Oleg
This is a cry for help, not to sound bitchy but its to that point. I stay at this dude's house that has two alcoholic potheads living in it soon to be another it seems. They're good people but they r literally driving me to the point of insanity. They do nothing but drink malt and smoke weed all day and I'm trying to stay off that shit for reasons of parole and personal choice. Ive been legitimately hard job hunting for the past month and it seems to no appeal. The market sucks these days especially for a felon. I feel like I'm the only voice of reason in this household and the others are too drunk and blind to listen. I really need the f... out of here asap so I guess what I'm getting to is that I need all the help I can possibly get finding a job. Ive been living the life of dependency for too long and i need to start anew. Ive been busting my ass in school (and doing really well in it and trying to find a part time job on top of it. I know that it'll be really hard once i get work but life requires the hardships. I realized this too late and now I'm kinda stuck in this shitty position, hopefully not much longer, but god it hard out there. On top of it all a few of my homies just got an apt and I'm still stuck here living in hell, making my insanity double, and making it seem like a lost hope to keep going. But ill keep truckin' until I succeed. Please... if anyone knows anything about ANY possible felony friendly job prospects or opportunities let me know because I really don't know where to look anymore its driving me crazy. I need some real feedback. Thanks for listening whoever read this.
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$500; include 8xBD cams (0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 2x1, 2x2, 3.0), 1xMetolius1, 9 binners, and a free 33 oz MSR canister.
I purchased this set 2 yeard ago, but only used it 4-5 times.
PM or email if interested. varlamov@ohsu.edu
I also have brand new Koflack Degree boots for $70, size 11.
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Congrats Nastia!!! You are a the most persistent m-f I've ever known (besides myself
I've been up Sunshine a day before your climb and have to admit the slope was in the best possible conditions. Eliot FW looks a little thin.
Canadian Rockies next week
in Climbing Partners
Posted
Looking for a 3rd partner to climb the NF of Bryce, Robson and Columbia also a possibility.