OlegV

Stellar work, Eric! ...climbing like it is your last day.

in general, yes. There is a reason the Eliot HW hasn't been climbed a lot. The NF receives many ascends each year. What is it?

Thanks! It did feel different up there. We saw several people on a glacier and did hear voices. I remember similar mystical things happened to me on the north side of Rainier.

Vodaka - that was our problem - we didn't bring any! Elegant poetry, my friends! Nastia likes to climb in the epic style

..got to do it together nex time!

I'll ask of the berserks, you tasters of blood, Those intrepid heroes, how are they treated, Those who wade out into battle? Wolf-skinned they are called. In battle They bear bloody shields. Red with blood are their spears when they come to fight. They form a closed group. The prince in his wisdom puts trust in such men Who hack through enemy shields

Trip: Mt Hood - North Side Date: 1/22/2011 Trip Report: A woman named Her and a man named Him are on a mission. Their metal teeth and their senses are as sharp as the blade of a samurai; their vision is as beautiful as the curvature of a crystal sphere. They are ready to fight a monster hiding in a forbidden corner of The Land of No Return. Show him a sick spirit and the dragon will fight back with the force of a giant; bring an unfaithful companion with you and he will throw ice and stones, show him fear or disrespect and he will spit out a fountain of sharp crystals with the laugh of a zombie. He has the power to kill men who come unprepared or out of simple curiosity or stupid ambitions. He can’t stand women. He laughs at them and points at the green valley full of flowers and birds. Thousands of years ago a secret Indian tribe came here to ask for fertility and cures. They would bring a woman or a child who was sick or blind, they would ask for a cure. They would climb just above a frozen crack of Eliot ice keeping their balance with axes, building rope ladders; they would come to a secret passage in the stone and pray. Dozens fell under the ice…perished forever. Some felt different after they returned home. Him and Her found a shelter on the surface of a frozen sphere… Big dragon came in the morning, and brought the voices of long dead. His mighty message was as clear as the arrows of wind and ice. They stay in their primitive shelter made of silk with their faces pressed against the ground… strange cries were heard in the distance. She said someone fell crying. …They ran down chased by a dense curtain of white gas, hearing gasps, and feeling pushed off the mountain. They crawled down the icy dome connected by a short umbilical cord, fighting the fierce wind, trying to reach an island of rocks, being swallowed by white fog. …They sit quietly leaning against the cold stone thinking about their broken shelter and warm home miles and ages away. The woman is calm and tired consumed by the mountain; the man is alert and ready to go. They attach their shelter to the shallow ice with screws; they prepare for another night. It came again: blizzard, sharp icy needles in the air, gust and fog. They fight with storm again…

Impressive job Nastia and Pete! Now you are ready for Denali ice.

Nastia, your genetically pre-engineered skill to bend like an April leaf should be handy on a variety of north western dihedrals. Your gender-specific skills may be very well advantageous on rock.

Darn - screwed up my russian wishes

Мира, добра и согласия, ребята! Чтоб лед под вами был прочнее чугуна! Peace, kindness and agreement - doesn’t sound quite right. Solid ice under your feet!

Nice TR, Nastia. Rock pro would help.

Kids, the mountains are not about cruising superlightly through cool slippery terrains, looking like heros in a clear sunshine. Let me explain, if I am not clear on this one. It comes down to a simple fact: men climb, men fight wars and men carry your shit. Respect deserved. Understood?

I am still hopeful there are mountains out there with SOLID ROCK and ice.

Warm in winter, good on the approach (light) and mixed technical terrains. Hate stiff boots.

Climbing with Veronica and Nastia was a thrill. I'd say they are the strongest female climbers I ever met. I am happy we pulled out this difficult multi-crux climb and didn't lose out sense of sanity. Special thanks to Veronica and her talent for leading the most technical sections of the climb and to Nastia for being an 'energizing bunny'.

Looks like American alpinism is all about "YOU", isn't it? How about some appreciation for a WOMAN who loves the mountains just like YOU do? Read classic literature, dude. It is never late to expand YOUR horizons.

Nastia, as usual, a superior climb! I like your obse/passion with a zero-margin climbing. Free climbing in its purest form. Do not slip.

Outstanding climb with a resonable amount of epics! I like your write-up Nastia. You should publish a book how to scale mountains without losing a sense of humor.

Well, thank you ALL for great compliments, we are pleased. I wish we had a 3rd person on a team, so I could take better pictures of people in struggle. We will continue our search for ultimate truth and a personal spirit development in what others consider Hell.

Trip: North Ridge, Baker - Hardcore variation of NR Date: 5/18/2010 Trip Report: Strategy: Fear is as addictive as potato chips. Nastia, the mountain princess, has a new project for us. I resist at first, partially because the weather forecast is lousy and also because dragging my ass up a snowy hill is too much work, but when she shows up at the front door with her weird-looking pack, I reluctantly agree to drive all the way to Canadian border. We plan to conquer a hard-man ice tower route of the North Ridge of Baker, and if the weather permits, go to the summit, which is not a very serious objective for two Russian alpinists equipped with a cutting edge American climbing technology. To minimize a comfort level, we only bring 6 ice screws, 4 screamers and a single can of fuel. The level of confidence is high - we can get off the mountain no matter what, because we are hardcore bailout-masters. Acclimatization: We find a secluded camping spot at the edge of the crevasse field, pitch Nastia’s superlight tent made of the leftovers of the Russian army parachutes, and go for a casual glacier walk to probe a ground for hidden holes - none were found. We sleep. Alarm goes off at 3:30 and 2 hours later we are standing at the toe of the 45 degree snow ramp that leads to the base of North ridge ice cliffs. We simulclimb– no pro needed. While having a short second breakfast at the edge of the rotten moat, we make a confident decision to climb up to the right and conquer a steep serac. It looks easy. The Climb: As we get closer, ice walls quadruple in height and imaginary rest ledges appear more like overhangs of ice. “She leads, I live” – I thought. I yanked a couple of pickets into the snow, and am ready to belay and photo-shoot. I am trying to figure out how to turn this into aid-climbing. We need bigger packs, many more ice screws, and preferably a long ladder. The ice is brittle, front points don’t stick, exposure is great. There is always another option around a corner. We traverse the endless slope to the left and try one more line – no good! I suggest going around a corner and taking it easy. From this point, it is all about finding a secrete passage that leads to the summit. I start the lead discovering steep unprotectable ice that leaves a hairy feeling in my stomach. Instinctively, I search for signs of blue ice, and find one – inside of a small vertical mini-crevasse spitting the ridge. Nice. I like hidden crevasses because you can jam your body into it. Nastia follows. Bailout: At this point, we are shaken, running out of time and debating whether we are off route and it is time to turn on our bailout skills. Easy – we’ll go home and drink electrolytes. It starts snowing. NOAA was right after all. We rap off a cliff leaving a picket for the alpinists of the future, and start a tedious descent off the NR. Falling on Roosevelt glacier becomes an undesirable possibility and wet snow stuck to the bottom of crampons is a great help here. Nastia is hating this, and I am concerned about downclimbing a steep ramp with wet feet. The weather is seriously unhappy. We go, hoping there will be no wet slides, and our skills prove it. It is raining on a glacier. The snow is soft, the Roman Nose is loose and has a giant moat – we go across without falling into it. I am all about returning home tonight - we are pretty much out of water and fuel. My partner wants to find a tent and sleep with hand warmers in our socks. That proves to be a safe decision. Aftermath: When I was growing up I wanted to explore other planets. It never happened - because most of people are not interested in leaving their SUVs or carrying oxygen bottles in their packs. We do! I just realized how happy I am to meet so many potential cosmonauts. We need to bring climbing to the next level. Going light (or not so light), have the best technology in the world and eat a lot of good protein-rich foods is a key. I understand it is all about a hard core spirit, but there is another way too – make climbing adventurous AND safe. You can’t climb better than 5.14 or fall on ice screws… face it.

My best compliments to Nastia for leading the face - it felt like a single pitch to me. I wish there were similar routes but longer .

Congrats on your climb! Looks impressive. What camera are you using?

Wayne, congratulations on Black spider! The ice looks a little thin. Do you think Eliot HW conditions are similar? Thanks!

INDEED: got to pick the FA line 1st