Alpine_Dreamer

Partner found

C'mon people, help a brother out! Don't make me set up an uber-cluster roped solo rig on GNS or Aries. I could be tied up for hours on Godzilla! I'm sure the spray/recounting of the scene could make entertaining reading next week, though . . .

Anyone want to climb some moderate routes at Index Saturday am? I need to be back to Seattle by around 3-4. I don't mind driving. PM if interested . . .

Thanks for the beta!

Anyone have recent info on the condition of the gully leading to the w. ridge notch? I'm thinking about attempting the ridge as a day trip soon (w/ aluminum poons & a light axe), and I'd be shut down quick if there's any ice or mixed climbing to deal w/.

Wow, beautiful pics! Nice job on the climb, too. What's the peak just to the left of Buckner in the 2nd picture? Now I really need to get up there - thanks for the stoke!

Nice job! I'm thinking about doing that route in a few weeks. Can you take a wild guess how much time would have been added to your climb w/o the snow bridges?

Not sure - we thought we were racking up to start Sisyphus when a couple very nice locals (Rick and Missy) showed up and said the route was "Methow Buttress" and rated .9 or so. Doh! It started on a buttress w/ a old dead snag and a live somewhat large pine. We later found the start of Sisyphus, and the route we did was maybe 300-500 yards to the lookers right.

Climb: North Early Winter Spire-NW Corner Date of Climb: 7/9/2005 Trip Report: WARNING!! WARNING!! Long-winded, gumby TR with no pictures (partner had camera) ahead! Continue at your own risk!! (I'll add pictures later if/when I get them). Dan and I had planned for a weekend of climbing on the beautiful granite of WA pass. Because I’d actually planned in advance for this trip, the weather forecast began to look bleak as the weekend approached – 20-50% chance of measurable showers . But I had a signed permission slip, so I couldn’t let reason get in my way. Since the weather didn’t sound promising, we opted for a slacker start from Seattle. As we drove, the scattered clouds along I-5 turned to constant drizzle around Newhalem. Ugh! But the rain shadow effect finally kicked in about 10 miles before WA Pass, so it was dry and partly cloudy when we finally pulled into the Blue Lake trailhead a bit before 11. Right on! For day 1 we decided to go for the NW Corner of N. Early Winter Spire. A couple years earlier, after my first multi-pitch climb (N. Face of Concord), I watched climbers on the route and dreamed (nightmared?) of climbing the 80’ off-width crack that runs up to and under a huge roof. Dan was appalled by the big wall/aid-style rack I assembled for the climb, so we pared it down a bit. I begged to bring 3 large (3-4”) pieces and, sick of my whining, Dan agreed. The approach was a piece of cake (even lugging boat anchors), and the view of the spires is amazing. We saw a large guided group starting up the Liberty Bell – Beckey route, some folks on SEWS, but no one on NEWS. Sweet. I drew the first pitch, a nice meandering warm-up. Good thing, cause my fingers were freakin’ cold. Between the wind and overcast, it was a lot cooler than we’d expected. The third pitch was when the fun began. I thrutched up a short, but very wide and questionably protected off-width, followed by nice cracks, then an exceptional exposed (but with good pro) undercling/lieback flake traverse, finishing with cracks to a small belay ledge at the base of the off-width to roof pitch. This pitch made the climb for me! Dan groveled up the fourth pitch. I think he was glad to have brought the big gear. It was secure climbing (just shove a foot, calf, or knee in to rest), but upward progress was slow. Dan couldn’t find a good belay under the roof, and it was a bit wet there anyway, so he continued around the roof until he ran out of gear. He wasn’t thrilled with his anchor, but lacking quality went for quantity – lots of marginal nuts. I chose not to look at it. The fifth pitch, which goes over a small “roof”, was short but fun. Dan finished up the route w/ the long moderate jog to the summit. One rope was fine for the descent. There’s a lot of loose rock, so keeping the raps to <30m probably helps dislodge less anyhow. The giant chockstone rap made for some great glamour shots. I'll bring a boa next time . . . In hindsight I was bummed that we hadn’t rushed up to start climbing sooner; we almost had enough time for another quick moderate route, but opted to head for beers in the car instead. We had ambitious (for me) plans of attempting the E. Buttress of SEWS on Sunday, but on the hike out we got a weather update from a Mountain Madness guide – 70% chance of rain. We drove down to Lone Fir Campground to consider our options. The E. Buttress would be a long day for us, and getting caught on the route in rain seemed like epic-o-rama. So instead we opted for more beers, sleeping in, and a recon of Mazama climbing. I’d brought a topo of a long bolted route on Goat Wall (Sisyphus), but we ended up bungling the approach and climbing a fun 4-pitch route (Methow Buttress). We got a bit of rain, but it was warm and the views from the wall were beautiful. The wine spires and WA Pass were completely socked in, so we were definitely glad we’d bailed on the E. Buttress. We finished up w/ a quick trip to the nearby Fun Rock area. It was nothing spectacular (a bit chossy for my taste), but a great place to try if you’re rained off the Pass. Dan then met his family for a few more days of camping, and I hit Hwy 20 for the ride home. Gear Notes: Our gear list for NW Corner: -1 60m rope -1 set of nuts -Lots of cams: doubles from tips to 4” -Cordelette (didn’t use – rescue/bail material) and webolette (used but could do without) -4 draws, 8 single runners and 1 double Approach Notes: Easy, lots of goat guano.

Nice job - sounds like a fun (?) adventure! And way to hang it out there for a newbie climber. I know I owe a lot to folks who took a chance climbing with me early on . . .

Thanks for posting the TR, Jay. Unfortunately there aren't any pics that capture the 4-5 hours during which things unraveled for us - the rain, snow, billowing dark clouds, water engulfed cracks, and failed attempts to climb cracks that (at a crag) would've been moderate but crushed us in our packed-booted-dehydrated-sketched state. Next time I'm gonna try to be more consistent w/ the photography Mercifully the storm blew over, so at least we didn't get soaked during our bivy below the false summit . . . I'm bummed Jay's moving - he's been an awesome climbing partner.

Rumr's right, but sounds like you're looking for a general area recommendation. Tieton might work for ya - vertical columns w/ rock less chossy than Vantage.

Really, it's great that you all can climb weekdays. Anyone out there interested in the same schedule TOMORROW? I gotta get back to Seattle by 2-3 . . .

I usually use an overhand rather than a figure 8 to tie off the cordellette - takes less webbing. The only downside I can think of is it might be harder to untie after a hard fall, but it's yet to be a problem for me (maybe cause I'm using spectra so it slides easier?). Are there other reasons to not use the overhand?

Sweet! I'll give you a call, James. Your route ideas sound good - I've spent all of a day at Smith, so I'm open to anything. Mark

I'm heading to Bend for a family ski trip at the end of March. Unless there's some serious snow dumpage b/w now and then (yeah, right), I'm not really interested in skiing the whole week. Sooo, I'm hoping there's someone out there interested in hooking up to climb at Smith for a day or two. I'd love to do some moderate (.7-.9 - more if you can lead it) multi-pitch trad, but bolts are good too. Post or PM. Or I can wander around offering beer/bowls for a belay . . .

Thanks to Marcus at the Seattle REI, I picked up their last 4.5. W/ spousal employee discount, got it for like $25. I was eyeing the Big Bros, though - wondering how tough they are to place. Sure look to be a lot lighter for similar size range . . . .

Hey Oly - sorry, I'm not gonna be at SG tomorrow night to be your belay beyotch for "The Test - Take 3". Bummed I'm going to missed the spectacle of your orange tights (you've got to do it). Wait a week. Or better yet - move this to the events forum! You may get plenty of belay offers. . .

Great story, Oly. I still remember the first time I walked into SG, hopped on a V1, and promptly fell right on my ass. After a few humiliating moments like this, you stop givin' a shit about everyone else in the gym and focus on what you're doing. Amazing what that extra focus can do for your climbing. Wear brightly colored lycra - it'll speed the process. Z-clipping is embarrasing, but whatever you do, don't skip a clip at SG. If caught, they'll blackball your ass. I had to grovel for a week to keep my lead priviledges when I did this about a year ago. . .

Sorry for the confusion Von Spanker, I was commenting on Korups post. I think IIB has assumed Alpental isn't gonna be open, and is thinking about the ice routes in the ski area, not hoping the lifts will be open (sadly, that's probably another storm away). Sure, avy will be a concern - doubt they'd bother with control before the area opens. . .

I think IIB's talking ice climbing lines, not riding. Neri, am I right?

We're at SG. Yeah, less lead options, but there's noone leading (at least when we're there) so it's easy to get on routes. Also, when I need full humiliation, I can flail on the roof!

I'm usually there with 1-2 others later on Wed nights (around 8-11). We usually lead, then maybe TR after we're fried. PM me or just look for us if your interested (usually there's noone else leading on Wed nights, so we're easy to find - look for a couple guys w/ very short hair and ask for Mark).

I attempted der Toofen last Tuesday (Winter Solstice ) with a couple folks and experienced similar flailing. We expected a cruise climb, and possibly a swing by Chair to check on conditions there. We were promply cold-cocked by the wet snow/ice covered rock (we didn't bring tools or 'poons). Hopefully the only time I'll have to see aided 5.4 climbing.

I'm heading up to the pass tomorrow to meet vraddict and climb the Toof (my original plan for Chair NEB got canned for my lack of skillz, bailing partners, etc). If the Toof goes quick, could try to hit Rap Wall (is there any moderate drytooling there?) or see if there's a pitch or two of ice in that area. Vraddict has no tools right now, but we could figure something out. PM if interested . . .