Snafflehunter

Not that this thread needs another post, but I thought I'd share some of my own opinions on the matter. I just heard a radio show (AM 570) discussing how irresponsible these climbers were attempting the mountain in December. They were saying that the people who were searching for the trio all had families and are being put in harms way. These guys aren't ballet instructors, they're professional mountaineers trained in mountaineering, medicine, and assessment of environmental variables. If I'm not mistaken, SAR is a completely voluntary service. Nobody is forced to participate, and I kind of doubt that any of the SAR members feel that way. Furthermore, SAR members are climbers and skiiers in their sparetime, and I'm quite sure there are at least a couple on the team who have summitted Hood (and other PNW mountains) in December - and don't think it's irresponsible. The idea that nobody should climb Hood in December is ridiculous to me, and anyone who believes that doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. The fact is, climbing is a year-round sport. That will never change. If these guys were skiing in the backcountry and got into trouble, would everyone say how irresponsible they were for going out on skis on... SNOW in ... DECEMBER and risking theirs and others' lives for the sake of recreation? No way. Granted, there are many climbers who would not have chosen the first week of December following a series of serious storms to make the climb (I'd probably wait until February when there's traditionally a nice stretch of clear, mild weather), but I'm not training for Everest either and I may not be as qualified as these guys were. Saying that Hood (or other mountains) shouldn't be climbed in December is about as dumb as saying pleasure pilots shouldn't fly in airplanes over mountain ranges or bodies of water in December. If the plane crashes, that selfish pleasure pilot will have put many rescuers' lives in danger, all for the sake of a scenic ride. You're not going to get people to stop climbing mountains in December. The mountains belong to everyone.

Myself and a group of 8 are heading over there this weekend. I'll let you know conditions when we get back.

OK .. I'll bite, Sky. First of all, I've met you before. You seem like an alright guy. I like your trip reports and you do some hard core crazy type shit. Awesome. But let's be real about it. You say its a pretty petty beef. I agree. It is. But nevertheless, my point is a valid one. You shouldn't be on this board offering advice to people if you haven't stepped foot on the route. This website maybe the only place on earth where people would disagree with that statement. If I were asking advice on a route, I would expect the decency of an honest answer. If someone is blowing smoke up my ass and leading me to believe they know what they're talking about when they don't, then I'd be glad that someone alerted me to the fact outwardly. Is someone going to die because they were suggested the wrong rack for the W. Ridge of Forbidden? Probably not. Am I implying that? Not in the slightest. We all know that asking for 'beta' on this website is akin to asking for legal advice at the office water cooler. You're going to get some good opinions, and some bad ones. But .. if you are intentionally bullshitting an entire community and someone knows about it, then expect to be called on it. I sure as hell would. But that's just me I guess... I don't post on here to lie to people and get brownie points with my compadres for climbing a bunch of routes that I actually haven't. Take it for what it's worth. If you think the beef is petty .. fine, then don't listen to what I'm saying. You have your opinion and I have mine. Is cascadeclimbers.com "the pacific northwest climbers resource" or a bunch of yahoo armchair climbers who like to type funny little messages more than they like to get out and climb? If the latter, keep on keeping on. If this site wants an ounce of respect from newcomers, then do the right thing and give people honest advice when they ask for it. If all this makes me a hater, then so be it.

OK, done with this thread. Didn't mean to offend anyone (except for Harry).

He who hasn't climbed the route knows who he is. And just because you're "quite sure" of something doesn't mean shit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13281392/ Pub clubbers rejoice.

I don't mean to play shrink, Harry, but what exactly is the point of your post? Is it due to the size of your penis? Everyone knows you are a wee little guy, but now we're beginning to see how wee your wee wee is. BTW .. I like to use a cotton windshirt. No hard feelings? EDIT: Get it? No hard feelings .. small wee wee!!!!! Ahh, forget it.

Not quite as "core" as 2064 posts on this website in less than 2 years though, right Napoleon? Who knows how many posts you have as other avatars. Take your lips off mommies tit and get outside. Now that I have your attention, put your thinking cap on and reread what I wrote again and again until you can finally understand that I was attempting to clarify that I (unlike others on this thread offering advice on what to bring on the climb) have actually climbed the route.

Exactly. Forbidden is indeed in the Cascade Pass area of peaks (see Green Beckey 3rd edition, pg 322) and I have yet to meet anyone besides Blake who would disagree with that. Some people think they have a lot more experience than they really do on this website, so you really need to take everything you hear with a grain of salt. That said, if you haven't personally climbed the W Ridge of Forbidden, then what business do you have commenting on what constitutes a suitable rack? As for my own opinion (and I have climbed the W. Ridge twice), you could easily get by with a set of stoppers to 1" and plenty of double length runners. If you're really concerned, bring along a few small cams. Also, I suggest descending the E. Ledges ... I think it saves time. It's about 5 raps from the summit then ~20 minute traverse, then a climb to an obvious notch which brings you to class 3 terrain above Boston Basin.

I have a brand new pair of Scarpa Marathons size EU 45.5. My feet are just too damn big to squeeze into these. $90 shipped. $85 if you pick them up in Seattle.

FYI, BCA advises against using rechargeable batteries according to their user manual. [Page 5, Power Supply] I'm not sure if this is why they aren't fitting properly. http://www.backcountryaccess.com/documents/0506DTSOwnMan.pdf

Can you show me the link to where "BCA has also acknowledged that it is an issue with some of the Trackers"? A Google search produced zero results.

I climbed Liberty Ridge on June 1-3 on a somewhat low snow year and thought conditions were perfect. We got a noonish start at the White River TH on day 1 and camped on the far side of St Elmo's Pass. We then bivvied again below thumb rock and did the midnight departure on summit day. We belayed one pitch at the 'schrund, but other than that we soloed from the Carbon. I used two tools, but in the conditions we encountered (softish snow lower down, styrofoam from just above Thumb Rock to the summit, temps just above freezing) I could have easily got away with using just a short mountaineering axe if I really felt the urge to save weight. Maybe one short mountaineering axe and a third tool would be the perfect compromise in good conditions. In my opinion, though, why chance it just to save a little weight ... it could be icy and you may be glad you brought two tools. Especially if you're coming all the way from Alaska. You may not have the luxury of watching the forecast and conditions, so you should be prepared for the whole range. The 'schrund can get pretty nasty later in the season, and may require two tools and/or maybe even some aid. With the amount of snow we're getting this Winter though, the 'schrund should be in decent shape well into June. Most years you'll want snowshoes through the end of May, and this year you may need them into June. I did not have to use them on June 1st of a low snow year, and am sure glad because that would suck to have to carry them up and over From my general Cascades experience, temperatures can be all over the map in June so it's pretty tough to say for sure, but I'd say be prepared for as cold as 0 at night in super shitty conditions at 10,000ft. I think it was like upper 20s at night when I was up there (at the coldest) I'd go with DPS' advice on pickets/screws (2/4). You may not use any screws, especially in May where you're more likely to experience a steep snow climb, but you should definitely have some along. Difficulty can be so varied on Liberty Ridge, so it's tough to make an accurate comparison to another climb unless snow/ice conditions are known. I would say be prepared for a relatively moderate grade III at the easiest to a full-on grade IV with significant objective dangers, steep ice, and the whole weather gammet at the very hardest. Time of year and snowfall/depth, firmness of snowpack/temperatures in the days leading up to the climb will be key factors in determining how difficult the route will be when you are on it. Either way, expect dramatic exposure. Also, and this may or may not be obvious, but expect Mt Rainier to be MUCH bigger in person than you imagined from pictures. I found this to be the case with Mt Rainier more so than with other any mountain I've encountered. Rainier is mammoth. Write a TR and take lots of pics. Edit: I cannot advise making the trip in from anywhere else but White River CG. I won't go into my reasoning here as there is an entire thread devoted to the topic somewhere on this site (see link above). Also, don't take the Interglacier for granted -- it is crevassed, and there have been many incidents there in the past related to crevasse falls (some fatal). I suggest remaining roped up until you get further down into the basin. It is easy to fall into that herd mentality and unrope whenever you see everybody else doing it, especially when it looks so benign from the surface, but I can assure you a punch-through on the Interglacier is not a rare occurence. If I had to predict which week would be best this coming summer (May-June) to climb LR, I would go with around the 7-14th of June. I do not proclaim to be Madam Cleo (if I did, you'd be getting charged for this), but if I was coming from Alaska and had 4 days to set aside in advance, that is the timeframe I would gamble on.

In 1998-99, we had 93 days of rain .. not in a row. If you can grasp that, semantics should play no role in your interpretation of the events. The maximum number of consecutive days it has ever rained in Seattle is 33 (since records have been kept). Our current streak is at 22 days. It has never rained in Seattle for 93 consecutive days (meaning measurable [>.001 inch]precipitation on each day for 93 consecutive days). http://www.komotv.com/stories/41209.htm