sweatinoutliquor

Thanks for all the valuable feedback all. I thought about a hammer (I don't own one) and figured that it may be counterproductive to my original intentions. I would like to try more serious aid climbing someday, but for now I am still super stoked about free climbing stuff, and for that, I don't think I would have a hammer with me for a short stretch of aid climbing (half pitch or so). I guess it wouldn't hurt to have one on the scene for practice if I can't get half of my peices out! Fenderfour... You mention that hooks are still considered clean aid, but that they can damage the rock... I had thought about bringing them, but again, don't want to piss anybody off. Maybe I will bring them just to give-em a try. I figure that the rock in the gorge is burley enough to take a hook here and there, and if it looks like I'm doing any harm I will stop. Hey Ireneo, any ideas of a good spot in the menagerie? All I am familar with is the rooster, chicken, hen area... Other suggestions? This is half of why I am interested in it! Thanks again everyone!

Thanks a bunch for the feedback forrest_m. For the record, I have no intention of bringing a hammer or pitons, etc. Good point on the line... I would much rather do this in an area without anybody waiting in line, so if you see somebody gumbying up Spiderman with aiders or something, it isn't me! I also planned on doing it with a toprope backup, figure I don't want to take one of the headfirst wipeouts that are so popular when an aid peice pulls on my first day. Anybody else out there gonna be pissed if you see a dude clean aiding something relativly easy in the gorge?

Yes, that jingle jangle is what I hate most. It's like an accident waiting to happen when they all descide to get crossed in front of you, then they scrape the snow surface if you posthole and finally you're like "crap!" as you launch yourself face first into a tree. Anyway, I like the clip it to your harness and then run it through your pack idea . I will have to try that. Iain, thanks for pointing out that maybe I just need to mess around more rather than to the newbie forum for help. As for placing them sideways as deadman, yes, this does work quite well. I have found this style of placement to be useful if you can't get the whole picket in vertically because maybe you only have 12 inches of snow ontop of frozen scree... Digging those little T trenches goes pretty quick unless the snow is super hard (and if it is you should be placing them vertically anyway!). Just make sure that you have a long enough runner to distrubute the force in the right direction, without any upward pull on the picket. Okay, thanks everyone for your insight... Any other ideas would be useful. Last time I was on the snow I was thinking about making a quiver or something, and carrying a bow to shoot them into the snow... At least it would be good for a few funny looks.

Okay, as of now I haven't found a good way to carry these things. Hanging on my gear loops, and yup, they are in the way. Hanging from a sling over my shoulder, yup, they are in the way. A double length runner clipped at both ends of the thing, slung over my shoulder, yup, in the way, or perhaps choking me, or perhaps stuck somehow to my pack. I watched a party climbing with the giant 3 foot ones the other day! Now that just looked like a tangled mess! Okay, suggestions? anybody? These things are me out there!

I have been getting interested in aid climbing lately, particularly short bits of clean aid that are found on alpine routes of moderate difficulty. For example, so and so climb is rated 5.12 or 5.9 A2, the A2 part replacing a short bit of 5.12. Now I can handle 5.9, but I have to admit that I am not hard enough to run exposed trad pitches on 5.12 (maybe someday). In the meantime, I figure learning a bit of clean aid doesn't hurt, and could even be really useful in a pinch if things go sour in the mountains and could only help my trad climbing. My question: Is there a place in OR (closer to corvallis the better, but Smith is fine cause I am there enough) where I could work on this skill? Is it considered bad etiquette to free a climb, and then if nobody is waiting in line, practice aiding it, perhaps even on toprope? Is clean aid thought of as being detrimental to the rock (in the way nailing something is)? Thanks for any info you can help me out with. Please tell me if I am being an

Good weekend guys! I have been meaning to get up there since I first read about that area! Hopefully sometime this summer! Thanks for the Beta CBS!

Yeah, we were using Cingular and got no service on a clear summit day.

Shuttle was priceless, though it's a long one. Find someone you know, tell them they get an all expenses paid trip to Rainier and all they need to do is be at Whiteriver around the time when you finish!

Don't count on it... I brought one on a Ptarmigan trip a few weeks ago and got not a single bar of service, even though I was looking right at the city. No service on the summit. No service at camp Sherman, but then, right at the base of the interglacier, with huge friggan mountains on all sides, I got like, 7 million bars of service. So yeah, who knows what the explanation for that is, but I would seriously not expect to have any cell phone service on the mountain. Maybe bring a radio?

Nice photos! What a cool area! I will have to add this to my list of things to do at some point... What's up with these friggan cool west coast states? The longer I spend out here, the more cool stuff I keep hearing about! Thanks for the photos, and I'm glad you had a good time!

Any chance you got some pics? I haven't been to that area and really want to explore... Sounds beautiful and remote! Good job getting up there!

You should have great conditions on the route if you go sometime in the next month or so. I wouldn't expect crowds either. Jeez, maybe even bring some skis to stash somewhere (or carry to the top and huck the elliot) for the trip down (maybe go down sunshine?).

Poop. Yes dude, skiing that would be sick... Maybe another time.

Great pictures to all... Bummer about the weather, but at least looked like you had a decent backcountry experience with those fancy sunrise/sunset photos. Good job, and way to get some, regardless of what mom nature throws your way!

Nice TR Chris. Dude, it was awesome to be climbing with you again... Thanks again for coming up from AZ for the trip! I hope it was worth it! I am going to get my photos developed so that I can maybe post a few pics with you in them! Your pictures came out great though, eh? I can't wait for our next adventure!

Fantastic dude! Great read, and great pictures. I don't know about you guys, but I was pretty much thrashed by the last 1000 feet to the summit.

Any chance there is still good snow in the SE colouir? I got a look at it about 3 or 4 weeks ago and it looked pretty interesting all frozen, but I doubt it has anything right now. Good climb, huh? Crazy summit!

Holy crap... You guys look like you were pretty fired up! With a dress code like that people must have been stepping aside to let you pass? Tell me you were gunning beers on the top and you win my solid stamp of approval

Yeah that was us... We were looking down at you guys from that spot for sure, but thought it was a party of hikers who said they were going to that spot. We could hear you talking and stuff. Pretty cool! Bummer you guys didn't hook on to our tracks on the upper part of the route. How was the ice gully? We were 50-50 as to which way to go, but that exit gully sounded neat enough to give it a try. It was all iced over when we got to it, so there was no chance of rock moves. Got absolutly hammered with spindrift (in my friggan ear) but managed to get through it without much of an incident. Upper slopes were ruthless in that snow. I was pooped by the time we made liberty cap. Chris is going to post a TR and some pics, and I'm looking forward to seeing yours. What a fun route, eh? Sorta wish there was a bit more ice and less postholing though.

Bummer man. At least you got to see the mountain up close. It's freaking impressive, eh? Chriznitch and I climbed it last november (I think) and the same thing happened... We had awesome conditions until we got about 30 mins from the pinnacle, and then total whiteout blew in. Did it look like this ?

Hey Ivan, when were you up there? Chriznitch and I hit Ptarmigan this weekend. TR coming soon as well... I didn't see any tracks, but could have used a few on the upper part through that soft snow!

I had a blast on Jeff Park Glacier last year. Great conditions on the glacier and ridge. Summit was a bit exciting w/ rotten snow. Overall one of my favorite trips though. Just gotta be careful if you are ever even remotly under the mohler tooth (lots of rockfall that almost got my buddy a few years ago).

Ummm... I can't find it. Sorry I'm stupid. Anybody want to send me the link?

Yeah, that sucks for sure. I was planning on heading up there soon. Just doesn't make it feel right. Let's all be careful this weekend, eh?

What kind of car? Are we talking something like a honda civic, or more like a suburban? I bet it was something to watch. How long did it take to get to the bottom? Freaky.