bonathanjarrett

I sent you a message regarding the jacket -Jonathan

If you can describe them, I will make sure they get home to you. They were under the south face near the second tunnel. Jonathan

I just got my reslung and cleaned cams back from Metolius. As in the past, they did a stellar job. The action is perfect. The new slings have dated tags on them. The customer service was top notch. Plus they are super shiny now. I just though I should share my very positive experience with them. -Jonathan

Just got back yesterday. Parties were going up and rapping down multiple times a day. One man got evac-ed because of a rock hitting his leg on the way down. That said, it seemed like rockfall was almost exclusively climber generated. Folks were generally being very cautious, considerate, and patient which was excellent.

Thanks!

Can any of you fine folks give me a current report for the Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col? Thanks, Jonathan

I sent you a message as well. Best, Jonathan

I teach a composition course to high school freshmen, and, as an assignment, they write an argumentative essay addressing the following prompt: Is is possible for climbers/mountaineers to make climbing a safer activity. Almost none of them have any direct experience with climbing. Most know almost nothing about it all. I provide them with data from Accidents in North American Mountaineering, a selection from Lynn Hill's autobiography, an article about the OES tragedy on Hood, and a video where two of my climbing buddies discuss their own direct experiences. Almost every student comes to the following conclusion: the environment that climbing occurs in is inherently dangerous and that the qualities of the choices that climbers make directly influence the rate of accidents. It is reinforced to me trimester after trimester that the math is not that hard on this one. Even an outsider, thinking carefully about the data, can come to this assessment. One of the interesting points of data that they often marvel at is that exceeding abilities and climbing unroped are contributing causes at nearly identical rates. They also note that half of accidents are caused by falling. When they ask me about what I do, my response is fairly simple. Accept that I engage in a dangerous sport and yet always make careful, thoughtful choices about my practices and habits.

"The idea that most wilderness water sources are inherently unsafe is baseless dogma, unsupported by any epidemiological evidence." Slate article Do you agree or is the author missing some key details? Do you filter? Why or why not?

Thanks. That gives me a good starting point.

Hey all, Could someone point me in the direction of information about the origins of the stone shelter on Cooper Spur? I am interested in doing so research regarding why, how, and when it was constructed. Thanks Jonathan

The routes on the back side of I Rock are in great shape right now. They looked a little bony from below, but there was ice where you needed it, not too much snow, and fun mixed terrain.

I was on it last weekend. There was lots of flowing water at/near the propeller cairn. There would be no problem getting water there. There was a chunk of snow at the large bivy ledge but no real running water. There were some sections of snow on the descent but no real substantial flowing water until you got past Crossover Pass proper. We carried three liters each on a cloudy/cool day and that was adequate. Good luck Jonathan

Thanks for the report. It was helpful.

Bump for any current knowledge of the situation. Many thanks.

The intended descent is the Crossover Descent. I wouldn't have even considered it, but Steph Abegg's trip report from July suggests that they were helpful, perhaps even necessary. As a result, I was hoping someone could provide some more current information. Thanks

Inquiring minds would like to know whether it is necesssary/prudent to bring crampons/ice ax on the NE Buttress of Slesse right now. Thanks Jonathan

My partner and I climbed Cooper Spur by traversing in across the Newton Glacier from Timerberline on Sunday. I don't know why more people don't do it this way. It was easy, scenic, and quick to access. Some details on how we did it. We crossed the Whiteriver Glacier at 8,800' and did a rising traverse up on to the spur below Wy'East at about 9,300' There was some minor rock fall here, but jogging across the 200' danger zone minimized the danger. From the spur, we made a nearly level traverse across the Newton Glacier at about 9,400'. There was minimal crevass danger, but we roped up for prudence's sake. At the north end of the glacier, we accessed the Cooper Spur beneath a minor rock buttress at about 9,600'. This spot gave us a place to unrope and take a short rest. From there we wound up and right on to the spur itself and then ascended to the summit without issue. In terms of timing, we left Timberline shortly before 4AM, made it across the Newton Glacier in three hours, and were on the summit shortly after 8AM. Granted we did not climb the whole Cooper Spur and avoided the lower, low-angled slopes. This was by far and away made up for by the fact that crossing the east flank is scenic and wild-feeling. Early season, before accessing Wy'East becomes dangerous from rock fall, this would be the preferred method for getting to Cooper Spur, in my opinion. The perception that it is on the other side of the mountain from Timberline is unwarranted. The spur actually has a NE orientation. The whole experience was improved by the fact that we were in the lee of the mountain the whole time; it was windless and almost warm in the sunshine.

Trip: The Gorge - Ainsworth Left Date: 1/7/2017 Trip Report: My partner and I managed to do the first two pitches on Saturday morning before we were scared off by periodic cascades of ice being blown off the top pitches and hailing down on us. Although the next pitches looked tempting, I think we were walking that fine line between adventure and stupid.

Trip: Mt Rainier - Ptarmigan Ridge Date: 6/21/2015 Trip Report: Sunday my partner and I climbed Ptarmigan Ridge from White River over two days. Quality route descriptions already exist so this is more of a conditions update than anything as well as some thoughts that I don't recall seeing elsewhere. First, the approach from White River is doable in a day (it took us nine hours) but is long for sure. Second, the final approach to the bivy sites below the route required some fairly exposed scrambling on junky rock. We had to down climb east on to the snow slopes to pass a spot where we became cliffed out. Third, if you are a fairly competent rock climber, there is no need for any rock gear for the rock step. There is a good pin to belay from and a second pin exactly where you want it to be when pulling the couple of moves. Lastly, most trip reports gloss over the fact that the technical climbing end at about 12,200' or there abouts. This means 2,000' of slogging to Liberty Cap. We were six hours from the bivy to the summit, half of that time was after the rock step. Although the photo below does not necessarily do it justice, the route is melting out fast. The traverse will be down to bare rock in a few days given the warm weather and chute connecting the lower half to the upper two variations above it will be very thin very soon as well. Route overlay View from bivy Ice chute Looking down from the rock step Rock step Old growth penitentes below the summit (some knee high)

Two pitches. I doubt you could get down from the top of the skylight with double 70's in one shot, but I couldn't say for sure.

Trip: Illumination Rock - South Skylight Date: 5/2/2015 Trip Report: My partner and I climbed the South Skylight route on Saturday. Having climbed it in the past, twice, I was felt confident that we could leave the majority of the ice screws in the car. I was wrong. The route, and all the face right now, is fat with ice/snice. We had trouble finding any rock gear. The two ice screws that we did bring were not adequate to protect the route. The seams and cracks that I had used previously were all buried. In fact there was fat blue ice pouring out of the skylight itself. We left a cord and rap ring on the summit and two pins with an equalized cord below and to climbers left of the skylight. The other rap material that had existed previously had been bootied or was buried. The route could be climbed with just ice screws right now. That said the ice is fairly aerated. Looking down at the first belay The pin belay we left would be right over my partner's head in this photo Summit rap station, out right once you climb through the skylight Gear Notes: Two screws, could have used 6-8 Handful of pitons Slim rack to 2" Rap tat

Trip: Dragontail - Gerber-Sink Date: 4/19/2015 Trip Report: Was the last party in a conga line up the Gerber-Sink on Sunday. We watched the first party heading up in the dark by headlamp. At times we wished we were them as we got shelled by debris at times. That said the boot track they laid out for us was also a bonus. The route was fat for sure. I carried only five screws (three 13's and two 10's) but could have used many more and longer ones. The m4 finish is deteriorating more quickly than the rest of the route. It was bare and unprotectable for the top portion but with good turf sticks to inspire confidence. And the descent down Asgaard can be done in literally minutes as there is an excellent glissade chute that in two sections goes top to bottom. Some pictures (anybody know why uploading some photos causes them to be turned ninety degrees?) A rotated view from the lake Somewhere mid-route Looking up at the fellows from Spokane who were also dancing the conga with us Hooray for frozen root systems holding tiny belay trees to the sides of mountains. (Rotated, stupid photo upload!) And a dry finish... Topping out into the sunshine at the base of the third couloir. Gear Notes: I bought a pair of Grivel Matrix Lights last year, and I have been loving them. Pulled off that stupid rubber gasket and added sliders. In comparison, I think they are definitely superior to Sum'tecs (which I also owned briefly). They were excellent on this route from the ice, to the steep snow, even the mixed finish.

Bump. These are still available.

52cm Sum'tecs, one hammer and one adze. Used lightly a few times before I decided I wasn't a fan. Only being sold as a pair for $250.