Kraken

yeah man, it's a great route, the first one i did on rainier. We didn't place any protection but there were a few points where I did a non chalant belay around a rock through a sketchy point. CBS is right about the rocks...there were a few baseball to basketball sized rocks that came screaming down past us...one baseball sized rock fell inbetween my partner and I , and we were off before it was even that late in the day. Good luck, it's a great route.

why can't people on this forum, or any forum for that matter, just give people credit where credit is due? Why does someone always have to go find something to discredit or downplay one's accomplishments? Thats one thing that pisses me off about the online forum scene is the constant pissing matches that have to go on to fight for the meager scraps of internet sovereignty. Have those of you who snub this guy actually climbed Liberty Ridge? If not, how can you say anything bad about it without it just being hearsay or thirdhand information. Go climb it in the same conditions as he did and then say that it wasn't that big of a deal. As far as his publicity goes, yeah he's got a website. Ed Viesturs has a website, does that make him less? Both make a profit off of talks and slideshows, I see nothing wrong with that. If he chooses to sell himself or his experiences in that manner, who are you to judge? He's accomplished more in the last few years than most do in their lifetimes. So what I'm saying is this...give the guy a little credit where credit is due, and don't be so quick to judge. I certainly envy him and would love to get the chance to do half the stuff he's ever done.

just got the book today, looks great guys!

friggin sweeeeeeeeeeeet! Can't wait to give 'er a try here in a month!

can't go wrong with the new BD Predator Pack either. Check it out.

Hey I'll be down in the area from anywhere for 10 days to 3 months depending on if I get a job or not. If I do nothing else, I plan on climbing Liberty Ridge on Rainier, then I'll ship back up to Alaska and do the 'Big Hill.' I need a partner though, so if you're game, let's talk. I'd like to meet up somewhere and climb a lesser route beforehand just to make sure we're compatible. Shoot me a PM. Thanks, Clint

can't wait to get it Joe, It looks great!

we summited via the Gib Ledges on the 25th of March, last year. We never placed any protection on the ledges, and although there were a few sketchy spots where it would have been nice to have placed a little pro, we were never too worried, just careful. I was more worried about the rock fall, which was pretty bad on the descent

Brian, you're coming up to AK to do the West Rib on Denali, check out AMH. They can stretch the boots a little bit in the toe box. It might also help to thermal fit the liners (even though they aren't intuition liners, they may still mold a little). The liners pack out just a little bit from normal use, I've got about 20 days of use on mine and notice a minute amount of change. Good luck man!

How often does this route get done, on average, Mike?

btw, does anyone here have any photos or information on the tordrillos? I'm particularly interested in the hidden peaks area as well as any other unclimbed peaks out there. I've got a great book on the tordrillos featuring climbs done there as well as climber history and stuff, but doesn't have many pictures that do justice. I'm going to go do some research at the USGS, but was wondering if anyone has photos...primarily aerial. thanks

this reminds me of an old thread of mine. I believe it was called "what qualifies as a summit." I'm not trying to get in a pissing match with Mr. A-Fox or the Lord of the Cascades himself, but I would have to agree with the general concensus. If you didn't top out on the mountain, you didn't actually summit. The dictionary describes 'summit' as sum·mit Pronunciation Key (smt) n. 1. The highest point or part; the top. 2. The highest level or degree that can be attained. It never says "pretty close to the top." I guess the reason it is such a debacle right now is because of the FA. Was the trip a success? Sure! Was it a legitimate summit? I would have to say no. Either way, I'm not trying to take anything away from you or Beckey. It is a beautiful peak, I see the Torodrillos every day and would love to go out there and get an FA myself, but I just don't think you can claim a solid FA of that mountain based on the afformentioned information. It was a great report though, cool to read about it and see that Beckey is still out there doing it. BTW, A-Fox, do you have any other pictures of the Torodrillos, taken from that trip...either aerial or land based? I'd like to see them.

Nicely done Hannah! Glad to hear it went well!

Just got this pack in the shop. Looks super sweet. Heavier material than its predacesor, the Shadow, yet still lighter by a few ounces. A few more bells and whistles than the Shadow including hidden picks when ice tools are placed on it, crampon bag attatched to back, helmet stow capability at the top, haul loops, ice clipper slots on the waist belt, lower back compartment to access from the back of pack... Overall, the pack looks friggin sweet. If you want to strip it down, it weighs something like 2lbs 2oz. I plan on getting one ASAP. Has anyone used it yet? It is super new, so I doubt it. If so, whatcha think?

cracks were shallow, pins were suitable for much of the climb, it was 2-something in the morning and we'd been climbing for 22 hours. I found few places wehre pins would go in on the last pitch, cracks were either too shallow or not there. JK and a guy named Josh came out and finished it, that pitch they rated at M5, I believe.

Ha! Thanks.

btw, the ramp on the left is less steep , a little more exposed, and i think pro would be somewhat questionable in places. Doesn't look like there is any ice on that ramp, purely rock placements. Chugach rock is infamous for shitty protection as well as quality and I think that would be the biggest limiting factor. The key would be to hug the wall on climber's right the entire time. I'm thinking of going out there in March when I have about 10 days off, might give that a try.

thinner and steeper than it looks...still waiting to be touched too.

wow, what a beautiful set of mountains. I'm adding this location to my "to do" list for this summer. I just ordered the Beckey guides, are these in them?

if you're talking about the northwest face, that obvious line is also dubious in this shot. It looks like a direct snow/ice line to the summit, it is actually a cresent shaped coulouir. It goes almost to the summit and I think JK said it involves a pitch or two of vertical rock. It has been climbed by at least three parties to my knowledge, Richard Baranow being one of them. Not much is known about any of these peaks, even though they are only a few hours from Anchorage.

Yeah, just want to thank John again for giving me the chance at such an awesome route, I learned a lot and felt honored to have had a shot at such a formidable route. Congrats again John and Josh!

i still like the first edition better than the second. Can't compare the third one yet though.

GILF

here's the page BigTree, it's here in the MR forum, for future reference. Weather, webcams, and climbing conditions. http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/429686/an/0/page/0#429686

Anybody know why the Rainier (Paradise) webcam hasn't been updated since the 9th? Come on rangers, how else am I supposed to see her?