Kraken

So after two weeks of glorious climbing in Joshua Tree I'm back in the PNW for a few days before continuing on my travels. It has been dry and looks to stay dry for a few days. Think there is any chance lower town wall is dry, or dryish? I have only climbed there once, in August, but with nothing else going on and no ski gear I'd like to try and climb stone if possible. Thoughts from some locals? It is probably a pipe dream but I have to ask.

I had a pair of the Trango Extreme EVOs and loved them for their light weight and technicality. Unfortunately I left them in Patagonia last year. I'm about to buy another pair but was wondering if anyone out there has compared them to the Trango Primes. For high end technical performance, the Trango Extremes seem to still be the choice, but the Primes seem to have a little more padding for those long approaches. Also are they maybe a little warmer? I already have a pair of Spantiks, Nepals and Trango Lights. These boots will be used primarily as a boot to use on technical alpine routes where I may be switching between rock shoes and boots/crampons. The lasts on the Primes and Extremes are the same but the Trango soles are a little thicker, and may be more long term durable. Thoughts?

forums.alaskaiceclimbing.com That's your best bet. Ice is good up here! I'd climb with you but I'll be down south,

Presenting the SHARE Grant, in memory of Seth Holden. The inaugural grant is open from now to March 1st, 2013. Anyone dreaming of a uniquely Alaskan climbing, skiing, packrafting, etc. trip is encouraged to apply. Please, please, please spread the word and SHARE the love. Thank you! www.SHAREGrant.com

Hey Gang! I live in Alaska but grew up in Seattle. I'll be home for a few days before traveling south to Joshua Tree and would love to hook up with someone for a day of backcountry skiing or alpine climbing. I could swing an overnight too. I've done all of my Cascade climbing in the summer so I don't really have a good idea for winter objectives (and I'm away from my Beckey guides at the moment). Something closer to seattle would be better. I'm a very proficient climber with tons of alpine experience in Alaska, so I'm open to a wide variety of routes from long day moderates to something more technical. If you're interested, hit me up through a PM or call me. Clint Helander (907) 227-3291

awesome! Rubicon is on my hit list for my next trip and Coarse and Buggy is one of my all time favorites! If you go back, check out Crime of the Century and Banana Cracks for some other good 11s. Cool pics!

This is now on my tick list for my next trip to Red Rock...which is LUCKILY coming up in January!!!!

Yeah but they didn't free it... Kidding. TOTALLY kidding. That is insanely awesome. I know I all too often make excuses for inaction and this just shows that all it takes is nutting up and owning yourself and stepping up to the plate. Thanks for the share!

Wetslide. that is one of my favorite bivy sites in the world. We stayed there last year before climbing Backbone Ridge. Fucking classic! I even got to skinny dip with my (then) girlfriend (sigh...). My bivy sack choice is this one: super light: http://www.ortovox.com/accessories/gemini-single-1 it is STUPID light and very warm. I've used it in the Alaska Range with a 20 degree back in April and been warm!

My friend Tyler took a boat across the bay from Kenai, parked at a oil platform office complex, got yelled at, but still continued. They skied that Son'bitch from the summit and back to their boat in a long day. North face. Do it. I've looked at it for years. A true ultimate bad ass trip would be to do what I've called the Taxing Traverse (AKA the IRS Traverse). Ski/climb Iliamna to Redoubt to Spurr. It's at least 140 miles and way more than 40,000' elevation gain. Get it.

Nepal Evos will be totally good. I went there with the Trango Extremes (which are quite similar). That kind of boot is the "go to" patagonia boot.

Bring your own coffee. They have horrible, sugar infused dirt caffeine down there. Bring your own candy bars, energy bars and gels. You can't really find anything good in town and when you do it is expensive. Wallstein (Mikey Schaefer) may be able to hook you up with a contact for a cheapish place to stay if you PM him here. Last year, staying at a reasonable hostel, we were paying about $17/day. If you do choose the hostel route, don't worry about making reservations in advance...it isn't really possible to book one for the whole time anyway on line. You need to do it there in person. When you walk around town you will find them anywhere. I'd def talk to some of the regulars (Colin, Mikey) to see if they have any contacts on renting a long term apartment/ floor space. A few things about the travel to Chalten: -Be prepared to pay a $140 or so fee when entering Argentina after getting off the plane. It is good for 10 years though so you won't pay it again on repeated trips. -The bus from Calafate to Chalten is about $120 round trip Good luck. I was down there last year. I arrived at the end of the best weather window in history and left 28 days later as another awesome window opened up. I didn't touch granite in between. Boom or bust in Patagonia. Give it a go and hope for the best. It's a beautiful place.

Hey peoples, I'm tentatively planning a marathon trip from Alaska to Mount Robson and am settling on a few routes. I am intrigued with the Emperor Ridge, North Face and possibly the Fuhrer Ridge. Obviously these are all vastly different routes. A quick search here and on Mountain Project pulled up almost no info (trip reports) on any of these routes and other than the Alpinist issue dedicated to Robson, I have little to go on. Emperor Ridge is predominately a chossy albeit classic ridge climb with the rime gargoyles where as North Face seems like a basic mountaineering route with a nice moderate ice face...similar to Rainier's Kautz on a bigger scale perhaps? So, what does anyone who has ever climbed/attempted any of these routes have to say? And finally, what else would you recommend in the area as an alternative or bonus climb? I have only driven through the area once on the way to a climbing road trip and now I must explore the area more! My dates are flexible but I'm hoping to hit in mid August with about a 10 day total time frame.

SHITTY! So i'm assuming he was soloing the Backbone? What a bummer.

If these are the same koreans in there when I was there, they did not climb the Moonflower, but instead a new route between the Knowledge and Deprivation. While up on the Moonflower, we witnessed a huge avalanche come down right over them. We thought they were dead. Only when we returned to camp did we find out that they were OK. Those guys are tough and get it done. My understanding was that initially they had intended on putting a new line up on Foraker. Either way...Respect!

Rumor has it (from reliable sources) someone just soloed the Bibler/Klewin (Moonflower) on the North Buttress of Mount Hunter. I can say no more, other than that from what I heard...said person free-soloed all but 2.5 pitches and got to within several hundred feet of the summit. Wow. Speculate away.

awesome photos. we were there at the same time in site 31 under toe jam. But under NO NO NO circumstances are you allowed to have headlamps in the Chasm!!!! Where's the fun in that?!?!? Love JTree!

Allow me to further toot my own horn... Here is the digital edition of this story, which was featured in the October 2011 issue of Climbing Magazine. Winning and Losing in the Revelations by Clint Helander Thanks. Clint

thank you good sirs! It's rainy in Anchorage, so I'm hoping as I drive south (well, north THEN south) today the weather just gets better. Bugaboos or bust!

I'm driving down from Alaska to Seattle and was hoping to hit up the Bugs for the first time. I should be there by Sunday or Monday. How were general conditions this year with the heavy snowpack? Obviously the routes will be free of seasonal ice/snow, but how were the glaciers/schrunds? Weather permitting, we are hoping to spend about five days in early september enjoying the 'Boos.

these guys tore it up! Way to go Luc!!! I bet a beer at the Fairview has never tasted so good!

I hear they're going to rap bolt the west buttress!

a fine line. kevin was psyched about that. clint

Looking for a partner for some Alaskan steeps? Me too! I'm pretty psyched on getting to the Kahiltna and am free after May 8th through June. My options are open but I'd be excited on the Moonflower (conditions dependent) or the Cassin, etc! Hit me up!

I think this is really unfortunate. These guys are being portrayed as "experienced/veteran" climbers, yet they failed to follow even the most basic of Alaskan mountain climbing protocals. No GPS? No wands? No stove? Reality check: You're on a major Alaskan mountain in the winter. It's this kind of publicity that does not bode well for climbers.