Kraken

met him when he came up here. He was on his way out to foraker. He is a very calculated and ethical climber. Congrats to him.

that was a very cool video. Doesn't matter how many times I see that mountain, it always amazes me.

COLIN! YES! You did get the first winter ascent. Nicely done man! That has been attempted by so many people in the winter, way to keep racking up these coveted summits!

Yikes. Graduation. That is about as close as Pluto for me. Someday, someday.

Does anyone have any more information as to a fee increase for the 2007 climbing season? I haven't heard anything on this end so I can only assume that they haven't changed yet.

Don't let my word make or break your Alaska Range trip, but I just heard today that a party was unable to land in the Ruth (neither at the Mountain House or at the Gorge landing strip site. Also, BC on the Kahiltna is dry too. Apparently the only good place right now is the Tokositna. I do know that people have landed at KIA, since Masatoshi Kuriaki (Japanese Caribou) is currently up there. I just have heard nothing but reports of extremely dry, cold conditions up there. From the info I heard today, there is a three foot base of snow right now...not exactly ideal. The extended weather forecast calls for cold and clear, lots of high pressure. Just thought you all might want to know. We'll get snow up there, just not sure when. I am unsure as to the condition of certain routes at the moment.

Last season on Rainier was one of the safest on record with no fatalities only two very very minor injuries. Hopefully this upcoming season will follow with the same results.

The other day i was out at one of our local ice crags. The ice had receeded a little bit and the ice was about 5 feet lower than the two bolt chain anchor that one would normally clip to and TR off of. I was somewhat surprised to see that a team of two was top roping off of a V-thread they had made, just below the bolt anchor. It was in good ice, but I still thought it was a bad choice. I've rapped countless pitches off of a V-thread, and I trust their integrity to rappelling, but these guys didn't even have a backup screw in above the V-thread. Seemed like trouble waiting to happen to me. Thoughts?

Try going to school at UAA in Alaska. Ridiculous. Gawdy sloots and ugly queens. Anyways, good deal Colin, good to hear you're getting on it so much! Where are you going here in Alaska for spring break?

another brilliant snowmachiner not wearing a beacon. Glad to hear he's alive though.

I took a 48 footer last season doing just that. I was exiting and had a screw 15 feet below me and my tool ripped out over the bulge. I stopped less than 5 feet from the ground. Fell on a stubby with about 1-2 CM punched through a curtain, luckily the screamer fully extended. Screws hold if the ice is good, just don't fall. 2/3 falls will result in you hitting the ground.

so what does this mean for access to royal columns later in the season? Is it closed for a long period of time or just for a while?

don't be modest dude, post some of yourself too!

The White Russian route on the BT from the Root canal travels 2000' up on the far right side of the snow face under the col between MT and BT. IT then takes a right trending snow gully on the slabby rock with a few thin moderate chimneys and ice up to AI 4. That's really all I know about it but my buddy Jay has climbed it and said it was very fun, like a mini ham and eggs.

i'm going climbing this weekend in valdez with a guy who put up a new route on the Bear Tooth. I'll ask him, but I think his route was on the back side. On a side note, the Bear Tooth is the greatest restaurant/theatre in the history of the world. Seriously, they must sprinkle crack on their food.

pictures will be posted soon.

Our line takes the farthest most right trending ice line that breaks off from the fork in the second picture. The 'deep slot' line is the route that John Kelley and Josh Varney completed last year. It's called the History of Things to come and was rated V, WI5, M7, A1. Snow conditions were perfect up high. It was mostly styrofoam and rarely did we sink deeper than our ankles.

The obvious line on the North Face is the N. Couloir. It is mostly steep snow with a pitch or two of ice. I believe it was first climbed by Richard Baranow. John has climbed it, but I have not. He would have better information on it.

Trip: Yukla Peak (6000' sub peak) - Chugach Mountains - Gank'd and Slay'd - 2800', V, WI6, M6, A2 Date: 2/10/2007 Trip Report: John Kelley and I made the hike out to the Icicle Valley from the Eagle River Nature Center again last week in an effort to attempt another new route on Mount Yukla. The hike out there took us just under eight hours and involved a little bit of fourth-class terrain once we accessed the Icicle Drainage. We arrived at the boulder bivy site at about 12:30 at night and set up camp. The entire next day we relaxed and rested in preparation for our coming climb. At 3:30 in the morning on Thursday, we were up and heading out to the base of our objective. After 700 feet of third-classing steep snow and grade-three ice, we reached the fork where the three routes split. Our original intent had been to go for the left trending ramp, but we decided upon reaching the fork to go for the ice line on the right, which had already seen several attempts by other parties. Instead of starting on the ice at the base of the climb (which looked grade 3-ish from far away but looked very thin and unprotectable from up close), we decided to gain the route from a ramp just to the climber’s left of it. I led up the ramp, which was perfect styrofoam ice. The ramp ended in a 15-20 foot tall rock headwall. I attempted to get over it and was able to get most of the way up it (mostly 5.9ish laybacks), but was thwarted up high by down sloping rock and poor feet. After trying in vain for roughly an hour, I had John lower me and give it a go. He quickly got to my highpoint and decided it would have to be aided. He placed a few bird beaks (one of which blew out on him) and pitons and after about an hour was able to get through the crux moves. He followed the narrow chimney up to the rope’s end and set up a belay. He hauled the bags while I jugged up and cleaned. Once I got up there, he gave me the rest of the rack and after sorting it, I was on my way, already on virgin ground. It was getting dark by this point, so we were definitely looking for a bivy spot. I led up a narrow snow chimney to a thin WI4 step. “Not so bad,” I thought. Upon getting to the top of the step, I saw I was in for quite a pitch. It had snowed just enough to make things annoying, and all the cracks and holds were covered. I scratched and picked my way up to the base of another snow filled rock chimney. I went right initially, and got about 10 feet up and couldn’t find any protection. The holds became nonexistent and I was facing a 20+ foot whipper into a shoulder wide chimney that would not end well. My last piece was a snarg hammered into some frozen veggies. I doubted it would hold. I considered retreat, but decided that I needed to man up and go for it. Once I had my man pants on again, I down climbed 10 feet and went left. After a few desperate and dicey moves, I was up and over the technical crux of that pitch, which went at M6. I scratched my way up to a belay and spotted a good bivy site 20 feet below and to the right. 20 minutes later we were shoveling out a small, protected ledge for our first night on the wall. After a cramped night on the small ledge, we brewed some water and were on our way again. John took the first pitch of the day over a sketchy dihedral to a right trending corner system, then up a slough gully to a rock outcrop where he set up a belay. I followed and on the way up, my tool popped off my harness while I jugged up. (Note: do not use those stupid Ice Clippers, they fucking suck) Luckily John had a third tool, so we were able to continue. I took the next lead over a grade-three ice step and was sloughed on the entire time. After getting through that, I climbed steep snow to the base of a grade three ice pitch. I led up the ice without any difficulties and set up a belay for John. We were sure we were getting close to the top. At this point in time, we were racing the light. “This is probably it,” he said, in reference to the next pitch that he was going to lead. With that, he took the rack and started up the ice, which appeared to be grade-five from the bottom. With almost no pro and long run outs, he got near the top and was faced with thin overhanging ice with unconsolidated snow above that. He placed two equalized screws and pumped himself up for the committing moves. “I guess I’ll just go for it, “ he said, and with a couple impressive moves he dominated his way up the crux ice pitch, which went at WI6 due to its thin condition and unprotected run out, all mixed together with the 15 foot overhanging section under a powder snow mushroom. John got to the top and let out a triumphant scream. “We must be near the top,” I thought. Once I got up there, I saw that we still had a few pitches to go. We traversed right over a snow slope that would be atrociously dangerous in different conditions and began digging a snow cave for our second bivy on the face. Although our bags were soaking wet and our food was low, we remained decently comfortable and kept ourselves entertained by spitting out songs and lyrics from NWA and Easy E. We awoke in the morning and got going. The weather had finally turned in our favor and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Anxiously, we packed up, and John took the WI3 pitch, which we knew would put us close to the top. It was a rope stretcher, literally, and I had to lean forward just so John would have enough rope to reach a belay. The rope got caught on a rock and I had an interesting pendulum swing and drop when it popped off of the rock as I jugged up the rope and freed the packs that had been caught on an outcrop. This pitch put us on top. We were very excited and packed everything up, then headed towards the 6000-foot sub peak of Yukla. We descended down the Northeast Ridge back down the Icicle Glacier to our camp at the boulder bivy. Tired, but determined, we left our camp at 5:30 and were back at the car by 10:30. This was John’s third new route on Yukla within the past year (AAJ 2006) and my second attempt on the peak. Our route Gank’d and Slay’d, went at 2,800’, V, M6, WI6 A2. Gear Notes: Full set of cams, Nuts, 4 Lost Arrows, 4 Bugs, 4 Angles, 1-2 Snargs, Smokes, Don't use those stupid clippers on alpine routes unless you want to lose your tools

Royal Columns is sweet. Probably got about 10 days out there this summer. Watch out for snattlerakes though. Can't tell you how many I almost stepped on out there. Cool video. What Beastie Boys song is that?

guess that means less chance of a crevasse fall for the climbers of 2100

Nice job guys. Beautiful pictures. Can't ask for a better weekend than that. BTW, are those ice lines inbetween Degenhardt and Terror or just snow sloughs?

Petzl Charlet makes one like that already. It's called the SnowScopic. http://en.petzl.com/petzl/SportProduits?Produit=433

might want to also check out Montbell's ultralight top. It is SUPERLIGHT and packs downsmaller than a tennisball.

I'll second that. We came in to attempt Glacier two summers ago from the N. Sauk Trail and were turned around at the Whitechuck Glacier by nasty weather. The trail is great, and the dying Whitechuck Glacier still offers easy travel to the flanks of the peak. Great approach, not too strenuous.