Paul_Reststep

I was on the mountain Tuesday through Thursday during that hellacious storm, mostly couped-up in the Camp Muir shelter used by IMG; I was with IMG as a client as were 7 other climbers. On Wednesday morning an AAI group had attempted to summit, turned around, and were caught in an avalanche above Ingraham Flatts - they were swept 60 feet down the mountain-side; no one was hurt or buried, and they made it back to our Camp Muir shelter cold and shaken. Our IMG guides aborted our summit attempt and seemed somewhat surprised anyone would have taken such risks given the conditions above Ingraham Flatts, although they didn't openly express dismay, it was pretty evident to the rest of us. Weather conditions that led to Saturday's tradegy mirrored those we experienced.

The floor was unscathed by the rocky Hogsback and has sustained no dings or tears. To minimize weight, I don't use a footprint or a loft. The tent has been pitched in some relatively harsh environments and, unlike myself, it still looks brand new .

I pitched my EV2 on the Coleman glacier, in harsh weather, near Black Buttes high camp on Mt Baker in early June 2005. The tent is robust and light. No problems with condensation, and it was freaking cold, snowing, and raining outside. Here is a picture of it pitched lower down the mountain on the hogsback below high camp.

An Osprey Aether 90 served me well during my 6-day mountaineering course on Mt Baker last year. Coincidentally, both guides had Osprey Aether backpacks, older and slighter smaller (Aether 70s?). You may have been advised to bring a summit pack as well since you will no doubt be summitting a major peak at some point during your course. I chose to not use a summit pack - the compression straps on my large Osprey pack worked well enough at compressing my relatively empty summit-day load while maintaining a good fit and balance.

I'll pass along your message to Mark when I next see or write him. I agree 100% that he is a fine person. I was very fortunate to have an opportunity to learn from him.

Our guides were Mark Johnson and Jeremy Allyn - shown below discussing glacier travel agenda on Easton Glacier (and eating lunch).

Climb: Mt. Baker - South Side - Summit Pics-Easton Glacier Date of Climb: 8/25/2005 Trip Report: Spent 5 sunshine filled days on Mt baker learning various fundamental mountaineering principles from two wizened American Alpine Institute guides/instructors (Mark Johnson/ Jeremy Allyn). We summited Mount Baker on day-4 which was 25 August. With no one else around on Thursday at 10am, we lavished in the sunshine on the summit for an hour. Hiking up the Railroad Grade, we established basecamp (at Railroad Camp) at about 6000 feet. There were still a few snow patches remaining nearby (~6400 feet) for practicing snow skills. The very dry Easton Glacier was heavily crevassed but navigable and in excellent shape. Scenic views from the summit and Base Camp were pretty spectacular with Mount Rainier, Baker Lake, and Sisters Peaks to the south; Mount Shuksan and much of the interior North Cascades to the East; the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains to the West; and the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the North. Every day at base camp we woke to the topography of Mount Baker, which included clear views of the summit, the adjacent Easton Glacier to the East, and just above us, the Black Buttes and Colfax Peak. We tested snow anchor placements, using six climbers to haul against deadmanned pickets. At one point, we tested a 1 foot long, deadmanned picket (2 foot picket cut in half). Pulling rope for 5 minutes, we couldn't pull the short picket to failure - it stayed anchored despite all our efforts. This was our instructor's unofficial experiment, but a real eye-opener for me. Mount Baker - View From Basecamp Paul On Summit - Mt Shuksan in Background Sherman Crater Fumeroles (View From Summit) Sherman Peak (View From Baker Summit) Group Practices Prussiking Out Of Easton Glacier Crevasse Part of CZ Haul System Designed For Two Man Team With min Gear Gear Notes: Standard Glacier Travel Gear Approach Notes: Railroad Grade

Climb: Mt. Hood-South Side - Hogsback Route Date of Climb: 6/25/2005 Trip Report: On Saturday (6/25/2005), our small team ascended Mount Hood to Crater Rock. The Route. We climbed part of the "Hogsback" route located on Mount Hood's south side. From Timberline Lodge (5,800 feet) we ascended beyond the groomed ski slopes, carefully staying east of the groomed areas. Climbing above the ski lifts, we continued past Illumination Rock (9,543 feet) to the uphill side of Crater Rock (also the bottom of the Hogsback 10,600 feet). After recuperating on the sun-drenched, icy hogsback, when we could endure the sulfurous fumarole's odors no longer, we took one last look at Crater Rock, turned around, and descended back to Timberline Lodge. Initially, instead of turning around, we had planned to continue climbing up the Hogsback to gain access to the summit through the Pearly Gates. The Hogsback however was crowded with climbing parties attempting to negotiate the prominent Bergschrund, forcing us to wait for a safe climbing window - alas we could wait no longer, deciding to descend before the warming sun presented significant rock fall hazards. The Weather. It was beautiful climbing weather, with clear skies in the morning, becoming sun-drenched upon arrival at Crater Rock, and remaining sunny for the entire descent. The pictures below and in my gallery begin with a view of the valley and ski lift below the climber's route, then follow the climbing route up, with views of Illumination Rock, Crater rock, a fumerole, the Pearly gates, and the Steel Cliffs. Morning_on_Mt_Hood_Looking_South_at_Ski_Lift_and_Valley_Below Mount_Hood_Casts_A_Giant_Pyramidal_Shadow_On_Clouds Illumination_Rock Climbing_Toward_Pearly_Gates Fumerole_Venting_Up_One_Side_of_Crater_Rock Steel_Cliffs Paul_On_Hogsback_-_Pearly_Gates_At_Top_Of_Picture Gear Notes: Crampons for climbing on & above Triangle Moraine; Approach Notes: NA

Here is a link to my gallery pictures (I hope this works). http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=7722&password=

Matyg, I bet you did pass us on your way down. We were the only group heading up Sunday morning with >40 lb packs and obvious intentions to spend some quality multi-day time on the mountain - Mission Accomplished. No one else was around at Hogsback camp and we didn't see another soul until returning to Heliotrope Trail on Tuesday.

Thanks, Atomic. Yeah, Baker's a dude but Mother Nature takes sides and next time I plan on seeing her smile. As for navigational tricks, Scott internalized many of his judgements and the tricks I mention were really a display of some kind of navigational sixth sense - taking bearings on contours 15 ft in front of the team, throwing snow balls into the white opaqueness to read the landscape; its almost like he grew a navigational antennae. Realize I am a novice and was simply amazed at his navigational prowess which bordered on performance art. It sounds kind of corny, but you had to be there to believe it, there is really no way to accurately describe the event.

Climb: Mt. Baker-Coleman-Deming Date of Climb: 6/7/2005 Trip Report: Trip report by Paul Williams, Port Orchard, WA. The following is a trip report of my Mt Baker summit attempt via the Coleman-Deming climber’s route. The summit attempt was part of a 3-day crevasse rescue; glacier travel course taught by American Alpine Institute (AAI) guide Scott Schumann, beginning Sunday, 5 June, and ending on summit attempt day, 7 June 2005. Scott led a 5 client team on this Mt Baker odyssey. Scott’s mountaineering skills, judgments, and wisdom shaped a valuable wilderness adventure for our entire team. Day1: At the trailhead (3700 feet), after donning full rain gear, our team commenced hiking in a steady downpour through an old growth forest on the Heliotrope Trail. Veering right we traveled the climber’s route to the Coleman Glacier, destined for Hogsback Base Camp. Nearing the base camp, precipitation changed from rain to wet snow. Arriving on the Hogsback (about 6000 feet elev.), we set up base camp in a snowing, chilly whiteout. Suddenly, as the sun burned through the thick whiteness, the whiteout cleared revealing stunning views of the Mt Baker summit, Coleman and Roosevelt Glaciers, the Heliotrope Ridge, and a cloud covered valley below. Rejoicing at our good fortune, we smirked upon noticing that Bellingham and the greater Puget Sound remained completely socked-in, enveloped by clouds below us. How could those dwelling below us, our friends, acquaintances, and loved ones, ever appreciate our good fortune? Trust me when I tell you that the Goddess of Mt Baker cares little for smirking, would-be climbers. Minutes after taking photographs and congratulating ourselves, the whiteout and winds returned - temperatures dropped from “sun-baking” warm to bitter cold. Retiring early to our tents, we suffered through a night so frigid, it was truly impossible to stay warm. Day 2: Waking early, we broke camp in the bitter cold with another whiteout advancing upon us. Departing base camp, we roped-up and ascended the right fork of Coleman Glacier, establishing High Camp on the glacier at 7800 feet, between Heliotrope Range and Black Buttes. All day long whiteouts would come and go, producing conditions alternating from bright, clear sky and intense sunshine to frigid, wind-driven whiteness. We experienced forms of icy snow-hail precipitation mankind has yet to name. We were surprised on two separate occasions this day, as rope team members dropped waist deep into narrow, snow-covered crevasses on the Coleman Glacier (without injury and almost self-extricating). With High Camp established early, we spent the remainder of the afternoon practicing glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques, absorbing much wisdom from Scott, our AAI guide and mentor. The weather continued to cycle. Around 6 PM however, the whiteout became sustained, temperatures dropped to “miserably frigid”, and we were pelted by millions of tiny snow-hail crystals. At about 9 PM we ducked into our tents, gaining relief from the weather and resting for our subsequent day 3 alpine summit start. I must confess, at this point we were not optimistic that a summit attempt would even be remotely possible unless the weather changed dramatically. Day 3: The weather changed dramatically. Waking at 1:15 AM, we emerged from our tents into a beautifully clear, starry night – the summit attempt was back on track. Three to four inches of fresh snow had deposited overnight, so we elected to not don crampons (Crampons were worn later at the bottom of Pumice Ridge). Without breaking camp, we shouldered our summit packs, roped-up, and commenced climbing above High Camp, ascending past the Black Buttes, Colfax Peak, up the Pumice Ridge, onto the Upper Deming Glacier, to the Baker Headwall at 9800 feet elevation, our turnaround point. Why did we turn around instead of advancing up the headwall to Mt Baker’s summit (10,781 feet)? Well…remember that smirking climber story? Yeah, the weather changed 45 minutes after leaving high camp. The starry night became an intense, frigid, sustained whiteout. Climbing through the whiteout to the top of Pumice Ridge and the base of the Baker Headwall, we decided to wait 20 minutes for the whiteout to subside. Wind speed at this point was around 40 mph. We only waited 10 minutes before deciding to scrub the summit attempt. One team member was becoming hypothermic, it was clear that the weather would only worsen if we proceeded to the summit, and we still had to navigate through the whiteout all the way back down the mountain. Scrubbing the summit attempt at 9800 feet was a wise decision. The whiteout worsened and winds thrashed us mercilessly as we began the real adventure – navigating through the whiteout back to High Camp. Scott led our rope team back to High Camp using every mountaineering trick ever devised. Observing Scott, I learned our safe return resulted from his steady, unflustered application of mountaineering principles, an accumulation of similar mountaineering experiences, and application of sound judgment and leadership under such adverse conditions. As we safely returned to High Camp, the Goddess of Mt Baker continued to exhibit no mercy. Pelted by freezing snow-hail, with visibility of about 15 feet, we rapidly broke camp. Hastily stuffing all remaining gear into our soggy backpacks, we roped-up and continued down the mountain, descending the Coleman Glacier to the Hogsback, still navigating under whiteout conditions. One team member punched through a thin snow crust, dropping waist-deep into a narrow, very deep, hidden crevasse. Wedged between the narrow crevasse lips, his thick backpack prevented him from plunging further into the chilly abyss. Unable to extricate himself due to the thin surrounding snow crust, the rope team setup a belay and Scott hauled him out of the crevasse (grabbing his backpack and pulling him out). Although arduous and wet, the march down the Hogsback to the Heliotrope Ridge trail, was uneventful relative to all preceding events of the day. Returning to the trailhead, we drove to AAI headquarters in Bellingham and exchanged farewells with our fellow team members and guide. This three day adventure was an experience to be treasured. Note: I tried adding pictures to this post but received error messages. I guess that's another mountain to climb. Gear Notes: Standard glacier travel gear. Approach Notes: Crampons necessary from bottom of Pumice ridge to Headwall (and elsewhere depending on variation of our route).

Looks interesting, but at first glance, the product description seems contradictory and incomplete. Altrec (and other web sites) list the Polaris as a 3 season tent, yet the product description includes features normally defining a classic 4 season tent (ability to handle snow loads, wind resistance, waterproof, etc...). http://www.altrec.com/shop/compare?mode=S&pid=19352 It also seems unusual that the tent's floor dimensions, peak height, and packed size aren't advertised. Also, why isn't eVENT fabric being openly touted as a selling feature for this tent (the Exped site makes a brief reference to eVent)? Something seems awry here, or maybe I'm too skeptical, or maybe I just hate pole sleeves .