Crevasse

Get a gps. It is worth it and use waypoints.

Um. Maybe some fraction of a percent might pull it off and like it but most will think of fear and loathing. Of the few times I have tried it I was full of trepidation and it put me into ski survival mode and I was just trying to make it down. If I am going to pack all of this crap in then I darn well want to enjoy the ski down and hit it hard. So I guess it is what you are in it for. Save money, weight, fun skiing... That's my experience.

I skied it yesterday, 7/13. I could skin from about 4,200’ and up.

I caught a cam in the mouth after checking a questionable placement. Busted a tooth off. Not a great moment on lead but after some time to get it together, I sent it.

I used to be old school and was annoyed when my climbing buddy started pulling out the GPS. I surveyed for the Forest Service in college and thought maps and a compass were the way to go until we got caught in whiteout on N Sister. I am normally a walking GPS but I found that even with the compass I would get off course and completely turned around within a couple of hundred feet and have to reset. The GPS was bomber and saved a lot of time on the walk out. Now I take the GPS everywhere although I rarely use maps. I pre-mark important points like trail junctions, import previous tracks or waypoints form previous climbs, escape routes like the Pearly Gates and top of the Palmer, and sometimes pull in points from Google earth. And during endless slogs it is a good time waster to check speed and distance and otherwise occupy the mind. In the field if I feel I might need to backtrack I turn tracks on and occasionally mark things like bivy sites. So to get to the point I love the GPS, carry a compass but never use it and would feel very comfortable relying on it when visibility drops. Go for it Bill

I have a friend that pointed it out and wanted to get some user feedback for him. He is a 60+ yr old gentleman who does some impressive solo backpack trips mostly cross country. I have been his return contact for a few trips. He always gives me a detailed itinerary but it can change. Seems ideal for this situation and the one with the lost UO professor a few weeks ago. I also like the tracking feature. I have had more than one trip get extended with no cell coverage. It would give the family nice peace of mind when things ran late and they could track your progress.

Anybody have or used one of these devices. Seems like pretty inexpensive insurance for solo travel. Spot Locator

One final note, when we hiked out Sunday morning, the mountain was dusted with snow above about 7,500 ft. Don’t know how that might affect your plans.

Some slings and a few pieces are more than enough gear. We liked having two ropes for the rappel out. The slings were good but most of the gear put was symbolic anyway.

Great shots guys. Thanks for taking all of the pictures. For all the North Sister naysayer’s, I had a great time on this climb with my buds and some new friends from CascadeClimbers.

I’ve been working with my 5 year old daughter at home throwing the rope over the swing set, lowering down the stairwell, and the occasional tree limb.

Having been on North Sister five times covering all four seasons, I have to say each involved very different conditions but each was a great experience. What Cascade mountain in Oregon isn’t a choss pile right now? I don’t think that means you can’t go out understanding the conditions, hang out with friends, face different but still technical challenges, and have a good time even while climbing a heap.

Did anyone end up going up this last weekend?

Searchers heading back to Mount Hood. http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_071007_news_hood_climber_search.61ec50cc.html

Big slings are the way to go on Jefferson.