Tom_Sjolseth

You would have to be an idiot to climb Rainier now given the amount of recent snowfall, and overall lack of consolidation. disclaimer: This is not in response to Kirk and Troy's decision to go up to Muir, this is in response to people asking if it's a good idea to be climbing Rainier right now.

Fat! Thanks for the TR.

I would have to agree with pretty much everyone's comments on this thread. I would advise to bring snowshoes or skis (I would bring snowshoes) all the way up. From the top of the chute to the summit can be very deep snowdrifts. My winter experience involved quite inconsistent sastrugi. Waist deep snow for a five foot stretch where the wind deposited, and moderately fragile crust the next five foot stretch where it scoured. Repeat the cycle until you reach the summit. As Duchess said, going from waist deep snow and then trying to climb out of it onto a hard platform of scoured crust for 2000+ feet is extremely taxing - I don't care how strong of a climber you are, you will be completely noodled doing that all by yourself!! Not knowing whether or not you are going to break through the moderately fragile crust on your next step is frustrating at best. Snowshoes will help a bit in this case. Our team of 4 very strong, very experienced climbers barely made it to the summit on a cloudles February day with relatively calm winds. Had we had one less person to trade trail-breaking duties with, I'm not sure we would have made it. Every move we made was without error, we didn't have any visibility problems, we didn't have strong winds, and we rarely stopped to rest. We were all in very good physical shape, and were a well-rounded team (one is a local avalanche instructor and exceptionally strong ski mountaineer). By the time we got back to Muir we were all completely drained. Finally, I would not consider going light. In my opinion, if you feel forced to go light, you aren't in the kind of shape you need to be to climb the mountain solo in Winter. Bring the gear you'll need to survive at least overnight in a snowcave. Bring a GPS unless you are absolutely sure weather is not going to move in, and even then you might even consider bringing wands. Do not expect your tracks to still be there on your descent. Be through the ledges before dawn to minimize rockfall from Gib Rock. Have the skills to assess the chute before you dive in. As difficult as it might be, be prepared to turn around and head home even on a bluebird day if conditions in the chute aren't just right. Obviously (or perhaps not) there is not even a remote comparison between the DC or ID routes in "good summer conditions" and any route on Rainier in Winter. Rainier is a serious mountain any time of year. Throw in what winter up there has to offer, and you're on a completely different level. One more thing to consider: you don't see too many folks who are competent to climb Rainier in the Winter asking the kinds of questions you have in this post. I'm not saying you're asking dumb questions, just that you might want to gain a little more experience on an easier mountain. Maybe it was the "trudge on up" comment. I'll guarantee your Winter experience will not be that bubbly. Maybe give something like Klawatti a try first. Good luck.

We went up and experienced unpleasant winds and lots of wallowing. There was a 3" wind crust on top of 18-36" of sugar. We had to crawl up the slope below the beehive to make forward progress. With weather moving in and a lenticular overhead, we decided to bag it at 11,500' just as we were about to gain the slope to the entrance of the ledges. After getting back to Muir the winds picked up to 45MPH sustained gusting to 60. We were glad we made the right decision. Thanks to Loren for driving and being a great partner. Despite not summitting, we still had a great time and burned off some turkey to boot.

If for some reason you can't find a partner and decide to put this trip off until the 23rd-24th, I'd be interested.

Gore-Tex or not, another thing to consider is the Freneys are more than a pound lighter per pair than the Nepal Extremes. Truth be told, I haven't noticed any ill effects from the GTX liners or the stitching. I also haven't been climbing in the BC backcountry lately, so you do the math .

I think the Freney XT GTXs are about the best boots out there if you're looking for a lightweight, step-in crampon compatible, and fairly warm boot. It will fit a wider foot than the La Sportiva Nepal Extremes, and the price is about the same. Scarpa makes XTs and XT GTXs, make sure you get the latter with Gore-Tex linings.

Bannock Mountain is SE of Ross Pass at the head of Spruce and Sulphur Creeks.

Bannock Mtn. What do I win?

How about the Bora 95? I also have a Bora 80, and I like it for carrying big loads. It is comfortable and functional. I don't think the 95 will get you to 6000ci, but if you can get by on 5550, the 95 seems like a hard pack to beat. The only downside I can see is the price.

I own a Valandre Mirage and I also own a Western Mountaineering (Dakota Super DL - not an ultralight model). I have used a Western Mountaineering MegaLite on a weeklong trip and liked it. A lot. Mostly, it's warm, roomy, has a full-zipper, and it has a fabric that is not so easily permeated by the slightest bit of moisture as the Valandre. There are a couple of complaints I have about the Valandre: my first complaint is that the fabric (Pertex Quantum) is very fragile - my hood ripped in a front-load wash machine on the first wash. The fabric is also easily permeated by moisture (like from the side of your tent). Not so with the WM Megalite. Another complaint I have is with the zipper. Not only is it hard to get in and out of, the short zipper takes away some of the bag's versatility. Sometimes in the summer I like to have the bag just draped over me. You can't do that with the Valandre. Valandre's big claim is that the short zipper keeps you warmer, which makes sense. But in reality, you have to have the hood on, and everything completely cinched up tight to your face. The Western Mountaineering Megalite is rated at 30 degrees, but sleeps noticeably warmer than the Valandre Mirage, even without everything cinched up tight. The Valandre fits me like a glove, and I picked it up for a screaming deal. Those are about the only things going for it in my honest opinion. My next ultralight bag will be a WM Megalite.

Are the Freneys Euro sz 47? If so, I'll take them. EDIT: Just did a Google search and have answered my own question (!!). US Mens 12 = 45.5 Euro.

Thanks for the comments. Blake, Lincoln Peak is on the T100xP400 list, but not on the Bulger List. The T100xP400 removes Sahale, Seven Fingered Jack, Little Annapurna, Blackcap, Horseshoe, Rahm, and Dark Peaks because they don't have 400 feet of prominence. It adds Liberty Cap, Sherman, Colfax, Lincoln, Ballard, Luna, and Castle in their place.

Trip: Lincoln Peak - SW Face ("X" Couloir) Date: 6/18/2007 Trip Report: These are photos from a [failed] attempt on Lincoln Peak earlier this year. I just finally got around to posting them. Paul K, Fay P, Mike C, and I got to within 500' of the summit when we ran out of time. We should have got an earlier start... Mike on the lower portion of the route: Mike on the first arete: Paul and Fay traversing over to the crux gully: Mike ascending the first arete: Paul and Fay traversing: Paul dodging ice debris: Looking up at the lower portion of the crux gully: Mike high on the SW Face: 64-year old peak-bagging phenom Fay P: A view of the upper half of the face from camp (route goes directly up the center of the face): A view up from our turn-around point. The final snow arete can be seen, and the summit is the white rock at the top of the gully. The following photo, taken by Dr John Roper, is an excellent photo showing 3/4 of the route. Photo courtesy of John Roper. To see the full story with explanations of annotations, see the following link (half-way down the page): http://www.rhinoclimbs.com/Top100x400P.11-20.htm And finally, a photo of the upper portion of the route, courtesy of our very own, and unbelievable photographer, Mr John Scurlock. The very top of the crux gully can be seen just down and to the right of the prominent arete at bottom-center in the photo. By the way skykilo (et al), I believe the X-Couloir is still awaiting its first ski descent..

I'll take the Andinista if it is still available.

Have not climbed the routes, but have been right along side them. I remember the rock not being nearly as solid as the rock on/near the summit pyramid. FWIW. PHOTO TAKEN JUNE, 2002.

It looks to be Hozomeen from the Southwest, from a perspective just S of Silver Creek and above the shores of Upper Ross Lake. Little Jackass Mtn in front. Assuming all that is correct, then the peaks in the painting (in order) would be: North Hozomeen, Little Jackass, Point 7383, and South Hozomeen. The Lake in the painting would be Ross Lake.

Agreed, Dome isn't even in the realm of discussion... I myself am not a runner at all, but I got to Itswoot Ridge with a full pack in 6.5 hours, summitted in 2 more. <1.5 hours back to camp and I can't imagine it took more than 6 hours to get back to the car. That's 16 hours with an overnight pack. And look at my tagline...

I nominate Old Guard and Sentinel.

maple creek.. somewhere on Chiwawa Ridge, maybe Buck.

Or Pioneer Ridge.

I have not been on the SW Buttress of Dorado Needle, but if I were to approach it I would approach via Eldorado/McAllister Glaciers as per the standard NW Ridge approach and drop down between Tepeh Towers and Dorado Needle. AFAIK, this is the standard approach.

Hey Wayne, I was just in there. The trail is CLEAR. http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7961602 Not sure if moats will be an issue on Gunsight, but they were on Sinister. The approach is definitely doable in a day, but the shuttle doesn't get you to High Bridge until ~12:15. Swamp creek is a 2 hour, 45 minute hike (8.5 miles) and you can get to camp below pt 7070 in 4.5 hours from Swamp Creek with heavy packs (maybe faster?). It's about 4000' of gain to get to camp from Swamp Creek. Obviously, you wouldn't have a lot of spare time on the approach if you want to get there before dark.

Nice work, Klenkenator!

Narrowly missed PM thunderstorms on the North Ridge of Stuart.