scottgg

yeah, there was lots of debris beneath our route, but conditions were very stable while we were climbing. we passed the berg on the right side, and found the lower couloir held very hard snow/ice, while the upper section got early sun and had sofened up enought to kick steps. Very neat route!

Nice day, huh? Saw you guys on the west ridge, near the twin cracks, just before we left the summit.

Has anyone recently been up the south side of adams? Can you drive all the way to the trailhead? Thanks!

Has anyone climbed up the haystack besides via the backside gully? I saw some old webbing and a bolt on the south? face. Seems like it would be a fun climb when leaving the family to enjoy lunch below...

Ok, what about psychologically challenging Cascade routes? It seems some of the more hyped hard climbs are well within most of our technical range, but due to the mysterious aurora (whether deserved or not) they receive few ascents. Last week I saw two parties bail off saber ledge on Castle Rock, after deciding against the canary route. After seeing both parties climb the first pitch (harder) I know the intimidating pitch was within their technical reach. What are some other technically moderate routes with a big psyche-out factor?

After a few trips through the enchantments, and decents off dragontails south side, I have become interested in a rock tower located south of dragontail, and west of asgard pass. As you descend the glacier behind dragontail, the spire is to your right, and I think its called The Witches Tower... anyone know of any routes/beta? Thanks!

Still avaliable....

Unfortunatly I have to work, but I could also swing Thursday the 18th.... O and check out my photo gallery for my safe partners pic....I saw these guys at Static Point on Saturday:very safe and well prepared:)

I can supply the rope and rack, but cant drive However, I can meet at any park and ride around Seattle, and supply gas/beer money Just read that the Cosley-Houston route is still great! Safe partners only

nice job guys! I'm jealous!

Kurt Hicks reported for work today with AAI, so we decided to squeeze in a trip up Graybeard yesterday. I got to the trailhead around 10:30 monday night, woke Kurt up, and we reviewed the photos he had taken ealier that evening of the face. I said something about how the face didnt look as bad as I had imagined, Kurt just smiled and said: "just wait until your standing underneath it!" 4:45am We ditched the snowshoes and poles among the last sapling below the face, and yes, we both felt quite small and insignificant below the intimidating wall. 5:00 saw us kicking steps up to the 45degree slope. I should mention here that I had initially been hesitant to bring a back up rope (we climbed on a skinny single) but Kurt insisted so I lugged up a 60m half rope. We soloed up the initial waterfall ice, and I led up the 300' snowfield to the "ice gully". Nelsons book suggest taking a full ice pitch angling left, then back right over the rock band. We decided to just head straight up, as the ice looked ok, and it looked more asthetic. Kurt took out the rope, and I got the first lead. Snow over rock, thin ice, and a few 70degree steps led up 60m. I saw some thick ice about 15 feet above me, but I knew that I was running out of rope. I decided to go for it, when a huge avalanche ripped down the gully to our right. Kurt yelled up asking how I was (ie "I'm freezing my butt off, worried about avalanches, and wondering whats taking so long!") I decided to go for the thick ice(armed with my only remaining screw) and just as I sunk my tools high, a spindrift avalanche came right down the gully, filling my jacket with snow. It finally let up, and I built the belay with my stubby screw, and two tools equalized on a screamer. While Kurt climbed up two more spindrift avalanches blasted us, compeling me to pray for the holding power of my anchor. Upon arrival, Kurt gave me another screw to add to the belay, and we decided to bail. 15 feet to my right was a rock outcrop, where Kurt headed to build a rappel anchor. I pulled out our backup/rappel rope, and kept an eye out for more spindrift. Every five minutes I'd yell at Kurt, then we'd both brace ourselves for the impact as the snow(with thankfully small chunks of ice) swept over us. Once the rappel was ready, I downclimbed and lowered off the stacked knifblades and nut, down to the relative safety of the snowfield. We avoided the initial ice pitch by traversing off the snowfield through trees to skier left. A collective sigh of relief was breathed back at the snowshoes, while we drank and ate and psyched up for the hour long hike out. Kurt was a great partner on this climb, his cool head made the experience fun and safe. A few thing I learned on this adventure: Start the climb early. Despite being a "north face", the upper face (big cornice) gets sun early in the morning. We climbed through bulges to 75degrees, and our direct route looked like it got steeper above. We'll be back next spring to do the direct route

The new track on the car stereo startled me awake: Cause I'm a redneck woman...broad...yeehah- Some Gal We (luke and I) had just pulled off highway 2, and were heading north towards Static Point, which was presently eclipsed by deppressingly dark clouds. The thought-provoking lyrics verbalized my mood: aggresive, yet cautious. Corolla (our ride) burned up asphalt, gravel and a sickly looking herd of sheep, hurtling us ever closer to our nemisis. Aaron and I had been here before, but I was uncommited, and had to bypass the crux via a wussy gully to the left. Static Point represents some of the sickest stuff a Washington hardman or woman can aspire to. The route we were attempting was so hard, most people would die just looking at it! Needless to say, we were pumped (read: grovelling in fear). The 23 mile approach, trailhead to climb, took us almost 90 minutes. Way to slow, way to weak. The good new is we both took a 100+ foot fall into an glacier fed river, and climbed out into a field of poison oak. A downpour of biblical proportions let up just as we arrived at the route, neccessitating a break while the rock dried. All of twelve seconds had elapsed before we started gettin real restless. Thankfully, Luke brought along Davids book: Dragonology: History, Powers, and Incantations. He wanted to summon a fire-spewing beast to dry the granite for us, and as he searched the ancient text, I reviled in my tunes... Just as Luke was aligning the moon crystals, crows feet, and orange peels, the clouds broke to reveal the long AWOL sun. We abandoned our seiance, racked up, and Luke offered to take the first lead. I could've cried, but instead tied in and started up before he could stop me. We swapped leads through four pictches, until arriving at the routes crux: a unprotected freakshow of nearly featurless granite. I headed up, clipped the first two bolts, and promplty peeled off the slick rock. The fall jogged my ipod: Pop the ice cold champange, dont act like my neck dont bling! - P-diddy I chalked up, visualized the moves, and fired the remainder of the pitch. Luke led us up the next pitch, and we were on top. The hike out was uneventful, and we spent the drive home discussing our next adventure.! -

Amazing job! Now I'm going to have to change my climb next week to Ptarmigane Ridge, since I want to climb something this spring that hasn't been skied!

This will not work for 95% of you, but I'll ask anyway. I am visiting my sister in Salem this Tuesday, and I wanted to hit Mt Hood up on the way down. I'd like to leave Timberline around 1am, and be back around 8. I got all the group gear, so let me know if this might work

I felt bad waking you poor fellas up in the alpine, until I learned that you were climbing the NEBC Nice job guys!

What a fun route! I was suprised with the number of people climbing in the Colchuck basin that weekend, especially considering the approach is still "as long as a hundred space ships"!

Post deleted by scottgg

nice job skibum! that sunrise shot is great!

Nice Job! Any tracks heading to Colchuck?

Ok, I got some more beta on the North Grove... suppose to be late season, after a big melt/freeze climb, even then its pretty thin. Next winter....

Speaking of bootying gear (a la Dirty Harry), I am heading up Triple Couloirs this weekend to free TeleRoss's pitons left on his ski descent!

Good catch Mark!

Thanks Mark- From you picture, it looks like we may have climbed your line. Hence the "possible" preface to my TR. Either way we had a great time on one of those hidden jewels of the I-90 corridor:)

I am looking for a new set of spikes, a pair more suited to steep ice/rock. Does anyone have any info on the different fastening systems for this or other crampons? Do you like the toe bail or the toe strap better? Or whould you suggest another crampon altogether? Thanks for the advice!

the Torment-Forbidden is so popular because: -its IV/V, though not super-technical -nice exposure and awsome position in the North Cascades -its feasible as a day trip -Jim Nelson lists it as his favorite climb, and that after 30+ years in the Cascades. -and hype