Bigtree

Has anyone been up there recently and can advise on conditions? I was thinking about having a go via Shannon Creek FSR access in 2 weeks time. Thanks.

I have a friend in the business who has one and the quality and performance is impressive from the footage I've seen. But, be careful as the sector is evolving fast. For example, the Drift HD170 camera was just released a few months ago (see below) and seems to be superior in many aspects to the HD GoPro. http://pointofviewcameras.com/drift-hd170-1080p-action-camera.html

I've been experimenting with a new Wren Soloist this season and the fact that I'm writing this is evidence that the experiment is going well, at least so far. That said, Andy Kirkpatrick has some good thoughts/pearls of wisdom on solo climbing in a series of June blog posts here: http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/site/blog

I'm gobsmacked. Thanks for the post.

Nice, thx.

Would be interested in hearing what folks are using to waterproof their La Sportiva Nepal Evos. I recently bought a pair and am expecting that over time the factory applied repellent will wear off.

Trip: Mt. Baker - Coleman-Demming Date: 6/19/2010 Trip Report: Was up on Baker for last two days for a go at the North Ridge. Route looked great from our camp and weather was fine Friday. Headed out Saturday morning at ~ 3:30 am. Post-holed in heavy corn until sun-up and then decided to abort in favour of the more pedestrian route due snow conditions deteriorating weather from above and below. We didn't find any snow firm enough to hold our weight until about 8,500'. Tagged the summit in thick/pea soup cloud which had capped the peak then descended into exhausting slop - sometimes thigh deep and more thick/pea soup cloud at about 8,000'. Route/topo: North Ridge Friday afternoon: The weather rolling in just before 5 am Saturday morning: Gear Notes: Standard array of gear, but wished I've brought water skis.

Only for the first couple of thou from the top (still quite manageable). After that it was fabulous spring corn once the sun hit it.

Thanks G-Spotter. "A piece of ice fell of the cliffs on the N Face, (around 9300ft), rumbled down, entraining snow, and creating a dust cloud that rolled over the approach to the N Face. The debris from the avalanche came very close to the usual approach, and would of smoked anyone taking a "high Line" to the start of the route." Exactly what I'm worried about.

Did anyone give the route a go or at least have a look-see this past weekend (i.e., June 12/13)? Had planned to go this coming weekend, but would like the some beta before trying to firm up plans; especially given atypical season and recent avy warning. Thanks.

Trip: Mt. Rainier - Emmons Trade Rte. Date: 6/13/2010 Trip Report: Another fine summit of this beautiful peak. Had planned to climb via Ingraham Direct, but avy hazard/forecast etc. resulted in a change of plans. Route was in fine form and in generally safe condition. Roughly 7 1/2 hrs from White River to Camp Schurman Saturday morning. Napped/hydrated/fed and gabbed with Dave the ranger et al. Left for summit at 1:30 am Sunday and topped out with 4 fellow climbers in just over 6 hrs. Passed a surprising number of teams who bonked/turned around. Great conditions heading up, but windy above 13,000'. No signs from the summit of anyone topping out from the DC or other routes. Freezing level definitely rose throughout the day and the balling crampons started at about 12,500' on descent, but base was deep/solid with no signs of slabbing or instability anywhere nearby. Observed some solo climber who was wandering about and clearly off route on the descent and was generally behaving like he shouldn't be out on his own in a place like this (I wonder how many folks like this climb/attempt to climb Rainier each year?) Napped/hydrated/fed again and then booted out to White River in 3 1/2 hrs. Gear Notes: Standard glacier travel kit.

Any idea roughly where the avy occurred?

Here...http://mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/

Here...http://mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/

Here's the linky Johnson referenced...http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/892138/TR_North_Cascades_North_Ridge_#Post892138 Looks like the boys went up the climbers left...

Nice going Josh. Good TR. BTW, that cat looks fat enough to eat to me.

Trip: Mt. Olympus (unsuccessful) - Hoh River/Blue Glacier Date: 5/6/2010 Trip Report: Just a short TR. Made an unsuccessful 3 day attempt with several fellows via the Hoh River. Caught the Coho Ferry from Vancouver Island and after food/fuel stop in Pt. Angles, drove ~ 1.5 hr to the Hoh Rainforest Visitors Centre/Campground for the night. Made the fateful decision in the morning to leave the skis in the roof box and boot it. Elev. profile of approach to Glacier Meadows: Man, those Imperial miles are sure long!: Post holing above Elk Lake: Glacier Meadows Shelter: The view from the moraine: My favourite picture from the man with the camera: Gear Notes: - Didn't need the 60 m rope or small alpine/rock rack. - Transceivers, shovels, probes. - Bivy bags. - Skis or some light snowshoes would have helped immensely and would have got us up to the base of the summit block. Approach Notes: Friday May 7/10 - hiked ~ 17 miles from trail-head to Glacier Meadows. Trail was in excellent condition through to Elk Lake shelter with the odd piece of blow down here and there. Snow rapidly appeared at ~ 3,000' and deepened quickly from there. Post holed (shin and thigh deep) most of the way in from Elk Lake in soft/isothermic snow to Glacier Meadows shelter. The 3 gullys/slide tracks went easily although lots of fresh/heavy slide action to be mindful of. Trail finding was OK, but a few blazes would have helped immensely; particularly when crossing the larger slide tracks/alluvial fans. Eventually made Glacier Meadows completely spent. Total trip in was ~ 11 hrs with the final leg from Elk Lake to Glacier Meadows taking just shy of 4 hrs. We had an "emergency" and decided to sleep/cook in the two new shelters in the Meadow (2 bunks in each shelter). Saturday May 8/10 - Post holed through the trees and eventually onto some firmish snow up to the top of the moraine overlooking the Blue Glacier. Lots of slide/slough action along east and west facing slopes. Was manageable, but given the summit block was packed in heavy snow and the specter of miles more of post holing to and from summit, we decided to abort and plan for another later season attempt or again at this time of year, but with skis. Hiked out to Happy 4 Shelter were we had another "emergency" and camped for the night. Sunday May 9/10 - Hiked the final 5 miles and drove back to Pt. Angles for the 2 pm sailing home.

Thanks. Good info there on that linky. BTW, I have previously communicated with the rangers on other matters and they've been quick to respond and very helpful. Given the nature of this request though I didn't want to put them on the spot (i.e., emerg use only).

Will be attempting Olympus next weekend with friends and we're undecided about tent vs. bivy. Would appreciate it if anyone can advise if the shelters at Elk Lake and Glacier Meadows will fit 4 men? Hard to tell from the few pics on the web. Thanks.

Finally got out yesterday to experiment with my new Soloist on a top rope climb. I found that it generally worked as expected however I was surprised at how much rope drag there was though. I tried securing the rope at the bottom of the climb. Also slung the rope over my shoulder which seemed to help with rope feed as I ascended, but still had to manually pull the rope through the device at times which was unhelpful. Does anyone have any alternative set ups that have worked for them? Note that I did try letting the rope hang directly off the side of the top of the device connected to chest harness, but it caused the orientation of the device to tilt sideways which wasn't acceptable.

I usually have the attention span of a gnat and my eyes glaze over reading anything longer than a paragraph or two; however, I particularly enjoyed your lengthy TR Josh. I also had a quick look at your web site and was impressed with your photography. Keep it up, but find a better role model than McCandless. He had a big heart/spirit, but wasn't too smart. You strike me as being made of better stuff than that.

You can find/download and entire gps track for the traverse here (search for Wapta Traverse and you find the 5 segments): http://www.trailpeak.com/

Just because the snow level is high doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of the stuff once you're in the band. Case in point is Mt. Washington on nearby Vancouver Island with a 18 ft snow pack at ~ 5000 ft. http://www.mountwashington.ca/en/conditions.html.

I owned a '66 Pontiac Parisienne many years back. Lot of interior chrome and room to do some serious playing around with my girlfriend at the local drive-in. I miss that car. Great car. If the Pontiac Vibe was 10 ft longer, met the above specs, and you could camp in the trunk I'd say buy one. If not, keep looking for a real car.

Snell, you don't need to go to that extreme. I'm in my late 40's, live at sea level, have and office job and and try and climb Rainier every year. Also get out a few times each winter on lengthy back country ski trips and typically climb 1-2 other west coast peaks in the 10,000' range. I'm certainly not a fitness nut, but I watch what I eat/drink to keep my weight in check, walk and cycle whenever I can, and jog 6 - 8 miles 2 to 3 times a week. That "recipe" has always worked very well for me on my Rainier trips which usually entail travelling from sea level to ~ 3,000' for a car camp the first night, booting up to Muir or Schurman the second night and topping out and descending day 3. You don't need to be superman, just reasonably fit, with good cardio capacity and above all - good mental stamina.