mountainmatt

I am not really convinced there are any good climbing films, but here are a few of the bad ones! Take it to the limit (just terrible) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251422/ Sub zero (easily made into a drinking game) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386060/ Cliffhanger (Adrian!!!) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106582/ Scream of Stone (influenced by Reinhold himself!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_of_Stone .

Do you actually mean good films or climbing movies?

Headed about 6 miles up Ingals creek with OlympicMountainBoy hunting for ice. Some ice was trying to form, but unless you like climbing flowing waterfalls, we need some colder temps. If heading that way, there is a nice boot pack for the first 2 miles or so, after that, snowshoes were helpful.

I personally prefer the approach when its really really wet or better yet, covered in snow. Of course, if I go up there in the snow again, I will probably ride a tauntaun.

Awesome! Another nice looking line to get on! I can't wait to get back up there this season! I hear ya on the hornets nest, last time I was up there, I was hit by a nest of yellow jackets on the approach. Before I could get away, I was stung in the hand and head. w00t!

Nice stuff! Can't wait to get on it! .

I like my mastercams, but I do have a couple of things that I don't like as much: 1) the mastercams only come as quad cams. The downside versus the old metolius tcus is that the quad cams will not pivot in an upward pull. This was always a feature that I loved about the original metolius, but with the quads, the upwards pull has the potential to allow for the cam to walk. 2) sizes from #4 (red) and larger "stick" some when you first pull the trigger. This is obviously a minor issue, but it is annoying.

Awesome Rad! Besides the little bits of vegetation, it looks like a nice outing. .

Wow! The photos make it look like its a large portion of the climbing area. I emailed the guy for more information.

Thanks for the heads up!

Better than saying "fast and light"

Its crazy to think how many we eat all the time... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Food_Defect_Action_Levels

Hells yeah! That looks like an awesome adventure! Well done sir! .

Nice! That is a great set of routes to get on in 2 weeks. Well done!

Looks like an awesome trip there Ben and Lindsey!

Is that because your love for Huey Lewis is carnel?

Trip: Shuksan - Fisher Chimneys Date: 9/10/2011 Trip Report: Executive summary: Stewart and I headed out for a nice weekend on Mt. Shuksan climbing the Fisher Chimneys route. Our goal was to have a mostly relaxed weekend and try to find a nice high bivy to enjoy the views. We had a great time and I think we are both looking forward to getting on another route on Mt. Shuksan. Long version: We arrived late in the parking lot at the Mt. Baker ski area, dropped our sleeping pads and bags next to the car, and went to sleep. At about 6AM, the alarm went off which woke us up as well as the swarms of mosquitoes which made packing for the trip extra fun. After the usual last minute preparations, we moved the car up the road to where the gate was closed and headed out up the tourists trail. We crossed the road and found the trailhead for Lake Anne near a large stone block and hid our beers in the snow for the next day. The first section of the trail follows easy switchbacks down 900 vertical feet, passing by multiple small steams made by the runoff from the melting snow above. The trail then drops gently downhill, providing the first good looks at the route ahead. Near the low point of the descent you scramble over some deadfall and yet another stream. At this point, we started back up, regaining the already lost elevation. This is also provided the last place where there was a nearly melted out toilet. After a few switchbacks the trail became snow covered for the last section heading up to Lake Ann. The lake provides great views and (if melted out) nice camp sites. The lake was still frozen over, but we found some dry rocks to take a break before heading back downhill again. After a short drop back downhill, the trail goes up ad starts into a series of switchbacks, and then enters into a long scree field. The trail traverses the scree field for a few hundred meters before it ends at the base of a gulley. We cruised up the semi-wet gulley following the ladder like handholds until the trail traversed over again to the base of the Fisher Chimneys. We spent a few minutes trying to decide what gulley we should go up, finally deciding on the obvious central system. When we got to the base of the gulley, we knew we made the right choice as someone has spray painted a yellow arrow telling you where to go. The chimneys themselves were not particularly hard; sections of class 2 and class 3 are separated by 20-30 foot sections of class 4. If you are fairly careful in your route choice, the route never feels exposed or scary, but the loose rock in sections adds some spice for sure. Occasionally another yellow arrow or some tat helps let you know you are still on route. At the top of the chimneys, the route traverses across a short snow field and some rock that leads to a nice series of bivy sites and the base of Winnie’s slide. I am not sure what the history is on Winnie’s slide, but the ~40 degree slope in the right conditions sure would provide a fast ride if you slipped. Luckily for Stewart and I, there were some pretty nice steps kicked in already. Before heading up, we melted some snow for water, and headed up. At the top of Winnie’s slide we were greeted with additional bivy sites and nice running water (doh!). We took a break and started up towards the Curtis glacier that traverses below the summit pyramid. To get onto the glacier, we had to climb up a rock covered section of about 30 degree ice. Although the ice on its own was not too difficult, the rocks made it hard to get a good purchase with our aluminum crampons. We roped up and cruised across the Curtis glacier. The heat was fairly overwhelming at this point and both of us were drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated. At the end of the Curtis, we headed up and left into Hell’s Highway. There are two ways to go up Hell’s Highway: the first (the way we went up) involved going up a steep snow face followed by a ridge line, a little more steep snow and crevasses. The second option (the way we came down) involved rock scrambling down some of the rock ridge (loose, but not hard) to a snow field below with a few crevasses. Depending on the conditions of the route, neither options are difficult, but the steep snow would be harder if it was cold. We made our way up the sulfide glacier and found what looked like a nice bivy site. We stashed our gear and took a nice break in the little shade we could find. I was definitely showing signs of fatigue likely due to the heat. But after about an hour and some rehydration, we headed up for the summit pyramid. After crossing a few sections of snow, we got into the rock gulley that goes up the central face of the pyramid. Similar to the Fisher Chimneys, this section is not all that hard, but it’s definitely looser than the chimneys. We passed a party of three on their way down and cruised the rest of the way up enjoying the summit to ourselves. The views were fantastic, but the forest fires in the distance added enough haze that we could not see all the way down to Rainier. We took the normal photos and headed down, making one rappel near the bottom to cross over a slick section of rock. Back at camp, Stewart found a nice stream melting out from the glacier and I started getting camp ready for some dinner. We spent the evening relaxing with food, cigars, and peach schnapps. The forest fires provided a spectacular sunset, and the full moon was so bright on the snow it was like having a nightlight on. In the morning, we cooked up some breakfast and coffee and started down at about 8 AM. We made fast time down the sulfide, Hells Highway and the Curtis glacier. Coming down the last section of ice to the top of Winnie’s slide was much harder coming down. There were nice steps coming down Winnie’s slide and we were at the top of the Fisher Chimneys in no time. We cruised down the chimneys, running into a couple of parties also on the way down. The nice part of the route is there are many options in the chimneys making passing fairly easy. We continued down and were on the trail in no time. The heat was fairly overwhelming to me at this point, so the rest of the hike out is a bit hazy. I do remember clearly walking up the hill on the way to the Trailhead, suffering in the heat. But Stewart cruised up ahead and was waiting at the end with our hidden beers. Looking up from lake Ann: Stewart on the approach: Starting up the chimneys: Stewart heads up the next section after a traverse: Getting close to the top: The frail ice above Winnie's slide, below the curtis: Stewart on towards hells highway: Stewart on hells highway: The opening snow section that leads to the summit pyramid scramble: Matt scrambling up the loose rock: Stewart on the summit: Matt on the summit: Looking down on the curtis: Matt works some dance moves on the way to the bivy site: Looking down from the bivy: View from bivy: Stewart grabs some water from a melt just below: Stewart enjoys the sunset: On the way out: Awe yeah, nothing tastes better at the end of a hot hike: Gear Notes: Standard crevasse travel gear, bivy sack, peach schnapps, and cigars.

w00t! Nice work!

Awesome! Looks like some nice clean rock on top it!

Great outing! There is some fantastic exposure on that route for sure!

Nice work guys! Looks like that face has lots of other possibilities as well.

Well, its still possible that there was a big rock fall on Serpentine, I had taken off before the winds picked up and the storm came in. I am sure that if the people you met were on Backbone, they know where Serpentine is. Scary for sure. I hope no one was on route, and I am certainly glad I had done it the day before!

Do you mean Monday the 22nd or Tuesday the 23rd? I climbed that route on Sunday the 21st. While there was the standard loose rock on the route, I don't recall seeing anything out of character. We headed out on Monday (the 22nd) and I do recall seeing a nice rock slide coming down near triple cols (left of backbone). Do your friends have any pictures of the snow field afterwards?

Trip: Squamish - Stairway to Heaven Date: 8/13/2011 Trip Report: Evan and I headed up for a short weekend in Squamish. We decided to get on a route that we have had our eyes on for several years; Stairway to Heaven. The route is bolt protected the whole way (see optional cam suggestions) however the description is not always clear (for example, the topo describes two incomplete pitches). The route is very fun with lots of high quality and thought provoking climbing. I definitely recommend adding this to your tick list. Below is a pitch by pitch description as well as hiking instructions between each of the climbs. Enjoy! Stairway to heaven: Hike from the campground at the base of the chief, turn left near the shelter at the back of the campsite, traverse along a trail at the bottom of the cliff until a gulley appears on the left that allows you to scramble to a fixed rope. Cruise up the two fixed handlines to the base of the Slot machine. Women in comfortable shoes starts about 60 feet to the left. Woman in comfortable shoes 10a p1 10a – go straight right (back towards Slot machine) following a small dyke feature for your feet, and occasional micro crimps for your hands. A tough start to the day, especially for the outside of your left foot. p2 8 – Continue right past a bolt and over the top of slot machine (optional #2 camalot), when reaching the offwidth flake, head up another 15 feet to the anchor. A short pitch. p3 10a – continue up small crack for about 10 feet, then head out onto the slab for some good ol fashioned padding. Share the anchor at the top of slot machine. Xenolith dance 10b p4 10b – a very fun pitch, but sustained. Follow the series of nubins, edges, and pockets out and left then straight up to the anchor. p5 10a – some additional nubbins lead to padding to the top. A nice finish for this two pitch section. Walk up the obvious trail and then head off to the left towards the main face of the grand wall. The trail ends at that fixed line across an exposed 15ft ledge getting you to a bolted anchor. Land of freedom 10a p6 10a – start in a dirty corner with roots and a tree stump. Clip two bolts then take a delicate step out and left to get to another diagonal dyke that heads up and to the left. Continue on to the anchors and enjoy the view. Continue up the obvious trail up and left until you find a fixed rope that takes you up a 6 foot cliff band. Climb the old ratty rope and continue left for another 20 feet to the obvious flake. Moonwatcher 9 p7 9 – Climb up the crack using nice jams and good feet (optional #2 camalot). Clip the bolt and move out onto the face up to the tree anchor at the top. Continue hiking up and left towards a nice trail at the top of Tantulus wall. While quite exposed, flip-flops worked just fine for the hike. Find the correct trail to get you out onto Bellygood. There is a set of anchors in the corner. Belly good ledge 5.root-pull p7a – not really much of a pitch, but the first 5-10 feet are a little airy and dirty. After that, walk the ledge out past a bolt until you reach the anchors at the base of millennium falcon (near a tree, ~120 feet). The next three pitches provide the hardest climbing on the route, with good distances between bolts. Millennium falcon 10c p8 10a – a nice pitch, although there is some distance between the bolts. Head up and right following generally good holds. The pitch is fairly sustained, but there are good rests in-between the individual cruxes. p9 10c – the crux pitch of the route. Head out right then back left on some delicate edges to a large crack. Follow the crack for another ~30 feet of fairly easy climbing (#2 camalot optional). Make the step up on the large block before you can clip the bolt, then head out and right to some difficult moves over a jagged roof. The universal key 10b p10 – a hard and sustained pitch, some distance between bolts. Start up the dihedral with positive but reachy holds till the roof above your head forces you out and to the right. A difficult padding move gets you onto a dirty ledge. Continue right until you hit the first of two cracks. Make an exciting step across (again, very reachy) then head up to a surprising finish. I thought the was the hardest pitch on the route. Traverse of the gods 9 p11 – start by walking left on a nice ledge until it pinches off and you are forced onto the slab. Pad across the slab until reaching the start of a dyke feature passing the first set of anchors you see, stopping at the second belay. Described in the guidebook at 5.9, it’s really a 5.8 (see next pitch) p12 – continue on the dyke feature passing bolts that are very hard to see until you are almost on top of them. The climbing has a very similar feel to women in confortable shoes, just a grade easier. Traverse to the black dyke, then head up and left to an anchor below a large roof near a tree. Described in the guidebook as 5.8, its really fairly sustained 5.9. The upper black dyke 10a p13 – head out onto the main black dyke feature climbing “exit 38” style rock, clipping bolts along the way. The crux of the pitch is no particular move, rather its finding the good holds that allow you to move up. Watch for the loose rock not only for your partner, but the several routes below on the main grand wall. Continue up and left to Penthouse Wall. Walk past a memorial to Mr. Ciechanowski, then take a short fixed handline down to the trail. The first route you come to (about 30 feet) is the next pitch. Mr. Ciechanowski 10a p14 - (right most route on the Penthouse). Easier than it looks, follow nice jugs over the roof to a nice series of edges up to the anchor. Reachy again. Walk left to Raven's Castle (starting on the very far left side and up a gulley, start out the dyke heading across the wall) Joe's Dyke 5.6 p15 – easy padding past a few bolts. A short pitch. You can start waving at the tourists from here on. Ladies First 10a p16 – Head out and left from the anchor to a small ramp that leads to a flake. This pitch provides a little sting in the tail of a nice long route. Rough outline of the route from the brewery:   Start of women in comfortable shoes: Land of freedom: Rope pull to the ledge for Moonwatcher: Moonwatcher, first bolt up and left of the crack: Beginning of the traverse of the gods: Second pitch of the traverse of the gods from the black dyke: Exit 38 like rock of the black dyke: Evan points out Mr. Ciechanowski: Raven castle. A party is leading the second pitch of Joe’s dyke:

Exactly.