CaleHoopes

Anyone out there climbing the 2-3 pitch line on the west side of the lower Nisqually glacier about 500 ft north of the Fan this weekend? We could see you from over on Panorama Point - the ice looked fantastic. Looked like a party of three and we paid attention long enough to see the lead about halfway up the first pitch - looked wonderful yesterday. Was wondering because grabbing something like that means you have PICTURES. Share with the class.

I'm an owner of two Dragon jackets. I'd swear by them. If the Trinity replaces the Dragon.... then I'd go there. The problem I have with the Trinity is that its a full waterproof layer. I don't know what the breathability would be like on DryQ. Better than the last generation, but is it a good climbing jacket? Go check it at the store downtown - they should have it this time of year... MH store is your best bet.

I'm gonna start out by trying out my Sabretooth Pro's on the 40 belows. I'll let you folks know how it goes. Thanks for all of the responses! You people ROCK!

Fat Ice Deserves Photos.

Not a viper with some tape?!

Actually a pretty fun falls to top rope. Haven't set a rope there myself so I don't know what the top of the falls looks like, but a good 20-30m set of about 3 routes. Could be an ok afternoon for practice.

Kurt, Thanks a ton for chiming in! That's exactly the kind of response I was wondering about. I was sorta less interested in the "it would work" than "it would be better if you did..." I basically got the same comment you gave from John Race who's up there all the time - and a different response from Mark Allen who's up there often but doing more alpine routes than the West Buttress (need more sensitivity so the overboot is not as important). Thanks a ton! Thanks everyone for your input - I think I have a plan. Cale

So, to answer a few questions: West Buttress. I have a pair of Sabretooth Pro's with the wire front (full automatic). I might just give em a try before I do anything. If I don't like, I'll get a pair with straps. "Take your boot/overboot combo to a gear shop and see what fits" Ends up probably being the best idea. I just wanted to hear what everyone had to say about the topic. Thanks for all the great responses!

Folks, I keep getting different results when I ask people about their experiences regarding Crampon styles for Denali with overboots. I've heard "Go with all straps" and another friend said "Keep the clip in the back". I very rarely hear to use full-clip crampons. I am going to use the 40 Below Purple Haze overboots (at the moment) on top of a pair of La Sportiva Baruntse boots. I run cold, so I think this is a good approach. Right now I'm considering G12's with a strap in the front or BD Serac's with strap in front. Thoughts? Thanks if you respond.... want to get opinions here.

The Koflach Degre boots have been sold. However, the Arctis Expes are still for sale. Let me know if you're interested - I will move on price on those. In great condition.

Dude! Very excellent trip report!

I almost always get a v-thread pulled through using a metolius runner and using the stiff part of the stiching to pull it through.

Bump!

I have it on authority that 10 popes make a excellency which fits in a volkswagen bug just fine, but the old autostick from 69, not the super beetle, new one from the 2000s or the new new one. Therefore, a 10 womens fits just fine in a koflach 8.5/9.5 mens boot.

Is that what you used on your Chair Peak video? Hey, and I hope to see you at VW Redmond sometime - I don't climb above 5.10a yet, but I'm gettin there... Nice video on the Chair Peak climb. I need to put together my multi-pitch climb from Ouray but I haven't done the video editing yet.

Folks, I'm dubious about the success of HAM radios for climbers. I've taken my radio numerous times up into the mountains and tried to bounce repeaters back to Seattle. Often times the repeaters in the mountains are down or inactive - and I've only ever had success getting back to Seattle from Granite Mt. once (where I believe I had line of site to Rattlesnake). I'm actually going to Denali this summer and I'm going to purchase the DeLorme inReach device for the whole expedition to use. The benefits of this device over the SPOT: two-way messaging, confirmations your messages were received, doesn't require a cell phone to do all it's basic functions. On the other hand, the SPOT connector only has an SOS button on it and REQUIRES a cell phone to send one way messages. What I want is a lightweight good communication device for an expedition that will mean we don't spend a ton on Satellite phone minutes. The drawback of the inReach is $120/year + an upgrade downgrade option for $24... Yep, pricey... but cheaper than a full on sat phone.

Hey, any go pro owners out there monkey with different mounts for climbing? I recently climbed in Ouray and mounted on the top of the helmet. Some of the climbing is pretty good - but I'm wondering about the front mount on the helmet. Anyone?

By the way, this is one real bummer. In the old visitors center in the basement were showers which took a quarter. I remember coming off a particularly horrible day up to Muir and taking a 5 min shower for cheap (like $2). Then dining at Copper Creek feeling like a million bucks! P.S. LOL on the "Whittaker Cartel"

Great Mountaineering boots for Rainer or better. On the left: 8.5 US Mens Koflach Degre boots ALREADY SOLD. On the right: 9.5 US Mens Koflach Arctis Expe boots with custom Denali Intuition Liners (Size 10 liners). Superfeet footbeds. Great condition. The intuitions are like new and can be re-molded at least twice more. (Can fit 10 womens) For Sale $250 oBo PM or email: caledh@gmail.com

This was very sad. Two Fridays ago on the 6th I was at the Ouray Ice Festival and took an Advanced Water Ice clinic from Jack. He's a great guy and a great teacher. Additionally, after climbing up Camp Bird Road outside of Ouray just a few days ago, I saw Jack again and we exchanged pleasantries. I learned a bunch from him in 3 hours and he pushed me farther than I've gone before. I was sad to hear of his passing. Bridalveil falls is pretty incredible too. WI5/6 over 150m. 3-4 pitches and he was very experienced. Sad day.

Wow tvashtarkatena! Very nice response - and it totally makes sense. I don't slackline, but I really enjoyed reading about how the loads get calculated. Amazing how much load is there and even worse because of the length of the slackline.

Feel free to check out the Bushwhacker Climbing Club's basic Glacier Climbing course. We'll be opening up registration in Feb. The course runs 9 weeks long with 4 outings and a graduation climb up Baker with an option for Rainier Emmons after that. We teach crevasse rescue and many basic glacier climbing skills. The course usually runs around $350 - although I'm not sure of the cost this year. Great course - will go over gear, navigation, mitigating hazards, snow camping, proper footwork and axe work, etc. Our website is: http://www.bushwhackerclimbingclub.org Feel free to email me at caledh@gmail.com for more info. Also, if you don't want a commitment with a club, International Mountain Guides are an excellent guide service in Washington - and for more skills TEACHING, look into the American Alpine Institute.

One of the reasons I've always thought of alpine start from Muir is the avy danger in the afternoon and the melt out of rock in the afternoon. As the afternoon sun gets high, the rockfall actually increases on Cathedral. Also, the sun hitting the cleaver in the afternoon can cause some questionable sluffs. That's why I've always thought of Alpine starts on Rainier. I don't even consider AMS to be a factor. Yes, if you climb too high too fast, AMS is a factor, but you can mitigate it on a carry over, and through taking care of yourself.

Pete! No big deal. Fall City is a much better commute than Granite Falls! ;-) Why Issaquah? What DPS says. The location is great if you're into CONDITIONING for climbing/hiking. Between Tiger & Si itself, its very close (like 5 minutes from Issaquah to Tiger trails). I will admit, I'd love to do more up HWY 2, but my location in Sammamish makes it a hard drive to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. I can be up Tiger & back in 1.5 hrs with a good workout.

For working in downtown Seattle, out I-90 is your best bet traffic wise. Keep in mind that this commute is very dependent on WHEN you need to get to work. Therefore, I'd suggest: Mercer Island, Eastgate (Bellevue), Issaquah, Issaquah Highlands, Snoqualmie Ridge, North Bend (farther and farther away). I'd also suggest getting a short lease (6 mo) down that corridor and then going from there. You'll know exactly what you want after exploring for 6 months. I don't know anyone crazy enough to choose GRANITE FALLS as a good place to live that's COMMUTABLE to Harborview. Are you certifiably insane? 1.5 hours each way?!?! You mean in the BEST conditions (like August sunshine days when everyone's on vacation). Imagine a 2.5 hours in a convergence zone rain/wind storm at 5 pm in November. Uhm, each way. Just don't do it - and definitely don't START that way.