Dannible

I didn't know that pullups on tools were bad for you. Good to know. A hang board helps (might not be able to hang it in a dorm though). Does your school not have a rec center with stuff like that though? I lived in dorms in my first year of school and got in good shape for my first time ever for the by climbing inside some, spending some time in the weight room, and running up and down the stairs over and over in my 10 story building (late at night, when there was no one around to think I was crazy). Will Gadd's site has a lot of good stuff. Read what he has to say about core strength. It can be pretty boring at first, but actually working at this stuff some really makes things a lot more fun and less scary. Also when you are young if you do this kind of stuff enough you don't have to worry about what you eat much, within reason. The probably have fruit there. Climb outside every chance you get. It sounds like you aren't using your feet enough. Stem like you're rock climbing, keep your heels low, and shake out all the time. Don't take anything too seriously. Climb, train a little, party, and do some school stuff all in moderation and things should turn out pretty well.

I took my money out of BofA yesterday. Gonna give BECU a try. I've had a couple of big issues with BofA in the past, and the $5 debit thing was the end of the line. I know they went back on that, but it's the principle. My bank account rarely breaks three digits though, so I doubt they'll miss me.

Very cool. When you say this is a seasonal line you mean because the road will close? I know it's subject to change but how far were you guys able to drive?

I've used the Adventure Medical bivy a handful of times years ago and pretty much hated it. A few nights in particular I remember waking up drenched in sweat, but very cold, and having to wait out the rest of the night like that. On one long trip I stopped using it after a few days, so I must have decided that it was worse than nothing. I do sweat more than most people though, and it wasn't paired with a real bag, so maybe it would work fine for you. When trying to be really light I now use a stupid 1 lb synthetic bag that I got for cheap along with a bivy sack or firstlight and rarely get a good night's sleep, so I can't help you. One of these nice light bags is going to be my next big purchase.

Cool! Nice to be getting some conditions updates, I'm sure a lot of people have been wondering about that couloir.

10 years ago I went on my first overnight hike (with an external frame pack and big, heavy tent) without my parents, and my friends and I did some class 3 scrambling on a little cliff that I'm sure our parents wouldn't have approved of. It would be over a year before I first really climbed outside. 9 years ago I joined a search and rescue group, and during our training found that some strange part of me enjoys being cold, wet, and tired. Extreme Alpinism is a great book. I probably read it fifty times in my first few years of alpine climbing, and still look at the pictures now and then to get stoked. Kiss or Kill too.

Personally I really prefer a synthetic (like the compressor) because you don't have to worry about it and manage it like you might with down. Down has its place. For overnighters in the summer you can avoid getting wet or just head home when the rain starts, but if you are gonna be out in any other season, or for multiple days in the summer, you are going to find yourself getting wet from time to time. I would never bring a down jacket on a long winter route around here because of spindrift, and because when it's really cold I might climb in it a bit, which leads to snow melting on it. Hardshell over down isn't a great solution (at least for a really thick puffy) because it will compress the down and limit how much heat it can hold. Also, as the sweat evaporates from your inner layers, it will make the down damp, and the hardshell will prevent it from breathing well and drying out. Again this is not really an issue on shorter trips, but something to think about. I think about my puffy as a piece of survival equipment for unexpected weather and unplanned bivies, and when things are starting to get weird up there you don't want to be worrying about proper layering and keeping things dry.

On the descent and walk out from Goode last year we saw one and heard a few running away from us in the brush after dark. The one we saw was my only worrying bear experience, and I've seen a bunch. We were bushwhacking down towards it, and I saw it standing still watching us from about 100 feet away. It was light brown, and bigger than any black bear I'd seen. What worried me was that it stood its ground against two loud guys, when every other bear I've come across just ran away. We backtracked and let it have its space. Always assumed it was just a big black, but who knows? Bears are cool. Here are a few, the first (black) is from right outside of Leavenworth, the other two are browns up in Bristol Bay, AK.

Thanks everyone. This may have been an attempt at something bigger but by the time we got off the southern traverse we were all pretty stoked to have done it. It was a strange feeling as we set off towards picket pass, celebrating what we had done, but knowing that we had a few days of movement left to get out where there could be no mistakes. I knew that there was a good chance that we'd only finish the southern (or less) which is why I went in and sussed out the crescent creek approach the week before. This is also why I lobbied to push on to Outrigger, Luna, and Access Creek: covering new ground seemed like a lot more fun than going down the crescent twice in two weeks. Also, that dotted line running over Picket Pass in the Beckey Guide has always spurred my imagination and been "the middle of nowhere" in my mind. As for finishing it next year, it's hard to imagine. I've been thinking about this really hard for a couple of years and it's freeing to have gone and given it a go. When you are really set on trying something like this it can dominate so much of your life and thoughts that it's nice to be able to put it on the back burner for a while. Also, there were parts of the Southern Traverse that were pretty dangerous (following over loose rock with a friend right below you is scary) and one must let those memories fade a bit before going and doing it again. Just to go and do the Northern Traverse would be pretty cool.

I doubt many people would call it safe; for that you would use a good single rope. That said, it's something that I've done a lot. I do it sometimes while roped soloing, because I try to only solo things that I don't plan on falling off of, and on long moderate routes with a partner, mostly so the second can relax. I believe all half ropes are rated to hold a lead fall in normal conditions (not running over sharp edges for example) but really this should only be done in places where the leader is not going to fall. It's just not fun to test these things. On harder routes pull on gear and rest to avoid falling if it comes down to it. They make nice light single ropes as skinny as 8.9 that will give you a lot more peace of mind. A better option might be to fold that half rope in half and simul climb (because you aren't going to fall anyway, right?) or do 30 meter leads. A single strand of skinny rope isn't great for glacier travel because they can be harder to prussic on and I've heard that crevasse rescue can put a lot of force on the rope.

Fun stuff in a crazy place. I had only been rock climbing a handful of times this summer because I was in AK for a while, so my fingers got pretty worked by all the lichen. Now they are all peeling and weird. I posted some of my thoughts and some pics on the other thread.

Didn't see a rope on inspiration, but I think there are a few different ways down. Fun trip indeed. So much climbing. Props to all the people who have done big things in the Pickets; it's such a crazy place. Whenever you thing something is gonna be quick and easy there is always another cliff/tower/creek/basin in your way. Big country. A few notes: Our packs were too heavy. A huge cache would go a long way. Wayne, Colin and Mark killed it and hauled ass on the Southern Traverse in 2003. Pretty hard to keep up with their itinerary without knowing a lot about the route and having a cache. A rest day at Picket Pass is recommended for people trying the full ridge traverse. There was a lot of moderately loose rock before Terror, but it got a lot better after the first pitch of the Rake. Pyramid, The Rake, and the first Twin Needle were really good. The class 3 route on Ottohorn seems to have fallen down. September is obviously not the time to be doing this: shorter days, moats, and no snow covering the dirt and choss in the cols. Bring more adzes than hammers. We only used one pin (as a rap anchor) but had to chop and dig a lot at bivys. I got cell service below the Chopping Block the week before, but never up on the ridge, which was a bummer. A sat phone would be nice for a weather forecast before committing to the northern ridge and for other obvious reasons. If you want to try just the southern traverse or the full ridge, ask one of us for beta. There are a few spots where you just really want to go the right way. We talked to Wayne on the phone just before heading up and without his beta things might not have gone so smoothly. Thanks again Wayne! By the way, having spent most of a week staring at Mongo Ridge, I'll say that him soloing that is one of the boldest things I've ever heard of. More photos here: http://www.danhilden.com/Adventure/The-Picket-Range/19038718_DcMrBq#1484363495_d3dgjB2

First off, I hope you got a job. Second, winter is the best season we have here (ok, maybe not counting spring and summer) if you pay attention to the weather. That's the key: do whatever you can where weather and condition allow. Check the noaa and nwac websites every day, for anywhere where there might be something to do. Pretty sure I've skiied, ice climbed, and climbed rock all in one day here, which is really winning, and doing two of those things in one day was pretty common last winter.

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Nice, Dome looks great. As for Gunsight, I climbed some as good as it gets rock there (2006 East Face), and some horribly scary stuff as well (Accidental Discharge).

I'd suggest bivying on the summit and descending into Park Creek; it's pretty easy even if you end up bushwhacking. I and several other people I know have enjoyed unplanned bivys thanks to Storm King Col.

I just got back from Alaska yesterday, where I met Nate and his cousin Andrew on the Ruth Glacier back in May. They were camped next to us, and after a few stormy days we were all pretty good friends. They managed to climb Dickey, Barrill, did some rock climbing, and made two attempts on Dan Beard, one of which we joined them for. The breakfast that they made on my birthday stands out as one of the best meals of my life: a huge scramble, eaten on a sunny morning in one of the most beautiful places in the world, with music and good friends. We later met up and partied in Talkeetna. In a big volleyball game that some locals organized, Nate turned out to be the key player, quietly and humbly scoring about 90% of the points. Nate seemed to be a solid, responsible climber, and I could tell that he was at home in the mountains. I had been looking forward to having him show me around Beacon, and we had talked about doing some climbs in the North Cascades as well. In all of my memories of him he has a big smile on his face. Condolences to his other friends and his family. Peace be with you all.

Scenic: Northern Lights from Black Peak Alpine: Aaron Scott on Triumph Doing this from a slow connection in AK so thats all.

Yeah, from the top of middle 8 mile we headed up to Buzzbomb, and followed a ledge system around the corner and up just a bit to the cave route. Lots of ticks in the spring as I recall.

Hell yeah guys! That NE coulee has been talked about a lot around here; glad someone went and did it. Some people think you need to ski 50-100+ days a year to be really getting after it, but those people don't know Dan.

Actually this isn't really late season for Dtail. Last winter and spring I was up there pretty much every month and May and June were the best for ice. It's still been snowing up there so just avoid the first sunny day after a dump. I'll know more in a couple of days!

It's just a few minutes above the upper 8 mile crags in the drainage to the east as far as I can remember. Near a little stream this early in the year. It's not as cool as I hoped it would be. Wide but not deep.

Trip: New routes in Leavenworth - Colchuck NE Face, Snow Creek, Tumwater Canyon Date: 3/31/2011 Trip Report: It’s hard to beat winter in Leavenworth. We were climbing ice the day before thanksgiving, climbed roadside ice and skied deep powder through December, and had three weeks of good alpine climbing conditions in January and February before the arrival of a long pow storm cycle. Sometimes the possibilities seem endless. In late January Jens Holsten and I headed up to Colchuck Lake with heavy packs and a couple of days to kill. Our main objective was the NEB of Colchuck. This outing was similar to the other times that we have headed up to check it out in that we didn’t climb the route. At least this time we got to climb a couple of (hard) mixed pitches before we were stopped by unconsolidated snow and iced cracks. On the way down we stopped to scope out a flow of ice running down the NE face to the right of the NE couloir. The next morning a well timed start had us as the base of this flow by sunrise. Two pitches of perfect AI3 ice had us at a snowfield. From here one could go up and right on easy snow and maybe wrap around and connect with the NBC, but we simul climbed up and left for a few pitches. The path of least resistance took us over a pitch and a half of mixed climbing and snow covered rock before a snow bowl. The snow on these pitches was very unconsolidated and we pretty much had to keep digging down to rock for pro and ground solid enough to support our weight. In better conditions you would be able to cruise over these pitches, but in worse conditions they could shut you down. Above the snow bowl I set up the belay below a nice looking ice filled dihedral, but it turned out the white stuff wouldn’t support any weight. This would be a fun and more direct option if it forms up. Jens traversed about 20 feet to the next weakness, a steep chimney that we climbed in two pitches. Overhanging and technical, but with enough moss and pro to make it work, this was the crux of the climb. Jens gets ready. The route from the base. Dragontail lookin good. More steep snow and mixed climbing took us to a low point in the north ridge. Pulling onto the ridge was one of my more wild moments in recent memory. All that was left of the sun was a pink glow on the horizon, and a stout wind tried to push us off our perch. After dark I am able to climb and stay relaxed knowing that at least it won’t get any darker, but there is something unsettling about dusk when you are on a route without bivy gear. The summit felt a long ways off and a 15 foot tall 4-5 inch wide crack stood in our way. No big deal if we were down in the icicle, but here, now, with crampons on our feet and no number 4 cam it was a disheartening sight. Jens made due with a couple of pins (one is now fixed) and after a short fall and some tense moments he ran the rope out along the ridge. A traverse brought us to the NW couloir which took us to the rime covered summit and the easy descent. After some of the best ramen I have ever eaten and a quick nap we packed up our camp and walked back to the road on shaky legs. By the time I got home it was time to go back to the mountains to go to work. That night I stood in the driving rain next to my chairlift at Stevens Pass and tried not to smile as my co workers groused about the bad skiing conditions on our weekend. We are calling the route the Holsten-Hilden 1,600’ WI3 M6, steep snow. One thing that most people don’t know about Jens is that he is an extreme snowshoe enthusiast. It doesn’t matter what weather or conditions are like, he just goes out and walks hundreds of miles in those things every winter. Sometimes on his walks he sees lines on crags and mountains, and stores these memories away for later use. Promises of white granite, blue ice, and unclimbed mixed lines led me to strap on the snowshoes to head up the Snow Creek Valley a couple of times this winter. At the end of February’s high pressure we headed up to try a route on Temple Ridge, and while we did climb some nice ice in the sun, the switch in my head was flipped from up to down when the sun caused an apparently windloaded bowl above us to slide on our route, a bit too close for comfort. A couple of weeks later the death of an acquaintance in an avalanche on Mount Cashmere shook the community and my confidence. He was doing what he loved in an area that he knew better than almost anyone, a short snowmobile ride from his home. It was a beautiful day and he was with good friends, skiing steep, deep powder. The kind of day that we live for. A day that people around the world dream of, full of the moments which make magazines and ski movies, but for him it was just another day in the life of a guy who chose to live his dream. Today would be Danny Z's 29th birthday. When someone dies climbing or skiing it’s hard to avoid dwelling on the risks I’ve taken and will take, sometimes knowingly, sometimes unexpected and unaccounted for. Without risk however, climbing wouldn’t mean much. Summits and nice views are great, but deep down I climb to learn about myself and see where my limits are. This mindset is inherently dangerous, and sometimes it all seems pretty pointless. I want to be an old man someday, but at the same time I want to be able to inspire my kids and grand kids to live their dreams. In the words of Henry David Thoreau “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Last week Jens and I headed up to another potentially new line in the Snow Creek Valley and with the first swings of my tools all of the doubt and fear of the last few weeks was gone. The question of why does not exist in the mountains. Our route followed an ice runnel and a snow ramp to an obvious 200 foot ice filled corner, and up steep snow and rock bands to the summit of a small middle of nowhere tower. To get there start heading uphill just before the millennium wall, aiming for the tower with the obvious dihedral. The route is directly across from the Snow Creek Wall, and is about the same height. Jens is calling the tower Millennium Tower, and at the time he suggested calling the route 1,000 Swings to Nowhere, which I think is pretty fitting. M5, steep snow. The route goes up the slanted corner splitting the face left of photo center. Earlier in the winter Kurt Hicks, Aaron Scott, and myself also climbed an undocumented ice line in the Tumwater. Mr. Gecko has a picture of it from the road in this thread (to the right of Comic Book Hero): http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/997719/5 Walk across the red bridge, head west on a hopefully packed down old road grade for 20 minutes to where a rock slide blocks the path, and start climbing. Two pitches of WI2, and at the top we climbed an amazing pitch of WI 4 in a chimney. One of the cooler ice routes that I have done in L-town for sure. No one told me it was a FA until we were down, which was neat. An alternative to the last pitch that we climbed is to climb the obvious, less steep flow left of the chimney. I returned the next night to climb that after dark (because snow and rain was about to ruin everything), but downclimbed about halfway up because it seemed a bit wet and insecure. We never really talked about a name. Aaron liked Milf School 6, after a DVD he found on the highway that morning. I kind of like the name Another Roadside Distraction because I looked at the thing so many times driving up to the pass before we climbed it, but it doesn’t even exist anymore anyway, so maybe it doesn’t matter. Kurt has better pictures of this one here. A very PNW topout. Gear Notes: Colchuck NE Face: Double set of cams to 2" singles of 3 and 4. Nuts, pins, and 4 or 5 screws. Millennium Tower: Cams (singles), nuts, screws. Tumwater route: Screws (Stubbies too!) and you might be able to place a small cam or two in the chimney. Approach Notes: Walk like you mean it.

A friend and I climbed a potentially new scottish route across from the snow creek wall last week. 5 pitches, AI2, M4 snow to 70 degrees. The rain might be blowing it. I'm gonna try to do a trip report with more details before the month is over in a couple of days. Personally I'd be very afraid of the stuff around colchuck right now. Meters of snow have fallen since the last big avalanche cycle up there. Might get some rain up high which will be a good start, but a few days of heat and sun (followed by cold) are also needed. The central cascades has now seen 2 avalanche deaths in the last month which is pretty terrible.