ScaredSilly

Trip: Mount Rainier - Curtis Ridge Date: 6/6/1998 Trip Report: Over the years a few folks have asked me about our climb on Curtis Ridge. Last night I finally dug out what slides I have from the climb and have scanned them in for folks to enjoy and think about over the winter. We more or less took 2.5 days for the climb. We started at White River and did the usual approach to St. Elmos's Pass. We crossed the Winthrop Glacier which brings one to the broad expanse of Curtis Ridge. From there most folks keep heading west over to the Carbon Glacier. We instead headed up hill. The first part is mostly plodding along except there is one slope that is avalanche prone. That was self evident with a wet slide. We pretty much kept to the Winthrop side of the ridge until it finally became a ridge in the true sense. Maybe 30 minutes later after wandering along the top of the ridge we hit the infamous point of no return rappel. The rap is on the Carbon Glacier side of the ridge and is may be 75 in length (snow dependent). The rap brings you down on a slope that drops down to the Carbon. From here were stayed mostly on the Carbon side traversing around little gendarmes along the way. Much of the climbing was straight forward with some exposed 4th class moves on the rock. Just before a large gendarme at around 10,300' is a nice bivy on the Winthrop side of the ridge. It is a nice bivy with great views of those over on the Emmons. In the morning we took off and walked along the ridge until we got to the aid crack. We bypassed it on the right and continued up on snow until we got to a steep 15' section of rotten snow and ice. After getting up through it we continued along the based of the first step for another 100' or so. At that point we found a ramp that we could cut back left on and after 25' of 4th class climbing we found ourselves on the on the top of the first step. Our route was not the Wickwire variation but not far from it. The first snow field was pretty easy climbing and we climbed diagonally from right to left to bypass a small rock band. From there we traversed back right until we could step through the second band via a few 3rd class moves. The Second snow field was again pretty easy climbing with a bit of ice. And like before we climbed diagonally from right to left into the exit ramp. At one point I remember climbing a thin section of ice and rock to gain the exit ramp. From there it was cloudy and we could not see much. Things seems like they dead ended but we kept moving diagonally up and to the left. Eventually an exit gully was found that cut up and right which brought us to the top of the ridge at about 12,500'. From here is an easy plod to the summit wandering among some crevasses. As it was now a white out we kept the Russell Cliff insight as reference. We forewent the summit as it was a complete white out on top along with high winds. We eventually met up with some other climbers coming from Liberty Cap. We ended up holing up for a bit before the clouds lifted and we could get out of there. We could have make it out of there sooner but we forgot one key part - when traversing from Liberty Cap directly over to the Emmons descent one needs to go up hill for a bit. Otherwise you run into seracs on the Winthrop that are difficult to traverse around. In the white out we missed this key feature. After descending the Winthrop to the Emmons we bivied at Camp Sherman for the night and walked out to White River the next morning. Looking down the lower slopes of Curtis Ridge Bivy on Curtis Ridge ~10,300' Bivy by the Gendarme on Curtis Ridge ~10,300' (Note this photo is in Gaiter's book) Heading towards the exit gullies on upper Curtis Ridge ~11,800' Traversing into the exit gullies on upper Curtis Ridge ~12,000' Gear Notes: Couple of screws, pickets, and nuts The 75' aid pitch now goes free. Approach Notes: Start at White River to St Elmos's Pass. After crossing the Winthrop Glacier head up the broad slopes of Curtis Ridge (some avy danger).

I have one of the last Mountain Club patches. Used to have it on a hat for many years. Finally, stopped wearing the hat cause it was in poor shape and I did not want to lose the patch. While at OSU we did a bit of digging and clean up and I think the OSU Mountain Club archives made their way over to the Kerr Library. That was back in the mid 80s.

Slightly off topic but while living in Antibes, France in 1996 I noticed a McDonalds being built. One day I noticed a mural going up. Oddly enough the mural was of Delicate Arch. Which for me was funny cause I had moved there after finishing grad school in Utah.

Check the weather, if it is not clear the day before, day of and for the next day or so after you plan climb then visit the lodge and drink some hot chocolate. Basically, the weather this time of year can turn to shit quick. Thus with out knowledge of the hill and experience you could easily become a statistic. If you get a good weather window just stick to the south side.

How can one forget something they do not possess? Even without a prussik one can often get back up the rope safely in many cases (overhang excepted).

A message from Gaitor this morning who said it was okay to post it: I received one of those dreaded phone calls early this morning with the news that my good friend Joe Puryear died while ascending Labuche Kang (7,367 meters, 24,170 feet) in a remote region of Tibet. Joe was a former climbing ranger on Mount Rainier and one of America’s elite alpinists. He joined the staff at Camp Schurman in 1996 with Mark Westman and Lara Bitenieks. They represented a new cadre of skilled climbers who together helped changed the way our climbing rangers did business and served the public for the National Park Service. For two years, Joe led the climbing rangers on the east side of Mount Rainier and participated in many difficult rescues. He was greatly respected for his climbing skills and ability manage complex situations both on the mountain and in the front country. Joe’s talents led him to pursue a career in alpinism and along the way he authored books on climbing in the Alaska Range and in the desert SW of America. Most recently, he and David Gottlieb received prestigious climbing grants (Mugs Stump, Gore, and Lyman Spitzer) in order to ascend unclimbed peaks and frozen waterfalls in Nepal and Tibet. I don’t have a lot of information at this time, but the word is that Joe fell through a cornice. He was with David at the time, but David did not witness the event. He ascended the top the ridgeline after putting on his crampons only to find Joe's tracks leading to a broken ledge. Fearing the worst, he descended 1,500 feet to find Joe, who did not survive the fall, and shortly there after retrieved the sat phone enabling him to make a call to the US. David was alone at the time, but does have the help of one Sherpa at base camp. They are in a very remote region without rescue services and it’s unclear what his next steps will be. For now, I am thinking about David as he descends the mountain back to base camp. Once again, the Mount Rainier climbing community has been rocked with the lose of a wonderful friend and person. Joe was good friend with Lara, who died while climbing on Mount Wake in 2007 in the Alaska Range, and also with Charlie Borgh, who was swept to his death in an avalanche on Mount Delta Form in Alberta, Canada 2008. I’ll send out more information about the accident, David’s descent, and a memorial when possible. I have attached a picture of Joe as I remember him best, in the mountains and on top of his game. Information about the expedition can be found at: http://climbtibet.blogspot.com/

Though I do not use it*, the Canon G Series is a great little camera with some punch. Here is a review of the newest G12: http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10091412canong12.asp What you want is something that will have a good wide angle for those close ups but descent zoom. Cameras with mega zoom typically have poor lens qualities (i.e. soft). At the same time something will work descent in low light. *I shoot a Leica but that is another story.

As mun1mc said, this type of action is quite common in the business world. A key player leaves and then becomes the competition. Most companies have key employees sign noncompete agreements as part of their employment. Here is a fine example: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/technology/21hewlett.html

No need to post again. There is a forum specifically for folks looking for a partner. Your original post was moved there: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/983592/Mt_Hood_Climbing_Partner_in_No#Post983592

Last Nov I was there for a couple of days, had the be best bivy of my life as we stayed at the Lodge !!! The weather sucked but the sauna was great and the buffets were killer. Good thing worked paid for me to get there. That said if you are in the area - great. But I certainly would not specifically plan a trip to Hood as the weather can be very rough that time of year with very wet storms. You can also have killer weather as I did once in Oct. and no one on the mountain.

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/976483/Special_Use_Fees_Increased_Den#Post976483

Extractive private usage of public lands has never earned the general public anything. It has always cost the tax payer $$. For instance, many of the damn roads built by loggers get turned over to the Forest Service, who then in turn credit the loggers for building it!!! Then the Forest Service has to maintain the damn thing! That in my book that practice is a subsidy. If crap like that went away I might be will to pay to play but until the subsidies for extractive industries ends - forgot it.

Quiet now, don't be giving those knucleheads any ideas about any other peaks.

Yeah right, this auction is not mine - just some photos I ran across and thought folks would have fun guessing at who, what, and where. Next time ya might read who the seller is and where they are located before spewing. My name ain't Carolyn Jane and I sure as hell ain't in Maine, though I was there a week ago :-0.

Okay so which of you old farts are in these photos? Are what are you doing in the junk drawer??? http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Junk-Drawer-Mountain-Climbing-Photo-1969-1-/260673563764?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item3cb15aec74 http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Junk-Drawer-Mountain-Climbing-Photo-1969-2-/260673563934?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb15aed1e http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Junk-Drawer-Mountain-Climbing-Photo-1969-3-/260673564137?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item3cb15aede9 http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Junk-Drawer-Mountain-Climbing-Photo-1969-4-/260673564270?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item3cb15aee6e http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Junk-Drawer-Mountain-Climbing-Photo-1969-5-/260673564396?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item3cb15aeeec http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Junk-Drawer-Mountain-Climbing-Photo-1969-6-/260673563033?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb15ae999#ht_500wt_1042 The seller says Mt. Hood which might be possible for a couple of them but not the others. The aid climbing looks like Smith or Peshastin Pinnacles. A couple might in the N. Cascades???

Not sure what to think about this renaming ... but it is a done deal as I doubt the bill will be vetoed: http://ktna.org/2010/09/30/peak-on-mt-hunter-named-after-ted-stevens

I usually find that once I am 100' above (or below) the clouds I can see pretty good. Of course that can happen at any elevation. Low viz hiking is actually better than when it is clear. With low viz you do not have time to get scared before walking off a cornice. It just happens. Kinda like shit happens.

Just to keep folks on track $0 of the fees are for rescue related incidents. For instance, the Lama helicopter on Denali is paid for out of other funding. However, the fees are being used to fund programs to prevent rescues. Which is what started the programs in the first place. The decision was made to have a presence on the mountain as well as greater contact with climbers before they even arrive in Alaska. Take the Muir, Emmons and 14k camps which is where probably 95% of all climbs on Denali and Rainier take place. Having a ranger presence - as in one who actually walks around and makes contact with visitors - gives them a chance to hopefully prevent more issues from arising. A worthy idea - to a degree. So, in many ways the fees are "preventative" rescue insurance that climbers are all paying for because the NPS can not require rescue insurance. Which is what they really should do and require it of all park users while pulling their operations off the mountain except for a patrol or two mid season like would be done within any park. Now here is the rub - many of us on CC have no need for such contacts high on the hill as most have their act together (most of the time). Give us a weather report and perhaps some route condition info and we are happy campers. This info is no different than someone who is going to hike the Wonderland Trail. For me the blog has been one of the most beneficial parts of the Rainier program. So part of what has happened is that the burden has shifted to where the need is perceived/desired for the vast majority. So those of us who do not need their presence are paying for services we do not want. At least Rainier is park wide. For Denali, why is it for just Foraker and Denali and not park wide? Last time I was in the park the ranger literately said "Given the route you are doing there is not much I can say - do want some blue bags and look at the route photos?" Yet we paid the same as everyone else. However, now that the programs are in place the NPS really needs to look at their programs overall as to what services they are providing and what are the needs. I do not believe they are doing that fully. For instance, from: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/09/12/1337950/climbers-decry-fee-hike.html#ixzz0zWhDMK8V "That isn’t true, Uberuaga said. After climbing ranger Sam Wick fell into a crevasse July 1, 2009, while patrolling the mountain on skis, the park began analyzing the program and how well its rangers were trained, Uberuaga said. They discovered that the rangers lacked some training and that increasing climbing fees could pay for that training. The park already had hired two permanent climbing rangers to work six months per year starting in 2010." While I do not know the particulars of this incident - it does give me pause as to why Rainier hires other rangers and trains them without passing those costs on to say those getting a hiking permit. Or why are they are hiring climbing rangers who need to be trained in the first place. I am all for advancement in the work force and for training. But there is a thin line of who should paying for it.

Folks, I got word that Denali has increased the special use fees for climbing from $200 to $500 without any public input on the program. I am not sure of rules regarding such fees but in previous discussions Denali said that they would solicit public input. They went back on their word and slipped the increase through this past week. Rainier is also looking at fee increase. However, they are just beginning the process. Attached is a joint letter sent by the Access Fund, Alpine Club, and the AMGA. http://www.sci.utah.edu/~allen/misc/J.Jarvis_fee_letter.pdf Note that not only is the letter sent to the NPS but also to many congressional Senator and Representatives. I would suggest that folks start talking to their Senators and Representatives - I have never been happy with the fees. Especially, on Denali for a variety of reasons. Seems they are trying to use climbers as a cash cow for services that many do not want. Rainier has been better but I still have reservations.

Nice to see that. A friend (a non climber) was asking me about the searches being called off. I commented that there was chance that late in summer there would be a chance for additional searches once the snow had melted back. Glad to hear that they are being conducted. Closure for the families and friends as well as perhaps some additional clues as to what happened.

For giggles this summer we planned to do Furher Finger and then Sunset Ridge. I do not think caches are necessary as such we just schlepped everything we needed with us. If schlepping the 5lbs extra is going to be too much you probably should not be on the hill. Because of winds we only did Furher. The trick to me for doing such silliness is to figure out how to stay high. For instance, we planned to descend the Tahoma and traverse over to Sunset Ridge which would have kept us above 10k. Also I would suggest doing the "harder" route second as you will have less stuff to schlep and be more acclimated. My suggestion would be start at Paradise and go up the Kautz. Descend to Emmons. Traverse around via the upper Wintrop to the Carbon. Yeah you will lose lots of the elevation but think of it as a rest day. I have done the descent of the upper Wintrop several times and it is pretty easy with only a few major cracks. From there do Liberty and come down the DC.

Sobo, check out our trip report from 2006 on the blog, follow the links to the slide show my friend Vince did. It has photos from Seattle park. http://mountrainierconditions.blogspot.com/2006/07/mowich-face.html

Yes, we have descended a couple of times from about 8200 feet on the ridge down to the Mowich. Of course it is also loose and you lose a lot of elevation. We did this descent on the way to the Mowich Face. Though I suppose one could ascent the glacier to the base of Ptarmigan Ridge.

Just do it in the original style as Exum did - solo it. There is only one serious move on the route.

We did the direct a couple of years ago: Worked for us though a bit stout for some as it was 5.10+ in places which was a bit dicey with packs.