montypiton

I carry a thermos full of tea that's about 25% honey when climbing ice in the Rockies. Had it drinkable for as long as three days... you'll never want to keep it nearly that long...

consider the advantages of owning two parkas - one oversize so you can wear them both together in deep cold. you'll likely use them individually more often than together, but you'll also likely find the versatility far more satisfying than a single big parka that's overkill for 75% of your trips. I've had several friends summit Denali without ever owning a BIG puffy - wearing one midweight inside another. I do the same thing with sleeping bags as well - a one-pound down bag for summer trips, a two-pound three season bag for all-season use in the lower forty-eight, and the one-pounder inside the two-pounder in the Alaska range, and on Aconcagua. and I don't have a closet full of "expedition-weight" gear taking up space and gathering dust between the big trips.

take especial note of Billcoe's suggestion to do some aid-climbing. this can fast-track your protection skills, because you have to make so many placements each pitch, and you must load every single placement - you quickly sort out what works and what doesn't, and when something doesn't, the consequent fall is short. don't be afraid to catch some grief when some jerk sees you aiding a 5.8 crack -- you'll be leaving them in the dust soon enough...

apoptotic!?!? somebody help out the old fart, here -- reminds me of why I don't believe in Santa Claus: forty - odd years I bin askin' for a "clue" for Christmas, and I ain't never got one

so we got recommendations for the Tieton, and Index, and nobody mentions Frenchman's Coulee? If you have a limited rack, a great number of the cracks at this popular spot can be protected by clipping the bolts installed on the column faces between the cracks... my youngest son is using this tactic to segue from sport-climbing into trad leading - he can work up a crack, making some easy, straightforward placements, while feeling reassured by the easy availability of the bolt protection when he's not so sure of his own placements... where else can you do THAT? all of the Oregon recommendations are sound... just don't forget the old Smith classics like Zebra,Karate Crack, Moonshine Dihedral...

if ya can handle "old fart" email curthaire@nwi.net - you'd be hard pressed to find a deeper pool of experience than the CFCC

If you're looking for info on airports, Dr. Mark Shipman "father of Washington waterfall climbing" is a pilot -- he flies out of Pangborn in Wenatchee, but we commonly meet halfway at a strip in Cashmere when we want to scout objectives by air. Doc would be your best source of beta on local airstrips. email curthaire@nwi.net and I'll forward your question to him

sno-seal may soften the leather more than you'd like (assuming you're in a boot that bulky because you like the support). nikwax is great stuff

Knife? -- I sharpened two inches of the edge of a Petzl multihook with a file, then slid a section of old pneumatic hose from my little air compressor over the tool to cover the sharpened bit. Cut up twenty feet of 7-mil cordelette for four anchors rapping off a secret project weekend before last. I second the recommendation for the Petzl - have had no difficulties with the end cap two seasons now. and on mixed terrain, works great as a nut-tool - try that with a coat-hanger...

Bob Van Diggelen and I did some mixed lines on 97-A between Wenatchee and Entiat back in the eighties... one or two were four pitches long! Surprising what's out there in the right conditions...

Vern - Doc and I did get out there Sunday, but never found you (or anyone else for that matter). Drove the length of the lake commiserating about all the "dry climbs, finally ran a lap on Trotsky's Folly. Ran a few laps on one of the lower flows at Peewee's Playhouse, but lost interest after the second volly of beer-keg-sized death-sicle blocks roared over us. Managed to dodge the big chunks, but figgered two warnings was plenty. Funny about the shotgun -- Bruce White tried the same tactic back in the eighties with no success -- need to get hold of an avalauncher...

If you're considering double boots for summer glacier climbing, I'd go with something with a plastic shell (= DRY, therefore warm) Leather shells are great for cold; less functional in warm slop. Of the plastic boots I've worn, the Lowa Civettas have been by far the most comfortable: a comparatively soft shell that walks more easily than most plastics and many beefy leathers/singles, with a sole that performs unusually well on rock, for what that's worth. I prefer the Civettas to my "summer" alpine boots for trips that include glacier stays of more than a day or two. For shorter trips, I'll chance wet feet in a more nimble boot... I've worn the same pair of Civettas since 1990... if you're truly prone to cold feet, consider buying whatever boot you finally choose at least a full size overlarge. tight boots = cold feet regardless how well insulated the boot. I've known top-flight ice-climbers (Ed Newville, FA Multnomah Falls, FA Grendel- Kichatna Spires) who preferred their cold-weather boots "sloppy loose" for precisely that reason... I've had other partners who've used thermal insoles, chemical heat-packs, even electric socks. In the eighties, I saw guys on Denali using a layer of ensolite or evasote foam between the soles of their boots and their crampons, to impede conductive heat loss to the steel. In my Civettas, and in every summer alpine boot I've worn since the Galibier Superguide era, I've used Superfeet Korks - a custom molded cork insole designed originally for downhill ski-boots. Besides creating a custom fit,they greatly impede conductive heat loss to crampons -- my first pair lasted 22 years...

Nice TR Keenan! Great pics. Sweet country, eh? -Haireball

the skills to maintain stable body temperature and obtain water are all one need carry. I was very fortunate during my teenage years to have mentors who could teach those skills. Food becomes a life/death issue only after a week or more. I generally carry very little, but almost always at least a small folding shovel when moving in snow country, and a heat-source (usually the smallest stove I can find) if away from timber.

sobo - damn! just missed me - I graduated from Skyline High in 1971 and haven't lived in Idaho since. never got over bein' a "nuke's kid" though... we otta get together! Yeah - about the user-name, glad you guys at least recognize it -- nothing worse than hearing someone pronounce it "Monty 'Pee-ton'" where have they been for the past forty years?!?!?

wiregates? I'm not interested in solids... what models lockers?--I use ultralight lockers on the rope end of quickdraws...

I just carry my old first-generation Chouinard alpine hammer - pick works as a nut tool, and plenty of meat to persuade reluctant residents to yield...

11-worth is indeed dry. Climbed at Millenium wall on Thursday, jan-12. Minimal, but leadable. Tumwater climbs seem to be in again, but no Comic Book Hero. Smear looks attractive, but approach from e. leavenworth road is closed because of construction. best approach is floatie from launch site directly opposite smear. can approach down railroad grade from pipeline bridge, but that's in the neighborhood of five miles - hardly worth it. My son climbed Low Flow, just up the road from Icicle Buttress, yesterday. five minute approach, so even if its not really in, you're not out much for walking up to it.

Foreign climbers are welcome to join the AAC. I grew up about two hours from the Tetons in Idaho Falls, and may have family business necessitating a visit next summer. I'd be happy to link up with you in my old stomping grounds if I find myself in the area. Probably more effective to keep in touch via personal email. My address is curthaire@nwi.net. I also have a few acquaintances living around Jackson Hole to whom I could refer you if I can't get there. -Haireball

Foreign climbers are welcome to join the AAC. I grew up about two hours from the Tetons in Idaho Falls, and may have family business necessitating a visit next summer. I'd be happy to link up with you in my old stomping grounds if I find myself in the area. Probably more effective to keep in touch via personal email. My address is curthaire@nwi.net. I also have a few acquaintances living around Jackson Hole to whom I could refer you if I can't get there. -Haireball

I want the link cams

don't discount Washington Pass - some wonderful wall routes, in unbeatable surroundings. and for those who aren't addicted to "fast&light" a bivvy-ledge to die for on Liberty Crack.

Chris- If you've been backpacking since childhood, and have done "a fair share of rock-climbing" your skillset is already quite good. Forty-four years ago, I made winter ascents of the South and Middle Tetons with no more experience than what you describe. (I grew up in that area, so "winter" was not a big deal). For climbing in the Cascades, you lack glacier and avalanche experience, and club climbs can be a good way to fill those gaps. College and University Outdoor Programs can also be excellent resources, and many of their offerings are open to non-students. Their trips are often not so tightly structured as the ones offered by clubs such as the Mountaineers, and they're a helluva lot cheaper than a professional guide service.

second Mattp's umbrella suggestion. it really does work well and will keep your pack dry, too. it won't help in windy conditions above timberline, though - and there I agree with Matt's other suggestions. I like an ultralight windshirt, and a rain jacket. Montane & Montbell have windshirts that weigh only 2 ounces,or if you'd prefer an ultralight "soft" windshirt, Marmot's "dri-clime" windshirt if a good choice. Mammut used to make an ultralight soft windshirt that I would kill for, but they've discontinued it. With such a windshirt,and a light rainshell, you'll carry less weight than the high-priced waterproof/breathable softshell,and I feel like I get better performance/protection from the combination. technical rock terrain presents an exception, though. the shells I've described don't last long for rock-climbing. For extended technical rock/ice/mixed climbs something heavier will be more cost effective.

Andyzig - your summation of 4 points was good. and you are correct that the North Face of Hood is not skiable for even most expert skiers. "Backcountry" skiing in the west usually puts you either above, on, or below active avalanche terrain. Timber cover does not always indicate safety. Old growth stands can be "gladed" by avalanche activity. "tight" trees are generally smaller, and may be covered by snowpack, and consequently of no help. So I would add a fifth point to the four: ski with a partner, and both acquire a transceiver and shovel and practice with them ahead of time. I've recovered too many bodies buried in places where travelers well-versed in avalanche prediction and response have misjudged. Some of the acquaintances I've lost were avalanche professionals.