kevino

Trip: Rainier - Ingraham Direct Ski Descent Date: 5/9/2010 Trip Report: All last week, Mark and I had been throwing around different ideas on what to do with some free time this weekend. Then I get a all from Mark friday afternoon, "dude lets just go to rainier and try to ski off the summit. If anything we still get lots of skiing." Eventually we got up to Paradise and started skinning around 1 pm. Holy crap, warm and sunny! Beautiful weather. We got to Camp Muir around 7 pm, to find the hut next to empty! The only other party was a group from Utah. We got up around sunrise and started skinning. We followed some tracks up and over Cathedral gap to the Ingraham flats. We put on our glacier gear and headed directly up the Ingraham Glacier. Around 12,700 we joined the DC route and continued our way to the summit crater. Only had two minor crevasse issues and otherwise straight forward route to the summit crater. From our high point we clicked into our skis and was back down to camp muir in ~30 minutes. The snow from the crater to the top of the cleaver was variable, some wind pack pow to hard crust to icy spots. Once on the cleaver the snow was great! We then skied Cadaver Gap on the way down, which provided a much more direct line to Camp Muir. After packing up our overnight gear we skied down to Paradise. The snow on the way down had developed a crust and was not nearly as pleasant as we had hoped. Still a great trip with some great partners. This was my first attempt on Rainier and boy what a fantastic time! Now for pictures! Warm, sunny and clear! God knows what are in the those packs Watching the sunset on Adams... Sunrise behind Little Tahoma The route...straight up the middle Break mid glacier Nearing the top... Group shot on the crater Action shots from the glacier! Conditions on the Cowlitz Glacier, Cadaver gap (our descent) and Cathedral Gap (our ascent) Gear Notes: Its all about the skis...

Has anyone been up to Rainier recently?? Was thinking of heading up there this weekend but the weather window has shifted and I haven't seen any updates after this past storm. Any info or tips would be great. Thanks.

I like how its the LASER DISC version.

Is that like when you climbed at index?

Just out of curiosity, which cilogear fabric are you comparing these to? Standard, Dyneema or NWD?

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I have the 350 and use it for everything (ice, alpine, cragging) and thoroughly enjoy it. Got it on sale and haven't regretted it. Light, comfy and packs small. One thing I really enjoy is its low profile. When I was in the wind river range I would just wear it during approaches and while climbing ice in hyalite canyon I would just wear it between climbs and never felt uncomfortable.

Or even a long traverse could be intriguing...

Long story short, I have 5/7-5/11 (5 days) off from work and want to spend as much time outside, since my last several months have been spent studying. I have some ideas in mind but always open to new ideas and other people's thoughts...I was originally thinking go in to some range/cirque, set up base camp and climb (rock or ice) and ski various mountains. Places that come to mind...Stuarts (upper enchantments or stuart?), Pickets (don't know of any specifics), North Cascades (like eldorado icecap)... Anyway, any thoughts/opinions would be great. Thanks!

Jaberwocky tower?

Let me break it down for you Brandon...if you bought them as a group I would only charge $5 to ship the lot. However, if there were sold individually I would sell them for $30 + $5 shipping, or free if you picked them up. But you needn't worry yourself about saving five dollars because they are SOLD.

Up for sale are the previous generation of BD c4s. I have sizes 1, 2, 3, and 3.5. They are used and seen action but still have lots of life left on them. I would keep them but I am going to try something new. First person with $125 gets them shipped to your door. I'd like to sell these as a group. But if I get potential buyers for all sizes then I'll split up. ~$30/cam

Nice, that looked fun. Whats the road coverage now? When I was up there a couple weeks ago snow start at about 2 miles in/where the road flattened. Just curious how the time passed plus new snow has changed anything.

Not sure what time in June you'll be here but people were climbing this into early June last season... eldorado nw

I guess reading the first post is beyond you...

Thats because they are classified by their diameter, not their weight. Its like saying, oh yeah i have my 2 lb sleep bag with me.

Looking to get someone's old rope bag. Doesn't need to be anything fancy because all I'm looking for is a tarp. Thanks.

Efficiency of climbing techniques, as Wayne eluded to. Repetition (climb frequently), practice these skills and be comfortable. Base strength of arm, back and core muscles, which will come from lots of climbing and body weight exercises.

Damn, That was funny. A little to close to home for me though? The guys name was Blake!?? Um yeah. posted it on cascade climbers, aplinist...hmmm that does sound familiar. So who is this splitboarder character...

Bridge creek may be a ways from opening but thats about 1/4 of the distance of walking the teanaway. Bridge creek is melting out fast, already more than half of it clear so bring mtn bikes and the way out will be super fast.

Sweet first song.

So did you guys celebrate by eating oysters? I found some oyster shells on the eight mile TH.

How was the snow on the glacier? And so now there are a couple miles of road walking?

Yes Dane, its finding that thin line between not overstuffed on the approach and not having it be too baggy during the climb. I thought the Cierzo didn't blend this line too well. And like BigSky, I like a removable lid. One thing I did when I was climbing in the cirque of the towers was just wear my harnesses on the approach, save pack space etc. But to each their own. The valdez is significantly larger than the others, 2400 cu in =~39 L. And heavier. The Crux pack looks intriguing, however, the roll top would limit extension/closure when the pack is full. Also I'm not sure how I feel about those compression straps, versus normal straps. Good luck! My personal input...I own and use the cilogear 30L for climbing and skiing. I don't use the hipbelt, nor the lid and a maximum of 4 straps, which leaves the weight just over 600 g. I have beat this pack up, no wear and tear. Stays out of the way when you climb/ski, easy to pull out the pad to sit on, etc. Not that 30L is too small, but it makes you more conscious of what you're bringing on a trip, which in turns makes you enjoy the climb more! Sorry for the ramble.

Looks like fun. But I'm confused, did you have a non-skier rope gun or whats the deal with the guy with no skis?