Irish Guy

that's horrible. I'm so sorry and condolences to the families. I pray that the others can be rescued safely.

Wow, that's crazy impressive! Great pics too. Nice job!

I summitted this morning around 6:30am, and even then ice fall was pretty bad. The descent had a few "hunker down behind my helmet and pack" moments for the larger chunks, but like Frikadeller said, it was raining continuously - and sounds like it all morning long. I've never moved so quickly back to the Hogsback.

For emergency use or for any dads/moms out there... the Tauntaun sleeping bag. At $40, a steal! "Use the glowing lightsaber zipper pull on the Tauntaun sleeping bag to illustrate how Han Solo saved Luke Skywalker from certain death in the freezing climate of Hoth by slitting open the belly of a dead Tauntaun and placing Luke inside the stinking (but warm) carcass." This sleeping bag almost makes me want to have kids...

Thanks! I talked to a ranger about a week before heading down. He said that in the past, the optimal climbing window has been open until late August; but with such a lower snowpack higher up, that window may be open only until early-mid July. The AG route had really low snow levels, and there was even some significant rock falls in the heart on the way back down. Good luck with your trip! The snow levels were closer to normal down below treeline. There were a few feet of snow at the parking lot. Higher up, the snow levels are below normal due to the higher winds scouring the rock.

Trip: [TR] Mt Shasta - AG 5/05 - Avalanche Gulch Date: 5/5/2008 Trip Report: A couple of college buddies from Chicago flew out here for their first taste of the mountains. With the low snow levels Mt Shasta has, we figured it would be a perfect spot for them to start. cluck, another buddy Steve and I decided on Avalanche Gulch. Saturday morning, we rented a van and took off for the 6 hour drive down to Mt Shasta. We couldn't believe how low the snow levels were once we finally saw the mountain. We got down there in time for some microbrew carb loading at Billy Goats before heading up to the trailhead and turning in for the night. cluck and Steve skinned up, while I trudged along with my two buddies all in snowshoes. We cut out some of the time by making a bee-line for Horse Camp and then up the Avalanche Gulch. There was a small weather system passing through early that morning and the people we talked to coming down were not able to summit. Fortunately, the weather cleared up by early afternoon and stayed clear and sunny skies the rest of the time we were there. The Heart was clearly visible, especially for the first week of May. We made camp just below Helen Lake, digging out an area for our tents. We saw 2 other parties out that day, and basically had the mountain to ourselves. A few clouds were out in the evening, but clear views all around. We got up early knowing that for two of our party, this would be their virgin mountain. We wore crampons from the start and made it up climber's right of the Heart with only trekking poles. cluck is taking in the views here: We took the chimney directly above the heart to get through the Red Banks. It wasn't very steep and there was little, if any, ice on the route by the time we got there. After the haul up Misery Hill, we got our first glimpse of the summit. Four out five us summitted, one of the guys from Chicago was hurting from the altitude and length of the hike. cluck glissading down Nearing the parking lot and looking back up the AG route. Gear Notes: -Skis and skins, snowshoes -Crampons and trekking poles, the ice axe was nice to have during the final summit section and the Red Banks -I took the new Mt Hardwear South Col pack out. Incredibly lightweight and great compression. There's not much padding on the hipbelt, but it turned out to be very comfortable. The gear loops double as bottle openers, which is a bonus when you get back to the car/van. However, the bottom showed some wear from about 200 feet of glissading.

I'll second the Green Superfeet. I use the Nepal's tongue liner with thinner socks, and then take the liner out when I want to throw on thicker socks.

Also, the gear loops have MW's metal sliders - which can double to open beer bottles...

I just picked up the South Col, and have been on a few hikes with it while rehabbing from foot surgery. I was skeptical of the hip belt, but 9 miles in a shell jacket with 40 pounds wasn't too bad. I'd imagine with a thicker jacket or additional layer, you'd be fine hauling more. The pack is not water-proof, but it is water-resistant. The 9 miles was spent in a constant light rain, and I found that the sides and bottom of the pack had some wetness inside (the Cordura parts). Compression is really nice, and the option to hide the middle straps behind the white panel gives it a clean profile.

The option for 'hauling up a 6 pack' is missing from the simulator - guess you have to calculate that weight yourself...

For the climber's inner nerd. Spadout has an updated rack simulator that allows you to "build" your rack with active/passive pro and biners. After you enter in what gear you have, it'll show you the ranges of your pro and how many pieces cover that range, as well as weight of your total rack - as well as the money you've dropped on your rack (using msrp prices). It's great for deciding what ranges you're missing when shopping for new gear, or where the bulk of your rack is.

Dammit, it's too bad this never went into production I really want one of these suits.

4: 3 at the resort and a final 'hurrah' down St Helen's before (planned) surgery to repair some torn tendons. The surgeon thought I was kidding when I asked about snowboarding in the aircast boot. I told him that the boot and bindings combo would limit how much movment I'd have with the toes and the cold air/snow would help keep the swelling down. He didn't share my enthusiasm for getting outside.

Tony, love your enthusiasm and wanting to push your own limits. I'm all for that - hell, I love that shit. It's when you're pushing mother nature's limits that it can get dicey.

They showed this at the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival in Portland last night, so good to know it's getting exposure.