hefeweizen

It was an example posed as a question, rhetorically. Hang on let me get out my thesaurus... My position is that if someone else is watching you it doesn't negate the experience that you are climbing without the use of protection. Hence: free-soloing.

So if you're climbing the Regular NW Face on Half Dome, with nuthin but shoes, chalk bag, and shorts, and someone is watching you through a telescope from Touloumne Meadows somewhere, you aren't actually free soloing?

Check out the TR for the Adams North Ridge (with the pissed off looking red face) it has some good pictures of the Adams Glacier, and a post at the end with more recent photos.

Yeah, didn't you read where I said I hit it with "fortuanate timing"?

I hit it with fortuanate timing. It was just soft enough to take front points and the first two inches of your boot, but firm enough that as long as you weren't sailing headfirst and belly up I'm sure you could arrest.

That is a classic bit of history, I'm glad I asked!

I heard that Coombs skied this line some time ago. Something about taking a couple 2x4's to rap the icefall sections. Can anyone confirm/deny?

Dude, sorry but you're f-in crazy. Of course it may depend on what type of terrain you're into. If you're talking about 15 degree cruisers, then yeah Mt. B wins. If you want the kind of stuff you can still ski when there's more than 8 inches of new, then you obviously haven't done much exploring at Meadows.

Trip: Mt. Hood - Sunshine Route Climb and Ski Date: 7/1/2007 Trip Report: When the stars appeared to be aligning for good weather this weekend (maybe it was the blue moon?) I planned to head to the Hood and finish what I started a few years ago on the Sunshine Route. This being my first spring back in the PNW since that year, I had remembered it being a beautiful route that would eventually require a return visit I picked up Roger in P'Town Saturday afternoon and we drove up to Cloud Cap. Our plan was to walk in for an hour and get a nice sunset bivy out of the deal as well. Roger hiking in (he forgot his tennis shoes) We watched clouds roll through and caught a few Nordward-style views: After a tasty Guinness and some chili, we settled in to watch the light show. After a spectacular sunset that went on till like 10:30, I dozed off staring at the lights of the Hood River Metropolis (they have a Pizzacato now). We woke at 4:20 (heh heh) to another amazing light show: For about 30 seconds the whole face turned pink: I drank my sissy odwalla and downed some coffee, then figured maybe we should get something done. We cramponed up the Snow Dome and hit the top of it at about 7:30. Roger wasn't feeling well, so he opted to make that his high point. I recalled something about the first ascent of this route being solo in 1897 (one of the Langille bros.) so I thought in the interest of keeping with the original style I'd better continue on. Besides, things were looking prime to be great skiing conditions. Immediately after leaving Roger I went to the rock step (the lowest, closest rock ridge in the photo below) to gain the upper part of the route. It turned out to be gradually steepening mud until I was 4th classing some mud with my skis sticking over my head knocking rocks down on me. I threw one of my poles up above me and it fell down the other side into the 'schrund. Oh well, I'll pick it up on the way down. That section was not too fun. From there I traversed west under Horseshoe Rock, crossed a minor crevasse, and gained the Cathedral Ridge. At that point I realized how bad the wind had been blowing on the other side. The whole South Side was blanketed in orographic clouds. I happened to run into a guy who had just soloed the Sandy Headwall. He looked happy to be alive and said something about selling all his gear when he got back to town. I told him to give himself a week. I dropped the skis behind a rock as the skiing on the ridge looked shitty and I was afraid I'd get blown off with those sails on my back. I went up to the summit and back in about an hour. Note the horizontal pack straps. I jammed back down the ridge and clicked in at about 10,700. I made a few test turns on the ridge and then slid over onto the face above the crevasse crossing. Brilliant freaking cream!! I shimmied back across the crevasse and then traversed over to the slope next to the rock step. It skied as good as it looks: That put me back on top of the Snow Dome. I climbed up and fished my other pole out of the 'schrund. Then made happy arcing corn turns thru the smoothest butta I've had this spring. On my way down I turned and looked and saw a party that had climbed the Cooper Spur skiing the skier's right side of Horseshoe, which ended in a 'schrund. They made their way across it. When I asked them in the parking lot later they said it went but "Don't fall." I had an uneventful but comfortable walk out from our bivy in my tennis shoes. Another cold Guinness waiting in the car, some espresso in Hood River, and I drove all the way back to Seattle with a perma grin on my face. Skied green, climbed red. Gear Notes: Guinness, Starbucks double shots. Approach Notes: Tennis shoes.

Check this out, link. I know some of you have seen this site.

I've lived in CO (summit county) and Bend, I'd have to say that I prefer Bend. It is similar to CO as far as weather (beatiful springs and summers, dry snow in winters) and landscape (desert). There are actually thousands of routes at Smith (not hundreds) and there are new ones springing up everyday. As far as multipitch, I always ended up driving to the N. Cascades (which is where I live now). As far as skiing: I think it's better in the PNW than CO. More snow, year round descents (and I'm not talking about that pitiful "glacier" that CO claims off I-70, marysville or something??). It's also nice to be able to ski in the backcountry without seeing full-depth slides adjacent to you all the time, and without having the threat of the sheriff hunting you down, although at Bachelor they have a closed boundary policy. The good news about that is, Mt.Hood Meadows is about 1.75 hours from Bend and has waaaaay better terrain, and season passes are about 1/2 as much $. Check out the Moon Mountain Ramblers for good bluegrass if you end up in Bend.

Come on now, how about a little 'spect for the dude with the broken shit getting back on snow? Kudos!

Alright, so based on those pics, who wants to go ski either Adams or Lava glacier? Great pics by the way.

Anyone have good directions/recommendations of where to park so the 'wheelers don't mess with my sh*t?

I've been told that the reason our gas is more expensive is because we have one of the highest gas taxes around. It's actually nice to be able to pump your own gas (I used to live in OR) because at 2am when you're heading out for that alpine start you can get gas just about anywhere. Oh, and sales tax: at least we don't pay income tax in WA.

I can make it in afternoons, in fact next tuesday looks nice

For those of you still thinking about the descent: I'd like to ski anything on Baker, I'm also thinking about the Sunshine route on the N. side of Hood. Open to suggestions. I'm in reasonable shape, comfotable on steep terrain, and it aint my first rodeo. Any takers?

Bet you can't wait for tuesday.

There are actually some stellar routes on Hood (especially for the ski mountaineer) if you go in the right conditions: Cooper Spur, Sunshine Route, Sandy Headwall, Leuthold, not to mention the benefit of year-round access and a surprising sense of remoteness if you get off the cattle route. baa

I would definetly bring 'pons, just for the fact that it gets steeper later in the year and generally the snow gets harder (if there's any left). For that matter, you'll want an ice ax too if you're not comfortable on 35-40 degree snow. Most people start at 2 or 3 am, although in August I'd say the earlier the better depending on how fast your party is. The crowds on Hood are always thick on weekends on the South Side in the summer.

Seriously, August is not the best time to be there. Rockfall off the Pearly Gates is bad, and you're slogging thru ash. The latest I've done it is early July and still enjoyed myself.

Beer helps.

Her: about to end up flat on her back in a stem Me: ready to place a tight piece of gear!

Big nutz in wet cracks.

Nice that you had wands, that indicates that you were prepared to be self-relient. Isn't that one of the great feelings of mountaineering? You had pickets as well, if one of your party fell in a crevasse would you have been counting on a rescue by someone else? I'm not trying to tear you down, but you can't reasonably expect anyone but the people who are your partners to take responsibilty for you.