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Mods, you might want to move this to Newbies to prevent the inevitable spray down on this poor woman who is trying to look out for her hubby? Wifey: you are correct to be concerned. It sounds like your husband has a reasonable base level of fitness, however from what you describe he is lacking in technical climbing experience on glaciated peaks, and at altitude. Their plan to climb Rainier in one push adds an unnecessary increase in their exposure to danger. Very skilled, fit, acclimatized, individuals do Rainier in one push, rarely. A few questions you should ask your husband: 1) Does he know how to perform a crevasse rescue of his partner by himself. Is he familiar with setting up a mechanical advantage system to do so? 2)Why does he want to skip the traditional layover day at a high camp? Not only does this aid in acclimatization, but in my opinion it adds to the overall experience of being in the mountains. 3)Please don't take this the wrong way, but why does he have no respect for a mountain like Rainier? If he's inspired to climb it, he should be willing to go through a normal progression/apprenticeship to gain the skills to do so. I know it doesn't fit in your husband's timeline, but a recommended progression would be to climb Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Baker before attempting Rainier. These peaks would allow him to gain valuable experience traveling in glaciated terrain, at more moderate altitudes. Along with that, he should either make a concerted effort to study and self-educate in the ways of glaciated travel and climbing techniques, or take a course from a guide service. There are many texts out there that cover these topics. I work on Rainier, I've climbed in the NW my whole life, and I've seen many accidents over the years involving well-intentioned, but inexperienced parties.

Unisys Weather is a great site with a nice wide angle (the GOES West image) satellite, as well as links to the 3 main weather models. Also, you can select the output for the elevation (read: pressure in millibars) that you are interested in. If some of the information on these sites is a little more information than you're ready for, do what I did. Read the forecast discussion from the NWS every day, and correlate it with what you see on a satellite and radar image. Also, Bruce Tremper's book, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, has a great tutorial on mountain weather. The NW is a very difficult place to forecast for, with much variation between regions.

Yep, south face of Talchako. I'll post some more photos soon!

Trip: Monarch Icefield - Date: 4/15/2012 Trip Report: A group of 5 of us completed a traverse of the Monarch Icefield this spring (April 15-May 9). We were dropped off on the SE end, on the Talchako Glacier, and exited 24 days later via the Nusatsum River Road to the Bella Coola highway. While weather was certainly a challenge, we got some good skiing in from camps as we went. Highlights of the trip included descents of Princess, Ogre, and Talchako peak. Our plan had been to exit via the Nusatsum Divide, but at that time the area was seeing a climax avalanche cycle and we didn't feel comfortable with it. We took our chances with the unknown condition of the road. The road is extremely flood damaged, with many bridges damaged/missing and portions of the road washed out. We made it work (obviously) but there were some shenanigans. If the river levels had been higher it would have been a different story. If anyone wants specific information about our route, itinerary, or details about the road, feel free to PM me. Camp on the Talchako Glacier. On the Jacobsen Glacier. Ascending Princess peak. My tent mate on top of Ogre, view towards the east. Shenanigans crossing the river where a bridge used to be. Skiing off Ogre. First treeline camp! Skiing Princess. Livin the dream (Mount Dagon in the distance). Camp on the Jacobsen. Heading for beer and ice cream. Gear Notes: Should've had more hooch for all the tent time. Approach Notes: Helicopter from Bluff Lake, White Saddle Air. Great folks all around.

We were up there the past two days (12/10-11) to try and ski. Wasn't really happening. We ran into a couple of parties who were trying the NBC on Colchuck. One of the parties reported an inch-thick suncrust over unconsolidated sugar at the base and did not continue. The other were going to give it a go on Sunday, but we did not cross paths again. Reportedly there was a guided party attempting the TC, which looked to be pretty full on.

Bump for imminent occurance... Thursday, November 10th at LMS in Leavenworth.

Drew wrote a great TR on the Hans Saari Memorial Fund website, he also included some excellent photos. The Hans Saari Memorial Fund is an outstanding organization that supports objectives ranging from obscure ski mountaineering to all levels of educational programs. Our expedition was awarded a grant that was instrumental in pulling it all off.

This is showing tonight (10/11) at the Mountaineers Club in Seattle. PowderWhores Tour

This past April/May, myself and 4 other Stevens Pass patrollers spent 5 weeks in northern India. We were able to complete a 20 day ski traverse through the central La Haul range, and various other singular objectives. We will be collectively presenting a slideshow at Leavenworth Mountain Sports on the evening of November 10th. Typically these types of slideshows at LMS do not have advance (or any) ticket sales, are free, and everyone drinks beer. Please stop by if you're around. A teaser:

We walked by you guys the night before on our way out. Nice work. The Bandit is a favorite for ski touring as well!

Yep, alpine rock season is just about over. Twill be nice to see a dusting next week...

goodonya. Thanks for the conditions update.

Not sure which route you're after, I'd personally want the real thing (actual topo vs. a photo)for CBR. The newest Leavenworth Rock book describes the main free routes and is worth having anyway if you're going to climb in the Enchantments much.

So if this wasn't the ambitious plan...

here's what it looked like 3 weeks ago... We crossed two somewhat suspect snowbridges over shrunds that are probably gone by now. The route itself was in excellent shape. I would suggest a couple of pickets in addition to ice screws.

If anyone wants larger photos, PM me an email address and I'll send you some. I got bored waiting for them to upload. Let me know if you're specifically interested in AB or regional photos.

Pu- The route is also described in the new Leavenworth Rock book. Nice avatar BTW, there's PBR all over this TR!

Trip: Aasgard Pass - Acid Baby Date: 7/10/2011 Trip Report: Acid Baby, on the flanks of Enchantment Peak near Aasgard Pass, is a super cool route. My girlfriend Sam and I climbed it on Sunday. There are plenty of TR's and other information sources out there, so I wont go into detail. The route is all dry, the exit is an easy up-and-over return to Assgaurd Pass, and I would echo the sentiments of high recommendation. Route as it looked yesterday: Sam leading the first pitch: My baby's chalkbag: Last pitch: I also wanted to give some photo beta on some other stuff in the area- Mt. Stuart: Dragontail: Also Dragontail: Gear Notes: Doubles to #3, 3.5, 4. Less if you're a badass. Approach Notes: Aasgard still has a bit of snow, somewhat avoidable but it was nice to just have crampons and ice ax for ease of travel. Exit off the top could be done without sharp implements.

I think you can use that term in skiing, but it generally refers to skiing a route that you didn't ascend first.

I'm living in Skagway this summer, and I've been bummed about the lack of decent climbing anywhere around here. But here is what I've found so far: There is one crag called Black Lakes about 4 miles up the Klondike Hwy from Skagway, probably 10 routes, from 5.7-5.11 trad and sport, single pitch. It's right off the highway at a pullout between two lakes. There is a crag called the AMG crag further up the highway at another pullout, just past mile marker 6. It gets it's name because that's where Alaska Mountain Guides takes their clients for the "extreme rock climbing and rappeling adventure" off the cruise ships. There is one wall with 5.easy-5.8ish routes that are all top ropeable, but you are on property leased by AMG and they don't allow non-paying people to climb there due to liability. There is a wall above the first one called the upper wall (duh) that has a bolted 5.10 and some cracks. Supposedly they are more lenient about that spot. But if you go there when no one is there, they'll never know the difference anyway. Most of the good climbing in the area is near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, about 2 1/2 hours from Haines Junction. There is a spot called the Ibex Valley boulders, which hold impeccable golden granite bolders, although most of them are short. And has good camping (bring water). There is another spot called Golden Canyon that has pretty good trad climbing. It's not very developed but the quality is good. There is also a spot just outside of town called the Rock Gardens, which has some shorter (30-40') routes that are topropeable and leadable. All of the spots around Whitehorse are granite. Black Lakes and AMG are a kind of schist/granite mixture, I think. Be prepared for MAD mosquitos at all of these spots, and always expect rain. None of these areas are destinations in their own right, but make fun days if you're already in the area. You can find directions to all the spots around Whitehorse by googling "rock climbing in the Yukon" and reading the various links to rockclimbing.com. Good luck, I'm moving back to Washington next summer!

Thanks everyone for your input. Don't worry G, I've been lots of places where they try and kick you out for overstaying your welcome.

Not sure if this is where to post this question, but my wife and I are hoping to be in Joshua Tree for about 6 weeks this fall. We want to bring our dog (lets not discuss the ins and outs of dogs at crags here, there are other threads for that topic) and I'm wondering if anyone who has been there can tell me what the dog scene is like. The NPS website does not sound that welcoming to canines, but you never know until you go what the truth of the matter is. So, any advice on how to bring your dog down there? TIA

First turns near top: Judging by that photo, the upper portion of the route doesn't look very skiable. Have you done a complete descent? Seems like maybe this year it just hasn't come into condition yet?

Dude, are you kidding? I'll take blower pow all the way into June if it wants to keep going. The corn will also be killer in August/September. Although this weekend you might get your wish. FL's up to 9k and 11k down south.

You might also look into the classes taught by Paul Baugher (Crystal Mountain Patrol Director) through his company NW Avalanche Institute linky They are at Crystal and he has as much longevity in this area as anyone. Also, if time and money are really no concern, consider taking a course from Silverton Avalanche School in Silverton, CO (maybe do your Level 1 there) and then take your Level 2 somewhere in the cascades for a completely different perspective and snow science experience.