RaisedByPikas

Don't listen to the poor or cheap people. They are just jealous that they have to slog up A LIFT SERVED SKI AREA for an extra two hours in the dark instead of paying $20 each

But then these would be like all of the other crappy climbing instructional videos on youtube.

PM Sent...

Does it have to be used this season?

Technical question: If the falls were on screamers and the screamer never fully deployed, do the falls really do that much damage to the rope even if they were factor 2's? In other words, is a factor 2 on a screamer that only partially deploys really a factor 2 with respect to the forces on the rope?

I think this boulder needs a new name now. Suggestions?

That sucks that the guy changed his mind. My advice now is to try your best to come up with the $600 that it takes for a 3 day course on crevasse rescue and glacier travel including an attempt on baker from AAI. After this course you will most likely have enough skills to do most of the basic glacier climbs in the area by yourselves including Rainier so long as the weather and conditions are good. A lot of mountaineering is playing the mental game of having confidence in your abilities. Its no fun to climb a mountain second guessing yourself the whole time and wondering if you are doing something dangerous that you don't know about. $600 may seem like a lot but I can almost guarantee that you wont regret spending it if you plan on climbing again in the future like you say you are. Its tough to look at a bunch of trip reports that talk about how basic and easy a climb was and then hear people say that you need proper training to walk on some snow. The truth of the matter is 99 out of 100 climbing parties up the volcanoes or glaciers will not need to use any "special" skills. But if you are one of the lucky 1%ers you will really be glad you have them and your life may depend on having those skills. But don't be worried. Even if you cant afford a guide, there are a TON of really awesome basic snow climbs that you can do if you can figure out self arrest an your own. Hell, even just going to spend a night in the boston basin or on the sahale arm is worth it even if you cant climb the peaks.

Ice Climbing Fall

Putting Pictures Back...

Awesome, I hope this one wins whatever surprise they have for an old trip report posted in March.

Oh, you just said you were going to Muir before. If you want to go any further than Muir then yes you will need glacier gear and crevasse rescue equipment. What time do you plan on starting from the parking lot for Rainier?

Trip: Mt. Adams - South Climb Date: 7/14/2007 Trip Report: This was the first independent mountaineering trip for my wife (then girlfriend) and I. We left Seattle after work, fought through horrible traffic and arrived at the full campground around 9:00 PM. After a few laps we found a parking spot and area for our tent. We got up at sunrise and hit the trail. The snow started around the dry creek bed with the huge cairns. Above this creek bed is the only real route choice. You can either head straight up to the ridge climbers left or traverse up the steep snow towards the right. We chose the latter on the way up and took the ridge on the way down. From here its up the endless snow fields to the lunch counter. There are at least three roll overs to get past and don't be tempted by the first couple of campsites on some rock outcroppings in the snow fields. The lunch counter contains dozens of campsites as you can see in the pictures. I prefer the ones climbers left and down low for the good views. At the lunch counter the wind started blowing huge swarms of butterflies up, thousands of them. This lasted for a few hours and I have never seen anything like this since, it was awesome. The next day we awoke to high clouds which meant the snow didn't firm up. There was a staircase the whole way up to the false summit. There are a few small bivy sites on the long snowfield up to the false summit and another small bivy site a little bit below the summit. We needed to put on crampons right at the top of the snowfield at its steepest point. Some people who regretted not bringing crampons passed us while we did this. The wind started blowing and a lenticular cloud formed right when we reached the summit. Right after we got pictures taken we were in a whiteout that lasted until we get down to the false summit. From here it was time to glissade. After I got feeling back in my ass we packed up and headed down. Swarms of butterflies Mt Hood and the lunch counter. St. Helens The Saturday hordes Be sure you can find your way down in this. Gear Notes: Ice axe, crampons, and SUNSCREEN

You don't need a harness and rope for these two climbs. Just an ice axe and crampons.

Spring has sprung...

If you can comfortably climb 1000ft per hour closer to sea level you are probably in good enough shape to make it.

What do you mean by "glacier gear"

I don't think any Noob has gotten the advice that the SS of Hood in September is a good idea. That TR didn't get half the flaming it deserved.

Here it is. You can avoid this while going up by traversing more to the east below lunch counter, but it's too hard to explain if you aren't familiar with the area. It's only a short section, but there are rocks at the bottom. There was a fatality in this area last year. Go slow, be careful, and you will be fine. If you are uncomfortable downclimbing this then remember where it was and don't go down into this area on the way back. Stay to the east instead. This area is not the "headwall". Its down lower above the creek with the huge cairns and below the final slog to the lunch counter. You have the option of going straight up left to a ridge or traversing up some fairly steep snow. The "headwall" just below the false summit isn't as steep as this snow. Its only slightly steeper than the rest of the snow field but feels a lot steeper when you are staring down 2000 ft.

+1 for changing your plans to mid July, much better chance of good weather. A "lesser" objective with A+ views is Trappers peak in the north cascades. It requires a little bit of scrambling but nothing too intimidating except for maybe a 15' section of ridgeline with a few hundred feet of steep rock on both sides. Its super easy to get across though. Also look at Ruth Mountain near Mt. Shuksan. Awesome campsites and Probably the best view of Mt. Shuksan. Can also be done as a day hike.

It depends on the time of the year. In summer the weather can be pretty reliable within a week long period of sunshine. If you have several days prior to and after your summit day predicted to be clear and low winds then you you will most likely get good weather. If your summit day is closer to a front moving through then all bets are off. It also depends on how unfavorable the unfavorable weather is. If the weather was supposed to get really bad I might turn around at or even before the first sign of trouble. However if it just called for "increasing clouds" or something like that I might continue for a little bit. In winter or spring you need to expect crappy weather and no summit on nearly all trips.

I think he was just trying to help you get the responses you are looking for. If you were planning on climbing Shuksan via the fisher chimneys you don't want a bunch of responses from people with just basic glacier travel skills. To me the work "hiking" implied that you are interested in the basic glacier routes but not everyone can figure those things out.

I think you can also pick up blue bags for free at the ranger station. They are pretty nice and include a paper "target" along with kitty litter in a brown paper bag. Otherwise bring supplies to pack it out above the tree line. Rob does have a point. If you can take a 1 day course to get taught crevasse rescue and basic glacier travel you will probably be ok for Baker or even Rainier as long as the weather is good. But if you are going solo then Adams (or Hood) is probably the best choice.

You need to stop and get a permit. Its a self registration box at a ranger station, cost is $15 per person I think.

The biggest risk of hitting your head on anything is probably from tripping. I don't recall anywhere where rockfall was a danger and there weren't any areas on the route that had fresh rocks on the snow. There wasn't anywhere that I even thought a helmet would be nice. Both times I went was early or mid season, early/late July.