Le Piston

I don't mind the long slog, but I can't get the time off...Sorry! Good luck.

I'd be interested if I can swing the time off and am in shape enough. PM me with your plans

If I have to avoid Nelson, my pick would be Mt. Assiniboine, North Ridge (II, 5.5) It doesn't have the best rock and the approach on the Gmoser Highway is downright scary, but it is a beautiful peak in a gorgeous area.

Luckily I've never had frostbite, but when I climbed Monte Rosa my boots were wet and it was well below freezing. I had numbness and some pain in some of my toes for weeks after. I had the older (sans Gore-tex liner) La Sportiva Trangos. I'm pretty sure I had immersion foot.

I've only had an encounter with a Bigfoot faker. When I worked for the Forest Service there was a guy who had casts of footprints which he used to keep on the window sill of the store he worked at. I later saw him in the papers claiming a "sighting". It would be cool if someone found a real one with conclusive proof.

A couple pictures to give you an idea of Source Lake and Mountain Loop Highway (Big 4 Mountain) in winter. Very little avalanche hazard and pretty flat going.

Glad you made it! Sounds like quite the adventure. I sure wouldn't want to be roped to inexperienced folks on a glaciated peak! Did you try the Cui (not sure of spelling)? That was the only thing that made me sick down there. Whole roast guinea pig is pretty greasy stuff! Glad also the Aussie with HACE symptoms was okay. In my experience even the sickest Aussie will recover for beer.

About ten years ago going in to climb the Triple Couloirs route on Dragontail, I had a whole tree come down about 100 feet from me on the approach. It sure got my attention! Certainly, you must be aware of all possible hazards and keep your radar tuned to conditions around you...snowpack, rocks, wind, crevasses, weather, etc. If you are in trees with a lot of dead limbs on a windy day, watch your topknot...or wait for better weather.

I totally agree with montypiton. Although I never used his system on a big peak like Aconcagua, I have used my FF Rock Wren with a belay jacket on modest peaks like Baker and Glacier with good results. I had an elephants foot bag a long time ago, and had "gaposis" problems...cold around the midsection. I relegated that bag to my children when they were smaller. I have also used the Montbell Alpine Down Hugger and been impressed with the warmth to weight...the elastic seems to help minimize the air space your body needs to warm.

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I agree. I've been able to take my 4 wheel drive vehicle on snow that turns other cars back. I've hiked that road in winter...makes a much longer approach and hike out for climbs in that area.

Congrats! Glad you made it. I hope you took pictures that we can see in a TR.

I'm in line with everyone else. You don't absolutely need a 4 season tent...as long as it is secured well. I often take down the poles and weight mine while climbing. I saw a North Face VE 24 tent blow toward a crevasse with a child in it up at Camp Muir...saved by one of the rangers. I'm a big Black Diamond tent fan also (have the Firstlight and love it), but many other very good tents will work fine. Consider how much room you want vs. weight to carry (will you carry over?) A good nights sleep and sitting out weather with some room is sometimes worth the extra weight.

Thanks for the memories and wicked cool pictures. That was an awesome trip! It warmed and stoked my rained on blue heart.

If I'd known you wanted the West Ridge, I also could have included these. Congrats to Dennyt! That is a nice shot.

Neither are evening shots, but here they are:

After rereading it, John Roskelley's "Last Days" has to go on my list. Not only was he a great climber, but I love his writing style...down to earth, honest, great ethics and perspective, and a good story teller.

I have Platypus hoser, Camelback, and Dromedary. I prefer the Camelback in the winter with insulated hose...haven't had any leaks yet. Platypus is summer use and works great...only complaint is sometimes the bite valve has popped off and given me an unplanned shower (until I taped it to prevent a repeat). Dromedary bag I use for hauling water in bulk for camp or training. If it is really cold I bring a thermos and use my water bottles with the insulated cover...nice to have warm fluid on a nippy day.

I'm all for supporting the local economy also. Back in the 90's when I went into Cotopaxi I had heard you could easily get a ride from the frequent truck traffic in and out. I saw one truck going out as I was hiking in...it was a loooong approach hike. If you can arrange the ride, great...just don't know if you can count on local transport besides the bus. I don't know if they are still in business, but the South American Explorers Club had an office in Quito and had a board with climbers looking for partners and to buy and sell gear. It was cheap to join and had lots of good travel information for the budget adventurer.

In addition to the other good information above, you might look at Bill Corbett's book 11,000ers of the Canadian Rockies. Mt. Robson Route Card at Chesslerbooks.com and reports on BC Adventure.com and Peakbagger.com of the South Face route. Hope this helps. I'm hoping for another try (weather permitting) on the Kain Face myself. Cheers!

Thanks for the hard work. That is too cool that Don Brooks showed up. I too had that guidebook early in my climbing life(still in the collection). I had hoped to be there with machete, loppers, and saw, but wound up with the flu and wielding cough syrup, tissues, and an inhaler. It sounds like you were scoping out my old friend Online...about 40 feet to the first bolt. Again, thanks for showing up and putting in so much time and effort.

I have to agree wtih Rad, you will get lots of helpful information from Trip Reports here. Summitpost.org also has a lot of good information about routes here and all over the world.

Sorry, my bad...I didn't pick up the Perry Creek approach through my flu and drug haze. How is that approach by the way? The Depot Creek trail had quite a nice collection of fungi as well.

I hope you have better luck with weather and snow conditions here than I've had in Canada the last 2 summers. 2008 it rained every day I was there (still got to climb, just not what I had planned) Last summer planned to climb Robson and had a storm dump a foot of new snow. But generally the last half of July through August works. Good Luck!

I would suggest trying both on with weight added and see how they feel walking around. Many stores have sand bags or something similar to put in the pack. I believe you can have the hipbelt custom fitted also.