Le Piston

Way to get it done! Nice pictures and stout climbing. Did someone actually brush out the approach trail? When I tried to go up there last summer we lost the trail in dense foilage. Damn! I've got to figure a way to get time off now and head back up there for Spickard.

I don't know if I'd do that route with a partner, let alone solo. Strong work. I don't have any beer drinkers, but I'd buy you a real one.

Another view. Looked like a hump to me.

I just know that I perform better when I'm hydrated. I tried the "preloading" in the Alps a few years ago and found it took a while for my system to get used to doing without as much fluid on the climbs. I have found that hydrating before, during (with my Platypus hoser filled with Gatorade or other electrolyte sport drink), and after is best for my performance. I save the alcohol for post climb hydration.

Unless you plan on doing only solo trips, I would suggest an ultralight 2 person tent. This gives you more room and options for little more weight. My BD Firstlight with poles and stakes weighs just over 3 pounds. I find it a lot more comfortable than my bivy sack (2 pounds and not much smaller in the pack) I have been roasted in hot conditions because of lack of ventilation in a bivy sack and changing clothes is an adventure in stormy weather. There are probably nice single person tents out there, but consider how much more room (for another person or gear?) you would have for a little more weight. Good luck in your decision.

Outstanding pictures man! The rock looks pretty sound...a far cry to what I found on Spider a couple weeks ago. I'm jealous. Isn't that a beautiful area. Great TR...keep em coming.

Sweet pictures! That is a great looking climb. Thanks for the nice TR. I especially liked the view of the Pickets.

Nice work Haley...glad your determination won out. I've been trying to get Rod to climb this for years. Maybe I can use your success as motivation for him. Still planning for a rematch with Formidable?

If a former climbing buddy hadn't christened me long ago, I might have taken a similar name...myself being an old fart climber and father of 3. I love that climb and never seem to tire of it or the scenery. Glad you had a good time with the fruit of your loins. Keep up the trail reports!

Did you get to use the new tools...and how did they work out? Nice pictures and TR.

I second the Platypus. It is so nice to fill it with Gatorade and hydrate on the fly. You just have to keep it away from sharp objects and not pull out the mouthpiece on accident(cold Gatorade showers are no fun...at least alone).

Nice job! Looks like you stole one on the weather and got down before it got nasty. That is one sweet looking route...thanks for the TR.

After my favorite Sony digital camera died, I replaced it with a Canon A1000 IS. It takes AA batteries, has an optical viewfinder, zooms well, and takes pretty good pictures (you can look at my photos in the Gallery). If it had a little wider angle lens it would just about be perfect. There are a bunch of good cameras out there...depending on what features you want. Good luck!

Nice TR and Pics. I also like the goat picture...sweet! I've only done the Serpentine...a much less difficult and clasic route on that big hunk of rock. That looks like a great route...totally deserving it's status. Do you have a picture of Spanky's nice rack?

Another vote for the Lucidio. I used to use a BD Gemini, which I liked...but the Lucidio is much brigher for early a.m. navigation. I've heard several complaints about BD headlamps not being durable, but never had any problems with my Gemini.

Nate F had a good idea. You can get other suggested gear lists online (Alpine Ascents, AMGA, etc) if you enter Mount Rainier climbing gear list...it will give you multiple possibilities. Then you can decide on group vs. personal gear. I still use lists to make sure I didn't forget something important for a trip. I trust you also know how to safely use the gear (self arrest, crevasse rescue, etc.) Good luck on your climb!

I don't consider it rock climbing unless I leave a little DNA behind. No blood...it's 4th class scrambling.

I hope you guys make it back in there. If the "Oracle" was more open to repeating climbs I'd try to arrange a rematch with someone who's climbed it before. Spider was the last of the Ptarmigan Traverse peaks he wanted to climb. Formidable is beautiful...I'd have rather done it than Spider.

That looked like a sweet climb! Nice work. The rock looks really clean from your pictures. I'm impressed by the blog report's quality. Why do so many great areas in Canada have such crappy road approaches?

I have both tools and have had great luck with them for what I like to climb. I use the adze axe stand alone sometimes instead of my BD Raven Pro when I want a shorter axe...it works just fine. If you want ice tools for steep/vertical ice, you'd do better getting Cobras or Aztar/Aztarex as Maxtrax suggests. The Venom does well for most moderate alpine snow and ice.

If you aren't just limited to glacier climbs, I've always liked taking people to Sahale, Ruth, Ingalls, and South Early Winters Spire for their first tastes of alpine climbing. I've also done Baker in August and think it is far prettier than Adams.

Likewise I enjoyed meeting you and Haley. I was truly sorry you didn't summit Formidable and wished Rod was into repeating it...Formidable looks like a much nicer climb. Thanks for the steps by the way...much appreciated on the way out. I got tons of pictures, even some panoramas (which I will include) Good luck on your next climbing project! Cheers!

I've been mistaken before, but it appeared to have a hump and was bigger than most black bears I've seen. Here's a picture...I'm open to more expert opinions.

Trip: Spider and Magic - South Face sort of Date: 7/4/2009 Trip Report: My friend Rod had one last Ptarmigan Traverse peak left to bag and convinced me to go with him instead of heading for a rematch with Spickard. It is a beautiful area, so the arm twisting was minimal. The snow conditions on the hike in were pretty nice. We took a short break at Cache Col and then descended to Kool Aide lake and set up a sweet camp near the outlet (running water beats melting snow any day)We saw a grizzly about 200 yards below our camp, which was really cool. We were soon joined by Haley and Valerie, who came in to climb Formidable. I was smitten by Formidable and wished I was going there...what a beautiful peak! But, I was in to climb Spider with my friend and didn't want to let him down. I thought the trip was over in the morning, as I ate some bad peanut butter on my English Muffins and puked three times on the way to the Red Ledges. Once past the ledges my stomach seemed to settle down so we pressed on to the Spider/Formidable col following Haley and Valerie We dropped down and headed for what we thought was the Southeast Gulley on Spider. We ended up going up the South face on steep snow and horrible rock to the long ridge The traverse was airy and a little spooky with all the holds suspect. The summit was awesome though, with killer views. The last register entry was 2006. Names like Skoog (multiple times), Viesturs, and Klenke caught my eye. Now the fun part came...descending was downright scary. The gulley was slimy, loose, and steep. I felt great relief when I was able to traverse over to 50 degree snow to downclimb. I've never been happier to get to level ground before...I was totally gripped. We ran into the girls on their way back from Formidable. It was a long slog back to the Red Ledges, but the snow was still in good shape...though the tracks were pretty melted We came back to goats in the campThe following day we went up and I climbed Magic. My friend waited on the false summit and let me solo to the true summit. We came back down to more goats, packed up, and headed to the land of cold drinks and burgers. I hope to go back for Formidable some day...what a beautiful area Gear Notes: I wished I had 2 tools for the steep snow, but made do with an axe and picket. No rock pro needed, as there isn't enough solid rock for more than psychological pro. Approach Notes: Some breaking through snow into rocks above Cascade Pass. Otherwise conditions were great for approach.

You can be treated to bad conditions any month on Rainier. It can be sunny on the approach and by night have high winds, snow, or whatever crap she decides to throw your way. A bomber mountaineering tent is nice, but not a sure thing. I've seen a poorly secured North Face Mountain 25 with a kid in it become a kite at Muir and almost wind up in a crevasse (saved by a quick ranger) I usually use my BD Firstlight for most of my trips, which most people consider a 3 season tent. If you secure your tent well and build a wind block you should be fine. I wish you fair weather and a great trip!