cbcbd

Hey, nice meeting you guys! Hope I put the gear on the right car and you guys found it all right. -Doug who was at the Elevator Shaft

Great review, Dane. I love my Nomics but it is hard to pass up the fact that the new Fusions seem to basically offer the same package but with more features and adaptability. The pick design on the BDs I'm not crazy about and the bite is different, so I'd have to relearn my swing a little and not feel as confident on the life of the picks - that and since I already have Quarks (go to alpine) and Nomics (go to pure ice), it just doesn't make sense to get a new set of tools so soon for just minor gains. If I was getting new tools now it would be hard to pass up the Fusions as the best all around out there.

Way to get on it!

Wow, when I first read about the current rescue going out for him I just a bad feeling - I just had a feeling that he was not making it out of this one. Such a shame, RIP.

Still got room for one more right now - leaving early on the 19th

I guess I should've clarified - overnight camping is only allowed May 15 through October 15 and December 1 through March 31. So there is a gap from 4/1-5/15 where you can only day trip and you'd only be able to drive up to the Togue Pond gate - still ~14mi from Chimney Pond and they might not allow you to day trip into the South/Great Basin. Why do they do it? Don't know, mud season? "I'd guess if there is enough snow then you can do what you'd like then" Lol, ya... "do what you like" is not how Baxter State Park really works. With feet of snow they would still close up. They are notorious in the NE for being full of over-protective and stifling regulations and rarely bending them, if at all. Check out their website for all the regulations.

Deer? Sweet

I'd like to get out, probably to Cody (haven't been before, it seems to have a good early season), before Thanksgiving. Earliest I could leave would be 11/19 and I'd like to be back on the 25th - am flexible with dates but would like to get at least 2-3 climbing days. Just looking for some folks who are hankering for ice before digging into the turducken. I don't bite but am extremely boring and have an Ipod fully stocked with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, so watch out. If anyone wants to drop any Cody wisdom or tips on here, feel free - I know nothing about the place other than it is East of here. Doug

Added Wickwire book.

Check out the Meatheads' "Epoch". They go around and ski the highest points in MA, NY, VT, NH, and ME. Cool movie with some good history and skiing stoke.

Winter '08 I headed into Chimney Pond to do some climbing and skiing. Katahdin in the winter is a must but if you are planning on heading into the South Basin in the winter it is not worth it to go in there for less than 5 days (2 days in, days to climb/ski, one day out). The paperwork isn't the hassle, it's just that the cabin at Chimney Pond fills up fast and people will wait in line to book their time for the season. There are plenty of lean-tos in there and they never fill up - you could plan a trip very soon before if you don't mind braving the elements. And even last year, towards the end of the season, there were strings of days with 4-6 spots open in the cabin. Just recently they repealed one of their long-hated rules that said you must have a group of 4 above treeline in the winter. I haven't been climbing there in the summer but again, Chimney Pond fills up fast for the Summer but you can get space at Roaring Brook easily - just an extra 3.3mi hike to CP. A bummer for skiing is that during the peak of Spring season skiing the mountain is closed - You can't go into Chimney Pond after April 1st. IMO, the area that looked to have the best accessible skiing is the Great Basin. There really isn't skiing directly from the summit (Baxter peak) since the Table lands are very wind-swept. If you live in the NE it is a must to go into Katahdin. Best alpine playground in the NE. Great Basin: South Basin: I can also highly recommend the Chic Chocs in Quebec. I've only day-tripped and I haven't used their hut system, but they do have one.

New prices

Hey, I wish I could afford a heli for all my approaches. As far as style - I think sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to get there in time: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=688171 http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=893003

5 books: "Annapurna" - Maurice Herzog - $5 "Pickets and Dead Men" - Bree Loewen - $5 "Epic. Stories of Survival from the World's Highest Peaks" - Edited by Clint Willis - $5 "Addicted to Danger" - Jim Wickwire and Dorothy Bullitt - $5 "The Conquest of Everest" - Sir John Hunt, with a chapter by Sir Edmund Hillary - 1954. The cover is a little on the rough side but the rest of the book is in damn fine shape considering it's age - $30 We can arrange for pickup or shipping. I'm in the U District. thanks, Doug

Strong work! The route looks awesome right now... well, at least until yesterday.

I have Verizon and so far I have used it on N side of Rainier, E side of Adams, Ruth, and summit of Maude.

They usually tow when your route gets in condition and it's time to go.

I used my cell-phone to call my mom on her birthday from the edge of the Carbon glacier. There is no way I'd miss that phone call and she wouldn't really understand "can't miss a good weather window" as an excuse.

Yeah, we were on the Burgner-Stanley and topped out just as it was getting dark. There was another party on top who had done the WR waiting for us so we could untie their ropes that were getting stuck on the first anchor. Our rope also got stuck off the first anchor and then stuck for good lower down. Long day, long night, long story

Hey Dan, were you guys the ones with stuck ropes on the summit?

Nice stoke!!!

Vs Killi, for Cotopaxi I think one of the things that doesn't help is that the only hut, used for the normal route, is at 15,700', the parking lot is at 15,100'. If you go right for it, in four days it just makes it hard to "climb high, sleep low". For Killi you have intermediate camps going up. One thing I would try to do would be to, on day one, take the Teleferico to Cruz Loma in Quito and hike the rest of the way to Rucu Pichincha (15,400'). Sleep in Quito that night and then head to the hut on day 2, rest day 3, summit day 4. Could actually work if you acclimatize well. As far as transport goes, we took the bus too far, just passing the park entrance, but just talked to some random local with a pickup about giving us a ride to the hut lot. Worked out pretty well and I'm glad at least one of us knew Spanish Anyway, besides all my ramblings I do hope you find a partner and good luck!

Nice work, very cool!

She's probably had to shave her mustache more than I ever will.

Not trying to be a buzz killer but that sounds like a very short amount of time to acclimatize properly for 19K. Quito is at 9K but even after smaller acclimatization trips and a trip to the Illinizas and Cayambe we had to turn back on Cotopaxi because my friend had serious AMS at around 18K. Of course, its up to the individual, but still, 9K to 19K in four days seems like a hell of a schedule. I'd suggest hitting up the Illinizas.