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There is more info on what happened on the full link to the vimeo video: "He had a Black Diamond Avalung on, but as you can tell from the video while he's talking as he's dropping in, it wasn't in his mouth to start. He tried to shove it in the instant of starting to get sucked down, but it didn't stay in fully during his ragdoll descent. It was just off to the corner of his mouth he said, and he definitely got some snow / ice in his mouth still." ... "So as he drops in you can also see the sluff to the skier's right immediately start building....and that's actually the chute that was the intended route down. For whatever reason - well pure, unadulterated powder will do it to you - he didn't go make some strong 'skier cuts' into the upper pack to do one final snow check as instructed by the main guide who was doing the 'tail gunner' work. Instead he just sent it. And it didn't take more than a few turns out on this big shoulder above this cliff band to break loose."

Right on! And the music is way cool!

Thanks for the TR and pics! They have no match!

That looks outstanding! Thanks for the pics!

I see you're in the East? So basically just straight up ice climbing will be in your future. I'd go with the Nomics - such a great fun tool for pure ice - it just gets better when the ice gets steeper. I've tried the Reactors and new Vipers... the BD tools have a different swing than Petzl and I thought the grip on the Reactors was a little bulky. You can adjust the lower pinky rest on the Nomics for hand size. What "alpine" are you planning on doing out there? Not really much alpine out there that would benefit from a hammer or a spike... unless you plan on heading to Katahdin during the winter - which I recommend and advise especially if you're going to be in the EC for a while. Go, stay in the South Basin at Chimney Pond. Also, take a trip up to Lake Willoughby this winter - enjoy

Dan, nice stuff, man! So, does it uphold it's classic status? ...a sea of seracs!

I think trees are the real problem. We should cut down as many of them as we can. "One woman riding a motorcycle with her husband died after a tree fell on her." http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060620/REPOSITORY/606200339/1028/OPINION02 http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/51749807.html "A Mount Healthy woman sitting at her computer was killed when a tree fell onto a back room of her house" http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20080915/NEWS01/309160014/-1/winds/Three+killed+by+falling+trees

The black cloth is just there to tell you who made it and to cover the raw end. It's simply a tag. Because of that I've put notches on all my black Mammut tags so I can distinguish my slings from others'. If there was damage to any of the actual Dyneema then I'd retire it - I marked my retired one with marker and use it as a gear sling in the closet, where it can still hang out with it's able-bodied brethren.

Wow, thanks for sharing that with us, Mark, and glad you got out of that one in good shape considering the situation. I'm not sure I can fit a big ass helicopter on my harness but maybe I can sneak onto in my partner's pack.

Good point, Clint, you're right. Ya ya... I guess no one is safe... I should've seen that one coming!

Hmmm... I'm with Clint on this one. What's the point to go the extra distance to knock the dude down just because you don't understand his motivations?

Could always just switch to the Camp Pulse: http://www.wildsnow.com/943/camp-pulse-helmet-an-option-for-the-ski-alpinist/ The only one I know of qualified for both climbing and ski standards. Way lighter too than a regular ski helmet.

Good work dudes!! That one has been on my list since I saw a pic of the NF. Awesome job and great read!

It's got what plants crave! And here I am paying for my food like a sucker when there's all this free food to be had.

I agree. Even in WA you can't compare alpine to crag ratings. BTW, in the Swain book the Dangler is a 5.9... the MP consent was 5.9+. I haven't felt Index ratings yet, but right after climbing some routes at Castle Rock (the first area I climbed after I moved) this is what I thought it felt like compared to Gunks grading: -The Fault 5.6 -Catapult 5.7 -S Face Jello Tower 5.7+ -Midway chimney pitch 5.5 -Midway Direct 5.4/3 -Canary 1st pitch 5.7+ -Canary 2nd pitch 5.7 Not many/any clean vertical cracks at the Gunks, but if you want to compare I'd recommend getting on Laurel and Ken's crack - two classic 5.7s in and near the Uberfall area. Have fun, its a great crag with 100s of routes. Make sure to go to Bacchus in downtown New Paltz for a wider selection of beer. Oh yeah... I know they are a love/hate thing, but tricams can come in useful there - shallow pockets and horizontal cracks.

You can't compare the Gunks to Index. You don't get splitter cracks and corners in the Gunks without having some face holds or horizontal ledges. If you find a vertical crack it probably will be shallow, quick, and dirty. I still also compare grades to Gunks' grades because that's where I started climbing and its what I'm used to from the start. The only detriment to this is that when I get to a softer rating area (ie. Squamish) I am reluctant to get on 5.9s because 5.7s in the Gunks would have me shitting my pants. But all this is irrelevant. Just visit a crag and start climbing and find out how the grading works there. If you want to compare it to the Gunks or whatever your home turf is then go ahead... anything to help your brain understand. Gunks is good practice for roofs, face, and elitism about other crag's ratings.

"For moderate alpine ice in the Cascades, what lengths are best?" If getting 3 I'd get 13,16,16. On routes where I'm not really expecting to use screws but would like a safety cushion just in case (and for descents) I take one 10 and one 22 - covers that random thin or thick placement and bomber v-threads even in crap ice. Strength of the screw is highly dependent on the quality of the ice... so excavate. Note on v-threads: this past weekend pull tested a v-thread made with a 16cm in whitish and wet glacier ice and from my recollection is only blew past 2000lbs. 21cm screw v-thread in better quality blue ice survived past 4000lbs - the 1" webbing blew out first at the water knot.

Well intentioned but over-discussed. Ratings vary depending on the area and the FA party. Any OG climbing area will have sandbagged ratings because of the ol' 5.9 limit. One thing is for sure... keep climbing at the Gunks and then head somewhere with splitter crack climbing and you will find yourself getting spanked. Gunks is good practice for face and roofs... and some running out. Bottom line, just get out there, experience different venues, get to know the local grading, and learn to move well on as much different terrain as possible. Forget grades... learn to look at a line and sense if it goes or not - for you.

Funny, I now have a bum knee BECAUSE of Backbone ridge. The terrain on the 3rd pic looks like what we ended up on 2 pitches up from the OW... curious to hear where you guys and other folks headed for that section.

Love the view of Colchuck lake from Burgundy col You guys are rippin' it, eh? Nice going

I usually just upload pics I'm going to TR to CC.com's gallery. This is using the regular img tags but using Patriot's direct link to Facebook pics:

Good work on the fu, Dan! re:pics I don't think Facebook allows hotlinking...?

That rock looks excellent!! Awesome pics, great looking climb... nice catch, dudes!

Nice work guys! We looked for you two from the top but figured you had already blasted through. The rock over there looks clean and pristine.

Trip: Dragontail - Backbone ridge Date: 7/11/2009 Trip Report: Ever since moving to WA I've been trying to get on some of the famed classics of the Cascades. I do enjoy doing lesser known and fewer hands touched climbs, but one can't fail to admit that classics become classics because of a good reason - although nowadays it is probably because someone posts about it on the internet or they publish a book touting the sound rock and transcendental climbing. Although very happy with what I've gotten in I still had a void needing to be filled - I had yet to visit the Stuart range. Long alpine rock in a famed area... I just had to go. Kevin H had some free time, the weather was good, we both wanted it... so we went, and it went something like this: -We approached. -We scrambled and climbed the initial 5.6 pitch. -...and then came the offwidth. Early on Kevin offered me the offwidth pitch and thankfully that is what happened since I already had a fight planned in mind in case I lost the toss up. From previous reports and reputation I expected the worse - grunting, swearing, scratches, stuck jammed legs...- and instead got one of the best pitches of the climb! Chicken wings and foot jams on the left, stemming and face on the right. Do that shimmy for 90' and you're now at an awesome ledge. Great protection all the way through with excellent rests and sufficient exposure. In retrospect I would've left the #4 C4 at home. The 1X #5 worked great and I walked it up about 3 times until leaving it in place not far from the end, ~7' away from the next chance for pro in a crack on the left. Stellar. -From here we somehow chose to ignore some beta or just get confused. We went up and directly right to the crest of the ridge. We stayed on it for a while and that actually had some very good climbing on a variety of cracks. Only after a while did we start peetering to the left. -We simuled, short pitched, go to the base of the fin, did the first mid 5th pitch to the bottom The fin: -From first ledge on the fin Kevin went straight up until cracks started getting thinner and looser. So from there traversed to the left to some blocks and up double cracks to the next ledge. -From the next ledge on the fin we had some choices. a-Go way left to what seemed like cracks going all the way up? b-to the right, following the left facing dihedral c-up the middle to reach obvious left-facing flakes about 30-40' up Well, since I remembered the description mentioning "flakes" and I saw the "flakes" I figured that had to be the way. I took a right trending crack to the left which took me to the flakes. Followed the flakes up and then they ended and sort of went to the right. For some reason I figured we'd be better off getting on the crack system to the left, so I made a spicy, airy, and smeary traverse left, picked up the big crack and setup a nice hanging belay on it. The next pitch was just straight up on this same crack and then picking up the big rightward traverse foot crack to the "top" of the fin between big blocks and a little down onto the other side - the chossy triple-couloir side. -From there we simuled the choss on the left side for a bit and then got back on the right/good side of the ridge... following it all the way to the summit. -Hung out, took pics, ate, drank. -Descended. The Hogan likes his speed... and I don't like to fall behind if I can help it. With me trying to keep up we clocked in at a respectable 14:15 c-t-c. We were trying to keep it under 14 but only decided on that way too late and there is no way in hallaciousness that I would've been able to just outright run the trail down! Perhaps next time we'll leave the gear at home and save some weight, eh Kev-o? In all, some great climbing and I now see why it is so popular - solid granite, big lines, fun climbing, plenty of existing quality lines, and as we saw recently, plenty of new lines just waiting to be climbed. Good times. Morning goat Requisite offwidth pic Finally trending left off the ridge crest From the hanging belay on the fin Last pitch on the fin This TR was brought to you by: Spanky's - "Nice rack" ...we're required by contract to mention them... Gear Notes: nuts, some doubles in mid range, 1X 1-5 C4. Would've left the #4 next time and just brought the #5 for the offwidth. Approach Notes: The dude who told us the lake was frozen is a liar!