spionin

it was great! posted a few pictures in the freshiezone: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/985179#Post985179

just a little conditions note... freezing level was around 6500, very overcast. intermittent precip 10:00 - 13:00, some wind. the road up is great, yet there's enough snow to be able to start skiing from the parking lot. the snow was great! well bonded, though it did get quite velco-y by the end of the day. we didn't dig any pits, but there was no sloughing, and higher up (around 8k) we had some pretty loose powder. a few pics: the visibility got really bad after 13:00 a person named andres loaned me his beacon in the parking lot. if you're on this forum - THANKS!

hi ed - we skied up to muir yesterday in really foggy conditions. the avy potential was very low - the snow is well bonded. nonetheless, we always carry avy gear. there is plenty of snow in most places, you can start skiing directly from the parking lot, but a few rocks sticking out here and there. good luck, stay safe.

i carry a generic light softshell glove (leading) and a medium-weight glove. but i also carry a super lightweight mitten that's waterproof, which i can put over either. that's the money piece for me. the mitten is for belaying and for climbing less-than-vertical slopes that involve dipping my hands in the snow. acts as an insulator, wind- and waterproofer.

omg dude - that looks like unbelievably good times! inadequate for having good foods, fishing, chilling, swimming, etc.?? great pics, thanks for sharing!

great pics, smiling people - awesome! The Flake looks very impressive as well!

thanks for the conditions report, aaron!

took a quick day trip up there yesterday. forgot how long it takes me to cross asgaard, so only had a little bit of time to cast my line. i don't think the fish liked my lures (super duper and yellow leopard), but i could see them show interest when the hook went in - they are definitely there! i considered tying a little mosquito fly upstream of the bobber, but didn't get to it. i also have an orange lure that i wanted to try, but ran out of time. here's a bloody little rainbow for ya: some tripod-assisted action (prusik in the background): many of the lakes are getting iced over. i fished at inspiration, which was fine. but the fish definitely went away as the shadow moved in. on an unrelated note (wait, is it ever unrelated??)... asgaard pass:

great! thanks for the report!

sounds awesome, way to get on it!

that's exactly what i was wondering about. awesome beta, thanks! no guarantees that i'll actually catch something, but i'll bring back a report

awesome, thanks everyone! i'd heard that fish/wildlife were going to stop stocking those lakes all together, so that's what i was wondering about - whether they had any fish in them at all at this point. i'll find out the trail blazers forum is great - just what i was looking for! again, thanks!

hi - does anyone know about the current status of stocking the lakes up in the enchantments? any recommendations? thanks!

according to summitpost, "From parking spot along Rock Creek it is approx. 5 miles to the base of the North Face" http://www.summitpost.org/route/167558/north-face.html#chapter_2 standard route (our descent): "The route ascends over 5200 feet elevation to the summit in less than 3.5 miles of trail" http://www.summitpost.org/route/155410/southwest-chicken-out-ridge.html plus about 2 miles to walk back to the car. - even if we doubled the approach, that's still about 15-16 miles. - gmap pedometer says that the trip was about 10.5 mi "as the crow flies" (not sure how far we walked past our trailhead, but let's say at most, an additional 1.5 mi) - so 12ish? http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4104845 thanks OMB - close enough! well, thankfully, oleg remembered the piece of beta about the first couloir being a dead-end, so we didn't actually even go up it

great report, nastia! cheers, guys! let's swig vodka on some summits again soon!

2nd ascent in seattle is supposed to get some in soon. i really wish these came in small sizes - they feel AMAZING.

nicely done! great first ice climb/lead, and a fun report!

i have an older one (about 3 years), and love it. the material hasn't lost much of its water repellency (climbing, skiing, year-round bike commuting), it's largely windproof, and it vents exceptionally. for climbing, if it's a cold and dry day, this is my outer layer. the dropped tail, the overall length, the trim sleeves - it's great. i think the jacket really shines in its details though - the hood is great for a climbing or a skiing helmet, very adjustable in the right places. the sleeves are gussetted, so when you have your climbing harness on top of it, and you swing that tool as high as you can - the jacket stays in place and doesn't ride up. it may seem minor, but this is definitely one of my favorite things about it. i only wish they'd continued with the consideration for the harness, and put the pockets a little higher (but maybe it's been solved in the newer models). re: price, got mine (new, w/o tags) at geartrade.com

excellent job, slovenjans! more pics?

pins: a couple of knifeblades, bugaboos #3 and #4, two of each. i usually have 4 pins on me at most. screws (all bd express turbo): 10cm, five 13 cm, two 16 cm, two 19 cm. i climb almost exclusively on 13 cm, and carry five-six of those on a pitch plus a 19 cm for anchors and abalakovs.

word. thanks for the good point. totally forgot.

semi-rigids preferred (darts, bionics, and the like). beaters would be great, as long as there's *some* point left to file. <$60 would be awesome. thanks for looking.

dry tool at issaquah crag in the morning + 7-10 mi trail run at cougar mtn? i'm coming from seattle, would like to carpool, happy to drive.

since the aliens planted it there, in the middle of a sea of basalt

pretty hilarious! gotta get what you can, and way to brave the obviously gnar weather!