davidk

wow! I can't speak to 140 mph winds, but I know from experience that -34deg wind chill is no fun at all - and that wasn't on this continent!

there are grants available specifically for young climbers (<25 yo) from the American Alpine Club (and possibly other sources too). I have no personal experience with these grants, but have a friend who got one for a big expedition. Some factors why she and her partner were awarded the grant: goals of new routes in a remote, largely undeveloped and seldom explored area, and extensive climbing resumes to back up their ambitions. My advice: search around for grants if you feel you're qualified and/or work your ass off and save up the cash

mine stretched a bit lengthwise, but most of the stretch was lateral. I bought the size that gave a comfortable, toes-flat fit out of the box, and within a year they were sloppy. However, now they work great for alpine routes- they fit nice'n tight with a thin wool sock.

Rad trip, and excellent TR! Thanks for the ideas and stoke

PM sent on BD cams

I've been very pleased with my Metolius Mastercams for small cams. I have a set of #1-4, and compared to the same size TCU's they have equal or narrower head width, longer stems for reach, and triggers that are easier to manipulate with bare fingers or gloves. Basically Metolius' version of Aliens, which are also fantastic

I used the BD winter bivy for a couple nights last summer, and experienced significant condensation. And it's not like I was sweating a lot- I was using a 40 degree down bag on dry nights that were pushing that temp rating. My partner on the trip had an Integral Designs eVent bivy (and 40 degree down bag too), and stayed dry inside with very minimal condensation.

I tried out a home-made canister cozy this weekend, and it really seemed to help keep the gas warm and extend burntime. Was using an 8 oz. MSR IsoPro cansiter on a Snow Peak Gigapower stove in ~20 degree F temps, and boiled about 7 liters of water with plenty of fuel to spare. I made the cozy out of some closed-cell foam pad scraps and duct tape. ...and as always, pre-heat the canister by putting it in your jacket while you make camp, etc.

Well done Jens and Cole! Conditions in the Stuarts have been ripe for winter rock ascents, glad you guys got after it and had success.

Trip: Argonaut - NE Couloir Date: 1/24/2009 Trip Report: Kevin and I headed up on Friday to attempt the NE Couloir on Argonaut. We hiked in to the boggy marsh past the Stuart/Colchuck trail junction, where we camped for the night. I managed a few hours of good sleep, but Kevin wasn't so fortunate: he was nursing a sore wrist from a lead fall on a WI 1 (walking ice) pitch on the road. Our plan was to start out at first light on Saturday morning, so as to avoid the navigation errors in the dark that had ruined previous attempts. We easily found our way to the talus slope on the north side of Argonaut, and commenced slogging. Almost every possible avy slope in the Stuarts has slid in the past month, and all the sunshine and freeze thaw of the past couple weeks turned the avy debris into what is best described as snow talus. The going was frustrating and slow. The snow in the couloir was optimal for kicking steps, especially considering the time of year. The couloir was pretty well filled in, but did have a couple exposed rock steps and one short step of alpine ice. We set up a belay for the ice step, but in retrospect it was probably wasn't necessary. By the time we were midway up the gully, a thick cloud cover was developing. We could see that the summit of Cashmere was already covered, and when we reached the top of the gully the summits of Colchuck and Argonaut were also socked in. It was already 3 PM, so we were running out of daylight for the descent. A summit covered in clouds made the decision easy- we skipped the summit and started down. We made one 25 meter rap into a gully to the north of the main gully on Argonaut's east side, then downclimbed and traversed the snow to the ridge between Argonaut and Colchuck. We found the descent gully we had spotted from below, and downclimbed some 3rd/4th class rock before reaching snow. By the time we were a third of the way down the talus slope, we had to break out headlamps. Descending the snow talus was painful and arduous, but we were soon back on our tracks to our tent. After packing up camp, we hoofed it back to the cars. No need to say much about the dreadful monotony of walking down the road by the light of a fading headlamp- it just sucked. After all that, we both agreed that the route was excellent and quite fun. The basin on the north side of Argonaut The NE Couloir starts in the upper right of this photo, and our descent gully is in the upper left Looking north at the developing cloud cover Kevin on the first mixed step, negotiating the tricky bear-hug move The majority of the climbing is kicking steps up 45+ degree snow The alpine ice step Kevin at our high point in the couloir Of course the clouds lift a bit as we're heading down! We rapped from the second notch from the left on the minor ridge of spires in the middle of this pic Gear Notes: minimal rock rack, a couple stubby screws, tools and crampons, and a 50m rope Approach Notes: The snow all the way to the boggy marsh is very hard, and we managed the entire trip with no flotation. A couple parties have gone in to Stuart, so there is now a decent path leading up Mountaineers Creek.

PM sent on BD camalots

PM sent on the bivy

PM sent

Thanks for the excellent TR and pictures of the conditions. I visited Terror Basin this past spring for the first time, and after missing the turnoff to the climber path on the way up, my friend and I built that big stone arrow so that others may avoid the ridiculously steep bushwacking we encountered.

Trip: Enchantments - Prusik Peak - West Ridge Date: 8/25/2008 Trip Report: It's high time I start contributing to this resource, seeing as I've been an anonymous browser for a couple years and have been appearing in some of Kevino's TR's. So here goes my first TR: After talks of climbing Eldorado/Dorado Needle with Tvash fizzled out, Kevino and I hatched our own plan. We would hike in and set up camp at Colchuck Lake on Monday, then go up and climb the West Ridge of Prusik. On Tuesday, we would climb Serpentine Arete on Dragontail, then hike out. So we pulled up to the Leavenworth ranger station just before 8 and snagged the last Colchuck permit. While paying our fee, the "polite" lady behind the counter informed us that "they" had decided to raise the fee from $3 to $5/day for next year. This of course raised the questions of "who the hell are they?" and "why are we even bothering with this?" We made good time up to the lake, over Aasgard, and up to Prusik Pass and the balanced rock that marks the start of the route. It was still partly cloudy with some sunbreaks and a cold wind, but as we climbed, the weather deteriorated. Kevin led the first and third pitches, and I took the second and fourth (final). Which means my first trad lead ever was the 5.7 slab pitch. After about the first pitch we began seeing snow flurries, and the wind strengthened to sustained 15-25 mph, with a temperature right around freezing. Darn good thing we brought full battle gear, and we ended up wearing everything for most of the climb. Weather aside, the route was fantastic, and we both agreed that it is well deserving of it's classic status. Hoots of joy were as abundant as episodes of screaming barfies. We topped out some time around 6:30 PM and began our descent down the North Face. The raps begin from the summit, and stations are numerous and all bomber, giving plenty of options. We made something like 5 full single rope raps, which got us down to easy ledges to traverse back to the start of the route. Then the fun began. Knowing we didn't stand a chance making it back to camp before dark, we took our time at the balanced rock and fueled up. As we made our way towards the upper Enchantments, the storm reached its peak. The snow and sleet intensified, the wind strengthed and was gusting around 40 mph, and the temp dropped to 29. Sideways blowing snow stung our eyes, and a trace of snow was accumulating on the ground. Linking up rock cairns by headlamp proved to be the crux of the trip, and we reached our tent at 11:15 PM. Given the weather and how our day had gone, we decided to not do Dragontail the next day, figuring it would still be cloudy and wet. Kevin starting up pitch 1 The author at the belay above the slab pitch The author (left) and Kevin at a belay Kevin following up the final chimney the "WTF?" face Getting blasted in the upper Enchantments "Yeah, no way it will be cloud free tomorrow." Wrong! Gear Notes: single 60m rope, nuts, cams from small aliens to BD #3, doubles in the mid size range clothing to withstand rogue August storms Approach Notes: Can be approached via Colchuck Lake trail or Snow Creek trail