pclark

I live in Ecuador, so of course I would recommend climbing here. It can be expensive to get here, but it's a small country, from Quito you're an hour from Cayambe, 90 minutes from Cotopaxi, and 4 hours from Chimborazo, not to mention the acclimatization climbs on Guagua and Rucu Pichincha, which are basically in Quito. Travel, food, and lodging can be really inexpensive, I would imagine comparable to Mexico or less. We use the US dollar, it's safe, and travel is really easy. I have a guide that I've used, and I could pass you his contact if you'd like. He's high stoke, good decision maker, can help arrange logistics for you on the cheep, or work with someone who can. He may speak some English, but I only remember speaking Spanish with him.

Trip: Mt Jefferson - Soutwest Ridge Date: 9/11/2015 Trip Report: Did the southwest ridge of Jefferson last Thursday and Friday, September 10-11 with my buddy Eric and brother-in-law Tim. We had a fun time on the mountain. For Tim, it was his 10th Cascade Volcano over 10,000ft. Eric and I have spent our climbing trips this season in pursuit of the most possible scree slogging we can find for the least/easiest rock we can climb. This route in September has an astounding ratio of scree to easy rock! In my hunting for beta there were a couple of bits of info that would have been helpful so I'll pass them along. Probably most important to us was the availability of water. We tanked up at Pamelia Lake, not knowing what we might encounter for water on the route. There is a great snowfield at 7777 feet (we thought it perfect). It required climbing down from the southwest ridge 100 feet or so to get to the bottom of it. We were hopeful that the snowfields on the maps would hold out through this hot summer after a bad snow year. We had running water at camp. The traverse from Red Saddle around to the north side of the pinnacle was not bad. We were able to pass below the remaining snow. It was loose and steep getting up to the first shoulder, but doable for us. The whole thing is loose, sandy, horrible scree that will have you asking why you bothered. We rather enjoyed ourselves. This shot is from our camp at 7777ft. Running water is just behind the tent. The southwest ridge comes in from the left and meets the south ridge coming in from the right. This is from further up the mountain looking down between the south and southwest ridges. You can see several snowfields remain. Ours was the rightmost. The traverse in the morning shade. Didn't get a better pic: Approach Notes: We came to the climbers trail up to the SW ridge after just 20 minutes on the PCT. We didn't think we were going too fast so it surprised us to be there so quickly. Just as Jeff Thomas describes it is a small open meadow in a canyon. The trail begins right in the draw.

96avs01 did you end up climbing Jefferson? Any more update on the traverse? Anyone who has climbed the south side of the pinnacle willing to give their assessment or beta? Thanks,

Great TR. I'd love to hear more about your planning too.

Very cool video, and a great send! WOW!

Is there another crag in the US that has heavy use in spring and fall, that also rests on public land? It seems like there ought to be some precedent set for managing this type of crowding. But as I think of it, in my limited experience, I cannot think of an area exactly like Vantage. It might be a great laboratory for experimenting with new and creative solutions to over-crowding. I've always thought walk-in camping would be cool at Vantage, but it would obviously need to be regulated.

Thanks for sharing your story. Perhaps never quite on par with your miraculous moments, but I resonate with a mountain miracle making all the difference for a trip.

Wow! Thanks for sharing your story. I am really inspired by all the positives you take away from your accident.

Thanks for the awesome TR. Nice to have some alpine stoke during my hibernation season. This route is on my radar...I just wish there was some good beta out there...

Great resource! Thanks for posting. I wish it wasn't such a long drive.

I lost my wedding ring at vantage today. I started the day at sunshine wall, climbed algatha tower, then ended with a few at the feathers. It is a plain white gold band. Please let me know if you spot it. Thank you!

Thanks for the beta. This has been in the back of my mind, but nothing has materialized for me yet. Looks like an adventure! How long was your drive from Spokane?

Definitely no need for any on the approach. 10 days ago we walked off with ice axes on soft snow. Depending on your comfort level with the steep snow, you probably wouldn't need them. We were happy to have them.

We were on the Big Island a year ago right now with the camper van per your recommendation...our three-year-old keeps asking when we are going back! Great pics thanks for sharing.

I've been lurking here for probably about 10 years (though some of that time was spent outside the Northwest and some not climbing much). #2 explains why I've never started posting, this has not been a place I've felt safe to post even a "thanks for the TR." I think the overall tenor has improved over recent years, but it's hard to change a long standing perception of a place. I'm climbing the most I ever have right now and #1 contributes to why I don't post. If the format doesn't work well on my phone, I'm rarely going to check in away from work. I do end up reading a TR on Super Topo every now and then because they post a link on Twitter. I think that type of marketing is effective, but it takes some time.