Major Major

ice

Coo

Do you have to be a Mazama to obtain a grant? And, if so, what percentage of funds go to non-Mazamas?

Nice PSA. Honestly, i'm not sure how well known this regulation is. It's worth letting people know. I wouldn't be too happy about drones following me up Pearly Gates or any part of the mountain.

hey man, it looks like i'm postponing til 2017. i may have a few other skier partner options.

Thanks for the dialog everyone. This is very helpful. I also was contacted by a guy on TAY who mentioned he skied all but 500 feet of the entire route, taking approximately 14 days from 8k camp and back. His input validated my suspicion that walking Denali/West Butt isn't the only option. I can imagine that a scoured, icy condition time-period would be less than ideal, but in more cases than not, i'm hearing positive feedback from skiers on Denali. But the truth is, snowshoes are the antithesis of my lifestyle; I absolutely abhor them. So skis are the only option on a slog mountain. Besides, how can you say no to back flips off seracs? JMS001, looking forward to continuing the discussion. Chritoph, thanks for the input, really appreciate.

currently have a group ready to climb (without skis). one last post for any potential skimo folks.

I'm looking to use skis as much as possible to climb/descent the west buttress. I'm curious to know if anyone on here has skied parts of this mountain. What was your experience? Any recommendations on itinerary, schedule, best parts of mountain to ski? Or is this just a pie in the sky dream? I'm also looking for a skimo partner if anyone is interested. I frequent the PNW/Cascade mountains and want to move onto something a little more 'committal.' -the major

Bump. Thanks for those who have contacted me so far; please let me know if you're still interested. Now that it's January, I'm opening this post again. Skiing or non-skiing are both options at this point. Late May, early June is the preference. Now is a good time to start planning gear, travel logistics, etc. Contact me if interested. Thanks.

oh my god i'm going to ski that. how did the snow feel up toward the berg? was it solid but punch-through? or more powdery? any crust on top? it looks like skiing the old chute is open right now.

To clarify, skiing is a preference but I'm also open to non-skiing approaches. I'm looking forward to some training excursions to any amenable/complementary partners this winter. Already a few of you have inquired, and I anticipate setting up some meet-ups early 2016 (late 2015 if we're lucky!).

Adding pics. Freshly waxed. (note, wax left unscraped to allow to permeate)

Also, will consider selling skis/skins only. These skis are designed for multiple mounts using the predrilled steel plate that Dynafit engineered. They have only been mounted once. I would consider a reasonable offer for the skis and speed skins.

Seeking: Committed partners to do Denali/West Butt in May/June unguided, and for my first time. My preference for approach is a focus on semi-fast/light and low-tech and/or skiing as much of the route as possible. If anything, the ski would be nice for mini-excursions from 14,200 doing laps up to 17,000 until ready for final summit push. Experience: Approximately 35 summits in the PNW and in other regions (including 7 of Rainier), including moderate grade ski descents -- most of which is on Mt. Hood. My training is limited to avy and crevasse rescue only. I am keenly aware of the pain/humility of failure and the rush of success, but never take either for granted, and I believe this has prepared me for bigger mountains. Partnership is key. Next Step: PM if interested and you feel we would be a good fit given this approach and experience. My initial itinerary maximizes time and weight with flexibility for downtime and storms and is ready to be shared. This is simply a first attempt to locate interested climbers. Proximity to Portland would be convenient but not necessary. Thank you. The Major Ps. I'm also game to meet up and climb with any skimo frequenters of Mt. Hood, regardless of interest in bigger objectives. December is around the corner.

I just had 2 people bale on me. Dropping to $425. Last call on a great set-up.

bumpity bump

Dantes inferno, which layer? Ben and I just scrambled without incident, not one single clink of rock.

the park is this whack

Ben, Astrov, and I Started early Saturday (7/18) to cross Nisqually and began heading up the fan. Against the advice of the climbing rangers, we took the fan, as none of us could justify walking the extra miles/2,000k feet to take Van Trump. The fan and the Nisqually presented no issues in the crossing. We then took our time ascending via the typical Wilson Glacier/Turtle Snowfield route, getting to the higher camp before dinner time. Around 3:00 a.m. (7/19), Astrov and I descended the fixed short rope onto the lower Kautz ramp and began pitching the climbs. There are two major ice falls, both of which presented comparable challenges. The second ice fall is steeper. The rotted top layer of ice was the only challenge here, forcing me to kick in steps to gain purchase on more solid ice below the surface. But after reaching the top of the second ice pitch it was time to navigate the upper Kautz and its crevasses. Having done the climb before, I anticipated a slow steady slog around obvious crevasses. This assumption proved wrong. Astrov and I spent notable time analyzing each crevasse and turn. The heavy penitentes made this harder than expected. The crevasses dictated our route, and thus we did not cross over the cleaver toward the Nisqually. We instead zig zagged up to the upper Kautz at the base of the upper ice features (on the East side), skirted the ice feature over the only apparent crossing (around 13,500 feet), and then traversed West. To make matters worse, we found ourselves higher up walking over an ice sheet with water flowing underneath surrounded by sharp penitentes. Finally, we decided to make a B-line straight up the upper Kautz glacier, reaching the plateau at 14,000 feet. This put Point Success a short distance to our West, and the summit crater within grasp. The summit was the usual summit, nothing to note. We also descended the DC route. Although our initial objective was too descend Kautz, the difficult ascent made us reconsider this option. The DC route is now sewn together by ladder bridges and rerouted through Nisqually. In some ways it's more enjoyable, but I can't image it during heavy traffic. We descended it in early afternoon. The point of this TR is both for inquiry and an update. Based on the route that we took, I do not recommend climbing the Kautz Glacier for the remainder of the climbing season. At one point, Astrov punched through an undetected crevasse around 13,600 feet, and there were others that were still in transition yet very open. That said, I'm wondering if the traversing from Kautz to the upper Nisqually is still possible. If so, then the route is still reasonably doable. This is all based on observations over the weekend. But I hope this beta is helpful. The Ranger at Muir mentioned Climbing Rangers would be assessing Kautz that same day, so we'll see. Final note on gear: five ice screws and two tools. I used it all. Here are some pics of sunset and sunrise. Astrov and Ben probably have better pics and probably better memory of the details.

JDCH, we are also heading up this weekend. We plan to descend via Kautz. First time I did the route, we descended DC, which was not enjoyable given the traffic and soft snow. WE figured with a few rappels will be much more enjoyable (and faster) descending via Kautz. My question is related to the route. Does anyone think the fan is too dangerous right now. There is no snow on the slope (nearly gone since May). Would the rock fall hazard be risky? Or is Van Trump route really the best alternative?

PM sent.

I'm also highly interested in single push ascent. Why sleep, am I right?

Looking for one or more partners. Looking to ski or boot up, depending on your pref, strengths. I've summited big R 5 times. Numerous ascents in the PNW. Have crevasse rescue experience. Let me know if interested.

Bump.

The bindings are Dynafit TLT ST. They do not have brakes.