YocumRidge

Stay classy, Alex. I know you can .

Trip: Johannesburg in da rain - Dan's Direct & East Face Date: 7/5/2014 Trip Report: To get an easier onsight of the holiday traffic, I left Portland a day earlier and rolled into the Cascade Pass p-lot at a decent hour of midnight on Thu. Next morning I woke up to steady rain and this reassuring view: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Canadian Rockies - the land of intimidating 5000’ north faces! If only you can see them on the 4th of July weekend. I have peculiar tastes I guess. My desolation angel in the morning: While waiting for Dan (DPS) to arrive from Seattle, I was desperately trying to come up with backup rain plans - like hiking Magic mountain in the rain, for example. Or Buckner. Or Cascade pass trail. This was my first time climbing with Dan and wow, what a treat it was. Buy him food, gas, or bribe him with whatever so he would go climbing with you…First of all, he brought a better weather to Cascade pass. The rain had stopped, the clouds somewhat lifted and after 5 min of sport climbing approach, we were putting the crampons on at the base of the couloir – our backup option #3. These wet, bear-like dudes residing on J-burg don’t give shit about weather, so why should we? Dan’s Direct we took to the col: Dan soloing the couloir: “The constriction” was about 3’ wide and would not last for long it seems so future visitors are encouraged to take a cl. 3 rock bypass 50’ to the left. In the moat higher up: TFT Resplendent – as seen from another moat in the couloir. I climbed it last year and now it is looking back at me: Happy arrival to the best view in the cascades and more clouds and rain above: TFT in the limbo: We pitched in the tent to precariously hang at the lip of the col – the flattest spot we could find: The rain persists. The snow got “lumpy” under the Dan’s insulate pad at night and he was apparently sliding somewhere, to the base of Formidable or into another moat, not sure. Neoair are great however – one can use it as a swimming mattress too but I still got my hair wet. I slept for about an hour that night. The rain has finally stopped and Dan was up at 4 a.m. ready to go. I am on the other hand is a lazy sport climber and my alpine starts begin at 8 a.m. these days. I blabbed something like the white staircase needs time to dry out and went back to sleep. Finally I woke up with the sun shining, crawled out of the tent and to the base of the staircase. The staircase is wet and we solo it. Not bad really, if you don’t make hasty moves. Dan on the white staircase is carrying my new “no-women” dyneema Cilo pack, just because he needs to be trendy. I carry nothing – I am trendy like that too, I suppose. At the top of the staircase we put the crampons on and solo some steep snow trying to shoot for the grey tower on the summit ridge. Despite the adventurous routefinding, we did not dead end once and always were able to find connecting ramps between gendarmes and rock ribs. More steep snow we soloed: Somewhere half way up the face, I fell through the hidden moat. Not wanting to become an asphyxiation victim of the underground terrain on J-burg, I reluctantly suggested we should probably rope up at this point and start simul-climbing. Dan is easy and agrees to everything. It’s amazing. Here is the only piece we placed on the face - while trying to get through another spooky moat: Dan is approaching the summit ridge: After our boots begun getting soaked, we moved to the rock section just to the left of grey tower. It was wet, smooth and felt harder than the white staircase. I already decided in my mind that I am not going to downclimb “this” on the way down. Finally we reached the summit ridge. What a great spot: vertical gendarme to the left and skinny cornice to the right. I kicked the cornice with my foot and luckily it did not give away. Getting on to the cornice: Dan is escaping the cornice and downclimbing to the summit ridge: Looking back at the cornice: At this point we already see the false and true summits along the ridge and drop all our gear once we realize there is no more snow ahead to deal with. Once you are on the “trail”, the going is actually pretty good since most of the choss has been already cleaned out by the previous visitors. We did get off the “trail” a couple of times, and downclimbed too far down on the south side. That was not a class 2. Yocum Ridge here it comes: if you don’t like a hold, take it out and build a new one. Do yourself a favor and try to avoid the Yocum Ridge variation – if you want to live for a little bit longer. On the summit: 5000’ down to the p-lot: Bad weather behind us: The show is over, the clouds closed in and the rain/suck is about to begin: We reverse the path to get to our gear, put the crampons on and start downclimbing. I quickly realize that the snow/rain is not compatible with my boots. Thank you La Sportiva for making such a great product. I would certainly buy it again. If anyone ever been wondering about screaming barfies in summer, get these boots – LS Trango S Evo GTX. We are getting soaked. A combination of belayed downclimbing, simulclimbing, soloing and rapping followed as the rain hit harder. I choose to rappel more than Dan (who downclimbs the snow next to me in sync) as my feet were getting hypothermic and alternating between rock and wet snow kind of helped not to loose them completely. It worked. We are back at the col. Weather is seriously unhappy: The post-descent recovery for the emotionally traumatized individuals: Are we taking Doug’s Direct back to the car? You bet. It must be fun in a whiteout and rain. Plus I am lazy and hate extra hiking when there is no need. Dan is “easy”, so I can do whatever. Call it my unhealthy inclination, but we will obviously downclimb the couloir. All our gear is soaked, and at least twice as heavy as before. Although everyone soloes the couloir these days, right then I was not particularly looking forward to carry a dead wet cow in my albeit trendy pack. So I sheepishly asked Dan if he would be OK to have the rope out granted I will climb first, kick in steps and promise not to fall. Again, no problem. A barrage of chickens off the Cascade peak flew by suspiciously close to us reminding to hurry up so that we can go home unharmed. As expected, I get another bout of screaming barfies in my feet and almost get rid off the freaking soaked through boots right down into the moat. Boots or a lack thereof, there is not much difference really except extra weight - might as well continue in my socks. But the car is near, so I suck it up. A good 4th of July weekend on a true Cascadian testpiece. Thanks, Dan! Gear Notes: One picket, C4 #0.75; 1 nut, 1 KB and tat - for raps Wet boots Approach Notes: 0

Why is the east face forbidden?

West Side road is now closed completely at SR706 due to a recent landslide. Mowich Lake Rd. normally opens just before 4th of July and I personally prefer that approach for Ptarmigan. Its shorter and more scenic but does require a car shuttle.

Aweful news. RIP. Pretty frequently early in the season - before the snow pack had a chance to consolidate. The 45 deg "ramp" above the lower ridge and the terrain above to the summit ridge are especially prone to high avalanche activity. This happened almost exactly one year ago but went unnoticed in the news: 3 climbers caught in avalanche on Liberty Ridge, May 2013

A good one, Ivan. You should put Heathens Highway (on the Friar) on your immediate list. The things you find there....are so totally bomber.

Indeed. Great news, Bill!

Nice, Drew. May be see you out there? Yes, the Skullhollow is open, just don't use the bathroom. It's worse than the one @ the BLM CG in Red Rocks.

Left one Edelrid sling, 2 wiregates and 1 Petzl Attache at the anchors on the top of the Virgin Slayer or nearby columns in the Lower Gorge at Smith. If you find these, please PM me. Thanks in advance, Anastasia

Canrockies. Fat ice and balmy -17C. Certainly an improvement over the early March when it was -30C.

Yesterday (03/23/14) we lost a 19 cm BD Express (marked with orange tape) at the base of Weathering Heights. If someone finds it, please PM me. Thanks in advance, Anastasia

I am selling ultralight Quasar 45 L pack from british company Terra Nova. Brand new without tags. Lightweight, simple and compact alpine and expedition pack with extra durability. Using Terra Nova Matrix fabric for high strength but low weight and reinforced with Dyneema/Cordura fabric for high wear areas. All stitching is with super strong Coat 50s thread, except bar tack points, which use Dyneema thread with a weight to strength ratio 10 times that of steel. MSRP: $270, asking $190 Features: - Removable lid with double pocket and reinforced crampon attachment points. Includes second low weight 'Mini lid' option. - Extendable main compartment with double cord closure. - Multiple gear attachment points for roll matt, walking poles, axes etc. - Rope attachment strap and haul point. - Differential sized side pockets with thick 4mm colour coded closures, reinforcements and drain holes. - 2 x removable belt pockets with waterproof zips and colour coded zip pullers. - Shoulder strap load adjustment. - 2 x straight 2 x 45 degree side compression points. - Fully adjustable chest strap. - Double water bottle attachment points on shoulder straps (bottle pocket sold separately). - Double hydration tube entry points on main pack. - Internal hydration pocket. - 8mm removable foam back. Specifications: - Weight: 0.415kg/0.634kg (min/max) - Size: 45 liter - Fabric: Terra Nova Matrix and Ultra fabric, reinforced with Dyneema/Cordura fabric at strategic wear points - Back: Removable 8mm foam back

I would second what Dan said re: Price Glacier - he *liked* it as much as I did . Having climbed both Lib Ridge and Price gl., Price is NOT by any means a "preparation" for Lib. ridge, it is actually the other way around: more vertical gain on more technical terrain (albeit Shuksan is only 9131'), and way more dangerous objective hazards: ice avalanches and breaking seracs. I would compare Price to a mini-version of the Will-It-Kill me wall on Rainier. That said, Price is still a beautiful route that can be enjoyed during a high snow year. IMO, there is nothing tricky about Lib Ridge that needs a special "preparation". The route is knowingly over-hyped due to its 50 classic climbs status. Ptarmigan Ridge is way more scenic. Be in good cardio and high altitude shape and know how to use two tools plus crevassed glacier travel - its what it takes. Do some long carryover-style moderate routes like Sunset Amphitheater on R as a prior conditioning.

Leave that sheep alone, playa ... You were supposed to take pics of my new harness, because it looks cool.

Nice! The Eliot HW looks *thin*. In January. Seriously? What a year: We climbed it last June in full on winter conditions.

Is anyone interested in heading to South Fork to hit long ice routes in the end of Jan - early Feb (flexible on timing)? Cody is having a fantastic season this year and most routes are in good shape: I have just got from there and need to get back before the ice falls apart. Prefer to stay at the DDX ranch @ South Fork. Lead WI4, have full rack, double ropes and a rig. Canmore/Icefields is the second choice if the temps will rise. Please, PM. Anastasia

No. Only for the Horndogger. And you can borrow them from me tomorrow .

Ivan. Bastard, damn you and red rawks! I just got back from there . Stay away from the Black Velvet canyon in December as those temps are 10 deg lower than elsewhere in RR and stick with the routes that are in the sun for the most of a day. I thought Birdland was a pretty good warm up, a sunny moderate 6p Beacon 5.6 . Rap with one 70 (a better option) or doubles (expect stuck ropes). Horndog-Sundog link-up on the Solar Slab. A full value. In the sun all day. Routefinding on the Horndog is convoluted, very long winding pitches and a full set of tri-cams is needed for p2-3 which was kind of sketchy for people like me who never placed a tri-cam before . Tunnel Vision on the Angels Food is your carrot. Although p1 is in the shade in the morning, the new and improved 5.9 variation on the right has two new bolts through the roof. The right chimney of the P2 gets the morning sun, while the left OW is in the shade and freaking cold. We did the 5.8 left var for pp3-4, as that side is in the sun and there are 2 sets of new bolted anchors before you get to the "Tunnel". Bring the headlamp for the Tunnel - it is going to be your favorite pitch - one crappy piece of gear for 150' in the dark! The summit of the Angels Food is very cool with a very scenic descent that you don't need to haul you approach shoes for. Anything on Mescalito tower from where you can tag the actual summit via the OW chimney and the open book above it - extra 700'of climbing. If you have done Cat in the Hat, there is a 5.10 d bolted arete variation to the left on P5 that stays in the sun all day. The descent off the summit was however a total suck. Out of the three available options, we chose the "best" one - involving 7 rappels, and bushwhack scrambling, that took almost as long to get down as to climb the whole thing.

Yep, that's right, crawling like wet rats on that freaking slab while we could have got up the dry "siege tactics" the rack for which we both ingeniously forgot .

I hear that like a proper nazi, he is just following the orders, Pat

But now you've got a minivan...OMFG

That cam might originate from a very slow party on the corner we spotted while Sue and I climbed YW on Mon. Very nice and relaxing day for a change, after being brutalized on Monkey Face last weekend.

That is on J-burg, but so typical you

Haha, that was fun, Ivan. Next time I will try to be faster . Love Beacon. Too bad it starts raining soon. I think I will head to Yos then to continue my pathetic solo-aiding.