Water

a point has been made to me that at least one major club often relies on volunteers as field "guides"/aids/assistants even if a professional instructor is leading the course, whereas when taking the course from this professional instructor the aids provided are other guides, climbing rangers, or avalanche professionals. at least in one instance this is what i was told when comparing between taking a course with an organization and through a guide/instructor directly. whether this matters to you or not it is a point that was clarified for me. in some respects i do not want a 'friend' teaching because while they can know me better that knowledge also gives the potential for 'blindspots'. a professional with thousands of hours of professional instruction behind them probably has less bias? not exactly the same, but, this is why some people pay therapists to work on big problems and not just 'talk with a friend'.

great thread for your first post ever after being a member for 6 years. i am impressed.

check out glenn kessler MountainSavvy for pdx area

I agree with everything else you said, but disagree with the above. I was hit by rockfall once, and knocked down (literally). When I first realized what was going on, I was sliding feet first with my axe above me by attached by the wrist strap. If I had not had the strap, I would have been toast. I was able to arrest and slow myself to almost a stop before cartwheeling over some some rocks. Greatful ever since for that wrist strap. However it could have been any sort of tether, not a specific type. Bill r_i: get some webbing and make a wrist strap. birddog: I should have been clearer and agree with your line of thought. By original fall I meant if one went down to arrest due to some incident on a rope team, or if a step blew out, or one is practicing self-arrest, the leash isn't playing any mechanical role in that process. But if one cannot instantaneously arrest, is stunned (like from rock in your case) and cannot immediately get on top of the ax, that is where the functionality/benefit of the leash comes in.

so if you really want to climb with your roomie then i guess you're getting a legit wrist leash and using that. But if you want to climb mt hood more than you want to climb with your roomie you might explore other options. re-reading your post now i think i know what he is saying about the wrist leash holding body-weight. Assuming you are not ice climbing, which would be a hell of an intro hood climb since it sounds like you haven't done any snow/ice climbing before. If you're self-belaying (piolet canne (cane)) and you fall, if you have a wrist leash, theoretically the downward vector with how you have your ax planted--when the tension hits the leash the ax will be driven further into the snow and stop your fall. This presumes the impact doesn't just blow the ax out of the snow and that while standing on a steep slope with only one point of anchor (your ax), if your feet gave out you would consciously fight your instantaneous adrenal response to grip the one and only thing you can as your life truly depends upon it. Like the banjo minnow, falling will trigger a genetic response to grip your ice axe as hard as you possibly can. Not to say it can't get pulled out of your hands..but you will be gripping. as for the leash actually playing ANY role in self arrest--none in the original fall and possibly an additional hindrance. However if you botch an initial arrest then presumably it is at hand bouncing gently along side you as you slide down a hillside, or flailing all over as you cartwheel down the steep. your choice of leash is about the last goddamn thing your partner's safety depends upon. self belay, self arrest, and cramponing skills are numero uno for your safety. a good head and willing to listen is probably number one for his safety. is he roping up to you without any protection other than to cross a glacier?

bill_r_i: for ice climbing leashes play a role (weighted). For going up the south side of mount hood, not at all (save any ice in the pearly gates if that is the route chosen). this article on the site is a relevant read for ice climbing leashes. http://cascadeclimbers.com/articles/ice-climbing-gear-intro/ice-climbing-tool-leashes/ but for a standard ice ax the leash is playing 1 role. To keep you from dropping the ice ax and losing it and being up the creek. Now you could drop it when you're on a mellow 25 degree slope and just stand there and watch it slide down away from you, or you could fall on a 40 degree icy slope, try to self arrest and have the ax blow out of your hands. i have seen both types of attachment and have feelings about both (to harness or to wrist). If one is going up a slope and is switchbacking on it, then at each turn you want the ax to be in your uphill hand--thus attached to the harness it is easy to change hands. If you have it on your wrist, you've got to get the leash to the other hand and then back when you turn again (generally). This is a moment/space for error or mistake or a slip where with the harness leash it is much more fluid. but my issue with the harness leash is take the ice ax and pull it up until the harness leash is taut. Where is the ice ax head/pick/spike..? likely all around your upper body. Now of course it is a worst case scenario but it has the potential compared to a wrist attachment where the ax would likely be further from one's body. But, most of that is theoretical and if you're falling and the ice axe is out of control by your face, it is probably not the number one issue. I've never heard a definitive argument from anyone to justify either (harness or wrist) conclusively. Though the manufacturers sell wrist leashes with with ice axes, so that kind of states how they're expected to be used. When there is familiarity and conditions allow, I will forgo the wrist all together. I'd love to hear some more seasoned or reasoned people contribute to this discussion.

Toxoplasmosis it is a parasite and not a virus but how many of you huffed cat shit when you were young? cause that could explain a lot http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/9/11/03-0143_article.htm

ur talking about burchey, right?

i wear those $70 socks, but only on top of these: http://www.customshirt1.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=2572000L

yes mine looked well used when i got them (paint scratched off, small rip in the deck fabric, torn eye in one of the tightening straps, etc) but have been totally reliable. i even ran over with my car and fixed it with a bent piece of aluminum and some rivets. the evos i think are less prone to breaking also being a single piece of plastic vs the lightnings use that 'fabric' deck material which indeed can rip (though they are quite strong). also with traction i dont think the lightnings are be-all-end-all vs evos, maybe just a bit better. heel lift i think is more important for either.

1) buy used 2) buy used 3) buy used i think MSR are the best snowshoes. i bought some lighting ascents in 'fair' shape from the forum a few years ago for around $100. supposedly the lightning ascent have the better traction what with the rim of them being thin metal compared to the evos that are plastic and flat at the edge with metal teeth in the middle on the bottom. HOWEVER, when on a persons pack the Evo are always more compact it seems. tho i dont think other brands are 'bad' MSR really seems to have the designed dialed in

thanks for sharing. the Mammut Avy blog has a decent article about electronic interference with their Pulse beacons. I think they suggested 40cm was around the range that interference occurred, even with items like a digital camera (go pro). http://www.mammutavalanchesafety.com/

rambled up to huckleberry lake (far end of mystic lake, then south) and froze-to-death-plateau with my wife this summer for a quick night of backpacking before seeing yellowstone at the tail end of a trip hangin out at a bud's ranch up in lewistown. really impressed with the area-spectacular. thanks for sharing your memories mr. warfield

heres from today this work? from fb..hope it shows

once there is actually some significant snow, in your backyard consider the gumjuwac trail up from OR-35 [can park on side of road or across the way by the 'chain up' spot - just don't during a fresh snow dump since they need to plow that] to Gumjuwac Saddle. From there you can continue off-trail up the ridge to Lookout Mountain, or continue on a road to the south and try to find Jean Lake. You will find adequate steep on your way up to Gumjuwac saddle, and onward up to Lookout Mnt if you continue. If you do go up the 'ridge' to Lookout there are some open SE facing slopes that could be prime for avy--but that can probably be avoided by veering climbers left. but honestly I'd recommend starting with going to mirror lake and then up tom dick and harry balls mountain as a '1st' if you're really intent on self-educating. you'll have an entire winter season to push yourself, you have everything to gain starting small and going from there, but much to lose biting off more than you can chew. another consideration is snowshoeing up to silcox hut or top of palmer (keep the lifts in sight if inclement weather)

thanks for sharing and good attitude about risk and it not going anywhere. i'll second dougd on the ridge vs the boulder field. my only climb of it was three years ago in early october (areas of a few inches of fresh snow down around shale/coyote/mud lakes). Normally I'm on top of my game but for some reason I thought the woodpecker trailhead was going to save us some elevation gain so we started there..oi vey what a mistake. Anyways yes we followed that little trail in the night and worked our way up on the ridge (was still snowfields down lower that year I believe). The traverse was snow-covered (mostly rotten sugar like snow) but enough to hold us. We didn't go north enough and went up low 5th class vs doing the ledges. i wonder if the guy in your picture stuck with the firmer rock (grey) vs the entirely loose (red) at the start but near that ridge (once you get around it I think the angle improves). As I recall getting up/over that little ridge in the picture was the most difficult part, due to the rock being just pulverized volcanic dust/mud there. Anyways looking at the picture of him he seems higher than where one would be if one was crossing on snow--it also looks steeper for him to continue traversing/up/over from his location rather than down in the red. But i wasn't up there in those conditions so hard to know. if you look at my TRs ive got one for southside of jeff with a good pic that shows our boottrack along that traverse. cheers

i won't jerk my knee until i see an actual survey map of the cut area(s), expected traffic/road impact, and closures. This reads like BS as is. Name me a proposed logging area in any national forest and I will spout off some trailheads/trails/campground in general vicinity.

unfortunately the entire south side of adams has been closed for a month and a half or so. There was a large forest fire that burned the south climb trailhead and much of the forest along either side of the road up to it. I know that some access was lifted last week on the north side but at this point accessing that is going to be difficult let alone route selection and stuff. weather doesn't look great (today is actually nice..) so chances are you will be in a cloud or whiteout. If you don't get any partners you could consider going up st. helens. Like i said in a previous thread this is probably the most sketch time for climbing as there is relatively little snowpack, but enough to mask some hazards. additionally as we roll into november this is the period we often get very strong storms. hope you enjoy being out here -- consider something else the PacNW has to offer if none of the volcano climbing seems to be panning out.

i've never really comprehended how the system would play out on very steep, hard snow. Say my partner weights 50#s more than me as well. They're leading going up a steep and there is only 1 picket in pace. Or consider two pickets placed. I guess it all depends on how much rope is out from the last picket to them, rope in total, etc, but would the elasticity in the system and their friction be plenty to prevent the 2nd person from getting yanked up to the first piece of pro and having it pop up? A vertically pounded picket is great when the forces are proper but anything else and they just go flying.

of the two climbing partners i've had from montana, both seem immune to cold and have power of an ox. its like they were forged by eating rocks at -40 below.

ulvetano: so right now is probably the most borderline time to climb, on account that the amount of new snow is enough to mask all sorts of hazards but not enough to protect from them, aside from all other variable conditions.

1 person on scene said helmet was on 2 persons on scene said no helmet ??seems like there isn't lots of grey area, other than perhaps helmet on with loose chin strap or something like that. hope for a good recovery for the guy, regardless of circumstances.

all these peaks have native names still used by people alive today, related to people (however distant) who named these mountains first. Wy'east, Loowit/Suek, Tahoma, Pah Do/Klickitat, Seekseekqua, Shuksan, Kulshan, Takobia. shasta maybe a candidate..

current conditions report to top of palmer from this weekend: http://loomisadventures.com/blog/hiking-mt-hood-during-first-snow-storm-season N joy

thanks for reviving this with the season coming upon us. I'm considering going down the vapor barrier direction--a sock or just a bread-bag around the outside of my foot for any winter-tours. Last year was my first year and it was mostly spring-stuff. The boot liners get absolutely swamped, keeping them dry in winter on a 1-2 night thing seems like a higher priority. on the hot-spot front it seems like locking down the two lower buckles really made a difference. I'm going to try to stick with my heavy (3.5lbs/boot) boots this season before i throw more cash down, it'll make some TLTs or Vulcans that much more appreciated.