Water

also when you're so awesome you don't put a personal logo watermark on your photos, you post a logo with mountains as the watermark.

this. I'd love to know myself. I've practiced (on snow) specifically with a 30m rope and two people a number of times. My confidence extracting a severely injured or non-ambulatory partner with this setup is practically non-existent. Even getting an initial anchor (picket) in from an arrest position holding someone's fall into a crevasse is a big challenge unless conditions are ideal. 3 people makes such a difference, 30m or 60m rope, it becomes feasible. Two people on a longer rope, you could get a drop loop down to an injured climber at least. not so feasible on a shortie rope. That said I seem to almost never ever read about any even semi-serious/injured CR falls here in the NW...just thinking through reading 20yr of ANAM and very few instances in NW. Being willing to turn around if things are bad (partner sick/bonking, weather coming in, snow conditions sketch) seems like the biggest thing to be mindful of. Your husband has a bit of a summit fever it sounds (baby on the way, moving to NE..). Make sure it doesn't cloud his judgment while up there.

coming from the midwest i truly believe the weather here is actually interesting and can be a minor hobby/interest and isn't just a small talk thing like in a lot of other places. I've heard it is one of the more difficult places for computers to model. For instance look at the link to mt rainier's camp muir telemetry. Today you can see the solar radiation sensor is peaking. But look at the webcam at paradise, 5000ft lower: http://www.nps.gov/webcams-mora/mountain.jpg its sunny up at muir. guess it doesn't help you understand the weather on its own but if you read seattle weather discussion or spoke with a meteorologist they could discuss the clouds at the 700mb level (corresponds to like 13,000ft or something). I find it all sorts of helpful when I can know how thick the cloud column is. just do some basic weather searches or use the NOAA forecast discussion glossary to learn what a shortwave ridge or a longwave trough, etc.

1) http://www.weather.gov/ Other weather sites may offer forecasts but to my knowledge no other US organizations (weather.com/accuweather/etc) have the data collection (ie their own satellites) and modeling capabilities of NOAA. 2) forecast discussion. If you really want to round out and learn about the weather more than just seeing 30% showers.. but instead know that you're having a small temporary ridge, will get a push of marine layer air that will have cloud levels at 5000ft, before a more serious front moves in.. you get that from the forecast discussion: http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=PQR&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1 3) I use NWAC remote telemetry and 10day graphs from places like Mt. Hood Timberline Upper, Camp Muir, St. Helens http://www.nwac.us/weatherdata/campmuir/ http://www.nwac.us/weatherdata/timberlineupper/ you can find out all sorts of information. For instance on Rainier look at the measurement of solar radiation..you can see the peaks were much higher last week (sunny). Look at how it correlates to humidity level (when there was 5% humidity you can be sure it was clear as hell), temps, etc. These graphs from NWAC are great, you can watch when we get a really strong high pressure system the wind direction rips right around to being from the East like clockwork. 4) webcams. There are a set of webcams from Canada down to Mt. Shasta. You can get a view of more or less every mountain... since I am around PDX I look at hood/jeff/helens/adams/rainier/and 3 sisters. I also take a look at olys a bit. with a genius phone and bookmarks you could get good info on the run not just at home. 5) call NOAA local meteorological office if you feel capable to discuss weather with them. Seattle, Portland, Pendelton, Medford..They are a public agency, the weather is their job. I've found them to be helpful at times and they seem slightly entertained to give advice from their models such as 'what type of winds do you see at 10,000ft for the next 24hr'? I wouldn't use their time to ask 'will it rain?' type things. 6) cliff mass has a book on NW Weather. Its great! get it from the library or buy a copy. He also has a blog that is really not for recreational forecasts but it is a way to learn more about weather in general and NW specific conditions. http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/ 7) sticking your head out the window is always surefire

if you're going to go, I'd probably lug the slowshoes. This time of year if it warms up you can have some endless postholing.

don't worry from me Phillip, I play the modern neo-Luddite. slow adopter/adapter. still using a 2003 flip phone. ski something in a few. adams should be close..hit hood this wkend, nothing fun above palmer. s. sister road opened this weekend, maybe hit that. cheers

Phillip has never tried to sell me sunglasses, and he forward on the bill of goods you're getting when you share a tent with him. if it makes you feel any better hes older than me and I dont understand any of what he said either, for the most part.

or use a smaller diameter prusik..

Thanks for sharing. Candid account, but sounds like a really good group. Your low light photos are spectacular. I've had enough time similar to your end of trip experience that I don't mind being labeled a wuss because I'd rather grab plastic indoors, watch sports, and hang out around the house when the weather forecast is crappy/minimal for climbing.. I know being out is good but my gumption for 35-40 degrees and raining/mist/whiteout/wind is about nil, if I can help it.

no, do not let the mspaint notation fool you, i am a genius. all snow melt is not created equally. some places melt faster than others, get less snow to begin with, etc, more tree cover vs less. 5,000ft accessible in one place does not equal 5,000ft accessible anywhere a road goes to 5,000ft.

must be a different Water, I'm way taller than that guy. Sean, yes, POLE creek road is open to the trailhead.

was just at middle sister this weekend as were others at north. There is lots of snow at 5,500 and up. The road that allows you to drive to SS will open this weekend. The parking will likely be very very limited along the road still, though maybe it is melted more than in prior years. A decent chunk of the higher mnt (from Lewis Tarn [small water body at foot of Lewis Glacier] to summit) is a red ridge that I bet is clear and melted now. You will have lots of snow below that though I am sure. Crampons would be prudent, and possibly slowshoes if it is really hot and mushy out. If that is the case though snowshoes could easily get you up any of the snow sections. Really depends on conditions, if it is soft it can be climbed w/o crampons. I would prepare for worse case if you can then allow yourself to backoff. Consider it a 'winter' climb as far as snow is concerned..you will see very little 'trail'. SS as a 'walk up' in trail runners will be like late July-August? I'll let someone else field but that is my take.

saw pics from a friend on FB this past week that were from the top of frenchs dome so i'm going to say yes... unfortunately the zigzag ranger station is so incompetent they probably have no clue

anytime i see pics of slesse i'm totally bowed over by them. hell of a thing. congrats on the climb, looks great, thanks for sharing.

YAAAAAAAHH!!

interesting... we skied over on hayden on sunday, so much for the forecast i guess, my first time touring so went as mellow as i knew. i think we too kept the skis on to almost the mid-way point between soap crk and pole crk TH--stayed high a lot of traversing and survival in the trees but better than walking. i'm a newb so not sure if it was good corn.. maybe a bit up higher? seemed so saturated..down low we were able to 'skin' without skins i think due to the water suction. what skis you getting? pm if prevent thread drift.. cheers

not this weekend unless someone fucked with the flux capacitors and space-time continuum between green lakes and hayden glacier/pole creek. the snow was totally saturated from 8500ft and below (and probably higher) and pretty dirty/nasty in the trees over by pole creek.

not sure if this was to me (OP) but we didn't find the 2nd tool absolutely necessary, but just nice, helpful to move a bit faster while maintaining security--the snow was soft so easy for self belay, we weren't on our frontpoints on hardpack, no need for high dagger hold on the axe--it was soft enough that a regular step could give a platform for half the foot+. But not not soft due to warmth, just snow condition. Only for 100ft at the top did it start to change consistency what felt like due to sun. having a 2nd isnt a bad thing if you've got it already, ensures you can use it if you need it. can't give anything first hand on skiing the spur but i'd say you must be a very skilled skier to do it. mistakes will mean death. do a search, dan (h) the man did it last year or the year before.

thanks for the conditions report. Looks like big R has been in good shape for a lot of people with this weather. the person who seemed to punch through a crevasse, was this along the semi boot pack in or what? btw, you did an awesome job watermarking your logo with pics of rainier

just to confirm DPS statement. if you just want to get to the top you do not need a 2nd tool or ice tools etc. research the route (old chute) and you'll get confirmation

pcg: I don't mean to nit pick but... if it is only found on the legend..the legend is a static bit of information, no? or did they actually update that today? I realize NWAC stopped their official forecast in April. Sorry for confusion.. "This is such a special forecast for the period Friday through Monday, May 11-14, 2012, and will be updated as conditions warrant." According to the legend below the special forecast doesn't meet warning or watch criteria. semantics?

thanks much. can you provide a link to where that statement is? didnt see that on the hood forecast @ http://www.nwac.us/forecast/avalanche/current/zone/13/ other than in the danger scale legend.. thanks

as a note you cannot get a refund on the mandatory $5 fee you pay to the Mt St Helens Institute when you bought your permit. They keep that (and the $45,000-60,000) generated each year in order to keep the trail nice and safe for you. And protected, since the national monument has been known to let developers put subdivisions in the monument and allows gold miners to dump mercury into the streams when panning for gold.

very cool! thanks for sharing.. i have camped atop maxwell butte in winter and looked at the wonder west side of 3fj..with lots of avalanches fields at the bottom. congrats on the success!

the mnt isn't going anywhere, if that helps put your mind at ease. it is very hard with weather like this because you will always see people on monday with reports of success which can be frustrating when you've deferred due to warnings/etc. if there is any value in it, you could aim for just saying you'd be satisfied to go to the hogsback. If you get there, its still early (like 5:00-6:00) and things are firm and you don't hear rime chunking down...evaluate your risk. Btw I do not go up the hogsback then traverse under the cliffs all rimed, and am unsure why this is almost ever preferred over dropping the 100ft down to hot rocks and just going up the old chute from there.