Pete_H

Sucks. My buddy is headed down to Yos arriving today. Had been planning the trip for a while. Guess its plan B for him.

I would suggest you consult a topo map or Google Earth to get an idea of the terrain.

Keep in mind, you may want to size up if you go with a ski with a lot of tip / tail rocker, like a Hi-5 or a DPS. The ski will be shaped more like a C and therefore will have shorter actual distance from tip to tail.

Hey Kevin, one thing I noticed is that the survey doesn't take into account those survey takers who have non-wilderness medical education. Not sure if that would result in some skewed survey results or not. Best of luck with your Masters.

Lots of good deals to be had now as retailers are getting rid of last years inventory.

I just don't see a real reason to get a ski in the mid 80mm's underfoot for year-round skiing in the Cascades. Many of the fatter skis these days perform so well in a wide variety of conditions with a minimal weight penalty, that its worth the compromise. I don't think its a safety issue skiing a narrower ski in Cascade powder but I think you'll have more fun in a wider variety of conditions with a fatter ski. The powder here is often very deep and / or heavy which obviously favors a fatter, rockered ski. In spring, before the snowpack consolidates, the snow is often sun-effected slush, which favor a fatter ski. Furthermore, in the Cascades it is common to ski mountain lines in which you'll encounter everything from ice / hardpack to powder to slush at different elevations and aspects. Again, nice to have a fatter ski that can handle a wide variety of conditions. A couple more skis I'd check out, which I haven't skied but look good on paper, are the Black Diamond Drift and the Scott Rock'Air.

True, but skis like the G3 you have, Volkl Nunataq (107mm underfoot), La Sportiva Hi-5, DPS pure 99 or 105, are as close to a 1 ski quiver for Cascades touring as you can get.

Williamson Rocks is one example nationwide that Craig has provided. The "more examples" are mostly information about access concerns pertaining to private land and some seasonal raptor nesting closures, which we're all familiar with anyway. Any link between the climbing Ranger program leading to restricted access is tenuous at best.

I'd look for something wider than 88 underfoot for the Cascades unless you are only interested in skiing in late season when snow is very consolidated.

Except that this project indeed appears to be undertaken and limited to the local level. Perhaps I misunderstood Craig's point but it sure seemed to me he was arguing that this little project was the fruit of government agencies and environmental groups Tolkienian quest for "money and power." I think that's reading a little bit too much into it. At any rate, we can probably all agree that Wilderness Watch are goofy extremo conservationists. However, it seems silly to turn our backs on a potential good thing just because they support the issue. I would guess Wilderness Watch is against heli-clearcut-logging of thousand year old bristlecone pines in the NCNP. Does that mean the climbing community should be for it just because they're against it?

I think this conspiracy goes even higher; to the alien lizard people who not only control the Forest Service, but control the President and Congress too. I for one will be wearing my tinfoil climbing helmet from now on whenever I crag or boulder in the Icicle, and I recommend you do the same.

Thanks for the insights. Those issues don't seem to be too big of a deal for me, but I tend to see this category of bindings as essentially being an inbounds binding that has the ability to tour to get you out the ridge or back to the lifts or whatever. That said, think I'm going to pick up a pair of the Adrenaline 13's pretty soon.

Just make sure you put a cover on your TPS reports from now on.

To grant too much weight to local sensibilities is to submit to a standard that could end up turning our shared heritage into a municipal park--or a private club. On the contrary, I think we just want to see this resource (Icicle climbing) managed sensibly so that it can be enjoyed and appreciated by all. I don't think locals' opinions bear more weight or have any more value than others, but we probably see these areas more than most so we might have a unique perspective on the issue.

Wonder what you don't like about the Guardian? I've heard good things other than they're heavy. The Tyrolia / 4Front / Head / Fischer Adrenaline does look good and is a lb lighter than the Guardian.

Its a popular cragging and bouldering area - it should be dummed down for the masses. Squamish and Skaha are good models, with designated and developed trails to the crags and signs to orient climbers. There's lots of climbing in the Icicle and elsewhere which will never be developed like that, but the ultra-popular areas should be.

I think its great the climbing community and FS are doing something to address the much needed issue of singage, trails, shitters, garbage cans, education, etc. in the icicle. As a climber and a local resident I fully support the project.

Well ... Have you been to any of the popular bouldering areas in the Icicle recently? Lots of fire pits, improvised camping spots, vegetation destruction, pooping, and general meadow stomping going on. The climbing community hasn't self regulated these impacts so maybe this would be a good project for the climbing rangers.

Thanks Sol for providing more info on the rangers. The info posted on this site and their Facebook page was pretty minimal and ambiguous at best. You make good points about posters here lambasting what can turn out to be a fruitful and productive project. However, I can relate to the frustration climbers experience when FS agents take affirmative actions to destroy access trails while the FS isn't going to build new trails or roads and won't maintain many existing ones. That said, I think organizations like the LMA and the AAC are doing an excellent job of promoting our interests, like better access, with land management agencies. Thanks.

Would be nice to see climbing rangers improving access to climbing areas not worsening it.

For those of us not on facebook it would be cool to have some more info about these folks such as who employs them and what their mission is. Thanks.

New School Classic

Everett mountain rescue now douchiest climbing term ever

Hate it when that shit happens. OR recently discontinued their Ferrossi pant in long, which was an awesome lightweight softshell pant. Tall skinny dudes are fawked.