Pete_H

Sweet. Nice off the couch sends.

Truth is Helmstadler climbed it and skied it solo.

Nice job finishing the route despite the uncertainty though!!

Colchuck isn't in the North Cascades either.

I may only be a 5.12+ on-site climber but I attribute my ridiculously good-looksingness to my amazingly pure nordic genes and extreme navy Seal cross-fit paleo workout regime.

This post is an absolute classic, by the way.

I doubt you'd have any objections to your efforts to replace anchors. You should clean and scrub and replace the anchors on the Great Arch while you're at it. Wish I could help you with beta on the route but its been so long since I did it I don't remember!

Yeah but those are probably Californians.

I disagree. The worst mountaineering disaster in the US ocurred below the ID. Lots of opportunity for rock fall (Jim Wickwire lost a partner this way), serac fall, (over a dozen died at one time this way), crevasses, avalanches off the Cleaver have taken lives, weather, as it is all over the mountain, is an objective hazard. Fair enough. Good points. Concensus seems to be: consider doing it with a high camp, consider adding a third experienced party member, make some training climbs with maybe some practice sessions, and be smart enough to bail if necessary.

But I bet you can get FOxx.

Well I doubt it happens very often. The husband is probably at least a moderately intelligent guy. I'm sure he could figure out how to set up a 3:1 in about 20 minutes in his backyard. Walking uphill on snow isn't exactly that hard either. The guys apparently a good athlete, b/c skiier, triathlete, etc. Just don't jump into a crevasse or walk over a serac - not that hard. Someone will say he needs self-arrest practice. But I'm sure we can all agree that throwing yourself down a snowfield like a cracked-out Mountie really doesn't do all that much for you.

I would be curious to hear from a knowledgable person (RMI guide, NPS climbing ranger, etc.) how many successfull crevasse rescues occur each year on Rainier involving mechanical advantage rope systems?

There's really no simple answer to is it safe or not I would imagine your husband and friend are planning to climb the ID route which has minimal objective danger and is pretty well marked out by mid-summer. A group still needs to have some level of general mountain knowledge and experience though. Doing Rainier from sea level in a single push from sea level is challenging even though people do it all the time. For fit individuals the challenge is the elevation not so much walking uphill for 7000 vf. Sounds like your husband is in pretty good shape. Regardless of fitness level having experience with altitude is very helpfull. There's a good discussion on TAY on what's more difficult Rainier in a day vs. an Ironmal Triathlon. http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=24893.0 I've climbed and skied Rainier in a single push and a few times with a single bivy. I think doing it with one bivy makes it much more enjoyable and more reasonable. I think a lot of people who get in trouble on Rainier do so because they don't turn around when they should due to weather, illness, etc. I think the key to your husband doing the climb safely would be for them to make the decision to bail if things aren't working out.

That may be the case but that photo is definitly photoshopped

That does not suck. Your beach party even had a pink balloon with a big nipple. Impressive.

Who's Becky? Is she hawt?

I hear their football team sucks.

It definitly does blow.

But how many Yetis has Ueli ever seen?

Every move you make you're closer to the ground!

Except for the Scots. They treat sheep like women.

As a rule of thumb you should attach slings so you get less rope drag and so the piece doesn't move. If its a splitter crack and a solid placement you can sometimes skip a sling. Always add a sling with passive pro though.

Mike I've got the newer Squampton instruction book you are welcome to borrow.

No. He's a nihilist.

Wow. Great job downclimbing the route. That definitly ups the challenge. I feel I'm climbing my best when I can embrace the uncertainty. Nice.