Pete_H

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.

You've obviously never spent much time in the NCNP. Flagging isn't exactly eco friendly but its not like the NPS or FS are exactly building a lot of new trails right now.

Not Spray: Rudy - cool vid! Spray: Kevbone - fuck off and die.

With three six-packs of beer in him, he recalls Henry (Barber) went up to try Axis on Arch Rock ... "I fell off a boulder while we were putting on our shoes and went into a pile of rubble below. It was the three sixes, I think." Nevertheless he climbed the route without too much trouble. It was wet in spots.

Yeah. World class swimmers, bikers, triathaletes, and runners are nerds. No offense, nothing wrong with it, but if lots of them weren't pro athletes they'd probably be dentists. Climbers are supposed to be tough not worry about protein per body ounce. You think Bridwell and Donini, etc. give a shit about that stuff. Sure they're an older generation of climbers, but still ... And sure, there's Twight. But Twight's definitly a one off.

Great pic's of Indy!

How about Dreamer or similar route in Los Darrington area?

I think you're right about different metabolisms and body types. If I didn't eat a big breakfast like Swensen I'd feel nauseated and tired the whole day. I also eat real food all day instead of that processed power shit unless I'm doing super high-exertion high altitude, then the gu an hour thing seems to be best. This protein per body ounce shit is for nerds or people with way more sensitive high-performance systems than mine.

Good point Lowell. Didn't mean to dismiss Ben's impact on modern steep skiing in the Cascades. Wish I'd had a chance to meet him before he died. It's interesting how many of the descents we almost think of as classics, like the Slot on Snoqualmie and the N Face of Buckner, were only relatively recently first skied.

Is that 4th to last photo of NEBC on Colchuck?

Interesting. I wasn't aware of such a thing before but it looks like its worth a try. Though I doubt any wax can completely alleviate the ill effects of grabby snow.