jaydub624

billclimbs - thanks for the info and the mini TR on the Hotlum-Bolum route. A few questions: did you do any glacier climbing, or just stay on the ridge? Did you see any crevasses on the glaciers? Thanks.

Thanks for all the endorsements. I'm definitely going to try to get some Diamox before I leave this weekend. I just moved to Seattle so I don't have a primary care doc (or any doc for that matter). Any referrals on a Seattle doc who treats climbers well or is a climber himself who I can see to get the scrip?

Has anyone taken Diamox before going from sea level to high elevation in the matter of a day or two (14K+)? Does it help? Do you need a prescription to get Diamox? I am asking in the context of someone taking it proactively to help with acclimatization rather than someone battling altitude sickness. Thanks for any advice.

Planning on doing the the Hotlam-Botam ridge route next weekend. Any beta is appreciated (camp sites, route variations, terrain conditions, timeframe, etc...). Many thanks in advance.

I left T-line real early Monday morning. As we were approaching Hogsback we looked up to see a guy making the traverse across from Hogsback to the Old Chute. WHILE WE WERE WATCHING we saw the guy appear to slip, flail around, and fall several hundred feet to the bottom near Hot Rocks. When we got up to Hogsback the guy had managed to shake himself off and he was OK. He said that a piece of ice hit him and caused him to lose balance. He tried to arrest but couldn't get any purchase. He broke a crampon and trekking pole but was otherwise OK. After talking with him about the frequency and size of the ice fall coming down we decided to not go for the summit. We talked to another party who had just decended the Old Chute and they said it was a near-constant stream of ice coming down.

If I leave the lot at Timberline around 1:00am and go up the south side route of Hood, and move at a moderate but not breakneck pace, what is a rough timeframe to get up and back down?

This is what I love about the climbing community (and specifically, CC): I post a message on here seeking advice about possible avy danger and the conversation "snowballs" (pun intended) into a meetup on the mountain. awesome.

Thanks all for the great advice. I think I'm going to postpone my climb for now. I don't want to be "that guy" who is on the news. If that happened, I'd probably be permanently banned from CC!

These are all really helpful responses. I appreciate you sharing your expertise.

I was planning on climbing Hood with 4 other experienced climbers leaving TL on Thursday night (5/7). The weather hasn't been good all week but it is supposed to clear up and there is only a 10% chance of precip on Friday. Now one of party is saying we shouldn't go because all of the week's moisture, when combined with the expected warm temps on Friday, create an unreasonable avalanche danger. I understand being very cautious when it comes to the conditions and that lots of stupid people try to climb Hood, but I though I should check with the "experts" on CC to see what they thought before we bag the climb altogether. Thanks for any advice.

Dane - PM sent.

Looking to buy some step-in crampons to use with La Sportiva Trango S EVO GTX boots. Please send me reasonable offers. Thanks CCers!

PM sent re: NF jacket and boots.