The Cascade Kid

Nice photos! But no photo of the route, or of the reid glacier? Are any snow bridges showing over there?

for what it's worth I was in this camp too until I ripped the binding out of the "stronger" inserts. That makes me and two other personal acquaintances who've had that issue. I don't trust em-- thats what happens when you fix something that wasn't broken. That said, it has some good dimensions for the one ski quiver

Nice sweater.

Is anyone familiar with current conditions from Trout Lake to access mt Adams south side? Particularly road 8040 to the cold springs TH. Thanks!

[img:center]http://i2.wp.com/mountainlessons.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/e4347588809211e3b1f6124be0137d7c_8-e1390155671160.jpg[/img] Not posted as a TR as there's enough St Helens reports here to kill anyone's inspiration. With low snow all over, I decided to make the best of it and get some exercise. Starting around 7:30 am from Marble Mountain snowpark, I skied the worm flows route car to car in 3:37:01. I think that time can easily be improved to under 3 hours with better conditions. There's a bit of dirt walking to get to skinnable snow, but its not bad. Corn began softening up around 10:00 am on the upper mountain. More photos and a bit of writing after the jump: http://mountainlessons.com/skiing/mt-st-helens-speed-ski

ps. skimo means ski mountaineering racing. As in 65 mm waist, 160 cm length, and run. ski touring usually refers to seeking out the most fun snow to ski, generally of a mellower nature. ski mountaineering refers to skiing lines on Mountains, not just hills, often requiring diversity of skills beyond those of the average ski tourist.

for ski mountaineering, true ski mountaineering, 85-95 mm underfoot is considered pretty golden. Bigger skis are heavier and dont give you a lot more performance for skiing steep stuff. I'm 5'11" 160#, and for true ski mountaineering I use an 85 mm waist ski 176 cm. For general purpose ski touring, that goes up to 95 mm underfoot on 180 cm ski. For reference, I prefer skis that are 189 cm, 110 underfoot for resort skiing, but its pointless to lug those around the backcountry. Lets be real, the snow in the PNW is not blower. You don't need that much float. The coomback is an ok touring ski, though IMO its the worst of both worlds with minimal camber and minimal rocker. Any ski is fun in powder. Consider buying one that works well on ahrdpack.

Black Diamond Raven ice aze, 70 cm, grey. http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/climbing%2Fice-axes-piolets/raven-ice-axe-BD410151_cfg.html?dwvar_BD410151__cfg_color=Gray#start=5 This axe has never been used. It has some tiny scuffs on the shaft from being around other gear. Good length for general purpose alpine/mountaineering use and glacier travel. $50, cash or paypal, no haggling. Email deepdrypowder (at) gmail.com Will ship at your cost.

For those of you who might be participating in the Elk Mountains Grand traverse, I've just posted an interview with veteran Jon Brown in an effort to tackle questions about gear, training, and race strategy. Jon is a member of team crested butte, winner of the 2006 traverse, and 10-time Grand Traverse racer. You can find our interview here: http://bit.ly/1de8BTf Enjoy!

For all inquiries, please email deepdrypowder (at) gmail. All of this equipment has been very well-cared for. Screws have good, sharp threads and teeth. The tools are in great shape and the picks have a ton of life in them. The harness is very lightly used and will last basically as long as a new one. I trust them all with my life and have no qualms about passing them on to you. You can buy the screws apiece, or all of them for cheaper. Tools are sold as a pair. Buy everything here for $400 and you've got a hell of a gift for an ice climber. ----------------------------------------------------------- Black Diamond Express Ice Screws $40 each 10 cm x 1 13 cm x 2 16 cm x 2 22 cm x 1 ----------------------------------------------------------- New-Style Express Screws Retail $60 each, here $45. 13 cm x 1 16 cm x 1 ----------------------------------------------------------- Whole Rack: 10 cm x 1 13 cm x 3 16 cm x 3 22 cm x 1 8 screws, estimated retail $420. Buy them all for $300. Includes thread protectors and tip guards (one missing) ----------------------------------------------------------- Black Diamond Carbon Fiber Black Prophet Tools, T-picks Pair for $120 These are great mountaineering tools that can also make good introductory tools for ice climbing. The bent shaft is helpful on ice, but it is straight enough to make steep snow climbing a breeze. Hammer and adze for versatility in the hills. ----------------------------------------------------------- Black Diamond Momentum Harness, medium, very lightly used $20 Sorry for the blurry photo, but belay loop and other wear points are very lightly used. -----------------------------------------------------------

On that note, I drove back through the gorge, and there was no real ice to be seen. Lots of wet, poorly formed, and aerated ice, despite temps below freezing. And its not tooooo much of a bummer. Skiing is actually fun.

Bare and thin. North face gullies: Not in Cooper's spur: maybe? looks like contiguous snow, but just barely Elliot Ice: Some formed ice, but looks thin and aerated.

Jeezus. If the trout creek approach is long, it's a wonder than anyone climbs anywhere. Time to do some pushups.

How did you make that first pitch look so steep? :-)

thanks for relocating it. I don't really care if folks are climbers, just that their access doesn't intrude on mine (as much as that's possible). I don't go to the mountains to hear people yelling obscenities at one another across a lake, or to see them bathing with soap in alpine lakes. The scorn is directed not towards hikers, but towards the uneducated. FPCA it is.

Are you wearing Keens?

I feel weak.

Dirtay!

Trip: Prusik Peak - West Ridge Car-to-Car (FKFA) Date: 7/19/2013 Trip Report: Nick Till and I made the FKFA (first known formal ascent) of the West Ridge of Prusik Peak last Friday, going car to car from Stuart Lake to Snow Creek trail heads crossing the Enchantments in just over 13 hours. The weather was beautiful, thought the enchantments were full of bumblies camping on lake shores and right next to the trail. Rough times are as follows. Left Stuart Lake TH — 00:00 (6:15 am) Mountaineer Creek turnoff — 00:40 Colchuck Lake – Top of Asgard Pass — 02:55 Top of Prusik Pass — 03:55 Base of the West Ridge — 04:05 Summit — 06:30 Back to Our Packs — 07:30 Snow Creek trail head — 13:10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Photos, map, topo, and further TR on Mountain Lessons --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Route: It was easy to reach prusik pass and to traverse on the north side of the ridge to the notch just about the balanced rock. The beginning of the route was glaringly obvious, heading directly up to a very clean #2 camalot crack in a large block. We simuled to below the slab, making just one 5.6 ish move over mostly low-5th terrain. The 12 ft slab was interesting but over quickly, and there's good gear at the base to back up the FP there. After the 3rd class ledges, we opted to climb a 5.8-ish clean finger crack in a dihedral, then finishing with the direct offwidth (5.7?) rather than traversing to the S side. 5 easy rappels beginning at a bolt and a slung pinch took us to the ground. The deproach was a little bit painful. Walking out snow creek is a knee buster down granite slabs and switchbacks. Gear Notes: Cotton shirts and shorts all day long. 9.1 60 m single rope Single set of nuts Metolius TCUs yellow, orange, and red. Camalots .75, 1, 2 8 slings/QDs Even with the offwidth finish directly up the summit block, there is no need for any larger gear. Approach Notes: From SL TH the walking was easy as pie. Asgard Pass still has running water. This was my first time up this joyful pass, and I have to say, it's overrated at this time of year. I can see how it would be bad if it was icy, but it's downright civil and not even terribly loose. There's a trail for god sakes.

Crack kills.

Trip: Mt Hood - Illumination Rock, South Chamber Date: 7/1/2013 Trip Report: Nick Till and I braved shitty rock to the West Gable of Illumination yesterday via the South Chamber route. I've climbed the East Ridge of the south chamber and can say that both have equally repugnant rock quality. Photos, conditions of the Reid, Leuthold's Etc, may be found here: Climbing Illumination Rock - Mountain Lessons We approached on skis and transitioned to rock shoes at the left wall of the chamber. The route is choose-you-own-adventure via lesser-of-two-evils route finding tactics. Gear Notes: Single rack to 3, doubles 1-3, more than good. A buckload of slings and rap tat. Approach Notes: Skis, left at the mouth of the chamber. Fun corn skiing on the way down.

Hello Neighbors-to-the-North, It is I, an Oregonian, with a choice question. Were one to arrive at Paradise @ Rainier in the Late Afternoon without the time or energy to travel to the fabled "Camp Muir", is there somewhere nearby where one, or three, people could sleep? Assume that this hypothetical group has no car. Assume also that they have very little money. For a third, assume that these travelers are hardy, adventure-willing, and imaginative in their accommodations. Thank you for your help! -Southerly Mossback

As the one who biked hood, I gotta say, this sounds pretty appealing. Certainly seems like you could lose several hours and come in under 24 easily w/o stopping for pizza etc, and better weather would maybe give you another 2 hours. The one catch is that if you start timing yourself, ultimately the driving will become a factor, and that's iffy. That said... love seeing some Vision & Action. Especially the Action. Cheers!

link?

Retails for $200, barely used, super light for its warmth. I've only used it a couple of times around town. I'd like $100 for it. The medium fits me well, and I am 5'11", 160#. Email me at deepdrypowder (at) gmail.com if you're interested. If you want me to ship it I can. I bet it fits in a small USPS flat rate box.