Juan Sharp

Sounds like we have general agreement on the rating of the chimney. 5.8 is the new 5.3. I'll have to agree with BillA that the snow gully is totally cool and committing. Once your in it, I think you have to go up. Near the top, you can outstretch your arms and touch both walls of the gully at the same time while front pointing on steep snow. You can't do that at the office! Party on, Juan

Bill: Way to go on a very gutsy solo. A few thoughts: First, it is interesting to hear that the gully below the titanium pin was so broken up. Jim Nelson, Bob Davis and I did the route (at which time Jim placed the infamous Ti pin) on July 19, 1999 -- almost exactly ten years before your solo. The gully was solid snow to the top and doable with aluminum crampons and one axe each. Maybe its broken condition is a function of our hot summer, but it suggests to me that people should shoot for that route in late June/early July if they want to take the gully. Second, the alternative rock section that can be taken to avoid rapping into the gully was said in Fred's book to be 5.3. We perpetuated that rating in the route description in Jim and Peter's book. Everyone I know who has gone that way (MVS, Kurt Hicks and others) say it is 5.8. Jim and Peter should consider revising the rating in the next edition. Third, I hope people are still using "Doug's Direct" (which I named after Doug Walker) to get to and from the back of Mix Up. It beats the hell out of downclimbing the CJ couloir on a hot summer day (think bowling alley), and is faster/shorter than Gunsight Notch. Keep it up. John Sharp