Dave A.

Just saw this posted on Wenatchee Outdoors. The Pettigrew Foundation is putting on free avy classes at Mission ridge, Stevens Pass and Alpental. This weekend at Mission, Saturday is terrain, weather, slope, aspect and that kind of info. Sunday is beacon, probe, shovel training. Info can be found at Pettigrew website or the ski area website. This is too good to pass up if you haven't had a class.

Got all excited seeing pics of Fugs being climbed and figured Banks ice should be doing OK. Drove up Sunday and really found nothing climbable. Lots of ice starting but not up to where I could think of climbing it. Devil's Punchbowl could've worked but deathcicles and a fair amount of water running didn't seem worth it. Another week maybe if temps work out.

The rescues in the alps are paid for by taxes. Americans don't like to pay taxes for services they don't use. So climbers have to pay their own way. Denali is heavily used and this is the only way to get the kind of service you appreciate in the alps. As far as insurance goes, try calling for help from some isolated peak in Alaska or even here in Washington. I think you will find your insurance agent doesn't have professional rescuers standing by, nearby, as in the alps.

Twight says that helmets are the one piece of gear that is actually made too light. Those foam things are better than nothing for cragging by the road, but useless in the mountains where falling rocks are typically followed by more falling rocks.

Thank you for the informative write up. I''d be interested to know what brand the beacon was.

The GPS info from the beacon and the phone put them at the base of the couloir at the top of the ice cliff glacier. If anybody knows either of the climbers I would be interested to hear what kind of beacon they had and how close their location was to what was reported.

I usually take med. or large depending on the glove, the large ocuns fit perfectly.

I used a friends pair on Saturday. They were comfortable, far nicer than any others I've seen. I spent an hour on the internet when I got home and couldn't find any anywhere. This is great timing.

You're welcome. Nice meeting you guys.

Thanks, Verticolorful, for the new anchors. Appreciate the work you and others are putting in at Castle.

Well said, Curt.

My Marmot Dri-Clime was my favorite jacket until I wore it out. I replaced it with the Rab Vapour-rise Lite Jacket. It is my new favorite jacket.

3/8-16. 3/8" nut, 16 theads per inch. You should probably get stainless and standard both and use what matches the bolt. A magnet will stick to the standard bolt but not the stainless. Tighten firmly with a 9/16 combination wrench. Do not over tighten. Use a flat washer of the same material as the nut, a lock washer is not needed. Dave A.

Second hand info so take it for what it's worth: I was told the victim was in the gully between serpentine and backbone arete, about 200 feet below the fin.

Last weekend there was a large group of mounties at 8mile CG. Lots of empty sites on Wed. afternoon. Road was barricaded .3 mi. past 4th July TH, but with the warming that will be moved or removed soon.