gyro

And that guns had to be disassembled in the vehicle (They just had to be unloaded). And you know what they say about pistols for bears. File down the sights so it doesn't hurt as much when the bear shoves it up your ass...

Well, you get the forecast before you leave so that doesn't cut into climbing time. You only need one pit for each aspect you are concerned about, and depending on the forecast and your findings, you don't need to dig the full meter deep pits every time. There are a number of methods to make quick upper snow pack observations without digging a massive hole. For digging the full pits though, it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes or so of digging and smoothing before you can make some observations and do some tests, so about a half an hour. Also, you would do your tests in the same aspect, and that would ideally include elevation, so when you got to the elevation you are concerned about, then you would do some additional tests. Nope.

Except for sudden crevasse fall. I do understand your points, though it just makes me think I take routes with more crevasses, which is what I mostly use pickets for, either to have on hand for rescue, or to belay across. Makes me wonder though, given an option, with wet, packable summer snow, what is your ideal anchor to belay across a crevasse if not a picket? Fluke? Assume no surface ice available for ice bollard or screws. The obvious answer to is just avoid sketchy crossings, go early before daily melt, etc... but given circumstances beyond your control, I'm curious what anchor you would use to backup your belay.

Thanks gene, all that makes sense, I guess it just shows that despite all the different styles of climbing out there, all roads lead to the summit. I've done a fair amount of climbing with novice's so I probably tend to get in the habit of placing more pro on easy terrain than most climbers. I'll do my best to describe sierra method, but it is what they were using in the above linked article I think. Basic picket use, you hammer the picket in 30 or so degrees up from perpendicular to the slope, and clip into the top biner hole. Sierra method, you place perpendicular, but you actually dig a hole for it, kind of like a sideways t trench. You put the picket in the hole, long end vertical, and clip into the middle biner hole, with a runner going out through the snow like a t trench. You then refill the hole, and totally bury the picket packing snow down tight. Here is a link to a pdf of slides that shows examples of Sierra picket use, pages 24 and 33 for quick reference, though the whole thing seems a decent read. http://www.mra.org/drupal2/sites/default/files/documents/grants/FortiniSNOWANCHORS3B.pdf.pdf I can't find it, but I read a different article by a snow researcher that concluded that in wet, packable snow, sierra pickets actually are slightly stronger than deadman t trench style placement. I still stick with horizontal placement though because I'm still more comfortable with it and haven't had as much practice with sierra style placement.

I was wondering if you mean that you had never placed one as pro on a technical pitch to hold a fall that would shock load it. I've placed plenty of pickets, almost always t trench style, and never to be used to hold a lead fall. I just find it strange that anyone with years of exp would never have placed a picket, even in bomber summer snow as a anchored belay to cross a sketchy bridge. Not placing a picket to me doesn't indicate that pickets are worthless, just that you haven't been in a situation that spoke to their use. Not trying to flame, just curious. Edit: Read that article, and found it interesting. It did seem as if they predominately used the "sierra" method of pickets, using them as a picket clipped/wrapped at mid point. I almost never use pickets like that, I use them as deadmen anchors (t trench).

This doesn't do anything to limit the power of the federal government, that was my point. This was the federal government making this decision, they didn't lose a court case, or otherwise be forced to it. They still have the power to re-enact the ban. It doesn't do anything to enhance states rights. All it does is allow guns into the National Parks and reading anything more into it shows a definite bias, one way or another.

Lots of talk about animals here and it reminds me of a book I read called "Predators at Risk in the Pacific Northwest". It goes for a couple bucks (2-5$) and IMO is a good read for those that explore the backwoods. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0898867339/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new One idea that I've taken from that book is the use of little air horns. If you look around you can find really tiny ones (1.4 oz net wt). Clip it on your belt. No aiming, just press and it makes an unholy loud noise. About as much good as your average person would be with a gun when they end up missing their target and just making noise. Only time I've ever used the little horn was to scare away a mtn goat that was getting too comfortable with my camp. The one and only time I've carried a gun was up in the great white north, and that was for fear of polar bears. I carried a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with magnum slugs, biggest rounds I could fit in the thing. It took me lots of practice shooting such large rounds before I could pump all 7 slugs through a 10" grouping while shooting as fast as possible, and not starting aiming at my target, to simulate sudden use. That is the only gun I would trust to stop a bear, and there is no way you are going to want to be carrying it all the time unless there is some real potential for danger, beyond what you find in the lower 48. Also, you have to carry it ready to use, meaning in your hands, cause if a bear charges, it will not give you time to rummage around in your pack. Just not worth it most of the time. The rest of the time, if I'm worried, I'll just carry bear mace along with my little fog horn. As far as being followed by cats and black bear, if your uncomfortable with it, stay home. There will always be an animal that will pick up your trail out of curiosity. Unless it's starving, it should leave you alone (maybe be more cautious in spring). As far as state rights go, what do state rights have to do with federal land? I thought national parks were technically federal land, meaning that this won't help with any kind of precedent for states rights. It may help bring federal laws in line with state, easing confusion, but this isn't a legal precedent.

I've run across all sorts of "dangerous" wildlife while backpacking, including black and grizzly bear, cougar, and wolf. One grizzly encounter scared me, as it was me and my wife, and we walked around a bend of trees, and boom, mother bear and two cubs. We grabbed our dog and back peddled out of sight around the trees with moma bear watching us. We were 2/3rds of a mile from our goal, but ended up back tracking 9 miles to camp to be safe. A second time that scared me I was backpacking alone and off to my right looking out of some trees was a cougar. We looked at each other uncomfortably for a few seconds, and then each went the other way. In either circumstance, I don't think I would be able to wield a gun in time had they decided to charge instantly. I do carry bear mace in certain areas, like yellowstone, and like the gun I don't know that I would be able to use it in time. In all my encounters, the only dangerous animals I have been attacked/chased by are a moose, and a mountain goat. The mountain goat was my groups fault for staying too long enjoying views near baby goats. The moose was just bad tempered and chased my canoe for about 10 mins. Never had to actually fight any animal. By and large, I've never felt that my situation would be dramatically improved by a gun. One trip while on my second to last day of a 9 day backpack, I got to a good camp site by a river when I noticed a solo backpacker around college age wandering around with a state atlas and a gps, wearing a pair of shorts and crocs. We chatted for a while and he told me that he was out for three weeks with nothing but oats and rice to eat. He was asking where he was on the map, so I showed him, and knowing he needed it more than me, gave him my topo map, at which point I taught him what contour lines were. As we were talking in his camp I noticed that he had setup his tent right next to a pile of bear scat, in grizzly territory. I asked him if he knew what it was and he said no. He also didn't know it was bear country, and didn't have a cord to hang his food in, so I gave him some of my parachute cord. I can't help but think that this is the kind of hiker that ends up getting eaten. The ones that are oblivious to their surroundings and don't take proper precautions or head/learn about warnings. If he was to end up provoking a bear through ignorance, and he had a gun, I'd root for the bear. No fault to him, either, don't want to see people get hurt. But it is the bears home out there, and you need to learn their rules or pay. All of that said, I'll try and stay optimistic that by and large, there will be no significant problems or fallout from allowing guns, and I certainly hope to not see an increase in signs with bullet holes in them in national parks. Honestly, a good law in my opinion would be that in your possession you can either have alcohol, or a gun, but not both. The only major incidents with guns I've witnessed were alcohol fueled.

With all due respect, taking an AIARE course is not the same as reading up on "rules of thumb" and equating all of the knowledge available about avalanches and best practices to some sort of collection of old wives tales is disingenuous. The lowest degree slope that an avalanche is known to have occurred on is 11 degrees, so the advice to always stay away from places where avalanches could happen just isn't realistic. Definitely be willing to turn back, but the overall gist of your post that I got is "don't try to learn, it is just too complex" which I think is a horrible message to send. There is much that can be learned to mitigate risks. It won't confer a magical ability to predict avalanches, but it will help you make better choices.

If going with a guide service, from what I know of them they will usually help you plan a fair bit and give you advice, so I'd pick one out and start working with them early on. I haven't used a guide service for climbing, but I've done some training with them and know some guides and they have always been good in helping their clients prep and plan. Also, if you reserve early you won't have to worry about your desired date slots being full.

I dunno, I'm sort of biased I guess, but if it was me I'd invest in a avalanche course. I've gone through AIARE classes and enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. The thing is, you can't really just look at the avalanche rating and say yes or no. You need to be able to understand what the aspect is that was given what rating, what about that aspect that creates the chance for instability, and then have the tools to verify it for yourself in the field. The best way to be able to do that is actual practice, and a good place to start is a class. I know there are several organizations that provide checklists, including AIARE. The checklist isn't much good though without the other skills. Here is what I do for a trip though. I print out the avalanche report for the region, if one is available, sometimes climbs I do don't have any reports. I highlight the relevant portions. Slope facing what direction, windward or leeward, precipitation, etc... I find exactly what aspects are rated what. Then I look at my climb, and my routes. Routes, plural is important. Plan more than one, and make sure one route is to the nearest bar. Like selkirk said, if your not willing to turn around and go home, you're in trouble. I look at my routes, and I see which ones take me through what avalanche terrain (get a map inclinometer to help determine slope). I see what aspects on the route in avalanche terrain match up to aspects listed in the avalanche report. Wherever there is overlap is where I focus on avoiding if possible. Once I am there, and I know the aspects I'm going to be on and concerned about from the report, I dig some snow pits, record my observations, give my own rating to the snow layers looking for strong over weak, etc... All the while looking to confirm what I saw in the avalanche report, the specifics, old facets, etc... Once I've examined the layers I do some column tests, see where it fails, see if my results line up with the report. The one thing that always is good to remember is that you can never downgrade avalanche danger from your observations, you can only upgrade it. Also, are you with a group that knows how to rescue a buried victim? These are important things to ask yourself to make sure that your decision to go or not is an informed one. Keep in mind, the avalanche report now could be very different in two weeks or whenever you go.

there is no off-season!!! don't listen to tyler - he's infectious human waste I said more or less! How about "slow season"? Or for me, "get fat and ski" season.

I know, why would a bunch of climbers, more or less in the off season, talk about emerging trends/changes in belay methods. Totally crazy that people would want to weigh in on, or in some cases see for the first time, a different method of belaying and debate the merits and debate the fact that many places mandate its use at their facility.

Holy Crap Gyro: "granola with dried cranberries" - you are a wealth of new knowledge! I'd never heard of that kind of Cheerios or the term BUS either, no joke. As of today, I am less ignorant, by a tad, than yesterday. No telling where this could end up if I can stay on this new path. Thanks! ps, "SSS", a term everyone here appears to have already figured out, is still on my knowledge seeking radar screen. It is always a pleasure billcoe, talking with you regardless of the forum is like taking a wrong turn and finding oneself buried in spray. SSS: Fast forward to 2:20. As to your new path leading you, here's hoping it is out of rehab!

Neither, granola with dried cranberries. To be safe they really should have a second belayer down line of the first in case the first belayer is stricken with acute narcolepsy what with all the excitement that top roped gym climbing has to offer.

Come on, you just made all that shit up....didn' ya? No, went to check out a place that was offering training in setting up a top rope rescue, checked it and and they only allow BUS belaying at their wall and in all their classes. Thanks for confirming what I've known about the internet though; I could post that I had cheerios for breakfast and some a-hole would yell "Fake!".

That is kind of my philosophy, whatever method allows you to brake comfortably. BUS belay: Honestly though, they make it look less comfortable than it normally is, but I still prefer SSS. I'm just interested to see what other climbers are actually using. Areas I've climbed I almost always see SSS, or the ever popular sitting belay on top of beer cooler at the crags.

The other day I went to a climbing wall for the first time in forever and they only allowed the use of BUS belay. I know both BUS and slip-slap-slide, but prefer SSS. I was wondering if this is a common trend switching over to BUS as the exclusive belay method. What do other climbers here use in the field?

As far as Adams goes, currently it is about a full day snowshoe/ski approach to cold springs. In May, it might be much less. Last year in May I think I remember having about a 4-5 hour approach to cold springs.

I know that there are only certain services authorized to operate within the park, but a link to a blog spot account with about as much text as a Louisiana dictionary isn't a compelling citation for what services are ok or particularly elucidating. Especially when your link is broken by a comma. Edit: Straight from the source. http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/mountaineering-guide-services.htm

Since you are likely thinking summer, and none of your mountains are super high, I'd suggest staying away from plastics just from a speed and comfort standpoint. I really love my sportiva Trango S EVO GTX boots. Make sure that when you get your boots, that you wear the type of socks you plan on using with them, otherwise you might get them a little small. Honestly, go to your local gear shop with your socks and just start trying things on. For 3 season cascades any decent mountaineering boot will do, so find the most comfortable and make sure your feet have enough room with your socks on. For guides, I've never used a guide service to take me up mountains. I've taken training courses from AAI (American Alpine institute) and enjoyed their guides/instructors. Really though, there are a ton of guide services that will take you up Rainier, all different routes and for different prices. Alpine Ascents International American Alpine Institute - http://www.aai.cc/ProgramDetail/rainier/ RMI International Mountain Guides And those are just the ones that list Rainier trips. Any guide service [edit] may be able to take you up Rainier, assuming they have negotiated it so it doesn't hurt to look around at different sites.[/edit] As far as cost goes, from people I know that have used guides for climbing, you kind of get what you pay for. Not in terms of safety, but experience. The longer, or less traveled routes are going to cost more, but you are going to enjoy the trip more. RMI is probably the cheapest for their basic 4 day summit climb, but again, you get what you pay for, though they will likely get you to the top. Are you planning on doing the climb this year? Cause if so you should book soon, a lot of those climbs get filled up quickly.

They aren't terrible, but yeah, nothing to write home about. But short approach and easy ice make for good beginner spots. As far as Johnston canyon, I was a little sketched out by the tour groups that kept watching us. Not used to a non-climbing audience I guess...

For 1-2 nights, I'd probably go 30L, only for the 5th class rack you'll be lugging. On non-technical trips, for 1-2 days I usually get by with my 18L pack, though you have to be willing to rough it a bit. If you want a little more flexibility in your pack, go with a 45L.

From my personal experience I would say haffner creek and canmore junkyards are the best beginner ice in the area, though I haven't been up recently. Feb should be ok, I've climbed there in January and February and had good luck. Drive from PDX is going to be like 14 hours. Never tried to pick up partners on site there, but I've always run across friendly groups up there. If you haven't been up in that area before and you have the time, be sure to take some to enjoy the sights, and the Banff Fairmont hotel is fun to walk around (but too much $$$ for me to stay at). There is another expensive hotel that I forget the name of that is right on a big glacial lake that they have ice skating on and carve ice figures. Anyway, got a bit off topic, but if you find you have extra time those are some nice ways to kill it.

Bad owners, hang em.