nels0891

Taking what alex said a little further: you might consider the north ridge of mount baker early in the season. If you get out there on the earlier side, then the pitches of ice are short and not terribly steep. Also crossing the coleman glacier earlier in the season is much more straight forward. I did the route last summer as a similar "next step" than some of the standard walk up routes, and did not have any trouble with the terrain or the ice. Later that summer I did the kautz route and found them to be comparable in difficulty, but I found the north ridge of baker a lot more aesthetically enjoyable. It also makes the up and over routine easier if your not comfortable descending the kautz. when you go up and over from the kautz, you have to haul all of your gear with you, where as on the north ridge of baker you can leave your camp behind and get it via the descent route. If you have any more questions about the north ridge or beta just give me a heads up.

I am all for pointing out climbing trails with signs, however, I think there is another issue at play. In many areas that regularly get large amounts of snow and climbing traffic like many of the alpine climbs in higher country, the snow melting out can result a maze of different trails. Look at Mount Rainier for example, in many of the low meadows out of Paradise, when there is plenty of snow, people establish trails wherever the they want to go. Well as the snow melts out and reveals more and more bare patches, people end up crossing through said patches because they dont know where the actual trail is. And when the snow first melts, those meadows are particularly fragile and easily give way to new trails. This after a few seasons results in a maze of trails, which seems pretty regular to me on popular climbs. Dont get me wrong, I'd love to see it change, but I just have a feeling that it might be less than "people just dont give a shit", and more unintentional. In fact ive never come across someone that has intentionally avoided a trail on a long approach slog. So maybe that just means we need to come up with creative ideas of marking trails that is subtle, but will keep you in line when snow patches cover much of the actual trail. Maybe pinning something to certain trees in the way blazes used to be used. I'd love to hear interesting ways of creating a solution, and its something I wouldn't mind implementing either. Putting a little time into fixing up the places around here is the least we could all do considering all the fun times to be had.

Willing to take offers on both items.

if your still around through the weekend, i'm planning on going up to post falls on saturday to do some climbing. feel free to join. chase

I have a pair of lightly used Asolo boots for sale. They are size 8. Lightly used, only on one or two trips. They are the blue boots that are commonly used as rentals, but i bought these ones brand new last spring. $200 I also have a Mountain Hardwear Compressor jacket. It is the hooded version, used sparingly over the last few years, so it is in good condition. Size medium, and the color is red. $100 Pictures upon request.

its supposed to rain at the coulee this weekend too... just find somewhere overhung enough it doesnt get as wet. ie deep creek out of spokane.

ptown, im with you, these people should clearly not be giving info when they seem quite misinformed to the dangers of climbing. Looks to me like these folks dodged a bullet. This is the reason why so many people get hurt on mt. hood.

I would rather not... but if someone inquires about just the hammer, then id be more than happy to split it up.

Does anybody know which routes on the black spider have been climbed and which ones have not? Also is there any up to date information source about the routes? I have just been intrigued recently by the climbing up there, however information is relatively limited.

bump

this really makes me want to drop out of school and go climbing....

Ice season is coming soon! So its time to gear up. I have a pair of Petzl Aztar ice tools that are hangin around in my closet that I need to part with. They were recently sharpened and picks have plenty of life left in them. Also the leashes that are included are BD Android, which are much better than the stock leashes. Not only are they more comfortable, but they also can easily be clipped and unclipped, which the stock ones cannot. $250+shipping for the pair. I will email pictures to people that are interested.

i really like the description of the aztar pick... just sayin.

I have plenty of mountaineering experience myself, but am relatively new to ice. I am going to school in moscow idaho, but will be home on winter break from mid december to mid january. If you are interested, i was also thinking about a trip to bozeman in early january to climb in hyalite canyon. send me a PM if you are interested. Chase

That traverse you guys planned on doing, from the top of the muir snowfield, is usually only done in the really early season to access the nisqually glacier and icefall routes.

The other two climbers that have been missing since last December on Mt. Hood were recently recovered. Heres the link I noticed someone already posted this on the Oregon Cascades forum, but I figured it would also be fitting on the main climbers board.

Would any competent climbers like to join me for the ptarmigan ridge route on rainier? it is a grade 4 alpine route with some ice climbing and rock climbing, so it is definitely not one of the walk up routes on rainier. I have a tent, and most of the other group gear. I can also drive. I was thinking some time next week would be ideal. Let me know if you are interested, ive been really wanting to do one of the harder routes but have had some partner difficulties. Looking forward to hearing from someone. Chase Nelson

Will consider all offers...

I have a pair of Aztars that I'm looking to sell. I'm asking $250 for the pair. They normally cost $230 per tool, so that is a pretty good deal. They have seen some use, but the picks are in good condition and still have plenty of life left. They also include the Black Diamond Android Ice leash, which are much more comfortable and easy to use than the stock leashes. PM me if your interested, and I can get pictures for you. -Chase

PM sent on the ice screws

I'm looking for someone that is interested in going up Liberty Ridge some time soon, while the route is still in shape. i'm a good technical climber, i actually just did the north ridge of mt baker this last weekend, so thats a pretty good indicator of my abilities for anybody wondering. I am available midweek and on weekends, so just give me a heads up if your interested. Chase

another partner of mine and i might do fuhrer finger some time during the next week, probably later in the week. im trying to convince him to do kautz glacier instead, so that would be a little more technical but if your interested in either of those routes, keep me posted.

MarkJ- We camped at the hogsback. its pretty straight forward to cross the glacier from there. We took the shortcut up the ridge, however i would make sure to do that only if the conditions are really solid and cold... there was plenty of evidence of avalanches and some rockfall. As we were heading up there, a fist sized rock also zipped by us on the way up. The decent also really shouldnt be all that bad if you get up to the top before too late in the afternoon.

Trip: Mt. Baker - North Ridge Date: 6/26/2010 Trip Report: My partner and I have had this climb on our list for quite a while and finally we got a chance to do it. After the drive from Tacoma to Bellingham to pick up Kurt, then from there to the trailhead, we hit the trail at around 6:30. We then set up camp at the bottom of the glacier, enjoyed a nice sunset, and a little bit of sleep. The route was in good condition, ice was solid. Remember to go as far left as you can once you reach the first ice step, it is the only spot that isnt nearly as steep as the rest. The ridge beyond that was very straight forward. After reaching the summit at about 3:30, the decent was really slow because the snow on the coleman-deming route was super sloppy. It was a really fun route, I definitely recommend it. Gear Notes: I would bring like 6 ice screws, and we had one picket which worked fine. If your group is not comfortable simul-climbing then i would pack along another picket. Approach Notes: Cross the Coleman glacier early so that you can get up on the ridge without the danger of rockfall and avalanche. Also when you get to the ice lobe... go left!!

PM sent