OffTheSteppe

Anybody seen anything doable in W. oregon other than in the Gorge? Don't want to deal with the metro area. Anything in along the W foothills of the Oregon Cascades?

I just looked it up. Climbing permits are needed for climbing above 10,000 feet OR "onto any glacier".

I want to do some summer ice climbing on one of the glaciers on Rainier. What do people suggest for good ice with an easy hike in? Could be Serac or crevasse.

Very nice photo! Looks like you were standing on the hogsback to take the photo? I have been watching the conditions as I hope to go up late in the week. Were most people taking the old chute? Was the snow soft or firm? The last two days timberline had .6" of rain and I see the freezing level has been at about 8000'..... so I am thinking there are about 6-8" of fresh snow up there now.

You need basic mountaineering skills first. After that get a partner and start climbing crevasses and seracs on some of the glaciers in the summer. Mt. Rainier, Baker, and Hood have areas you can do this. Training: Aside from the all out cardio for mountaineering, do lots of pull-ups and strengthening your core.

Thanks for all the info... After thinking about the possibility of the road being closed in June, the early sun the route gets, and the exposure above Elliot, I am leaning toward Leutold Coulier. I have always wanted to do that. Access from Timberline Lodge. And Yes, I will take several pickets and perhaps a couple of long screws.

My idea here was an early start with the near-full moon. We hadn't decided which route to descend on.....but perhaps if we reached summit early, descending the spur wouldn't be too bad. If the road is still closed then getting up there early probably isn't going to happen.

Wondering if those who have done this route could comment on the need for extra team gear (pickets, screws, flutes) that might be needed on a mid. June climb (this summer). I was wondering if i could use a few short pickets to protect us.... I have been up 4x by the south side route but not by this one. I will be going with two others who have had a snow school but no summit experience. I understand it is pretty steep at the top and the fall line is one of the worst on the mtn. Thanks,

Great info. I hope to be up there Wed pm to set up camp. By what road do you access the Helio .trail head? Do I come south from Glacier on a F.S. road or N from Burlington?

Joe Poulton,did your friend say he went into a rock cave or was he just exploring between the ice and rock boundary? What was it like in there?

That's crazy, i read a report once that someone went into one of the fumaroles on Hood and died. Don't ever go into a closed space where that gas is. BTW there can also be Hydrogen Sulfide gas (rotten egg smell) but that is really bad. You can smell it in very small concentrations but as the concentration increases your nose goes numb to the smell so you think "Oh great, not so bad, I'll descend into here further" - the next thing you know you can't move because you have been breathing poison gas - then you die.

Thanks

Hey, I am thinking of setting up camp come this summer for four or five days of tooling around on Coleman. I would like a place from which to access varying types of day climbing. Serac, crevasses of various pitch/difficulty, top roping and leading, and route finding practice. When I look at photos and a topo map it looks like around 5,000' near Heliotrope creek might offer dry ground for camping and easy glacier access. Does anyone know if this is true or would others have better suggestions? I have spent quite a bit of time doing this on Elliot glacier on Mt. Hood but would like to try Coleman for a change.

Thanks for the info.

Wow, thanks for all the info. I guess I have kind of diverted the thread to a new topic....... I really am thinking of climbing ice by fixing a rope (top and bottom) and then using a device (which is best?) with a leash that will move up the rope with me.

That does sound like a nice way around to the CS route. So where about did you cross over the White River glacier/canyon? I assume you climbed higher than your bivy and then moved east? At about what elevation was that? Crevasses?

Nice weather, beautiful views!

OK that is new to me. Please tell me how you rig up a solo Top Rope? Do you do that with a figure 8 to provide the friction in case of fall? Photo?

There is no way the road to cloud cap will be open then. Maybe you can get partway up there and then proceed. I think I saw someone's TR about the Cooper Spur route recently. Check with them to see how they hoofed it up from where they left their car.

To clarify... I was referring to Josh's post and didn't see ScaredSilly's prior to posting. I have never done the ski pole thing.

I don't know that route but that is a good combination for glacier routes in general since they require lots of switching between both vertical and near horizontal work. I have used an axe and a tool together on near vertical several times. Swing the axe with the stronger arm. Your partner can carry the same combination and if you get in a pinch the leader can take both of the tools.

Very nice photos! Cool trip.

Ouch ouch ouch! Reminds me of a time I fell onto a piece of iron in a manhole at work. Landed in a standing position with it "catching me" between the legs. Luckily it caught me just behind the family jewels. Just about passed out from the pain. Glad to year no permanent damage.

Transmitting the data is not a problem. A cell phone hook up can be used by someone in an office to download data from a weather station, or camera. He just calls the number and he can even program the technology for shots per day, or which times it turns on or off. I worked with a remote weather station once and it had this capability. One station can handle multiple inputs, for example a temperature gage, rain guage, barometer, etc. If its cameras the a single station could link multiple cameras in an area to a comfortable office no problem. A satellite phone would give access virtually anywhere.

I have summited both Hood and Shasta by their standard routs and Shasta is harder because the climb is a greater vertical gain and also several thousand feet higher in elevation. My first attempt on Shasta was a bonzai from Portland (sea level) to the summit (14,000+) without a night at Lake Helen, which most climbers take. Two of our party of five summitted and us other three pooped out just above the red banks (altitude). The second attempt at Shasta was a breeze because we spent a full night at Lake Helen and the next day was an easy finish. Hood is a one day climb possibly similar to the first day on Shasta so generally easier, though maybe weather is worse on Hood.