ConTrail

will you be going anywhere mountainous before next year? if so, consider purchasing a pair there so that people can fit you and you can test out a few pairs. when it comes to boots, ditch the attraction of look, go for the feel.

Wait, wait, wait....Contrail sold? How could I have not known of this? Who owns me?

Thanks a lot! I'll let you know how the training and the climb go.

So in preparation for my first climb, I was wondering if stair training was worth it if I will only have a few weeks to add these to my routine? Other thoughts: - how much should my pack weigh? - how long should a training session take? (granted i'm in decent shape from training for a marathon) - should i be practicing any technique while training? - best ways to stuff a pack? (i.e. what to put in there?) Thanks in advance!!!

IT BAND FORUM! This is terrific. I ran into IT band pain while training for my first marathon. My reaction then was to take it easy, get some massages and go for it. This time around (for marathon number 2), I am working the FOAM ROLLER like a son-of-a-b*tch. The first 5 days, this damn piece of foam made me sweat and curse just by rolling my leg on it. BUT, after 5-7 days, the pain went away. I can now just roll around on my IT bands without any hint of pain. AND THE BEST THING!...no IT band problems whatsoever. So buy a foam roller (Dick's sporting goods, Fred Meyer, most running stores, etc.) and get set for intense pain followed by an immense satisfaction from getting rid of the IT problems. Best of luck!

Thanks alot for the info! wimsey, good loc. my hometown

Thanks Pikas! Worthy advice. I had seen that comment about glissading before and I'm somewhat curious what that would look like now. Oh well, I won't find out the hard way

Great, thanks! The group I'm with probably won't want to take on the summit then since they don't have experience or equipment. BUt I'll be sure to post on here the conditions to wherever we get to.

Haha thanks for the words of wisdom. Since I have your attention... Any thoughts on a good starter axe, crampons, boots? Not doing superbly cold climbs so boots probably wouldn't need to be epic expedition grade.

Thought I would intro myself. Not new to the PNW, but new to mountaineering. Really excited to pull off a summit this summer (probably Adams). Been backpacking for a long time and have always wanted to strap on some crampons, grab an axe, and hit the trail. These forums are n00b heaven Keep up the good info!

I'll be sure to post a TR. What type of difficulty should I expect on a summit attempt? Does it require ice axe, crampons, etc.? Basically, how technical is it?

Hey all, First just like to say hello since this is my first post but have been exploring the forums for the past few days and I must say, it's awesome! I was wondering if anyone had a TR of Middle Sister coming from the Obsidian Trail? A group of us will be out that way Aug 18-20 and were considering a summit attempt. Also, I am still researching level of difficulty and the technical challenges Middle Sister poses so if anyone has information on that, I would love to hear it.