downey

Tues doesn't work for me. What about thurs 2/16? RSVP 614 315 6226 I'm hoping to hear from more ppl still... There's no way in hell everyone is that dialed. Are there any climbers in Bellingham??

Glad to hear from you all! I'll be in touch soon.

Inspired by a sad story, I'd like to invite any climbers interested in improving their self rescue competency to meet at my house Wed, Feb 15th or 16th around 6 or some other time that works for you. I hope to teach, practice, and learn/disuss new ways to execute any of the skills listed below. Some examples of topics are: 1) Getting "hands free" from the belay 2) Escaping the system 3) Ascending a rope 4) Haul Systems 5) Passing a knot while rappelling or lowering a victim 6) Different methods of rappelling with a victim 7) transitions 8) other considerations i.e. combative victims, considerations with half/twin ropes, etc, This is intended for climbers of ALL experience and skill levels. Perhaps an IFMGA certified guide would not find this mind blowing, but I think nearly all recreational climbers would improve their efficiency by attending a monthly get together like this. Guilt trip: Your partners life may depend on you being solid with these skills someday. RSVP below and feel free to post questions/comments if interested, even if the above date/time doesn't work with your schedule. If there's a consensus on an ideal meeting date/time then I'll do my best to be flexible. Cheers, Braden post note.. I've taken my AMGA Rock Instructor corse and Rock Guide Corse/Aspirant Exam (pass). This means I'm not a COMPLETE idiot when it comes to this stuff ;D *I suggest you know or learn how to equalize an anchor and tie a clove hitch, munter hitch, mule tie off, klemheist, autobloc, prussic beforehand

pm sent

ya me too. My roomate's burnt out friend probably swiped them off the stairs (along with a couple packs (45L, bullet) but I haven't lost hope yet that they'll be discovered up at the TH. If someone finds them, a meal, beer tab, gas money on a climbing trip, etc - on me! God i hope they show up. tks for keeping a lookout!!

Both my climbing partner and I are 90% sure they were stolen off my stairs along with my pack but there's a slim chance they are buried in the Heliotrope TH parking lot (we went back to check to no avail) The tools are pretty beat up and have relatively new T rated picks on them. Also missing a yellow/grey 45 L bd pack w/crampon pouch that's beat to hell and missing the brain compartment. thanks for keeping an eye out for me.

I'm 90% sure I had my new style cobras STOLEN out of my b'ham home.. i don't suspect the thief to be a climber. They're moderately banged up and have pretty new T rated picks on them. Both tools have sm hammers. If you come across a pair of tools for sale with said description please get in touch with me before buying them so I can go vigilante on their ass. Thanks in advance for keeping an eye out for me and sorry for the false advertisement. ALSO, I'm also missing a BD yellow 45L pack that's beat to hell and missing the brain compartment.. less valuable but relevant b/c they were sitting next to my cobras on the stairs.

nice job! and tks for the conditions report!

way to keep the stoke up and still get after it with the less than ideal temps

wayne, here's a crappy pic of Will's ass and the steepest northern aspect of Sloan ('at the top and to the right' from where we unroped after the first crux pitches). I looked over there and couldn't spot a continuous line through that part of the wall. The ice features seemed to dead end into formidable and sketchy looking dry tooling. Don't let this dissuade you though.. maybe with fatter conditions and/or some high end mixed skills.

thanks for coming up with a definitive answer on the line we took, will. lot's more to do out there (obviously). i'm curious what other lines will someday be put up on this thing... GET PSYCHED

way to get after it buddy! looks like some great views.

send train!

way to go dudes! the cascades are a special place

I hope these pics give you a feel for the good time we had last Saturday. Also, I'd like to recognize Kevin and his regular climbing partner Doug (who couldn't make it due to work) as the masterminds of this climb, and that I was just a lucky dude who happened to have an obligation-free Saturday. Will leading insecure 'shampoo ice' on pitch one - *camera tilt unintentional. "it's been a while since i've climbed ice" "thumbs up" for bomber rock anchors!! *Sorry no summit pic for ya, Wijavascript:void(0)ll! - Stoked to be back at the 'bivy boulder' after a disorienting descent in a whiteout

nice job dude! nice lookin ice too. looks like there's always somethign goin on on hood.

GA, Might want to bring your rock ski's for Asgard pass. Doesn't seem quite worth it to me.. I'd wait for it to fill in a bit more. I didn't make a mental note/pics of Asgard though but that's what I'd guess based on my general impression of conditions up there. hope that helps, B

Thanks! Of course I don't mind.. that's what this place is for road 7601 is gated at Icicle Creek Road. I haven't done much skiing in mountain boots but would consider bringing them to cash at the Trailhead for the ski back down 7601 (not for flotation but to cut down on travel time back down the car at the end of a long day). I welcome suggestions on this topic. Ski's above the TH doesn't seem worth it to me with a solid boot pack already set all the way to the lake. Someone ahead of us broke trail from the head of the lake en route to TC. No idea about Assgard pass... probably at least some postholing in talus but you'll have to go there to know for certain. Have a good trip! OTHER ICE: While i'm at it, I didn't see much ice coming in at all on other routes on Dragontail . There were some short but cool looking ice/mixed options on the Eastern flank of Colchuck - near the col. ALso, I noted some nice ice options up to a few pitches on the approach to colchuck lake (East side of the drainage.. Cannon mountain around 4500' elevation?? ish) that looked to be worth exploring.

Trip: Enchantments - Colchuck - N Buttress Couloir to N Buttress Date: 12/3-4/2011 Trip Report: Last Sunday my buddy Chris and I climbed Colchuck. Due to leaving in a hurry, we didn't gather any beta other than a couple good topography maps for approach/descent. Having that said, I'm pretty sure we climbed the North Buttress Couloir to N Buttress. *the character of the route makes it hard to describe.. lots of choices and options for routefinding so my best beta is to just follow your nose. *camera tilt unintentional Route: The climb started in the rightmost of two obvious couloirs on Colchuck (NBC). You can't get a good view of the NBC until you’re pretty much underneath it. One noteworthy detail of our climb is a 25m traverse left into another couloir which eventually led to the rocky broken ridge. Once we gained the ridge it became apparent that speed was more prudent than taking pics.. sorry. About 7 hrs from start of route to summit. Descent: Straightforward jaunt to Stuart-Colchuck col. Might be more exciting in icier conditions. Conditions: We encountered long stretches of highly variable snow climbing (from deep wallowing to wind-hammered) connected by shorter sections of snowy rock and ice. We solo’d most of it aside from a few 50-100’ pitches of easy 5th and a couple blocks of simulclimbing on the ridge . Gear Notes: We brought 4 or 5 screws (didn't use them) and a single rack from blue metolius tcu, .4-2 C4 (used all), wires, and a few pins (used one blade). Since we didn't know what to expect we brought twins but only used one - this worked great since the cruxes were short. Approach Notes: Solid bootpack to Colchuck Lake: about 3-4 miles on a road to 3-4 miles boot packed trail.

cross fit made me more conscious of my nutrition because I wouldn't be able to do the workouts if I wasn't eating an awesome diet. Seriously - i would become lightheaded (prematurely), sleepy, tingles, etc.... this all changed when i started eating better. The gains I made from doing crossfit definitely made me stronger not just in the mountains, but at the sport crag as well. That's just me though. Having that said, if you have the extra time and money just go alpine climbing.

anyone have thoughts on which b'ham xfit gym is better (considering factors like quality of instruction, price, etc)? thanks

fuck it.. i need to study anyways

anyone have tomorrow off? thinking colfax peak or something. Braden 6I43I56226

thanks for the pics! how was the road up to heliotrope ridge trailhead?

Looking for alpinists in the Bellingham area who are psyched to train hard, talk climbing/skiing, get psyched and/or hopefully get out and climb in the alpine or maybe some waterfalls (and maybe a trip to the canadian rockies around thanksgiving). I'm a working student so unfortunately most of my free time is spent studying/training (x-fit style home workouts, HIT board, running in the chuckanuts and cycling), but once in a while when the weather, partners, and schedule comes together I hope to get out and climb. pm if interested. looking forward to hearing from ya braden