vsigler

Thank you...so in other words, typical June conditions. Was the ravine up toward Pt. 5930 still snow-filled, or is that slope clean?

Has anyone been toward Ruth Mountain via Hannegan Pass recently? I’m looking for conditions of the snow bridges on the approach from the Hannegan Trailhead. Thanks.

I wish I could, but I truly don’t know what mountain it is. I saw the picture and immediately thought that it looked quite interesting to climb, so I was hoping somebody in the forum might have either recognized it from being on it in-person, or from a photograph. It looks like it could be a Cascade mountain, but I have no idea.

I came across this picture in a Gaia GPS newsletter, and was wondering what mountain it shows. Can anyone identify it?

Any Easton beta from this past weekend? Thinking of heading up later this week.

I am looking forward to it. I’ve done the Coleman-Deming multiple times, so a change of pace will be nice. I have read that in the event of passage issues, some parties opt to traverse low, to the Squak Glacier, and then ascend it. Does anyone know any details about the elevation where the traverse takes place?

Thanks for all of the advice. I am looking forward to getting back up.

I am heading out to Washington from Ohio to climb Mount Baker in a few weeks. I have climbed the Coleman-Deming route several times, so its time for a change. I am bringing a few first-timers, so have decided to climb the Easton Glacier route. Typical trip: day 1 to camp on the Railroad Grade, day 2 to summit, and descend on day 3. I don't necessarily need a description of the route, but am soliciting any advice about tricky sections, route finding issues, or nuances of the route that might be important to know. I am assuming that by mid-July, a trench to the top will be established, but any information from your experiences on the route would be helpful. Thanks.

I would like to camp a little higher than Sandy Camp on Mt. Baker's Easton Glacier route.. The topo suggests low angle terrain above 7200 ft, NE of Sandy, that might be conducive to a campsite (X on attached map). Any ideas? Thanks.

Does anyone have any route information concerning Ruth Mountain and/or Icy Peak as climbed from the Hannegan Pass Trailhead? I am specifically looking for snow bridge conditions on the approach, snow elevation, and glacier conditions on Icy Peak. Thanks.

I have had a Suunto Traverse for a year and it has functioned well. I live in Indiana, and get out west to climb in the summer, so I don't have dozens of climbing experiences with it, but I used it for a total of seven days in the Cascades last year and it was reliable (altitude, waypoints, etc.). I also use it for xc skiing, running, paddling, etc. I find the display easy to read and interpret, although finding your way through all of the functions was a little cumbersome at first...give yourself to some time to become acquainted with it before you rely on it to pull you out of the woods. One quick story; we were coming down from the Ruth Mountain summit towards a camp on the SW shoulder of the mountain and passed through a notch in the ridge that we would need to pass through again on the way back off the mountain the next day. it was a bluebird day, but the forecast was for unstable weather the next day, when we would be descending. I took a waypoint with the watch at the notch, just in case visibility was poor later. Well, visibility became really poor the next day, probably less than 100 ft. We would have found the notch with a little searching, but I wanted to see if the watch would guide us in navigation mode, and it did, exactly to the spot where I marked the waypoint...nice insurance in case you really need it one day. It interfaces nicely with the MovesCount app, which I believe meshes with most of the Suunto watches. The app is great, allowing you to not only upload trip data from the watch, but also to manually input data for any type of workout/activity...a nice logging tool. It also will differentiate different activities based on what sport mode the watch is in (mountaineering vs. running vs. skiing, etc...all customizable). Some people report issues with the watch syncing seamlessly with the app when uploading data, and while it does take a little time to upload hours and hours of data, I have not had any problems. I have no other "navigation" watches to compare with, but I would recommend it. PM me if you would like more info.

Has anyone been up the Coleman-Deming route lately? Hoping to go up next week and would appreciate any updates on route conditions, especially the crevasse situation below the Coleman Saddle.Thank you.

I am planning on heading up Ruth Mountain this week, and hopefully doing the travers to Icy Peak. I am interested in hearing from anyone who is familiar with current conditions up there. Specifically, I am interested in knowing how the snow bridges are holding up on the Hannigan Trail on the way in to the mountain, if they are even still there. I also would like to know of the conditions on the rock pinnacle of Icy Peak. Thank you.

Thank you. I have purchased boots from eBay previously, but currently, they don’t have anything available that works for my budget. Thank you also for the Ascent Outdoors tip. However, I am not local (Ohio). I will keep my eyes open on eBay and the other gear forums.

I am looking to purchase a pair of used boots, size 11/44.5 for general mountaineering use (i.e., crampon compatible, uncomfortable and heavy). Hoping to pay up to $125. Thanks.

Thank you very much. All praise Google Earth.

Thanks for the info. Yes, will be doing this later in the spring for sure. Most of the trip reports I read mention two summit blocks; NW and SE. Which is the more straightforward way to go? I will have a first-timer with me and I want to limit the fear-factor. Thank you.

I would like to do the Ruth-Icy Peak traverse this spring, and am a little confused about the technical difficulty of the Icy Peak summit block. I understand that Icy has multiple summit blocks, and have read that the difficulty ranges from a "scramble" to 4th-class climbing. Can anyone shed some light on the grade, assuming clean conditions, which block is most often attempted, and also suggest an appropriate rack to bring, if needed? Thanks.

Might be a little on the roomy side...looking at a smaller pair right now but I will certainly keep these in mind in they turn out to be too tight. Thank you.

I am looking to climb Middle Sister sometime in mid-late June. I understand that one can approach the mountain either from the east or west. Which approach is best, if either, during that time of year? I would like to spend three days on the mountain, so I am also asking for any suggestions for camp areas that might facilitate multiple routes up either North or South Sister, as well. This might not even be possible, as I don't know the area so well yet. Thanks.

I am looking for a pair of used, size 12.5 US (45/46 EU) mountaineering boots for summer mountaineering. Something like a LaSportiva Makalu would be great, but all boots would be considered. I would like to spend $150 or less. Thanks.

I am looking for a pair of used, entry-level mountaineering boots (something like a LaSportiva Makalu or Kayland Apex) in a size US 11 or EU 44.5. I am hoping to get away for around $100 or less, but will entertain anything reasonable. I am in Ohio, and so will pay for shipping. Thanks.

Thank you, YocumRidge...that's the one. Once again the CC resources come through. Thanks again.

Some time ago, someone posted a link to videos showing some fairly realistic self arrest footage. If I remember correctly, they were shot on glacial ice, and the point of the videos was to demonstrate the violent nature of arresting a crevasse fall by a roped partner, and how anchors handle high shock loads. The videos were not fancy productions, and might have been from overseas (Russia, maybe?). Can anyone reference these (I know a million of these are out there...hoping to track down these specific ones though)? Thanks.

I should probably clarify a little...I am not affiliated with the school in any way, other than as a parent of kids that attend. I use the term "high school" merely to indicate the age of the participants. I have addressed the liability issues with local lawyers and they will be involved in a few contractual items, as much as they need to be, and I will absolutely have another adult with me. I have climbed with both of my sons and a few of their friends in Colorado on numerous occasions, so I am familiar with the logistics...and yes they are a bit hairy, but the trips are a blast. I certainly appreciate the concern of this forum community, as well as the helpful advice.