vsigler

I am planning on taking a group of high-school students on a mountain climb next summer and am looking for ideas for a mountain/route. The students have not climbed before, but will be physically fit, versed in the basics of mountain travel, including glacier travel and safety, and will be equipped for such conditions. I am looking for a route that will provide around 4000-5000 ft of elevation gain. We will camp for two nights on the mountain, and am open to a lower and upper camp, if needed. A glacier would be nice, if for no other reason but to give the trip a true alpine feel. Rock scrambling is OK, but the group will not be able to do much more than that. I need a fresh pair of eyes to give me ideas, because what I consider reasonable might be a little too challenging. Thank you.

Hello: I'm planning on heading up Eldorado Peak this week via the Eldorado- and Inspiration Glaciers. Has anyone been up recently who can provide some information about route conditions, East Ridge, etc? I would like to camp on the Inspiration Glacier, so any details about the condition of the glacier would be appreciated. Thanks, Von

I am interested in Eldorado Peak for August 4/5 with an overnight on the mountain. I have glacier travel and rescue experience, as well as experience with several trips in the Cascades and Rockies. PM me or email to vonsigler@icloud.com if you are interested. I also sent a PM. Von

Sent a PM

Hi. I saw your post on cc.com about doing some climbing. I posted a few days ago that I am planning to climb Mt. Adams via the Mazama Glacier on August 4th, 5th and descend on the 6th (would like to spend two nights on the mountain, if possible). Looking for a partner for a fun climb, nothing crazy. I realize that it's not rock, like your post suggests you might like, but it's an opportunity to get out. I have been mountaineering since 1999. I lived in Switzerland for three years, with experience in the Alps and have led climbs with kids and adult novices. Lots of experience in the Cascades and Rockies, including multiple ascents of Mt. Baker, Rainier and Hood. I attempted Mt. Adams previously, but was turned around on the Adams Glacier due to weather, so didn't make it too high. Please let me know if you are interested, mountaineering resume also available. You can email me at vonsigler@icloud.com. Thanks. Von

Hi. I am planning to climb Mt. Adams via the Mazama Glacier on August 4th, 5th and descend on the 6th (would like to spend two nights on the mountain, if possible). Looking for a partner for a fun climb, nothing crazy. I have been mountaineering since 1999. I lived in Switzerland for three years, with experience in the Alps and have led climbs with kids and adult novices. Lots of experience in the Cascades and Rockies, including multiple ascents of Mt. Baker, Rainier and Hood. I attempted Mt. Adams previously, but was turned around on the Adams Glacier due to weather, so didn't make it too high. Please let me know if you are interested, mountaineering resume also available. You can email me at vonsigler@icloud.com. Thanks. Von

I climbed from Black Buttes camp to the summit on Monday. A few snow bridges were not long for this world (~8000 and ~7500 ft.), but could be avoided by doing the end-around. Path is well-established. You will be on the pumice ridge for several hundred feet and then on the Roman Wall, a bobsled run takes you to the top. Do follow the advice given previously about getting onto the Coleman Glacier; stay below the glacier as you leave the hogsback camp area and traverse west. You can certainly get into the glacier right away above camp, but the traverse will set you up on a higher line that will help you avoid the lower, cracked-up glacier. Good luck.

Hi Everyone, Has anybody been on the Coleman-Deming route on Mt. Baker recently? Looking to go up next weekend and would appreciate any route information. Thanks, Von

PM sent

I will be in WA beginning on Aug 7th and would like to climb Mt. Baker (Coleman/Demming) or Mt. Adams (Mazama Glacier) with a partner. Would like to spend two nights on the mountain, if possible. I am experienced, and have climbed Mt. Baker previously, and have been on Mt. Adams, but was turned around on the Adams Glacier due to weather, so didn't make it too high. Exact dates are flexible. Just looking for a fun climb, nothing crazy. Other peak suggestions are welcome too. Thanks.

For how long into the season does the top of the finger remain passible through to the summit? Made it to about 12.5k a couple of years ago in July (based on beta from the rangers that it was passible) and was turned around by some monster crevasses.

I did...every guy point was used. If I was on my own, I might have been a little more liberal and left some loose, but I had my son and his friend with me, so I went as bomb-proof as possible. I was very surprised. REI was cool about it, and absorbed the cost even after I offered to pay for damage.

Thanks for the great advice. I come out west from Ohio every year and spend a week climbing the volcanoes. Some years it's Mt. Hood, maybe Rainier, Baker, etc., so the camps tend to be high and windy. One year on Hood my MSR Skinny Two took on a lot of wind and 14" of snow overnight and held up beautifully, but it's too small for three people, hence my need for something else. I am a little gun-shy about a 3-season tent. Last June, I was camping at Torrey/Greys Peak (Colorado) in a rented REI Half Dome. It did not withstand the winds very well, and eventually collapsed with two broken poles, so I am hesitant to take a 3-season tent where winds could be high. I will check out the Arete, and I do scour the forums, so maybe someone will have a deal.

I need a 4-season tent for about two Cascades trips per summer, but I am on an extreme budget. I have seen an increasing presence of Alps Mountaineering tents being sold online and I have even seen a few in action. The price is appealing, but are they any good? Does anyone have experience with these tents?

I am considering a purchase of BD Sabertooth crampons. They are offered in two configurations at the toe: wire bail, or a plastic strap. In general, what are the pros and cons of the wire bail? I have used a pair of old Charlet Moser 10-points, with straps all-around (most like the BD plastic strap), for years on everything from flat glaciers to vertical ice and they never have failed me. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Everyone: My 13 year-old son will be climbing with me next summer for the first time. We will probably do something like Mt. Hood's South Side route. I really don't want to drop $300 on boots that he will certainly outgrow in less than a year, so does anyone have a suggestion for a boot that is economical, warm, and stiff enough to take a crampon? I used a pair of LaSportiva Makalus for years and had great success but I think those might be a little heavy for him. I love my Trango Alps, but they are definitely too expensive for a boot that will be used a handful of times, at most. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I was with a group climbing the Fuhrer Finger route in mid-July and upon reaching ~12,000 ft. on the Nisqually Glacier, we were halted by some very large, impassible crevasses. To the left (west) were crevasses extending to the cleaver between the Nisqually and Kautz Glaciers, and to the right were crevasses extending all of the way to the Nisqually Cleaver. I spent about 30 minutes looking for a way through with no success. To be honest, I could not even conceive how any snow bridges would have been present months earlier, as the crevasses were so wide. I know plenty of people get through the upper Nisqually on the finger, but I couldn't see a route. Needless to say, we had to make a disappointing descent back down the finger. If anyone has a few photos to share that show the upper route, it would be much appreciated. This was my first attempt on the finger and I want to try again next year... Thanks.

The finger appears to be done for the season. I was in the group that breadbox referred to. Impassible crevasses at about 12K. It would be a fantastic route otherwise. Do it early in the season and it will provide 1800 feet of sustained 40-45 degree climbing and some route-finding up high. Good luck.

Does anyone know the approximate elevation of "the fan", on which you gain the Wapowety Cleaver from the Nisqually Glacier? Thanks.

Can anybody provide some information about the conditions on the Fuhrer Finger route? I am going to be in the area on the 18th - 21st and would like to attempt the route if conditions allow. Thanks.

I will be heading up the Adams Glacier via the Killen Creek Trail beginning on Wednesday. Has anyone been up there recently who can provide a report?

Hi Everyone: I make a habit of drawing up a rudimentary map of my climbing routes for each trip that includes important landmarks, bearings and coordinates that guide me off of the mountain in case things go to Hell in a bucket. Below is a link to my Mt. Adams map that includes information about the Adams Glacier ascent and North Ridge descent. I print these to a size of about 4"x5", laminate them and attach them to my compass lanyard. Thought it might be useful for anyone else heading up the Adams Glacier. I apologize in advance if this isn't the best way of posting the map, but I checked the link and it worked fine from my machine. http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=75855&title=mtadams-escape-map&cat=500%5D%5Bimg%5Dhttp://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/500/thumbs/Mt_Adams_escape_map.jpg%5B/img%5D%5B/url%5D

We are planning on going up the Adams Glacier in a couple of weeks and then to descend the North Ridge to get back to our camp at the lake at 7505 ft. I have read that a chute exists that many parties use to get off of the ridge, and that it saves a bit of time getting back to the camp, as well as prolonged agony on the ridge. Can anyone elaborate on the details of this chute (elevation, approx. coordinates, photos, etc.)? Thanks in advance.

A group of us will heading to Mt. Adams in late June to spend three days on the Adams Glacier route. We would like to spend our second day refresing crevasse rescue and self extraction skills. Many people mention camping at the lake at 7500 feet, near the toe of the Adams Glacier. Does anybody know if good "practice cravasses" can be found between the lake and where the glacier steepens? If so, this would allow us to not only get some practice, but also to do a little route reconaissance on the day prior to going up the glacier. Thanks for your input.

Thanks, everybody. Great information.