B Deleted_Beck

That's the same dugout I used... It had the highest wall, and I built it up even higher. Sunrise is rad.. a destination in it's own. Good job! It's a really scenic route, totally worth it. Long, big, steep, and even the approach is a treat all by itself- that's rare. You got way more goats than me... they all must have been out for the weekend, when I was up there.

How's 8/19 sound? http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1079325/TR_Mount_Adams_Mazama_Glacier_#Post1079325

Trip: Mount Adams - Mazama Glacier Headwall Date: 8/19/2012 Trip Report: I did the Mazama Glacier Headwall over two days, from 8/18-8/19. The "climber's trail" from Bird Rd TH starts out a very defined, runneled, cairned trail, but the higher you go, the less so... slowly becoming more of a pick-your-own-path thing till around 6,700ish feet, and eventually becoming nothing more than the occasional boot print in the dirt/snow... So be prepared for route-finding, and more importantly, make sure you look back periodically to aid in finding the trail again on descent. Two pieces of beta that'll be useful- go above the first rock band, under the second. Goats! Camp Sunrise is pretty awesome- nice big flat, clean piece of land with 15 or so solid dugouts, glacier spring water running through camp (seasonal!), and is better protected from the wind than you might expect. I had some minor t-storm activity and could hear wind screaming overhead a few times, but the spot, and my dugout wall, kept it down to a minor ruffle of my tent. The route runs straight up the glacier in front of you, 40 degrees at the top. Watch for crevasses- beta pics I've seen show the glacier more crevassy than not, so you know it gets bad sometimes. I skirted all (4 or 5 big ones) to the right. The slope mellows out for a few hundred yards as you veer right around the moraine and toward a steep field (the headwall?). Slope jumps from 20 degrees to 45, so it looks huge and super steep as you approach, but it's nothing. At the top, you can go left or right around a moraine- I went right, for views of the Klickitat icefall and such. Once above, you'll see the glacier narrow into a thin strip running up the outside edge of the Suksdorf Ridge. Coming up through this, you get to chose which variation you do... and this is where some arguing I've seen comes from on slope- if you exit the route to the left, you join the South Spur route and climb the south side of Piker's Peak. If you go right, you climb a steep face of snow and top out on the east edge of Piker's Peak... 60-75 degrees for about 40'. I see some TRs where people have claimed these slope angles and been ridiculed by others who claim to have climbed the route and experienced nothing worse than 40-45 the whole way... well, that's 'cause they went left. Going right: I don't know which is THE route. I went right, and topped out on a huge crevasse that I had to climb down into and find an exit to the left, which was easy enough, if on super shitty snow... if the snow had been better, I could have just scrambled across and climbed straight up the other side. And then you come down the backside of Piker's Peak with the line of hikers coming up South Spur, chose a path up the summit hump, and the geographical high point is the big mound to the east (everyone likes to converge for pics and celebration over the shack on the west end- that's not the high point). Descend the climbing route (minus the wall thing at the top, which is easily avoided on descent). Gear Notes: I took two tools, expecting the route to be much more aggressive, for some reason. A basic ax is all that's required until you get to the upper headwall thing- if you aim to climb it, I'd suggest having an extra tool on the pack. Otherwise, the whole thing can be done with nothing more than trekking poles and crampons.

I didn't like the forecast for Friday/Saturday, so I delayed and went up yesterday. Route's still in! Better get an early start and hope for cold overnight temps- snow was shit by 7am.

I'm taking tomorrow off and heading up in the morning, so I should have good beta for you Sat

Well thank you wife for me- I probably wasn't gonna go if you guys went... :-D I'll let you know how it is.

Cant help you with conditions, but I was gonna solo it this weekend, myself.. What's your itinerary?

8/11/12 - The last bit of snow up the Mazama Chute melted out this week, and the summit ridge/crater rim from west of the Old Chute is completely bare through to Wy'East face. No snow path to the ridge unless you go way out to the left. People are still climbing, though...

I will sleep if I think I'm gonna be unsafe, but I don't think I've ever been able to take a 10 or 15 minute nap after a climb... if I pull the truck over, I'm gonna be down for 3 hours.

Who is Tyler, and what's the route?

Let me preface by saying I'm still pretty noobish too, but I think back-clipping and wrong-siding often get confused... back-clipping is where you run the rope the wrong way through the carabiner. Wrong-siding (yes, I made the term up) is just where you orient the carabiner gate on the "wrong" side, slightly increasing your odds of funky loading during a fall. With alpine draws, it's easier to back-clip and not realize it, because there's a lot more flop in the draw, and under tension, the carabiner will just flip around to the right orientation, making it look like all is good. Then when you fall, the tension is relieved, and the carabiner flips back around and CLINK.... you're no longer clipped. Just have to make sure that you run the rope OUT of the top side of the carabiner's most natural rest position, and you shnould be fine. Actually... yes? I think the two on the bottom ARE back-clipped, pcg -Ben

Newest climbing partner... Rex Benjamin, 8lbs 1oz, arrived 2:09am, July 25, 2012

Figgered I'd re-use this thread.... looking for a partner for same/same tomorrow (Sunday 7/22) I'm available after noon

Everything between Cooper Spur and the Cleaver is just what we call "The North Face," and her "Gullies," though it is, technically speaking, the headwall of the Eliot Glacier- so I'm not sure why "Eliot Glacier Headwall" is limited to the section from Cleaver to Cathedral ridge... but that's that. I think we've just grown to refer to the features of the mountain as the routes that ascend them. You'd think for a mountain as hugely climbed as Hood, there'd be better and more definitive names for all these features...

If things are getting more technical than you were espectin, a hammer will be a lot more useful than another adze.. I haven't bought one yet, but I intend to this fall. Also comes in longer shaft lengths.. http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/verticality/ice-axes/technical-mountaineering-ice-axes/sum-tec-43 BTW - Old Chute definitely doesn't require a second tool.. You can take whatever you want, but I chuckle a little when I see guys coming up a 40* couloir swinging two technical tools in piolet-traction.

No takers? I'm headed out for the day- gimme call/text

In my preliminary research, I came to the tenuous conclusion the Ptarmigan was the late-season alternative to Liberty Ridge.... not so?

I was thinking about doing this'un myself, probably 3rd weekend in August.. you wanting to overnight on route, or just single-push it?

Howdy Looking to do some easier trad tomorrow, in the 5.8 - .9 range.. just wanna work on placement- find some good routes with lots of pro and run laps Please be fun, competent on lead belay, and have necessary gear. I have a fairly comprehensive rack of cams and a couple sets of nuts... you don't necessarily need to bring and trad gear. I have an early meeting tomorrow, and MIGHT have to work for a few hours after, but can be ready to climb as early as 7, or no later than noonish. I can also probably pick your no-car-having-ass up, if you're on the way :-D -Ben four one zero four zero nine zero

Looks like 2 days?

Howdy I'm on a paternity sabbatical from alpine, or any far-away, climbing, with our 5th little boy due sometime in the next two weeks. The wife has requested I not leave an hour or so vicinity of Saint Helens, Oregon till the baby is here and settled in. I'm going flappin stir-crazy, however.... I feel like my forearms are about as big around as my thighs from running laps at the gym, and the closest I can come to adventure is Rocky Butte. I love Rocky Butte, but I really want to get up something higher than 50'.... Anybody know of any multiple pitch rock routes stashed away maybe someplace in the north Coast Range? Maybe up off 30 near the Columbia? Lots of exposed rock up there off the highway, but I haven't yet found anything climbable, or at least worth climbing. I'm guessing no, since I probably would have heard about it by now, but I figured I'd give it a shot.. if anybody'd know, it'd be somebody here on CC. Thanks -Ben

What kind of climbing are you looking at? Just long, hard walkups, or are you interested in increasing the technical level?

Just dinking around with it for 5 minutes, I much approve.

I've been tempted to post this cheesy question for a long time.. but now that I'm catching myself pronouncing it different ways, I gotta know... How the crap do you pronounce "couloir?" I think the French pronunciation is "coolyahwah," but aside from Frenchies, I've never heard anyone go there. I've personally been using and mostly hearing "coo'wer" for as long as I can remember, occasionally hearing people use "kewlar" or "coolar"... sometimes you run into somebody on the mountain who uses "culwer," "coyler" or "kewleer" Seems more people I'm talking to are going with "coolar," and I've caught myself using that'n lately, which, for some reason, I find embarrassing. Is it just a regional thing? I'd like to see if there's a local consensus here on the local climbing board... how do YOU pronounce it?

Awesome TR.. great pics, great route.. Well done