shishcabob30

My partner and I were thinking of going for Slesse earlier this week but bailed due to the pocket glacier conditions. Maybe we should have been more concerned about this rockfall...

Hey Oregon CC members, Just wanted to reach out again from Eugene. Matthew and Sarah here. We are hosting a second in what we hope will become a bi-annual event: climbers potlucks in Eugene! OREGON CLIMBS POTLUCK - PART DEUX Thursday, October 27 6:30-9:00pm @ the home of Sarah Wolfe and Matthew Morriss Eugene, OR. It's quickly turning into fall, which means it's time for some swapping of summer stories and discussions of winter adventures! Please join us in our home for good food, drink, and a chance to meet other climbers and possible make new friends. Bring yourself and a tasty main, side or dessert dish or beverage that is your specialty and/or you know no one else is going to bring. We'll provide utensils, cups, plates, napkins and some non-alcoholic beverages. And so we're not total strangers... If you're interested in coming, please send your email address to me at wolsrh (at) yahoo.com or matthew.c.morriss (at) gmail.com and I'll send you details. All the best, Matthew

Nice work y'all!

This potluck was a great success! Thanks to the 34 people who showed up! All the best, Matthew

Hey Oregon CC members, My name is Matthew Morriss and I am a climber who has just moved from North Carolina to Eugene. My partner, Sarah Wolfe, and I are both longtime climbers and interested in meeting more of you, as well as getting more involved with the climbing community from an organizational, advocacy, access and community perspective. To get started... We would like to invite all of you to our new home for.... CLIMBER'S POTLUCK Thursday, April 28 6:30-8:30pm If you're interested in coming, please send your email address to me at wolsrh (at) yahoo.com or matthew.c.morriss (at) gmail.com and I'll send you details. Bring yourself and a tasty main, side or dessert dish or beverage that is your specialty and/or you know no one else is going to bring. We'll provide utensils, cups, plates, napkins and some non-alcoholic beverages. And so we're not total strangers... ABOUT SARAH I just wrapped up two years on the board of the Carolina Climbers Coalition, a very active and engaged climbing coalition covering NC, SC and SE VA. I've been a longtime member of the AAC, have been climbing for about 10 years (prefer long moderate trad), have taught and programmed in climbing for several years, and have very much enjoyed planning volunteer outings, whether rebolting, clean up or clearing trails around our climbing areas. My "real" job is in arts administration and I am very passionate about it, thankfully. Excited to explore the world of alpine climbing out here - a new adventure for me. ABOUT MATTHEW I moved to Eugene in September to start a PhD program in Geology at the University of Oregon. For the past two years, I'd been living in North Carolina, climbing steep sandstone and slabby granite faces. My love for climbing has focused on longer Alpine rock and trad routes. But thrown in there is a bit of Ice and sport climbing too! My relationship with the AAC has been as an active participant of their Grant program, aka money for climbing! I'm looking forward to meeting more climbers in the Eugene area and exploring more of the climbing available in central-Oregon. I'm psyched to be out west again. We are both really excited to meet you all and see how we fit into the larger Eugene climbing community! Thanks, and we hope to see you soon! Sarah & Matthew

http://www.opb.org/news/series/valhalla/watch-now-oregon-field-guide-discovering-valhalla/

I'd also recommend the -20. While a bit higher up, I had below zero temps on the west fork in early may last year. April will be a bit colder I should think. And yes, it is almost a car camping trip...

Nice photos! Any views to the west that day?

http://www.opb.org/news/series/valhalla/valhalla-first-expedition-oregon-gorge-discovered/ Did anyone hear this story this morning?

Bump

Switching from Tele to AT and trying to sell my setup. BD Push boots that are 27.5, 2011 model year. Price: $200 G3 Enzo Binding, with screws $220 PM for details of payment/shipping *Shipping will be added to the total price*

Pm me with an email address and i can share with you a pdf of the Joe Josephson ice bible.

Anyone been back up there in recent years? Couldn't find another TR. Thinking about heading up this way shortly, hoping for good conditions!

Wow. So it did amount to something!

I'll be driving from Eugene.

I know that with all the new snow coming in skis and skins may be the tools of the trade, but I was curious if anyone had any recommendations on alpine routes worth doing this time of year that could be in good condition. Looking for anything in the washington or oregon cascades that could also have some potential for ice.. I have already perused this post: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/868154/Best_favorite_Winter_routes_in But was looking for any other ideas. Thanks again!

Looks like the LT's are getting more attention this summer! Including a ski trip with Steve House! http://vertical-unlimited.blogspot.com/2015/06/leaning-towers.html Kate Rutherford and Jasmin Caton put up a Grade V 5.11 C1 on Wall Tower called "State of Wonder"

Hello, I'm prepping this summer to move to Eugene for the next four years of graduate school. After two years in exile getting a Masters in North Carolina, I have returned to the Pacific North BEST! It feels good to see real mountains again. I haven't lived in Eugene before, and I don't know anyone in town, but I'm looking at getting out for some trad climbing, sport climbing, if there is snow some backcountry skiing, and I'm always up for alpine rock. Not sure where to meet like minded people in Eugene. Gyms? Clubs?... Any suggestions? I'm excited to see what the Willamette Valley has to offer and am up for driving up to Washington for Alpine granite or over the pass for some skiing on volcanoes. Just send me a PM to get in touch or respond here in the forum. Thanks so much, Matthew

More details on the route can be found in the newest AAJ, http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201213220/Hall-Peak-east-face-new-routes

There are now three routes on the east face of Hall Peak. The 1975 route and route put up by Ryan Leary and Evan Reimondo is also highlighted (Upper Ramp)

Yep. As the towers are in the Purcell Wilderness Heli is out of the question. In 1998, Sean Isaac and Guy Edwards (two canadians) caused a pretty big stir by taking a helicopter into the range. Canadian climbers were REAL upset that the two used their grant from the AAJ and CAJ to hire an illegal helicopter ride. http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199824202/North-America-Canada-British-Columbia-Purcell-Mountains-Block-Tower-Trout-Fishing-in-America

Trip: Leaning Towers - First Ascent - east face of Hall Peak Date: 8/16/2014 Trip Report: Are you an alpinist or alpine rock climber or even just a frequenter of the Patagonia catalog? If the answer is yes then chances are you’ve heard of the Bugaboos and chances are… you haven’t heard of the Leaning Towers. They are a group of three notable peaks 50 miles south of the Bugaboos. They feature similar age granite (granodiorite) to that of the Bugs but the 16 km approach that requires a significant amount of bushwhacking keeps the crowds away. The first ten days of August Winter Ramos and I spent bushwacking our way to the best alpine granite that either of us have climbed on. In our days in the range, we established two new routes on the east Face of Hall Peak: - The Direct East Buttress of Hall Peak (IV, 5.9+, 17 pitches, ~2000') - Post Credit Cookie (II, 5.10A, 4 pitches) The Leaning Towers are best viewed from the air; they are composed of three major named peaks. Given a hint after two of our friends had put up a new route on the east face of hall peak the previous year , we aimed directly at the largest buttress on Hall Peak's East face. The LT's are ~50 miles south of the Bugaboos. One of the best (legal) ways to get into the range is via the Dewar Creek Trailhead and then a hike up the pass just above Bugle Basin and down into the drainage below hall peak. This trailhead is accessed out of Kimberley, B.C. ~50 km of dirt roads. We horse packed in the first 12 k; then shouldered our big packs to hike up and over the pass. If you hit it early season enough there will be plenty of snow to make for easy going. At the top of the pass, we found our first view of Hall Peak's DRAMATIC east face. A night at the pass was followed by an epic descent into the most remote and exclusive bouldering area in all of British Columbia. Only a two day approach! This bush on the up had us hiking straight up the creek. UP, UP and UPPPP! we went until we were camped just below Hall Peak and our prize. The "Direct East Buttress" is in the centre of the above photo. This comes after a compilation of others routes in the ranges shows how much rock remains untouched! (Lines courtesy of Ryan Leary) With a bit of a rest day and a chance to scout around for our descent route, we racked up very soon after arriving to try for the Direct East Buttress. A 20 minute walk from camp at 5:00 AM had us at a nice ledge below our first pitch of climbing. The most intimidating feature on the lowers portion of the route is a large roof we could see through camp. Expecting something super hard, we brought out aiders and a few pitons. Winter found a sneak through on airy 5.9 moves. The rock was SPECTACULAR, lots of cracks only requiring moderate cleaning in spots where a bit more traffic would make for perfect climbing. Awesome face climbing just to the right of the main ridge (which is overhanging at this point), we connected cracked systems with a bit of slab all at 5.9! Winter led the crux pitch of the route, 40m of 5.9+ splitter hands! Our face climbing ended a the notch below a large gendarme on the direct south buttress, from here it was meandering mid-5th ridge climbing. After 17 pitches, some shortened for lack of gear and rope drag, we reached the summit!!! WOOT! From here it was a bit of down climbing 4th class slab, a few rappels, some steep snow and we were back to the col where we rappelled onto the snow field above camp. (image courtesy of Ryan Leary and John Scurlock) (image courtesy of Ryan Leary, NOTE, WE FOUND YOU NEED A DOUBLE ROPE RAPPEL TO REACH THE GROUND ON THE NORTHERN TIP OF HALL PEAK) Followed this climbing day with a day of rest, when we slept and played around placing pitons in our campsite practice wall The day after a much needed 24 hours of rest; we felt just leaving would be a bit sad. After taking two days to get to such awesome granite, why not keep rock climbing? A jaunt placed us just below the shorter northern aspect of Hall Peak. We spied a good crack system and ended up putting up a four pitch 5.10a we called "Post Credit Cookie" The first pitch was the 10a crux, clean cracks and fun lie backing and stemming moves gave us a fantastic intro to this face of hall peak. Then came another quality 5.9 pitch. The third pitch was 5.9 with an exposed slab and then low-5th You top out 100m to the south of the fixed rappel anchor. A quick double rope rappel takes you back to the snowfield above camp. We descended, packed up, and hiked partway out. We tried the high road on the way out, sticking to moraines and sidehilling on moraines on the northern side of the peak just adjacent the pass we were aiming for. A cold campsite for the night, then more STEEP bushes followed by three single rope rappels through vertical bush put us on an endless block field to the pass, we recovered some stashed gear and then down the other side. Even though it was incredibly hot, we relaxed our weak knees at Dewar Creek Hotsprings. Finally back at the trailhead several hours later we headed back down that isolated dirt road, looking forward to dinner in British Columbia's own Bavarian Village (Kimberley, B.C.). Block Tower and Wall Tower still offer large and probably HARD objectives. Wall Tower has no completed routes up its east face Hall Peak, thanks again! Get after it! Will be posting more writing and photos at my blog Gear Notes: We brought 2 60m half ropes. Full double rack to 3, with one 4. Could probably get by with single rack to bd .5 then doubles .5 to 3, single 4. If you are thinking of leaving the 4, we used it every pitch Approach Notes: Horse packers help a lot! http://raftkimberley.com/land-adventures Brad helped pack us in the first 12 km. Give yourself two days on the approach. Also! Would like to thank the Mazama's for helping to support our expedition!

Funny note about that hat. I climbed Outer Space on May 19th and found the hat in the dirt on the trail and put it on that dead tree. Felt bad for not carrying it out but we were all hands on deck with a very wet and scary descent. Didn't give it to much thought until just now, if it is still there the next time I'm descending that wall, I'll make sure to pick it up! Thanks for the post!