APE

Sweet pictures! I did the same (Kautz to DC carryover) a couple of weeks after your trip and conditions looked very similar. We opted to avoid the fan due to the debris, which your first photo captures.

I've read that Hood's north face can be good climbing in late fall. Anyone know current conditions? When it might get good? This is my first PNW fall/winter.

From the above I'm now leaning towards something in the 90s-low 100s waist. The weight penalty really doesn't seem too bad. What about length?

Thanks for all the info! Those G3s look really sweet... How would a mid- or high-80s underfoot, e.g. Volkl Inuk or the Dynafits, behave in the Cascades in winter? Does it become impossible to get down safely, or is it just kind of uncomfortable? I haven't done much powder or backcountry, only resort skiing previously. (I've signed up for an AIARE L1 course, want to get into backcountry safely...)

Has anyone done ski mountaineering in the Cascades with the Volkl Inuk or the Dynafit Mustagh Ata? (Anything else you really like? I mention these two because I can get good deals on them.) Both have been recommended to me for a first AT setup. Typical applications would be ski descents in the Cascades and maaaaaybe Denali or stuff in the Ruth Gorge eventually. Weight is definitely an issue since ascent routes I have in mind are generally technical.

DPS, words right out of my mouth.

I'm free that Th and half of the W before if you want to try and do a quick something. Do you think N ridge of Baker will still be in?

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Had a partner cancel on me for Sunday. Anyone interested in something quick and in Oregon? I was thinking Thielsen, Three Fingered Jack, or Washington. Could also be persuaded to do something else.

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@cush: You should just move out here!

Thanks! And Boston basin is 100% not what I meant. I meant anywhere on the ridge between Boston and Buckner.

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Has anyone done Sahale-Boston-Buckner (N face)? Any advice? Particularly I'm interested in: 1. how to find the "nice class 3 ledges" on Boston 2. easiest descent route 3. how is camping between Boston and Buckner? 4. for Buckner N face, is one axe + one technical tool sufficient, or do you really need two tools? Also, does anyone know what condition Buckner N face is in at the moment?

@Sidviscous: It's long, loose, crumbly, and uninteresting.

This was a really, really fun climb. One more thing to add under "(de-)approach notes": never eat a burger with jalapeno when your lips are chapped.

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I was up there Wed-Thur last week. Great conditions! Used a mountaineering axe + 1 technical tool. There are big cups for your feet everywhere. Did not need to place any pro. But bring a few screws and pickets anyway, as it'll keep getting icier as the season goes on. There is a fixed line for accessing the route, which we found helpful (it's an awkward move).

In general: stay right! Start on an obvious ramp on the right side which goes to the right. Approaching the middle of the route, you'll be forced more to the center for awhile. For us, this was just after an ice traverse with a really good ledge for feet, followed by an exposed move to the left around a corner. The middle is the route-finding crux and there are a few short ice steps. Maybe two 30 or 40ft pitches? I forget... mostly AI2 with a small bit of AI3. Once you can work your way back to the right, it's just a bunch of moderately steep snow slopes. At one point we took a steep snow slope up only to find it lead to a large crevasse that was invisible from below. There was a snow bridge maybe 80ft to the right, most easily accessed by climbing into a small ledge inside the crevasse. But the correct thing to do would've been to head up on the right from the beginning of that pitch. Stay right! From there, it's pretty easy snow slopes. If you send me your email I can send some photos. Or you can tell me how to embed photos in a post.

Sounds like you took a harder line through the jumble than we did the day before! Had to back off some steep snow, but nothing overhung.

I'm getting tired of walking descents... so I'd like to start ski mountaineering. For an AT setup, everyone seems to be saying Dynafit TLT bindings are the way to go. But what about skis? The two that have been recommended to me are the K2 Coomback and the Blizzard Bushwacker. Are these good choices? They look a bit heavy to me... Mostly I want to skin up and ski down volcanoes in the Cascades, nothing crazy steep (yet). Please excuse the noobishness and thanks!

Seconding this request -- thinking about heading up in the next couple of weeks. Has anyone been there recently?

I'm moving from the east coast to Eugene in May and I'd like to find partners for, well, everything! Rock climbing (gym and trad), ice climbing, mountaineering, beer...

My understanding is that it has straps to keep it in place over a pad. I guess the idea is similar to the Big Agnes bags that have no down on the bottom, since bottom-down is just about useless anyway. The weight savings are pretty good. Seems you can save at least 1 lb for a cold setup (-10 or 0 F or so) over high fill count bags.

Anyone have experience cold-weather (single digits F or less) camping with a down quilt? Specifically I'm curious about Nunatuk quilts. I've been thinking about this a fair bit. Some thoughts/questions: * I imagine they're easier to layer than bags if you ever face desperately cold conditions * can the head be kept warm enough? * without a closed design, what about drafts? * much lighter per degree of warmth rating than sleeping bags, since bottom-side down is useless anyway