HHinkkala

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Selling my First Ascent Peak Xv for 300$ CAD that has been only used twice and is in like new condition. This is an expedition level jacket suitable for Denali, winter Rainier and those frigid ice climbing belays. Retails regularly for $499US plus tax. I'm 200pnds and 5-11, this XL fits well and is intended to layer over your clothing. http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/peak-xv-down-jacket/388322243/_/A-ebSku_0880999907000050__388322243_catalog10002_en__US If interested please email me at hhinkkala@gmail.com. I will ship both Canada and US.

Selling my First Ascent Peak 15 belay parka. Perfect for Rainier or Denali, its super warm. This jacket is essentially brand new, used only on two occasions at camp. Got an XL to layer over other clothing, fits well. I wear Large in Marmot and MEC, 5'-11" 200pnds. Just haven't been able to use it as much as I had hoped. If interested email me at hhinkkala@gmail.com Live in coquitlam BC but willing to meet at border, and frequently head down to cascade peaks... http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/peak-xv-down-jacket/388322243/_/A-ebSku_0880999907000060__388322243_catalog10002_en__US

Looks like a great trip and good photos! I can't stress enough to others (and to remind myself) to always load test the rappel device/line before removing your personal anchor...

Hi Wayne, I think taking the gondola would probably save about 20-30min. So my best guess for the time it might take from the gondola to the base of route would be around 1.25hrs ...but again some folks may be faster/slower....

Trip: Mount Habrich - Life On Earth Date: 8/28/2015 Trip Report: After a stellar period of great weather here in Vancouver, BC it was time try the route Life and Earth on Mount Habrich. My buddy Rob and I had been thwarted the previous year while trying to determine the exact start of the route, we ended up getting off track and onto a different line without the proper gear and bailed. My hope is this TR could provide helpful info to later parties so that they don’t experience a similar debacle like we did. Topo of the line from Mountain Project Sunday morning with Jean Marc we drove up to the new gate and we rode/walked our downhill bikes up to the main turnoff to Habrich. People can also opt to pay and take the gondola itself, however it doesn’t publicly operate officially until 10am, but I’ve heard climbers can get on with the crews at 8:30am...? I think it took roughly and hr to the turnoff. From here we stashed our bikes in the woods and zipped up the remaining approach to the base of the climb (around 40min). At the base we reviewed the 2001 McLane guide for where to begin the climb. The 11c start was easily visible with the bolt beside the trail on a swampy ledge beside the drop off into the gully, and as it correctly reads the main start is about 20m up and around the base of the cliff. There is a pull rope here but to start the route you need to stop about midway to where the rope is anchored at the upper tree. It should be noted that both the 11c alt start and the standard start both have small pieces of flagging. I think in hindsight on my previous attempt we used a less detailed topo since this time around I felt much more confident where the route started. I quickly roped up for the 1st pitch and headed up a direct line upward keeping the large main dihedral to my right side. This route is mixed so there are bolts on blank sections with ample opportunity for protection in the cracks and grooves along the way. After about 20m I was standing on a pedestal and I could see a bolt 15ft up and to my right that would provide access to the dihedral, where the topo outlines the route follows for a short period. Photo of me on the lower portion of the 1st pitch. In the McLane guide the topo shows an anchor station near where I was at this point but this didn’t make sense and neither did I notice a suitable belay anchor before the dihedral. As a side note the topo in the book also has different grades then the printed description portion so there was a little bit of discrepancy on pitch grades. In order to reach the bolt there was a move or two with sloping pockets above a decent #1 C4. After the bolt I reached out and moved out onto the dihedral and laybacked my way upwards and placed the #4. I went up a bit further adding another piece (#3?) and then noticed the bolt out left leading out of the dihedral. Once at this bolt I noticed the next one about 15ft directly above me (took me a few minutes to locate this) and upon reaching that bolt I was able to finally see the anchors that were tucked in the main corner above me, in a small alcove. It should be noted that the topo reads 3 bolts here but I only found two, but there is a good spot for a #2 C4 after the last bolt but before the belay. From what I recall all of the anchors on this route are generally hard to see until you are very close to them. The two cruxes on the first pitch seemed to be at the locations that are bolted. I also felt that this first pitch was probably the most difficult of the route but the other sections definitely offered some spice at their respective grades. Jean Marc coming up the first pitch. Jean Marc took the next lead that went directly above the belay and into the main corner. Looking up the first section of the 2nd pitch, a fixed piton is located near the circle. After stacking a #.75 / #1 BD cam above the belay and then later a small blue TCU, he clipped a fixed piton and climbed over the bulge and continued up the easy groove for a short ways. We took the early variation shortly after the bulge that lead out left onto the obvious bolts, where the cruxiest moves were, and from there the line continued up and onto the arête. The rest of this pitch was mixed bolts and gear up to the next station. Photo of me coming up the 2nd pitch. All smiles today. On the 3rd pitch I weaved a bit right and back left onto the arête and followed another mixed line of bolts and gear. There seemed to be two main cruxes on this pitch where the route travels over some smooth and steep bulges. This pitch was almost entirely on the arête with the last section weaving slightly right of the arête just below the next station. Me heading up the 3rd pitch. Jean Marc coming up the arete with Sky Pilot in the background. On the 4rth pitch the topo reads that there is keyhole slot for a nut that should not be missed, since it’s the only pro for a fair distance. About 15-20ft up from the belay I doubled the nut with a yellow TCU and from here it is a approx 20-25ft runout along the arête to the next bolt. A little unnerving since a fall will most likely end up on ledges on the right side but the climbing is no harder then 5.8 up to that bolt. Once at the bolt I followed a groove leftward from the arête which felt like the crux, over a bulge and into the crack that widened. After about 20ft, and a slung shrub, I stepped rightward and around the arête and followed 4 bolts with small crimps up to the next station. Looking up the 4rth pitch. Jean Marc came up and quickly racked up for the last pitch which was mostly bolted. He up and left following the first few bolts. The crux was at the 2nd bolt above a flake/bulge with several moves of thin smearing and crimping. From here he went straight up a crack that protects well and then he followed the remaining line of bolts rightward then again straight up, finishing on the left side of a large obvious triangular shaped boulder that sits at the top of the route, that can be seen from the belay. Jean Marc on the 5th (last) pitch. Once we got to the top of the route we left the ropes and scrambled to the summit to enjoy the views. Thereafter we rapped back down to our packs at the bottom of the climb. Great views up here. Few notes on the approach, it takes around 1.5hrs but I definitely recommend bringing pedal bikes with suspension if available. The downhill ride on the main logging road was very enjoyable. For gear we were a bit uncertain of what to bring and ended up bringing doubles in cams up to #3 C4 and x1-#4. In hindsight a full set of double cams are not needed and #4 was used only once on the first pitch at the dihedral. If I were to go back I would bring a single set of cams from blue TCU up to #4-C4 and I would double up on only #.5, #.75 and #1 C4. Single set of stoppers also suffices. Dozen or so draws is also adequate, including some extendables, since the pitches are almost all 50m. In the end the gear you bring is up to your preference, Jean Marc and I both air on the side of being more conservative in this regard. Two ropes are needed to rap the route like we did, alternatively you can rap the North line with a single but then you have to walk back to the base from the upper col if you stashed anything there. I think rapping the route is the best option. The walls are relatively smooth with little to snag your ropes on. All the pitches are in the 5.10 range. Even though the cruxes are challenging they are relatively short lived. Overall this route is a fantastic alpine climb near Squamish with access now made much more convenient due to the Sea to Sky gondola development. Hard to beat a fresh brew from the Sea to Sky gondola after a fun climb. Cheers, Henrik

Great write up! I was curious did you need crampons or ice axe at all on this trip for the approach?

That is an impressive outing, not only the link up but also with skies on! Solid work.

Nice, curious how long it took car to car, and if you had to bootpack any dry areas?

Thanks gents for the great photos, what a spectacular line! And I am in full agreement with Scurlock, you put out the effort to complete the route, therefore you name it as to your preference. Being Canadian I wasn't immediately familiar with the significance of the name. I was a bit perplexed until I googled it and I now must agree it is perfect for the peak.

That looks like a fantastic trip, congrats on the FWA! I'm curious how long it took for car to car, also do you have a photo showing the entire route outline on the NWF (maybe from a distance/approach)? I would be interested in checking out this route, if not this season then the following...

I think folks may be focusing too much on the nutrition/hydration issue. IMO Day-trips do not typically need the meticulous organization and consumption of calories that are being discussed here. And just as importantly, everyone functions differently based on their specific nutritional needs. For example, my partner and I did the N Face route on hood round trip from the stone shelter in just under 8hrs with under 2 liters and a few gels/bar each, and I would say we are mediocre in our speed/experience compared to others on CC. Traveling multiple days during an alaskan expedition certainly requires significant more planning, and stuffing of ones self of food, to carry on at a consistent pace from day to day. My thoughts on this Colchuk trip would have been one or both of two issues. Firstly relating to overall pace, which may have been a bit slower perhaps due to both fitness (this sounds less of factor for you) and certainly snow conditions. And lastly transitions/gear placements can eat up loads of time if not done in an efficient manner, or if protection requires considerable excavating... Improving on just fitness/transitions/placements can easily cut ascent times in half. Again I'm very glad to hear everything worked out for you both in the end and that you were willing to bring up this topic for discussion.

Your a hundred percent correct on this Dru, i know several people/stories where the climbers have contemplated hitting the spot rescue button, during an epic, in the same manner an addict looks at dope sitting right in front of them. Lol. Nevertheless I don't think the "temptation" to hit the button is a worthy enough reason in and of itself not to carry this simple type of insurance if the situation really does get serious. In my opinion I would think it would still be better to rescue more people, who may not all necessarily need rescue, then not be able to rescue the few who really do need the help... Also another issue that people in need of help don't always consider, rescue can take a very long time in the mountains to get coordinated and executed. It can easily take 24-48hrs, or more if weather comes in, to reach climbers located in complex/steep mountain terrain. This is another factor to to think about if your stuck in a really bad spot...In this case you better be able to hold out for that length of time or keep moving in some manner toward self-rescue...Obviously if someone is busted up real bad (broken bones, hemorrhage, spinal/head injury, etc.) you have to call for rescue immediately. But at least with a PLB you have the option to do so, but people still don't always live long enough to get rescued depending on the severity of the injury... Food for thought

I would think if someone cancelled an emergency signal on a spot/inreach and then subsequently sent out an all okay message then it would be much more clear that no rescue is required, wouldn't others agree? To me this seems to be another good reason for why these types of devices are superior over emergency only designated PLB/EPIRBS

Glad to hear you made it out okay, especially with all your fingers and toes! What a shame to bivy 30ft from the ridgetop, but I understand what it is like to not know/see how close you are to the exit when in the dark... My biggest reason for not purchasing a PLB like the ACR ResQLink is that you can't "cancel" an emergency signal, as far as i'm aware. With a spot/Inreach if you decide to hit the SOS button and thereafter manage to find yourself out of trouble, you can cancel your emergency distress signal. This feature, and especially the 2 way text capability with inreach, makes these devices far superior over other PLBs/EPIRBS for users that travel/climb in the mountains.

Looks like a lot of fun and good conditions, the North Face Baker report also looked like a good ramble. I'm surprised you found a piton placement in the middle gully. I looked hard for spot up to near midway (in Nov) and only found junk at the time...

Glad to hear to you both got out okay, sucks about the spill. Its certainly a ways in there to have to hobble back to your vehicle for sure. On the plus side that pillar looks much more filled in compared to when we were on it a few months back....

Braden Downey and Will Hinckley got it between rain storms. I was hoping they would put up a trip report here, they posted it to FB first. I talked to Braden the other day about it and it sounds like he really enjoyed the route. I would be very keen to hear how that climb went! Does a TR exist for this? Good for them for getting it completed for the 2nd time.

Hey Derek, thanks for the clarification, I updated the photo subtitle. Are you referring to the original trip post (which I figured was submitted by one of you two) or my reply with photos, I'm Henrik by the way. Cheers!

It was great to have been able to share the route with you guys, and we certainly owe you beer for the fine track you made! I've added some additional photos below of you both on the route. It was a excellent day for sure and couldn't have asked for better conditions! Cheers! Heading up to the 2nd ice step Jonathon? on lead Me getting ready to head down the Cooper spur Jonathon and Derek already making tracks down on the left slope. (Photo by Hunter) Downclimbing Cooper Spur (Photo by Hunter) Route Topo (Original photo by Hunter)

Hi Maurop, I understand that the Cosley Houston is rated as a grade 4 route and the Polish is grade 4-5 as mentioned in earlier comments... The descent is a fairly mellow walk off with a few short sections of easy down climbing...

Nice! We were actually surprised to see traffic on this route since we weren't sure how often it got climbed. I saw the place where you made your second anchor and figured you probably buried your tools. And yes the first curtain was by far the best part of the route.

Glad to hear i'm not the only one who enjoyed the snow conditions...lol. And pickets did seem for us to be the best gear for building belay anchors.

Trip: Mount Colfax - Cosley-Houston Route Date: 11/16/2014 Trip Report: This weeks high pressure weather system was simply to good to pass up, coupled with the current minimal amounts of snow cover meant for quick access to higher elevations. The Cosley-Houston route on Colfax has been on my radar for a year or so. I had two previous failed attempts, one where I got completely stormed off the Heliotrope and another where my partner and I inadvertently sun burnt our faces in a snow squall on the approach... it turned out to be the worst sunburn of my life. Lessons learned I opted to simply day-trip this time around since the walk up seemed straight forward with the minimal snow base...and I also remembered to not neglect the sun screen this time either... Hunter, Marcel and I slept at the trailhead and woke up early the following morning on Sun, Nov 16. We left the truck at 4:00am and got to the alpine shortly after crossing several frozen streams. There was a dusting of snow at the starting alpine meadows which increased slightly in depth as we made our way up. Once we got to the glacier we roped together. Overall the approach was reasonable however around the black buttes the snowpack became a foot thick layer of sugar snow that wouldn't compact when you stepped onto it, a sign of what we were to expect later that day. This slowed our progress some but nevertheless we got to the base of the route after around 5hrs, a little slower then we were hoping but not too big of a deal. It also appeared another party climbed this route a day or so prior since there were tracks leading up and off the route. Photo of the route in red, belays in yellow circles. At 9:30am Hunter led the first pitch which took nothing but our shortest screws. Hunter built a belay just under 60m and to the right of the first main curtain. His belay consisted of a cam placed in crummy rock, pounded in picket, 13cm screw and I believe also his ice tools. This was going to be a no falling day for sure, not much different from other days in the alpine but certainly more emphasis on this day. After the 1st pitch I went around the corner to investigate the first ice curtain which started with two steep columns, one being much more solid then the other. Me heading out on the 2nd pitch I gingerly climbed from behind the columns, through the opening between them and out onto the steep ice, I found a few spots to stem across the columns which was nice. Climbing this pitch was a blast but unfortunately the ice curtain ended into a snow gully which did not provide any decent protection. With the remaining rope beginning to dwindle I progressed up the gully which consisted of a 1 inch icy crust with sugary/unconsolidated snow beneath. I wasn't able to find any cracks in the rock either. I had some choice words that I vocalized for not carrying a picket with me on that pitch. In the end Marcel and Hunter had to break down the belay and simul-climb for a few meters so that I could find a patch of snow that felt a bit firmer where I then dug a foot ledge, buried my tools (t-slot and vertical), belayed off my harness and hoped like heck nobody took a fall. Hunter and Marcel quickly came up and when Hunter reached my stance he pounded in a picket which provided a more security. In my opinion I felt that in order to be able to actually hold a fall the snow anchors probably required 1 or 2 pickets, plus your buried tools. Nevertheless we continued upward and Marcel made short work of the 2nd steep curtain and ran it out to around 70m. Marcel going toward the 2nd curtain Hunter and I were getting royally bombarded by icy/crusty pieces raining down so we broke the anchor and simul-climbed to the side of the gully. This provided us with much needed reprieve while Marcel was excavating the next anchor platform which included buried tools and a single picket. Hunter on the 2nd curtain Afterwards we came up to Marcel's belay and Hunter took both pickets, the rest of the gear and started up the final snowfield/gully. Hunter on the upper snowfield before the final snow gully to the top Hunter made the best of what he found for gear and we all ended up simul-climbing just over x2 rope lengths to the summit finishing at 2:30pm. Topping out was simply fantastic, we came out from the shade of the North side straight into the hot sun and the views of Baker and the surrounding peaks could not have been any better. Happy to be on the top We took some photos and ate some food before descending, which was made easier by the tracks left from the previous party. The descent to our stashed poles/pack was mainly uneventful except for the massive whoomp we heard while walking over a large but fully covered snow bridge that scared the heck out of us. My guess was that a large piece of snow/ice fell off the underside of that snow bridge since we didn't feel or see any settlement. After our stash we strolled back down the glacier in fading light and got back to our vehicle at 7pm. Heading down from Colfax Evening sun on the Polish Route and the Cosley-Houston I had read previous trip reports of the trip being done 12hrs car to car so our 15hrs seemed a little slower then the norm. We definitely burned significant time trying to find and build belay anchors, we also lost a bit of time (maybe an hr?) with a team of three but we mostly were able to climb in sync. For this route I would recommended bringing 3 maybe even 4 pickets, we only brought 2 and for me (perhaps others might disagree) but it didn't quite seem enough to be able to build a snow anchor that would have held a fall. We also brought a mix of 10 screws (mostly short) but only needed 7-8, a few cams, 6 nuts and 3 pitons. We ended up only using x2 cams and one angle for the rock pro, but the rock on the route is more like frozen mud so I can't say was really worth bringing at all. I have also read of other parties on this route experiencing similar crust with sugary snow, but I suspect that with some freeze thaws cycles these sections may improve. Overall the route was enjoyable and it is a great way to get up Colfax. Cheers, Henrik

For sale sportiva spantiks for $525 that have just over 1 week of use on Denali last year (I used skies/ ski boots on the lower approach). Boots are in exceptional condition, except a minor lace replacement. I wear 44.5 in other sportiva footwear, nepals, trangos. Please email me at hhinkkala@gmail.com Cheers, Henrik Burnaby, BC