jakedouglas

This spring/summer my partner and I climbed Baker and Rainier by the easy routes, and R&D in Leavenworth as well as most of the low 5th single pitch in the area. During the rest of the summer we hope to tick off a few more of the intro rock routes like The Tooth and North Ingalls, etc. My question is what would be some good beginner winter routes for a pair of noobs without anyone rope-gunning for us? We are meticulous about safety so I'm not really concerned about getting in too far over our heads, but I want to make the most of our time and not waste days bailing on routes we aren't ready for. These are on my radar so far: Lane Peak couloirs Guye Peak South Gully Tooth NE Slab Chair North Face Based on pictures and reading TRs, I think we could handle Lane and maybe Guye, but I'm not sure if we would get spanked on the others. I spent a day last winter noodling around with my tools in the Source Lake area and that was useful, but we would like to have some clearer objectives that are likely attainable. Suggestions?

Descending the DC route about 3 weeks ago a guide had 2 rope teams hot on our heels for a while after leaving the summit. I believe we offered or they requested to pass, either way we were happy to accommodate and stepped aside. The guide (female) was very condescending and dismissive and spoke all-importantly about how they needed to get their clients down and couldn't have anyone holding them up. Ok, whatever, be on your way. It turns out that they just rush the clients on easy terrain and then grind to a halt whenever there is anything tricky to negotiate. We caught up to them a mere 15 minutes after their passing and ended up waiting behind them numerous times, adding an extra 1-2 hours to the descent. At the top of the DC itself we waited and gave them a good head start to avoid getting stuck behind them, but shortly after we got backed up again going down a steeper section of loose rocks and wet snow. At the bottom two clients took a short fall on snow which was arrested by the guide grabbing onto a boulder. They appeared unhurt, but we gave them a few to sort themselves out, however they still weren't descending after being very patient. They were in our fall line and didn't want to knock anything down on them, so I shouted out that we were in a terrible place to stop (rocks falling here and there, people coming down behind us) and needed them to please move so we could continue. They replied that they were still busy doing work on a hand line anchor and we needed to stay put until they were done. After some more waiting we finally got down. I know this is a noob route (which is why I was on it, my first climb of Rainier) but asking to pass with the knowledge and intention of holding everyone up afterwards is a load of shit. The attitude that I should sacrifice my safety for the safety of you and your clients is also a load of shit. Mount Rainier is a national park and having someone pay you to drag them up doesn't give you any kind of priority. There's my asshole guide anecdote. No disrespect to not-asshole guides, as I am sure there are plenty.

Yes, the Marmot Plasma bags are very expensive. I got a deal on it. Feathered Friends has 900 fill bags and is usually cheaper with more fill weight than the bigger brands for their down products, but it looks like they only go as light as 30 degrees for their ultralight options.

We used Marmot Plasma 40 degree bags (http://marmot.com/products/plasma_40) on Baker and Rainier this season, in good weather of course. They weigh barely over a pound and did OK sleeping in our down jackets and with a hot water bottle thrown in the bag. That said, if I were to make the purchase again I would get a 30 degree to sleep a bit more comfortably with less waking up. At least sleeping on snow with thin z-lite mats, the 40 bordered on diminishing returns from the "light is right" philosophy. It's probably perfect if you are sleeping on dirt in the summer at lower elevation though.

I believe we spoke to you as you arrived at the flats in the late afternoon. Congrats again, this is awesome.

Loaded packs into the car at 5am on northeast Capitol Hill, went inside for some coffee and came back out 15 minutes later to find the window smashed and packs gone. Found my pack in an open garage a few blocks away with some things missing, other pack nowhere to be found. The only funny thing is that my pack was loaded with 50 pounds of water for training weight on our hike. It entertains me to think of someone trying to pull it out of the car and run down the street with it. Missing items: Canon S100 camera with CaseLogic case North Face Cipher Hybrid Hoodie softshell, blue/grey Small pack around 20 liters, grey with green trim, maybe a Camelbak brand? 3 liter platypus Grey Patagonia hybrid softshell hoodie iPhone, wallet, keys Lesson learned.

Thanks. Went up Saturday 6/22 and had to do several short carries on the initial route we took up (just below/west of Pan Point). On the way back down we stayed high to try to go through Pan Point like one would in the winter, which went except for one short carry but then we found ourselves on the wrong side of a fenced off area and we had to duck the fence to descend. Oops. Every steep slope on the way down was covered in glissade chutes which were annoying to negotiate, but the skiing on the snowfield itself was still great.

Haven't been up to Muir in about 6 weeks. Is it still skiable from Paradise without carrying skis very far or is that a lost cause by now? Thanks

Looking to head up the Easton this weekend. I watched the forecast all week and it looked like a fair amount of snow fell, ending this morning. Has anyone been up there in the last day or two and have any idea of traveling conditions and stability? Thanks

There is another old thread about this route here http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/329383/Mangled_hangar_and_bad_bolt_Do I tried the route earlier this spring and just downclimbed once I got up there and saw the condition of the bolt and the difficulty of the slab climbing. It's worth noting that Connie's Crack above is accessible by the dirty narrow gully/trough on the climbers left of B.S., although there isn't much protection.

I think we chatted with you briefly in the overnight parking lot as we were gearing up to skin to Muir in the evening. Glad to hear you made it - congrats.

I called the ranger station and it is still closed. She guessed maybe another 2-3 weeks until opening. Thanks for the help.

I saw a mention from a few weeks ago, but does anyone have more recent info about whether the gate is open and what the condition of the road and trail is? I also don't remember how far it is from the gate to the TH if it's closed, as I've only been up there once. Thinking of skiing the glacier this weekend. I'm guessing that the lake is probably no longer bomber to cross? Thanks

I ended up going to Rainier instead because I didn't want to deal with finding other parking and walking in. This is a real shame and makes it totally unreasonable for people to camp in this area during the winter. Was this ever brought up with someone at the Access Fund or anything? I don't know how any of this stuff works, but people should be able to use the area.

This blows. I'm not into doing the grey-area thing, so we'll probably park somewhere far away and walk. Thanks for the info.

Whatever happened with this? I'm looking to park overnight here.

This tent is advertised to setup with trekking poles and a 300cm probe. Has anyone actually used it this way? It weighs 1lbs 9oz if you do that instead of carrying the tent poles. This sounds attractive, but how does it work out in practice? I've only found a few reviews so far that seemed inconclusive. Would like to hear from anyone with personal experience using this tent. http://brooks-range.com/Propel-Tent.html

Came upon this today. The debris was frozen so it was probably from yesterday. Debris under Chair also. Beware. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12238854/slide.png

My toes are a bit wider and I ended up with Mammut Mamook GTX. Nothing else I tried on really came close to fitting comfortably.

Any update on recent conditions?

I bought my boots at FF but got similar advice elsewhere: There should be zero or minimal (1/4 inch or less) heel lift when walking (walk up and down the test "slopes" in the store). Heel lift is most apparent for me when climbing dirt trails on approach. Toes should not impact the front of the boot when kicking. Don't want to mash your toes when kicking steps into snow or ice. Just kick your toes into the floor to test this. Make sure the ankle area is laced tight to keep your foot from sliding forward. My foot also tends to slide forward into the front of the boot when descending dirt trails, which is not fun. The general fit should be pretty snug to keep your foot locked in, but not to the point of reducing circulation at all. If you sat still in them for an hour, your feet shouldn't fall asleep or get pins and needles or anything. I prefer being able to wiggle my toes a bit.

I just took one of these out for the first time and loved it. http://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/packs/3400-series/3400-ice-pack.html The top rolls down completely so it's still compact if you don't fill it up all the way. They also have a smaller one if you never plan to carry that much with it.

Looking for a partner in the Seattle area to get into alpine climbing and mountaineering with. I: Have some snow and glacier travel experience Know crevasse self-rescue and z-pulley skills Boulder V3/V4 and climb up to 5.11-something in the gym, but have done fewer than 10 sessions on real rock outdoors Have a decent studied understanding of rope and anchor skills, but haven’t gotten a lot of real practice aside from a little sport climbing, and practicing “multipitch” and rapping at the Magnuson climbing wall. Have a rope and sport draws, as well as trad gear that I need to learn how to use Have plenty of gas and food money to throw down Am very safety oriented and struggle a bit with fear of heights and exposure. You’re unlikely to find me on sketchy exposed scrambles or rapping off of single pieces. Want to work hard to become a better climber You: Hopefully have a similar attitude and amount of experience and are eager to learn, or put up with me until I catch up Are patient, level headed, and a clear communicator Have consistent views on safety and acceptable risk (don’t throw agreed upon best practices out the window when you’re feeling confident or pissed off) and err on the side of caution Don’t hate yourself if you don’t make the summit, and consider the primary goals of climbing to be self improvement, discovery and enjoyment, rather than just getting to the top Are willing to drive and have a car, because I don’t Want to get out regularly Some things I’d like to do in the coming year: Learn to ski, because descending snow for hours on end can get old Refresh crevasse rescue skills Take avalanche and wilderness first aid courses Learn trad on easy single pitch routes Some intro trad objectives like The Tooth Snow couloirs like on Lane Peak (Lovers Lane, Zipper, Fly) El Dorado West Ridge of Forbidden if I can harden up with regard to exposure Baker and Rainier The season is poor for a lot of these things, but I’d like to be getting outdoors when weather permits, even if just for sport climbing. I climb and train at a gym or on my bike most of the time right now. I also have a flexible work schedule, so I can do outings during the week. It seems like the common thing for someone at my level to do is join a club like the Mountaineers, but I’m not interested in being part of a large group. I’m looking for someone of a similar mindset to share the learning experience with on an ongoing basis. PM me with a little bit about yourself if you're interested.