Greg_Malloure

I am looking for a partner for the 5th or 6th. Hit me up if you still are.

Hi, I will have October 12th & 13th available to climb. I live at the base of Rainier in Ashford. I would be up to get on the Nisqually glacier for some ice cragging. If you make it up this way let me know. -Greg

Hi all, I just moved back to Rainier. I have a weird schedule with lots of days off in a row, mostly during the weekdays. I am really interested in skiing, though I am not the best skier - I can get down things alright. Combining Skiing and climbing would be great. Combining the N. Face of hood with a ski descent, or climbing Adams glacier and descending the North Face of NW Ridge... would also be cool. I would like to try routes on Rainier in a day as well, such as Ptarmigan Ridge. Anyway I am open to whatever, and am excited to get out! -Greg

I can send you some coordinates if you like. I hiked about an hour and half from Paradise and was on the lower nisqually. There is a series of ice shelfs and iced crevasesse. It is pretty obvious; we went there in a cloud because I work at the park and have been wanting to get out there ever since I saw them. I am sure higher on the glacier or elsewhere may afford more opportunities for climbing but these were the most accessible. I dropped off from glacier visita as if you were going to go climb the Kautz glacier. Look across the glacier in the center there is a strip of ice surrounding by rock and there is a series of steps there which old crevassess no taller than 30-40 feet so quite small but really good bouldering. The ice is pretty soft right now like was noted by the above poster. As noted, it is illegal to climb there without a pass so it is kind of a hassle if you do not have one already.

THought this was interesting and worth a share. I am not too clued in on the debate but I have heard a little about it. This report is from the access fund. http://www.opengate.org/access-fund-blog/2015/07/nps-wilderness-climbing-management-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.html It has been over two years since the National Park Service (NPS) issued a national-level policy that provides guidelines to individual parks on managing climbing (and bolts specifically) in designated Wilderness areas. Director’s Order #41 removed the threat that the NPS would ban bolts in Wilderness, but also tightened the screws on how climbers can place these bolts. Two years ago, the Access Fund could only theorize on how individual parks would choose to interpret and implement the general guidelines outlined in DO #41. Well, the wait is over, and we are now getting some answers to these questions. The Wilderness climbing policies that we’ve seen so far fall into the spectrum of the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Joshua tree thinFirst, the good. As a result of DO #41 Joshua Tree issued its first Wilderness bolting permit in November of 2013—ending a longstanding moratorium on new bolts in Wilderness. Then Superintendent Butler issued a policy that allows the authorization of new bolts to prevent damage to vegetation. As a result, the first J-Tree bolt permit was issued so that the tree above the classis crack Room to Shroom could be saved. Now, the bad. Lake Mead National Recreation Area recently issued a Wilderness Management Plan that calls for the removal of “bolt-intensive” routes in Wilderness and outlines a process for evaluating the removal of bolted routes due to impacts to Wilderness character, natural resources, and cultural sites. This process will include folks form the NPS, native American tribes, and the climbing community. You may be thinking…how is this not The Ugly? Consider that an earlier draft version of this plan proposed a wholesale removal of bolted climbing routes with no input from the climbing community. This nuance is substantial because it recognizes the need for the NPS to include climbers in decisions about fixed anchor management instead of making unilateral decisions. CharlotteDome_SEKIOne more bad. The recent Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Management Plan states that climbers can judiciously place non-permanent fixed anchors (e.g. slings and nuts) when necessary, without the need for permits. But climbers will need special-use permits to place and replace bolts in Wilderness. Again, how is this not The Ugly? The draft plan, which we strongly advocated against on the grounds that it was not realistic or safe, proposed that climbers apply for a special use permit ($20) and wait up to 3 months in order to acquire a permit for adding or replacing any fixed anchor—including webbing slings. We continue to work with the park to remind officials that bolt replacement is essential and the NPS should not obstruct climbers from replacing bolts due to safety and visitor experience concerns. Finally, the ugly. North Cascades National Park has ignored the majority of the guidelines provided in DO #41 and issued an unsubstantiated Wilderness bolt moratorium. The park not only bans new bolts, but can also remove existing bolts without any public process or notice to the climbing community. DO #41 provides park superintendents with the authority to prohibit bolts after they have established that bolts result in unacceptable impacts and have conferred with NPS climbing specialists and the climbing community. The Access Fund invoked the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to investigate what type of analyses North Cascades actually conducted prior to issuing their bolt moratorium policy. The answer: none. The spirit of DO #41 was intended to result in balanced policy that considers natural resources, Wilderness character and recreation opportunities, but the North Cascades interpretation resulted in a policy based on philosophical conviction without any assessment, study, or public process. We continue to fight this ban. North Cascades banner The inconsistency in the implementation of the NPS Wilderness climbing management guidelines is a problem. Resolving this inconsistency is one of the Access Fund’s top policy and advocacy priorities. We are working this issue through three main strategies: Developing an interest within NPS—both at the national and park level—to improve DO #41 implementation. A documented Fixed Anchor Policy, which we created in collaboration with the American Alpine Club, to outline the fundamental principles associated with our position on fixed anchors and guide our work on DO #41 implementation with parks. Convening a working group of both climbing and conservation organizations—including Access Fund, American Mountain Guide Association, American Alpine Club, Wilderness Society and National Parks Conservation Association—to develop and advance a strategy to improve NPS Wilderness climbing management policy.

THought this was interesting and worth a share. I am not too clued in on the debate but I have heard a little about it. This report is from the access fund. http://www.opengate.org/access-fund-blog/2015/07/nps-wilderness-climbing-management-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.html It has been over two years since the National Park Service (NPS) issued a national-level policy that provides guidelines to individual parks on managing climbing (and bolts specifically) in designated Wilderness areas. Director’s Order #41 removed the threat that the NPS would ban bolts in Wilderness, but also tightened the screws on how climbers can place these bolts. Two years ago, the Access Fund could only theorize on how individual parks would choose to interpret and implement the general guidelines outlined in DO #41. Well, the wait is over, and we are now getting some answers to these questions. The Wilderness climbing policies that we’ve seen so far fall into the spectrum of the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Joshua tree thinFirst, the good. As a result of DO #41 Joshua Tree issued its first Wilderness bolting permit in November of 2013—ending a longstanding moratorium on new bolts in Wilderness. Then Superintendent Butler issued a policy that allows the authorization of new bolts to prevent damage to vegetation. As a result, the first J-Tree bolt permit was issued so that the tree above the classis crack Room to Shroom could be saved. Now, the bad. Lake Mead National Recreation Area recently issued a Wilderness Management Plan that calls for the removal of “bolt-intensive” routes in Wilderness and outlines a process for evaluating the removal of bolted routes due to impacts to Wilderness character, natural resources, and cultural sites. This process will include folks form the NPS, native American tribes, and the climbing community. You may be thinking…how is this not The Ugly? Consider that an earlier draft version of this plan proposed a wholesale removal of bolted climbing routes with no input from the climbing community. This nuance is substantial because it recognizes the need for the NPS to include climbers in decisions about fixed anchor management instead of making unilateral decisions. CharlotteDome_SEKIOne more bad. The recent Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Management Plan states that climbers can judiciously place non-permanent fixed anchors (e.g. slings and nuts) when necessary, without the need for permits. But climbers will need special-use permits to place and replace bolts in Wilderness. Again, how is this not The Ugly? The draft plan, which we strongly advocated against on the grounds that it was not realistic or safe, proposed that climbers apply for a special use permit ($20) and wait up to 3 months in order to acquire a permit for adding or replacing any fixed anchor—including webbing slings. We continue to work with the park to remind officials that bolt replacement is essential and the NPS should not obstruct climbers from replacing bolts due to safety and visitor experience concerns. Finally, the ugly. North Cascades National Park has ignored the majority of the guidelines provided in DO #41 and issued an unsubstantiated Wilderness bolt moratorium. The park not only bans new bolts, but can also remove existing bolts without any public process or notice to the climbing community. DO #41 provides park superintendents with the authority to prohibit bolts after they have established that bolts result in unacceptable impacts and have conferred with NPS climbing specialists and the climbing community. The Access Fund invoked the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to investigate what type of analyses North Cascades actually conducted prior to issuing their bolt moratorium policy. The answer: none. The spirit of DO #41 was intended to result in balanced policy that considers natural resources, Wilderness character and recreation opportunities, but the North Cascades interpretation resulted in a policy based on philosophical conviction without any assessment, study, or public process. We continue to fight this ban. North Cascades banner The inconsistency in the implementation of the NPS Wilderness climbing management guidelines is a problem. Resolving this inconsistency is one of the Access Fund’s top policy and advocacy priorities. We are working this issue through three main strategies: Developing an interest within NPS—both at the national and park level—to improve DO #41 implementation. A documented Fixed Anchor Policy, which we created in collaboration with the American Alpine Club, to outline the fundamental principles associated with our position on fixed anchors and guide our work on DO #41 implementation with parks. Convening a working group of both climbing and conservation organizations—including Access Fund, American Mountain Guide Association, American Alpine Club, Wilderness Society and National Parks Conservation Association—to develop and advance a strategy to improve NPS Wilderness climbing management policy.

THis report from July 16th makes it seem that even the Pigion fork bypass of the snowpatch col may be more tricky than it's worth (again from MCR) "The top 60m of the Bugaboo/ Snowpatch col at the “normal” exit point is down to ice, and rock fall is a real hazard now. Getting onto the West Ridge of Pigeon there is about 50m of 20 degree bare ice and a large crevasse is open at the transition point from snow to ice. The Pigeon Fork of the Bugaboo Glacier has some bare ice and though still mostly snow covered, the bridges are thin and the travel around crevasses is tricky. Of course the rock climbing in the Bugs is still as good as it gets, it’s just slightly more challenging to get on it!"

This from an MCR report last week: "All recent mountain observations point to the continuing theme of dry mountains, with local consensus saying that it feels like mid-August out there. Great conditions for alpine rock climbs, especially ones that avoid rockfall areas or stick to ridges. Mt. Assiniboine north ridge and Mt. Sir Donald NW ridge are a good examples of excellent routes to climb when conditions are super dry. Alpine rock climbing conditions in the Bugaboos are excellent, and prior to todays new snow all routes were dry and good-to-go. The Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col, often suspicious in dry conditions, remains mostly snow and easy travel, although that will likely change soon. Watch out for this place when its dry because its famous for natural and climber induced rockfall"

For the conditions in the Rockies I found being on the MCR mailing list to be very helpful. It's mountain condition reports from the association of canadian mountain guides and is updated a few times a week. https://pairlist6.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/mcr

Trip: Mount Rainier: - Condition photos: Mowich Face and Ptarmigan Ridge Date: 6/27/2015 Trip Report: We went for a hike up towards Mowich Face with the intention of climbing the central face. As always Spray park, flet glaciers and observation rock make for a stunning landscapes. And in some ways it is worth it to go up there just to see all that. However, our goal was the central mowich face. Sadly, the face did not go for us and I am not so sure how long the face will stay in - if anyone would like to climb it soon in two weeks I would be game with the right partner and could be a really fun outing. I think right now it looks like the lower sections has some rock bands in it but the upper section is almost all snow. You can see some darker off white areas that may be ice. Additionaly, along the way I snapped a photo of ptarmigan ridge which is melting out pretty fast, the traverse pitch looks like it is all rock now. If you look closely in my photos you can see that the Edmonds headwall will be difficult to gain; the bergschround is completely seperated from the rock wall above. The climbing rangers reported one party having trouble with that and then climbing the Sunset Ridge instead. All in all a good day out. Ptarmigan Ridge: Mowich Face

Trip: Mount Rainier - Liberty Ridge Date: 6/22/2015 Trip Report: This trip report is from June 22nd 2015 on Liberty Ridge. For this objective I met my climbing partner Fred at the Ranger Station at 2:00pm to pick up our permits. Fred and I had decided on climbing liberty because the freezing levels were dropping to 8500-11000 verses the 14,000' that they had been at. We thought these freezing levels would hold the ridge together. This was mostly true, except there was a lot exposed rock on the ridge. Even with 11,000' freezing levels, the ridge did not exactly harden up. However, the snow was well featured and firm making for easy travel. After packing, we left the white river parking lot at 3:00pm. We made it to "high" camp on the curtis ridge at 8:00pm. High camp is now 7400' which seems to be the new standard. We awoke at 3:00 am for our summit attempt. The northern lights were out above seattle. We dropped on to the carbon glacier. After an hour on the carbon we veered left too early making one difficult belayed crevasse crossing. We ended up on the willis wall side of the ridge. Other than that the carbon was realatively easy to navigate. We touched Liberty ridge at 5:00am. I was hoping for easy fifth class climbing on the ridge but When the snow melts off in the summer liberty ridge is just a series steep scree and cliff steps. Without exageration it is completely deserving of the reputation as the worst rock in the Northwest. We failed to find an easy way onto the ridge proper. Instead, we contoured around to the east side. In the process Fred dislogded a basketball sized rock right on his ankle that he was trying to use for a handhold. Luckly he did not slide far and was OK. On our hike home his mid shin had swelled to the size of a grape fruit. On the east side of the ridge we chose the direct coulior leading to thumb rock saddle which was one of our considerations in the planning. The initial bergschround to gain the coulior was deceptively immense and provided very fun climbing deep in the schround. The actual coulior was littered with rock debris. We experience no rock fall in this zone. We moved fast and made it to thumb rock at 7:00am. This shows the angle of the slope on the direct coulior to thumb rock as well as the rock debris. I would recomend this variation when the lower ridge melts out. We chose a branch to the left of the main chute and the crossed over to the main chute later and then on up to thumb rock. Snow and rock avalanche debris from Liberty wall filling a crevasse. There are no signs of construction of campsites at thumb rock. It seems to be a slightly active rock fall zone. In our time at thumb rock it was only shedding pebbles once in a while. Still, I would not sleep here. Above thumb rock we connected snow fields up to the black pyramid. We chose the west side of the ridge because it held more snow and was less exposed than the east side. We managed to avoid most of the ice above the black pyramid. The pictures of this section from the ranger's blog left me feeling pretty intimidated. To my surprise the ice was low angle and avoidable. When you had to climb the ice it is actually fun and takes screws pretty well. We simuled through this section At 13,600', the bergschround again provided the best climbing. This was a cool ice step onto the face above. It was well featured, only about 15 feet of climbing and very fun to end the day on. It was just the right amount of challenge for me. Fred on the summit of liberty cap! I had feared this route so much for it's reputation but found the climbing to be by and large mellow. It is Still a route that is deserving of respect: it is 5,000 feet of ridge climbing, with objective hazards, and can be dangerous if caught in the wrong conditions and weather - or if you are unlucky. Needless to say the summit was such a relief and I was so happy to be there. And then there is the descent. This time we took the lower boot pack and did not go to columbia crest. We were back at the cars at 8:45pm which all said in done was pretty good for us - 18 hours from camp to car. Gear Notes: We brought 3 pickets and six screw which was excessive. The routes is not that sustained. We only used two pickets once to cross a wide crevasse that we belayed. The screws came in handy towards the top. I was happy to have six just in case but never used more than 3 or 4 at a time. The vast majority of the route is no steeper 30-35 degrees.

The weather looks pretty solid this weekend, May 30th and 31st . I would love to get out and climb a route on Rainer, Baker, Shuksan, or Adam's - send me an email! at gmalloure@hotmail.com - open to any ideas.

There is definitely snow filling the couliors but the temps seem so high that I can't imagine that ice has been forming. I drive by lane peak nearly everyday, I live in Ashford and work in the park. I am kind of tempted to try it. Have you found any good beta on it?

Hi, I just moved back to the North West this summer. I am living at Mount Rainier, in Ashford Washington and working for the park service. Looking for motivated folks to get after it and enjoy being in the Mountains. I have climbed a lot in the Tetons, Sierras, Cascades, and Bugaboos. I am solid on big alpine rock routes up to grade V. I can crag 10+, but much less if it is not a crack. I have my aid systems and big walling down. I absolutely love climbing as much 5.6 and moderate snow and ice as possible in a day. I have led AI3 but am much more timid when it comes to sustained and steep ice climbing. Routes for this summer that I would like to do: Rainier: Liberty Ridge, Curtis Ridge, Ptarmigan Ridge, N. Mowich face. Hood: Anything on the North Face Baker: Coleman Head wall Bear Mt: Direct North Buttress Mt Goode: megalodon ridge S. Howser Tower: Beckey-Chouinard (and one day all along the watch tower!) Anyway, I am open to any objectives and looking for consistent climbing partners who live near by. -Greg

Hi, I am hoping to climbing anything in the range if anyone is available to climb. I would be up for swinging leads on alpine climbs up to low tens such as Stuart's North Ridge. Though cragging at Index is really appealing those cracks look so much fun. Give me a call or text I will be away from emails until monday. 720-252-4916. -Greg