mthorman

I use Strava on my phone for running and biking and I really like it. I use Gaia for backcountry navigation and tracking. Here is my take on it. I really like the Strava website as it is a great online platform (on the computer) to see speeds, distance, elevation, segments, and other good stuff post workout. And honestly you can upload your Gaia track as a .gpx file and it has pretty much all the same stuff. The thing that sucks about Strava is battery life on the phone. It drains it pretty rapidly especially if you don't have good cell service....like hiking in the mountains. Gaia on the other hand will work with you phone in "Airplane mode". Just download the map section to where you are going prior to the trip and then use the app with your phone in airplane mode. I spent 4 days up around the Boston Basin area and used Gaia for navigation and to track all of my travels. I took a small AA charger and used it once to charge my phone from 20% back to 100%. But for day trips or even shorter weekend trips my iPhone 5 battery will last with the track on during hiking. And if you don't have the app tracking you could just use the app for navigation and I suspect it would last multiple days easily. Honestly I have stopped carrying a handheld GPS as the topo on Gaia is easier to read, scroll, and zoom then my Garmin. Oh and if battery life on your phone is an issue sometimes you can get an extra battery pack or battery case for you phone that will extend the life. Or there are plenty of small chargers that you could take on longer trips to recharge your phone.

Nice job on getting it done in a day! I did this route a couple years ago and really enjoyed climbing Baker without all the crowds. The views of Shuksan were amazing too!

I was up in Boston Basin last week. The approach actually is fine. The trail is mostly free of snow up to the lower bivy spots in Boston Basin. The road is still closed at MP20 but the rangers said they thought it would open up this week. The route looked good from below. Plenty of people doing the east and west ridges on Forbidden Peak. It did drop about 4-6 inches of new snow above 6000 feet yesterday but I suspect that to melt off this week quickly. Just expect to be on snow for a lot of the traverse across Boston basin which would probably actually make things easier. If you are interested I will see if I can find a photo showing current snow coverage.

Just because you don't have a permit for the Enchantments doesn't mean you can't climb in there. With a good boot pack and an early start many of the climbs can be done car to car in a day which you don't need one of the lottery overnight permits for.

Is this still for sale? I am just starting a new training plan and looking for a way to have a portable hangboard.

Yes the iPhone does take great photos...and for the panoramas it was much easier and better than my S120. But I would hate to take all the photos on a iPhone. As Jason said, shooting in RAW or at least a high quality JPEG then editing in Lightroom will really give you the best quality photos. The S120 supports a RAW file format. I also like the S120 because I can use it in a manual mode (for shutter speed, and aperture) which is sometimes very helpful with low light, or bright contrast. And yes Josh definitely put Alaska on your climbing list....just don't do Denali

I used a Canon Powershot S120 for all the pictures. Except the 4 or 5 panoramas which were taken with my iPhone 6.

Thanks! Do the pictures show up better now...still wonky??

Thanks Jason, that helps a bunch! That oven is sweet looking! I am definitely going to try one of those out in preparation for next season.

Trip: Ruth Gorge Alaska - Ham & Eggs, Shaken Not Stirred, and SW Ridge 11300 Date: 5/16/2016 Trip Report: Joe Peters and I just got back from a great 2 week trip to the Ruth Gorge in Alaska. This was my 2nd Alaska expedition (the first being to Denali WB) and I was a little surprised at how much easier it is to "plane camp"....no hauling sleds!! The packing phase for this trip was more like 4 books....sure; 2 sets of tools....why not; a dozen eggs....yes!! You get the picture. You can pretty much take whatever you want as long as you are willing to pay the extra money when you have over 125lbs of gear. Overall we had a fantastic time and were able to climb three great routes. Overview April 30 - Fly to Anchorage, travel to Talkeetna May 2 - Fly with TAT to the Root Canal May 4 - Climb Ham and Eggs on Mooses Tooth May 7 - Climb Shaken Not Stirred on Mooses Tooth May 12 - Bump flight to the West Fork of the Ruth May 14 - Climb Southwest Ridge of Peak 11300 May 15 - Fly home to Spokane Warning: as usual, I tend to ramble and be lengthy so if you are looking for the pictures just scroll down. A couple words about gear/food. As I said you can bring whatever you want. We brought a Hilleberg Nammatj 3GT for base camp and an MH EV2 to use if we wanted to on routes. In the end we just single pushed all the routes so we each had our own tent at camp. It may have been overkill but it was nice on storms days! Both Joe and I brought Exped MegaMat 10LXW sleeping mats. They are heavy and bulky but they sleep as though you were on your mattress at home!! By far the best base camp mat I have ever seen or used. The kitchen tent was super nice even for just a party of 2. Great to get out of the weather, cook, hangout, store gear etc... Speaking of storage bring Rubbermaid boxes. We only brought one and wished we had more. They stack, keep stuff organized, make excellent places to eat/cook, and keep your chips and bread from getting mashed. As for food bring anything and everything. On storm days or rest days cooking gives you something to do. We made breakfast burritos, fajitas, pasta and lots of other great dishes. My personal favorite was our make shift oven. I took a round cooling rack and used a circular baking sheet on top of it. Then I put the cooling rack in a deep dish frying pan and put the lid on it. This elevates the baking sheet up an inch and you can bake to your hearts content. We made warm biscuits with butter and honey, chocolate chip cookies, and my favorite...personal pizzas. We took split boards which worked well for flotation and gave us something to do for an active recovery. Bring a 5 gallon bucket and a toilet seat that fits on top. It is WAY better than squatting over the little CMC cans the NPS provide. Last minute sorting while waiting to load our stuff into one of Talkeetna Air Taxi's Otters. Paul flew us in....also a treat to fly with such a great pilot. Views looking up the Gorge as we approach the Root Canal Glacier. The huge east face of Mt Dickey dwarfs the 2,500 ft tall Mt. Barril with Denali in the background. After landing on the Root Canal we took advantage of good weather to get on Ham and Eggs a couple days later. I can see why this climb is so popular. The crux sections are steep but short and the final summit ridge to the top is safe but great exposure and views. In talking with a guide who has been to the Ruth many seasons, he said this year it was in "friendly condition". It was busy that is for sure. We left camp at 4am about 1 1/2 hrs behind the first group of 2. Another party of 3 left 1 1/2 hrs behind us. And while occasionally we had to wait for people or others waited for us, everyone got along and all parties summited. There is lots of beta out there so I won't get into too much detail. We broke up the climbing into lead blocks. I pitched out the 1st couple entrance pitches through mixed terrain and an ice step. From there we simuled over easy snow to the crux. Joe got in a couple of good screws then clipped some fixed pins right before the top out. Above the crux we simuled to the top. The ice steps were in good condition and gave adequate protection making for some really fun climbing. From the col we continued up to the summit passing a v-thread and a couple of buried pickets on the way. We had clear but windy skies up top. Beautiful views of the Alaskan Range. Started back down and had a couple of rappels and some down climbing to get to the col. Then about 16 rappels later we reached the glacier below. All the rap stations had good fixed gear, and all told we were just under 10 hrs round trip from camp. Unloading our stuff at the Root Canal airstrip. Happy to be on glacier. Our camp on the ridge above the Root Canal with Mooses Tooth and our objectives in the background. Joe leading the way through the lower easy snow slopes. You can see the 2 of two ahead of us on the crux of Ham and Eggs. Joe leading us through the easier ice steps above the crux of Ham and Eggs. Climbing past a huge boulder along the ridge on the way up Ham and Eggs. Joe topping out on the corniced summit of Mooses Tooth after completing Ham and Eggs. Looking south across the range from the summit of Mooses Tooth. Rappelling one of the pitches mid way up Ham and Eggs. Shaken Not Stirred is the big brother to Ham and Eggs. Not in the sense of height or vantage but in the degree of difficulty. Overall the route has a lot more steep sections of ice and more mixed rock. Then the crux is obviously harder. We talked with 2 separate parties who bailed before the crux. So armed with some determination we took all the gear....aiders, talon hooks, the usual rack, and even rock shoes. For Shaken to be good you need a very cold night best after some warm afternoon. On Saturday we woke up at 4am to 15F in the tents and decided it was the day. Outside the weather was less than perfect with some low clouds coming and going, but we opted to give it a shot. As it turns out they all burnt off and it was a great day out. We left camp at 5am and quickly arrived at the base. The beginning couple of pitches were not rotten or scary as had been reported. We found neve snow and good ice. Joe led up to the easy couloir where I took over the step kicking and simuled up to the "narrows". From here we pitched it out changing leads. Even if you don't get to the top of the route the narrows are totally worth climbing. Absolutely cool and appropriately named. At 1 spot you couldn't face into the ice because your shoulders wouldn't fit between the rock walls. The ice quality was generally good and pretty soon we arrived at the crux. I led the pitch below the crux and put the belay on the right wall about 20 feet below tucked out of the way. The climb turns a bit left at the crux so my belay spot was out of the firing line which as it turns out was probably one of the best decisions I made that day. The crux is basically a chockstone jammed between the walls. It protrudes out 3 or 4 feet from the back wall. Ice pours over the chockstone and the cave it forms underneath was full of snow. The right side is steep rock while the left was a little more friendly with a couple of thin cracks and a veneer of ice. Joe took a look and said he was going to do it. He decided to leave his pack at the belay and soon took off. Climbing up he got in a 10cm stubby screw in the ice on the left. He put it as high as the ice allowed before it thinned down but it was probably 15 feet below the actual chockstone. From there he worked up towards the ice above. The large section of snow was soft and unconsolidated. Attempting to get a handhold to weight slightly while reaching up with the other tool the unthinkable happened. The entire section of snow probably the size of several refrigerators gave out and it all came crashing down. I caught his fall and flattened myself into the corner as the huge chunk of snow cartwheeled just a few feet to my left. His stubby screw held and nobody was injured. Now that the snow was gone he climbed right back up and was able to get a #1 BD C4 high up underneath the chockstone. Then he worked out left and up mixed terrain. Finally he got in some good sticks above and pulled over the chockstone. We both relaxed a bit as he got in a good screw. I followed but had my own challenge as the large ice coming over the chockstone broke off with me on it. After dangling in space for a minute I was able to drytool up under where the ice had been and reach the easier terrain above. We were excited to have got the crux, and I took over the lead expecting 3 easy pitches worth of snow above. It was quickly apparent that was not the case. The topo we had said to go up over a snow hump then traverse left. As I went up my progress soon slowed as I began excavating. It wasn't quite a tunnel but at times it felt like it as I worked up digging a 3 foot wide trench through the vertical snow. An hour or so later I had made it up 30-40 feet and dug a big hole through the snow hump looking down into the traverse and the next couloir. Joe followed the pitch then we simuled up to the top. After a couple quick pictures and some water we started the process of descending the route. It was obvious from the rap stations that Shaken doesn't get climbed as much as Ham and Eggs. We replaced several cords, added some rap rings/carabiners and beefed up a couple of stations with a pin or nut. Rappelling the 1st couple pitches at the bottom drove home the need for cold temps. All the snow and ice had turned to mush in the afternoon sun. We arrived back at camp at 5:30pm in time for a much needed dinner. We were super stoked to have climbed such a fine line, but also very taxed both physically and mentally. Looking up at Shaken Not Stirred on the day before our climb. Joe leading through some of the ice on the 1st couple of pitches of Shaken. Joe coming up the snow couloirs below the "narrows". Joe climbing up through the 1st pitch of the narrows. Unbelievably cool climbing! Joe leading another awesome pitch of narrows climbing. Here is Joe working on the crux prior to his fall. Here is what the crux looks like after the snow all fell out. Quite a big hole!! Looking back at the traverse and top of the trench through the snow hump. After a couple of days rest we started to get itchy to move. We wanted to "bump" to the West Fork of the Ruth and try Peak 11300's SW ridge. The weather was nice so we called TAT to get our bump. They said to get ready ASAP. Unfortunately in the meantime of breaking camp it clouded back up and we had packed for nothing. Not wanting to drag all of our stuff back up the ridge to our camp we settled for taking the necessities. The next day we arrived back at the airstrip cache to find our stuff in a complete mess. The ravens had opened up everything and destroyed, carried off, or ate about 2 weeks of Joe's food. I only lost a couple days worth because a lot of mine was in a rubbermaid box. Spirits were low as the snow fell for another day but the lesson was learned....Rubbermaids all around next year! Spending some time watching the clouds and light dance on the mountains. The big rock buttress looks very inspiring!! Our big mess of destroyed food after the ravens got into it. Bring Rubbermaids, bury your stuff or keep it in a tent! The dreary days of waiting......listening to music, cooking, reading. A shot looking down the Ruth Gorge on our bump flight to the West Fork of the Ruth. We finally got our bump on Thursday and proceeded to setup camp at the base of Peak 11300 while we watched avalanches and seracs fall off the faces as the sun moved. We decided to attempt the route in a single push with only down parka/pants for backup. We also brought an MSR Reactor stove and 16oz of fuel along with 1 cooked meal per person. The weather window looked good but temps were very warm. As a resulted we decided to leave fairly early and try to beat the heat. Alarms went off and we were soon following the boot pack out of camp at 2:15am. I led out as we transitioned from the flat glacier to the starting slopes up to the ridge. Simul-climbing we quickly reached the 1st rock band. We simuled through it, then I brought Joe up so I could get the gear back. Another block of snow and rock and we were just below the "thin man's squeeze". The rock steps were just so much fun with great gear that I couldn't stop smiling. Another block and we took a break at the 1st col to rehydrate and eat. The sun was starting to light up Huntington and the other surrounding peaks. Another simul block brought us up through the S couloir and to the rap into the 2nd col. I pitched out the next short section through the ledges and mantle move, more for rope drag than anything else. From here Joe took over the lead and we headed up weaving around rocks, up snow, and climbing mixed steps. For the most part the route stayed on the ridge or just to the right of it. The crux of the route felt like it was the last "5.8 gully" noted on the topo. Joe got the lead as we continued our simul climbing through it. It was super fun climbing and protected very well. From there we pretty much made a beeline to the summit. The last few hundred feet were snow although you could dig down and put a screw in the ice to protect every once in a while. Topped out at 10am and into the warmth of the sun. The views from the summit and along the ridge are stunning, some of the best I have seen! We quickly headed for the descent as we knew things were getting sloppy. The ridge to the top of the rappels had a bookrack but required a little bit of down climbing in some spots with serious runout in soft snow. We added another rappel anchor at the 1st rock outcrop above the sheltered col because the down climb looked hazardous in the current conditions. Then once over the col the regular raps started. There is actually a fair bit of traversing between rappels but never too bad. Finally after 8 raps or so we made it over the bergshrund and on to the glacier below. We had watched the slopes slide yesterday so we quickly made our way down crossing a couple of crevasses on the way. The whole bowl was baking in the sun by now and we longed for the shade of the tents at camp. We got back at 2:30pm making it in 12hrs and change tent to tent. The rest of the afternoon was a blur and by 5:30pm we were sitting at the Mountain High Pizza Pie in Talkeetna with the great white mountains only a memory. And so an Alaska trip is over but we are already talking about next year!! Our camp on the West Fork of the Ruth. It is such a beautiful setting. Peak 11300 catches some afternoon sunshine in the Ruth. Rooster Comb can be seen the background. A panorama somewhere below the 1st col. Joe is just a tiny dot along the ridge line in the middle. Looking up to the "grey rock" and the S couloir from the 1st col. The North Face of Huntington catches rays of morning sunshine. In the foreground you can see the tracks at the rappel to the 2nd col. Joe leading the way up the upper section of the ridge as the sun is starting to round the summit. A super wide angle showing the Ruth Gorge and Alaska range. On the right Joe is coming down the summit ridge behind me and on the left you can see the boot track continue down the corniced ridge. Looking back up at the steep corniced ridge that we descended.

Nice job! Looks like a much cooler start to the TC!

Liberty ridge has a TON of TR's and good beta so won't elaborate. Here are a couple of links to some Curtis Ridge Beta. Also as DPS said Curtis Ridge really is in an entirely different league than Liberty Ridge. http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1125705/TR_Mount_Rainier_Curtis_Ridge_#Post1125705 http://www.markpthomas.com/mountaineering/trip-reports/washington/curtis-ridge-attempt

Great photos...especially the night ones! Any chance you could email me a copy of the 6th picture? The one of my partner and I starting up toward the Reid Headwall. Thanks for the boot track across the Reid Glacier! Marlin westbnsf@gmail.com

Great job man!! We met you near the top as we were coming up from the Reid Headwall and you were heading down the Sunshine. Looks like we should have gone down to the Elliot to find ice since the Reid didn't have any!

I am looking for a fit and motivated partner who is interested in climbing the Reid Headwall on Mt. Hood Saturday morning (4/16). Ideally would like to leave Timberline around 2am and be back by noon or slightly after. Plan to skin up/ski down from Illumination Saddle. Email (westbnsf@gmail.com), PM, or reply to this thread if interested. Marlin

+1 to everything Jason said. I have descended the "east ledges" twice and it wasn't too bad if you are comfortable in 3rd and 4th class terrain unroped. However it isn't quite a cakewalk either. When I climbed the East Ridge itself there were several sections I would not have wanted to down climb and there weren't any rappels to reverse the ridge itself. More from my trip can be seen in the following link. Note there is a picture my partner took of the east ledges descent. Gives you an idea of what it is like after the rappelling stops. http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1140853/TR_Forbidden_Peak_East_Ridge_7#Post1140853

I feel like a lot of avy decisions are based in the field depending on what you find. But I would recommend looking at the Northwest Avalanche Center's avy forecast to get a better idea of the overall snowpack. When I was up there it was hard and icy above 7,500 or 8,000 feet. No wind slabs (except small drifts), and certainly no powder. My bet is the biggest avy issue to look for this weekend would be wet/loose slides between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. But then again conditions can change from day to day. I have heard from at least 2 other parties that want to get up there this weekend so you might not be the only ones. Have fun if you go!

I was up on Adams on Saturday and everything above 7500 feet was wind blown and hard (no powder). There were a few pockets of wind slab but they were small and easily avoidable. I would assume that Rainier would be very similar. There was a lot of wind with the last storm system that came through and scoured the mountain clean. Have fun up there...I have always wanted to get on Gib ledges.

Trip: Mt. Adams - South Route Date: 3/26/2016 Trip Report: Had a long day up Mount Adams yesterday. There is still a lot of snow down low so I had to park at Pineside Snopark. From there I skinned up FS 8225 to FS 150. Then took a line up through the trees towards Cold Springs Campground. Once up high I went up by South Butte to Lunch Counter, and then on over Piker's Peak to the summit. All in all it was 26.5 miles round trip from the car with just a hair under 10,000 feet of elevation gain. Snow conditions were very wind blown up high. Summit hut is completely buried. I took my splitboard but had to stash it at 7,500 feet and switch to crampons. I did get to ride it for about 3 miles or so from 7,500 feet down to 4,500 feet which was nice. Then switched back over to skins for the rest of the way out. There are a few wind slabs but nothing bigger than a small drift. The snow line is roughly 3500 feet in the trees. The FS roads are all covered higher than about 2800 ft. Here is a link to the GPS file for those interested. http://caltopo.com/m/20N5 Gear Notes: Splitboard or skis to get you in. Crampons for the upper mountain. Approach Notes: 8 miles just to get to the Cold Springs Trailhead.

Just got back today from a trip up there. There will still be plenty of ice to climb in a couple weeks.....you will just have to be more careful in your selection. Anything north facing should still be in and fat. We climbed Professors, Spray River, Guinness Gully (plus Stout and High Test). If you drive up the Parkway there is plenty that is in as well. Just watch your avy danger and sun aspects. As for guides the 2 you have to chose from are Brent Peters' "Ice Lines" and Joe Josephson's "Waterfall Ice, Climbs in the Canadian Rockies". Search instagram or grav sports for a specific route to see recent conditions.

Sorry about the snowshoes, that is a big bummer. Did you by chance get a look at Dragontail Peak or Stuart Peak? Would love to know what the spring alpine routes are looking like.

Glad you found a partner Peter! And it looks like you guys killed it!! Awesome!

Well I am not an expert but here is what I found when doing the same research. The short answer is June has the most summits (but that isn't really a percentage gauge because June also has the most people on the mountain). The weather can vary from year to year and many people say there aren't trends. However, from reading through several books and reading reports I think the following is mostly true. May tends to be colder and windier, but usually better snow conditions particularly lower on the mountain. June is warmer with more stable days which can lead to crevasse issues (also LOTS more people). I personally landed on the glacier May 10th and felt that we picked a good time to be on the mountain. We were before most of the crowds (14K camp was only 10 tents when we arrived, but over 100 when we left). However there were a lot of other people who came at similar times to us and didn't make it. The key to our success was nobody in our group had a time deadline. We could have stayed on the mountain 28-30 days if we needed to. We didn't take that much food and fuel but nobody had flights that early (and you can collect about as much food and fuel at 14K as you want). We were stuck at 14K camp for 8 days due to weather and there were a LOT of other teams that went down. In fact when we checked out at the ranger station the summit percentage was only 9% for the first 180 people!! One other tip I will say regarding weather at 14K camp. Try to have a person at home that can forecast your weather (and knows what to look for). This was definitely the biggest reason for our success. The NPS weather report was pretty much like this every day at 14K camp: Day 1: High winds with chance of snow (2-4 inches, winds to 35-40mph) Day 2: Windy with snow (1-3 inches, winds to 30-35mph) Day 3: Windy but starting to clear. Day 4: Clear weather with low winds. Unfortunately that Day 4 forecast always stayed Day 4. Everyday it was tantalizing you with a predicted stable weather coming up in 4 days. We had somebody back home who was a climber and knew weather, and he spent time everyday to look through all the models and read reports. Then he would either text or call us to give us an update. We summited based on a 48hr weather window he told us about and very few people did the same as the NPS weather board didn't forecast that at all. Good luck with the climb!! Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions, I would be happy to share what I can.

Climbing on larger mountains like Mount Hood require multiple hours of sustained effort. Running is a good aerobic activity but it doesn't mimic the effort of the climb. I would definitely recommend doing some longer hikes at a moderate pace. Try to keep going at a consistent pace for several hours. Start out with smaller distances and maybe 10% to 15% of your body weight in a pack. Work your way up in distance and weight and always try to include elevation gain. If there is a trail nearby where you can get a couple thousand feet of elevation gain in a few miles that is best. Also wear the boots you will climb in when you hike. It will help break them in and you will find out if/where you get hot spots. It also helps if you have done a longer day, more elevation, or farther distance than you plan to do on the climb. That way you know what it is like, and that you can do it. For example, if you are doing Hood in a day from the lot that is a little over 5000 feet of elevation gain to the summit. So sometime before the climb do a training hike that contains 5000-6000 feet of elevation gain. If you want to get deep into the specifics of training for climbing get the book "Training for the New Alpinism" by Steve House and Scott Johnson. Lots of really good information in there. One of the biggest things I learned was don't underestimate the value of training in a Zone 1 Heart Rate (which is fairly low....ie 55% to 75% of max HR). Well hopefully that helps a little. Good luck with your training and climb, enjoy it!

This information is based on my limited ice experience over the last couple years. I am sure there are guys here that have many more years to draw from and could give you better advice. Banks Lake usually needs a couple of weeks of cold weather in order to form up enough to climb. And it needs a lot more than that to be really good climbing. It was close to climbable at the beginning of the month but then things warmed up. Check out this page http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USWA0097:1:US. You can see that it has only been 10 days since the lows were below freezing. And really hasn't been very cold except for the last 5 days. Personally I would be surprised if much was climbable for another 5-7 days, but I haven't heard anything about it for about 2 weeks so it might be worth a look. Vantage is usually warmer than Banks so it would probably be even more unlikely to have climbable ice. And I don't know much about Soap Lake so hopefully somebody else will comment. Good luck and let us know what things look like if you get out.