mthorman

I had a fun filled 2014. Here are some of the bigger highlights March - Mount Stuart - Stuart Glacier Couloir May - Mount Hood - South Side June - Mount Rainier - Liberty Ridge June - Mount Rainier - Disappointment Cleaver June - Mount Rainier - Curtis Ridge July - Mount Triumph - Northeast Ridge July - Mount Baker - North Ridge July - Liberty Bell - Beckey Route July - Le Petit Cheval - Spontaneity Arete July - Grand Teton - Complete Exum Ridge July - Granite Peak - Southwest Ramp August - Mount Baker - Boulder Cleaver/Glacier September - Mount Slesse - Northeast Buttress Looking forward to another great year of 2015!

If you really want to sell these you might reconsider your price. I am not in the market for ice screws myself, but other people who are shopping around are going to find prices like the link below. Just trying to help you out. http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3659367&cp=3677347.11360116.3688337

Make sure you get some good beta on current snow conditions. I climbed it last Christmas and there was no skiing. It was hard all the way and you definitely needed crampons. The normal summer trailhead is closed but there is a snow park area for winter use. Pretty easy trail to follow until you get above tree line. From there just go wherever you want. Make sure you check avalanche conditions too and know what to look for while on the mountain. If there has been a lot of recent snow and wind the ridge up top can be pretty corniced too. Well that is about all got, just go have fun on a good weather day with good snow and low avy danger!

I have used these boots for a couple of seasons in the North Cascades. They are Size 43.5 or USA Men's 9.5. They work great and still have lots of life left on them. Warm, sturdy double boots, great for glacier climbs. I am selling them because I upgraded to a La Sportiva Nepal boot (which is lighter and climbs technical ice and mixed routes better). Retails for $385. Asking $175 shipping to lower 48 included.

Yes I should have clarified that normal wear and tear is out. Doesn't mean too much to gear other than the rope.

Good advice from everyone. One other thing that helps sometimes is to talk about it first. I have had partners tell me before the trip that they want to split the cost if anything is damaged, missing, or broken regardless of fault or situation. Makes replacement of things real easy and no awkward moments if something does happen.

There definitely are glaciers and crevasses in the North Cascades but not much on WA pass itself. You might find something no the north side of Silver Star? If you keep driving west there are plenty that you can hike from the North Cascades Hwy. Probably be a 4 ½ hr drive to begin your hike. Other places to look would be the Stuart Range. There are a few glaciers tucked in that range which is a little closer drive to Spokane 3 ½ hr drive. Nothing near the road but the area is beautiful. If you really want crevasses though I would just go to Rainier. It is only a little over a 4 hour drive to the White River side and there are plenty of glaciers up there. If you want to see specific locations of glaciers in the North Cascade range I would recommend looking at Caltopo.com Really good topo maps that have glaciers marked of them too. Good luck!

Wow that is cool. Nice job!

So did the news get the location wrong or was there a fatality at Spontaneity Arete and Liberty Bell? http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140908/NEWS03/140909256/Everett-climber-dies-in-fall-on-Liberty-Bell-Mountain

About 3 1/2 hrs from Spokane.

After seeing the above post I put Elizabeth Finger on my "go and see" list. Finally this last weekend I had time to drive over and see what it was all about. I convinced a friend of mine to come along, and we made the drive over. After seeing a few glimpses of it from the road we found a parking spot and started the bushwhack. After ascending 800 feet straight up through the brush and trees we reached the base of the East face of Elizabeth Finger. The rock is good quality and the steeper face sections are pretty clean. As a trad climber, I searched in vain for a beautiful crack or corner splitting the face. Instead I settled on a line that looked protectable with various horizontal cracks and short vertical corners. The climb, which we named "Liken' to Labor" Grade II 5.9 started out with a 150 foot pitch of sustained 5.8/5.9 climbing. It felt harder in places due to the amount of lichen and moss on the face and I spent quite a while cleaning holds. The belay was on a couple of small flat spots below a good horizontal crack. The 2nd pitch consisted mostly of friction climbing. The first 30 feet in the 5.7 range, then it backed off to 5.6 for most of the rest of the pitch. It was a rope stretcher with 60m ropes and ended at a nice tree in a wide "sloped gully". Pitch 3 was an easy 5.6 pitch starting with some blocky climbing and then back to smears and slabs. We belayed at a large block just above a prominent tree. Total length was only about 120 feet. From here there was an easy ramp that looked 4th class/low 5th going up to the right but we opted to stay on the main face. I picked a line going up and left following cracks for about 100 feet. Then transitioned to a ramp/ledge system that traversed back right towards the summit tower. It was mostly 5.7 climbing with a few moves of 5.8. We belayed at the bottom left side of the prominent summit tower. This pitch was also a rope stretcher at 200+ feet. Pitch 5 was a short 50 foot pitch following the left hand edge of the tower up to where it meets the ridge. From there we turned right to follow the ridge up to the summit. The climbing was mostly 5.8 but felt much harder as the rock was so covered in sand and lichen that the smearing was next to impossible. To descend we followed the summit ridge line north until there is a prominent gully that descends down the west side. At the bottom of this gully a short 60 foot rappel will land you back in the forrest. We opted to scramble down and around the north end the finger to get back to the base of the climb. You could also go down around the south end of Elizabeth finger. I am not sure which is easier but neither is a walk in the park. It was a fun adventure for sure. I don't know if I would climb the line again. There was no ultra cool crack and the whole route needs a good hard scrubbing to make it worthwhile. However the main face to the left of where we climbed looks very good! There are no cracks so natural pro is out of the question, but if somebody invested some time/money/energy they could put up some really sweet sport routes. The climbing looked much cleaner and would probably go in the 5.9/5.10a range or up depending on the line you picked. Most likely in the 4 pitche range for length too. Elizabeth Finger standing tall above the North Fork of Clearwater River. Our route we took up the east face, Liken' to Labor, 5.9. The circles are approximately our belay locations. The 5th pitch ascends directly above the 4th circle to the summit and is really out of view in this picture. Matt just above the crux of pitch 1 and almost to the belay. Looking down pitch 2, you can see Matt on the 5.6 slabs, the valley far below. Matt making the traverse on pitch 4. Arrival on the summit ridge at the top of pitch 5.

Sent you an email.

Do you not have any at all or did the ones you have brake? I just had to fix my BD Sabertooth Pro (pre 2009 model) because Black Diamond doesn't make the ABS plates for their earlier models anymore. I just drilled a couple holes in them and used really small zip ties to fasten them back to the crampon. Interesting note, when I called Black Diamond to inquire about buying the older model ABS they told me they didn't have any available. But the guy said to just take a piece of hard plastic and cut it down to size then fix it to the bottom of the crampon (he said cardboard covered in aluminum foil would work too). If I had to make entire new ones, I would use the plastic advice and then drill holes and fix it to the crampon with zip ties. Good luck and maybe someone else might be able to offer better suggestions.

Wow! What a great write up and pictures to go along. I really liked your perspectives and thoughts that you added with facts and details. Congrats on a great climb.

Awesome job guys!! Incredible how much unclimbed rock is still around.

Awesome TR! Thanks for sharing.

I have come under the ownership of a brand new Interagency Annual Pass (the normal National Park Annual Pass found here http://www.fs.fed.us/passespermits/annual.shtml). It is unsigned and good for 1 year (expires Aug of 2015). I already have an annual pass so I am looking to sell it. If you buy it online it is $80. I am looking for $60 OBO. Let me know if you are interested by reply or PM.

With the recent hot weather, there are going to be rocks coming down all over that mountain. Personally I would not climb it this time of year. As for other options look up Eldorado Peak. It is probably a little longer than Hood and has more elevation gain, but it is a great peak with a spectacular view of the North Cascades. Has some glaciers to cross and a steep hike at the beginning. There are several TRs on this webpage, and summitpost.org has a really good description as well.

Nice job guys! Looks like it was a very rewarding trip even if some moments weren't super enjoyable in themselves.

We saw 6 others groups, and I know at least 3 of them were in there to fish. So I guess if the numbers tell you anything than yes. We did see some smaller fish along the edge but didn't pay too much attention since we don't fish. And yes, you should get into the state highpoints. I will say I would rather go spend a week climbing in the North Cascades, but the highpoint thing does get you into some cool remote areas of the country. I have greatly enjoyed the 46 states I have done....well maybe all but the mid-west

Man I really need to get up into the Pickets. Thanks for sharing the TR and fantastics photos!

Yea I think most people call it the Southwest Couloir. I was using this website for research before the trip and he calls it the Southwest Ramp (http://climber.org/reports/2012/1809.html). He is calling the next gully over the Southwest Couloir (scroll down about half way to a large photo with routes drawn in). Not sure who is right but there are definitely 2 gullys/ramps/couloirs.

Trip: Granite Peak - Southwest Ramp Date: 7/30/2014 Trip Report: While doing some research on Granite Peak, I found a couple of notes about a route on the south face that was Class 3 the whole way. I hadn't heard much good about Frozen to Death Plateau, and wanting to go light the southwest ramp appealed because it would mean no climbing gear. The other appeal was the fact that the trailhead started at 8700 feet and much higher than any of the north approaches. My wife and I left the Lady of the Lake Trailhead near Cooke City, MT at 9:00am with packs around 25 lbs a piece. We followed trails all the way to Lone Elk Lake where the trail ended. From there we continued past Rough Lake and into the Sky Top drainage. Finally found a good spot to camp after 11 miles near one of the upper Sky Top lakes around 10,600 feet. The whole area is very scenic and there was plenty of water all along the way. Up and going the next morning by 6am. We continued up the valley over boulders to the base of Granite Peak. Started up by the "snow tongue" on the right side of the south face. We were able to easily climb around the snow on the rocks. Then traversed across the scree slope below the "slabs". Just after passing the "slab" we turned up into the first gully. I have heard this called the Southwest Couloir or Southwest Ramp. Technically I believe there are 2 gullys with 1 named the Couloir and the other named the Ramp. We took the first one which is on the left edge of the "slab". It was pretty easy scrambling and very straight forward navigation. There was even a fixed rope to use as a handline over one of the steeper sections. About half way up we encountered 40 degree snow. Being as it was still 8am in the morning the snow was actually very hard. My wife climbed it with a pair of crampons and ice ax while I found a Class 4 route around on the rock. Above the snow it was an easy Class 3 scramble up the gully to where it ended at the lip of the "Gash" (a large couloir that splits the face on the right side). From the edge of the "Gash" we turned left and continued up to the summit. After a brief time taking in the views we reversed our route back to camp. Then packed up our gear and headed out. On the return trip we decided to take the next drainage over by way of Upper and Lower Aero Lakes. It is a little shorter but more boulder hoping and more elevation gain to get out of Sky Top lakes. Overall I thought this approach and route was relatively easy and very enjoyable. Nothing super hard, and no need for climbing gear. If you are comfortable scrambling some Class 4 rock you don't even need crampons or ice ax. The scenery was great and camping spots at Sky Top lakes are nice too. Here is a link to a topo with our GPS track overlaid to show our route. http://caltopo.com/map?id=183I Our camp in the pre-dawn hours as we ate breakfast on summit day. An annotated view of the south face of Granite Peak showing the route. We ascended following the red line. Our descent was along the red line as well until we got to the bottom of the "Slabs" then we just headed straight down along the blue line down the scree gully. A view looking up the Southwest Ramp from the base near the "Slab". Looking down into the Sky Top Lakes basin. Our camp was in the center of the valley near the first small lake (first next to the larger lakes). Me on the top of Granite Peak. Another view of camp with Granite Peak in the background. Hiking up the hill to the pass into Upper Aero Lake. Snow was soft enough by this time to not need an ice ax, but hey if we brought them why not use them. Panorama of the beautiful Sky Top Lakes basin with Granite Peak in the distance on the left. A parting shot on the hike out. The Spires and Mount Villard tower above Aero Creek near Lower Aero lake. Gear Notes: Took crampons and ice ax. Could leave them if comfortable on Class 4 terrain. Other wise use them to keep the scrambling to Class 3. Approach Notes: Up through Lone Elk and Rough Lake, and out to Upper and Lower Aero Lakes. Lady of the Lake Trailhead near Cooke City, MT.

Great read, and awesome photography!!

It appears that most of the big fires are east and south of Winthrop. WA Pass is another 15 miles west of that. The weather forecast is for winds out of the west so my guess is that most of smoke will be moving towards the east (which is VERY apparent out my window in Spokane). I think you should be fine to climb on the pass. It is definitely far enough away to not worry about the fire itself, and hopefully with the winds you shouldn't have to worry too much about smoke.