Nate G

Good job Dana....looks like a bad ass route!

Thanks guys, it was my favorite climb of my so far relatively short climbing career....if that says anything. No reason why it shouldn't be in the next select guide....short approach, awesome views, and a huge variety of climbing.

Trip: North Early Winter Spire - Early Winter's Couloir Date: 4/15/2015 Trip Report: I like to think that most high school seniors sleep in on skip days, but then again I also like to think I'm not a normal high school senior. After getting my parents blessing to skip Wednesday and finding a sub for my work shift we were set, a solid team of three, Steve, Rich, and I. Setting off from the hairpin turn around 7:30 we made quick work of the lower approach slopes that were still frozen solid. 30 minutes later the sun hit us and with it came temps 20 degrees warmer, and we started tossing off layers like it was going out of style. The sun brought softened snow......and wallowing. All told the approach took about 2 and a half hours wading through knee to waist deep powder. A team of three let us switch off who got to punish themselves breaking trail more often. The first step of the route is a small 10ft AI3 step around the first chockstone. It looked easy and fun until we saw the spindrift coming down that would have sent us flying if we got caught in it. For that reason we roped up for the easy terrain and simul climbed our way up the knee deep snow above. Steve got in a bomber nut and a good picket in the section between the chockstones. Halfway up the couloir we got to the second chockstone which involved a little bit of thin AI3, an easy stem, and an ice chocked crack before we could swing into the neve above. I tied in too close to Rich on our single rope and he was subsequently showered with spindrift while climbing this part. Punchy neve followed most of the way to our belay under the cornice. Once under the cornice it was decision time. We brought a shovel to burrow through it, along with aid gear if we couldn't. The cornice looked well consolidated with several fracture lines running through it, more than likely it would have taken hours to burrow and wriggle through it with the possibility that it caved off on top of us. So aiding around left was our best option. Rich stepped up to the plate and impressed us with his single alpine aider skills, his second piece blew when he weighted it and scared the ever living shit out of us. When he made it to the lip of the cornice he executed a perfect bellyflop/beached whale dyno onto the cornice, and fixed the rope for us to jug up. I grunted and muscled my way up the line while Steve shed Mr Hanky below the cornice. Jugging overhanging terrain is always that much better when you smell what Steve had been packing up the mountain in his gut! As always Steve made me look like a pansy and effortlessly jugged up on a tibloc and a microtraxtion. The last pitch went at M4 60m with good pro the whole way up, it was my first time on a mixed pitch that long so I felt like bamby on ice towards the end! The top afforded us awesome views of the north cascades and almost no wind. Overall an awesome climb that is deserving of classic status, I'm left wondering why it isn't climbed more often! The descent was easy and all 4 rap anchors are bomber and can be reached with a single 60m. We got back to the car at 7:30 making it a 12hr round trip. We didn't set any speed records but the loose snow slowed us down the whole way. We were greeted by a nice note telling me how horrible I was for taking up too much parking space.....my message to the writer "When you wake up at 3:30 you can have as much parking as you want!" I don't know how much longer it will last with the warm temps, shit was coming down like you read about at the beginning of the day. Rating:WI3, A1, M4 Gear Notes: 60m single rope, full rack of C3s and C4s up to #3, some small KBs, LAs, a few medium angles, a couple nuts and 4 pickets. Used all C3s for the aid pitch, most C4s, one small KB, one big ass LA, 3 medium nuts and 2 pickets.

Already did.....at this point I'm ready to show up at the crag w/ a case of beer and see if I have any takers!

I am headed down to Moab with my family this Sunday (4/4) and will be there until next Friday, we will be doing the usual touristy stuff (arches, mtb'ing, rafting etc.) but I am hoping to get out and climb a couple of the days we are there and some of the afternoons we aren't doing anything. Open to pretty much anything but I would really like to climb castleton, ancient art, and do some craging in indian creek....I'm sure I won't get it all done but would like to pack as much as I can into this week! I will be brining some cams draws and a rope, and can lead 5.8-9 trad and 5.10 sport. Beer and gas money will be provided! Hit me up with a pm and let me know what you are in for!

I am looking at calcium channel blockers right now, but I really don't want to be on a medication 24/7 because I only get attacks when it is bellow freezing or wet and cold. I'd rather have a medication I can take before/ during a climb so I was thinking nitroglycerin cream.....has anyone tried the Murray method? I've heard it can do wonders for many. I always thought this was normal until about a month and a half ago while climbing the Coleman headwall and subsequently getting frost nip while my partner was fine!

Who's got it? What do you do to keep warm whole ice climbing in the extreme cold (therapies, medications, glove systems, etc.)? For those who don't know raynauds is a syndrome where the veins in the extremities overreact to the cold and shut off blood flow to the area, often called the "white finger". It greatly increases the risk of frostbite/ frost nip..... and the screaming barfies.

I was up on the Coleman on baker 2 weekends ago and conditions felt like late may early June....guys were already starting to punch through. Going to be an interesting summer in terms of glacier navigation. What time are most people planning on hitting the N side tech routes? I'm thinking early may maybe even late April? Early season weather will suck!

Were you the party shooting for the polish route?

Sold

Bump

What are conditions looking like in Lillooet? Trying to decide whether to head north or go east to Banks Lake?

I have 3 ice screws for sale, two black diamond 22cm turbo express screws and one black diamond 22cm turbo screw. All three are in near new condition and have only been used once in glacial ice (so they were never driven into rock). Selling because I want some more 13cm or 10cm screws. Price is 25$ for the turbo express and 20$ for the turbo, prefer locale pick up in seattle area but will ship if buyer pays shipping.

Good to know....thanks!

Had plans to do the NEB of chair peak but my partner bailed, hoping to still get on ice this weekend or do the NEB if somebody is up for it. Would be open to other options just give me a shout.... I'm young fit and full of stoke, can lead wi3 and can follow just about anything else. Email is preferred: ntgoodwin@gmail.com

It's getting cold this weekend, think anything will form up at snoqualmie or maybe east of the mountains? Is it even worth trying or should I plan on doing something a little more reliable?

Summited yesterday at aprox 12, couldn't have asked for better weather or conditions! Ice was super solid took picks and screws really well, van trump is the way to go the extra 1,700 was worth it after we saw the nisqually and fan on the way down. The ranger told us that lately it's about 50/50 whether parties take the nisqually or van trump, however the last ranger team took the van trump. We started at 8am on saturday from comet falls and were able to climb the technical section before sundown, camped at 12,500 slept in, then summited the next day!

It's all good man! Thanks for the links, We'll make sure to talk to the rangers before we leave.

Lower Coleman glacier on mt Baker,you lower down into one of the many crevasses and get some good ai4 climbing in! http://www.alpineinstitute.com/catalog/alpine-ice-climbing-introduction/

I did the aai alpine ice course at the end of July, that was 5 days of hard ice climbing and an ascent of mt baker not to mention all of the other smaller trips I have done thus far (dragontail, Sloan, etc.) so my ice climbing and glacier travel skills are dialed. And I am fully aware of what I am getting into with the kautz (likely ai3 which I am comfortable leading). So this is definitely not my 'first' time climbing. Do you know of any TRs that go by way of trump park, I haven't seen any and would like to get some more beta on that approach?

We are planning on doing a 2 day ascent of kautz glacier the weekend of September 6th and 7th. I was wondering if anyone had any experience climbing the route in the late season, specifically how cracked up will the nisqually be and is there another option for late season approach. All info is appreciated! Thanks Nate

Brett, I am about as experienced as you, we have a similar climbing record. Although I couldn't be a mentor I will be available almost everyday in the summer because I am a junior in high school. If your willing to climb with a younger guy I'm always trying to find dependable partners (not much luck on the dependable part). I am hoping to take a class with AAI this summer to improve my skills but until then I would be happy to climb some of the less technical peaks in the cascades. I live in mukilteo, and have group gear for glacier travel and winter 4 season camping. Hit me up, ntgoodwin@gmail.com Nate

Hi all, New to the forums and this is my first post. I'm a high school junior and aspiring mountaineer! Both of my parents have climbed rainier, my mom with rmi, and my dad once with rmi and once with a group of friends. Except for this my family doesn't have that much experience in the mountains, my dad wants to do baker this summer but I would like to learn much more. I have been saving my cash for a mountaineering course this summer, likely a 6 day course in the north cascades. Right now I'm leaning towards the Alpine ice climbing course from American Alpine Institute, I figure this course will give me everything that an Alpinism 1 course will and il get the ice climbing/ technical route that I have been itching to do. I already have plenty of experience in the outdoors and mountains, hiking, backpacking, and doing short climbs in the cascades (Sloan, dickerman, etc), also this year I have completed the training for king county search and rescue. I was wondering if any one has any experience with AAI, specifically with this course? Also I was wondering how to find partners after this course, hopefully someone with more technical knowledge than me so I can continue to be a student of the sport. Thanks, Nate