tstory

Sent you a PM.

Replying to both of you guys - I'm in Seattle and similar skill set, 27 and in good shape. Have some glacier experience, fair amount of rock experience but just getting into trad/alpine rock. Fair amount of BC ski experience if that interests you as well. Definitely planning to get out a bunch this season, Message me and we can plan to meet up.

Good catch, I'm in Seattle and so not super familiar with Mazamas. Kaskadian, if you're in Oregon I'd recommend you jump on that Mazamas course.

I think the most helpful thing to do at this point is to think about and try to answer the question 'What do you want to do in the mountains?' For example, is your ultimate goal to climb Mount Rainier? Or do you want to send a 5.12 at Index? Or do long alpine rock routes in the Bugaboos? The answer to this question can help point you in the right direction. It's ok if you don't know right now, part of being a climber is adjusting your goals as you try new and different things. That said, for an absolute noob, in my opinion there are a couple of options to learn the ropes. Option 1: Take a course like the Mountaineers Basic Alpine course or the Washington Alpine Club Basic Course if you are in Washington, or a similar course from the Mazamas in Oregon. Any of those will help you learn some basic mountain travel, glacier, and rock skills, and would be a solid foundation to build from. They also help you meet people who are in a similar situation in terms of experience and desire to climb. The problem with those courses, of course, is that registration for both is now closed for the next year (you seriously just missed the WAC one by two days). That is a hard pill to swallow when you want to get out and climb this summer. Option 2: Hire a guide service for a 'Skills seminar'. This is different than your average guided summit climb, and will set you up in a small group with a knowledgeable guide, with a focus on learning the skills you need to get around in the mountains. There are different courses you can take, and each will offer a different focus. For example, you could start with a glacier travel course, then later take a rock climbing course if you decide that is important to your development. The pro to this option is that you can quickly learn the skills you need from a reputable source. I did a glacier travel course with Pro Guiding and was pleased with what I learned. On the other hand, I didn't feel like I learned anything groundbreaking, and I probably could have picked up similar information from a careful study of FOTH. The other cons are that this option is pretty expensive, and it doesn't do anything for helping you find partners to climb with in the future. Option 3: Learn on your own/find partners to teach you. This can be a good option for some people and some subjects, but it comes with a certain set of risks. If you can find a knowledgeable, experienced partner who is willing to take you under their wing, you can learn a lot, fairly quickly, and for cheaper than Option 1 or 2. The trick is, you have no basis on which to judge if someone is experienced, and it is often hard to find such a benevolent mentor. If you have friends that climb, see if you can tag along on an easy day or to the climbing gym. Offer to buy some food or beer or pay for gas, that will make it more likely they'll accept. If you don't already have friends that climb, in my opinion you need to gain a bit more knowledge on your own before you ask someone to teach you. To that end, get some books and read up. I have a couple other suggestions as well - if you are interested in 'traditional mountaineering' like climbing Disappointment Cleaver on Rainier or Coleman-Deming on Baker, you should find some friends that like hiking and take a trip down to St. Helens. In late winter and early spring, that mountain is a great intro to mountaineering. It is non-technical, but provides an opportunity to climb moderate slopes on snow with an ice axe and crampons (if you want). You can rent gear at REI. Mt. Adams is a similar experience for a bit later in the year, just watch the weather. A word on gear - it is very tempting to drive to the closest REI and put 2 grand on the credit card to get outfitted with all the latest and greatest. Don't. If you are as green as you say, you have no idea what you want at this point, and if you end up buying a bunch of stuff now you will probably regret it. The things I would recommend you buy now are things that will serve you for years in the outdoors. I would recommend you get a lightweight, uninsulated pair of softshell pants. I practically live in an old pair of REI Mistral pants, something like those is perfect in my opinion. These will serve you for everything from spring and fall cragging to summer glacier climbs, they also work for backpacking and hiking, they last forever. Get a baselayer top of some variety, I like Patagonia Capilene 2 but anything will work. Should be lightweight and either synthetic or merino wool. Get a Marmot Precip jacket if you don't already have a lightweight rain jacket. They are like $70 bucks on sale and work in everything from summer thunderstorms to winter blizzards. If you already have hiking boots they will work for your first forays into the mountains, otherwise you will want to look into getting some mountain boots, but that is its own conversation. You can rent or borrow most other gear for now. If you get into climbing you'll discover the things your partners are using, you'll try things out and decide the things you like and want to buy. If you want to talk gear in the future let me know, its one of my favorite hobbies. Cheers,and good luck. Let me know if you have more questions.

Hi Jared I unfortunately have to work tomorrow, but I'm usually up for the type of skiing you've described. Generally free on weekends. Let me know if you'd like to get out sometime.

You pretty much nailed the same system I use. I've generally observed that NOAA point forecasts tend to have a 'wet' bias (meaning they often forecast rain when actual conditions are dry) while mountain-forecast tends to have more of a 'dry' bias, occasionally missing storms. What different conditions have you observed when using mountain-forecast? I believe that wunderground uses different weather stations, including more 'unofficial' stations run by enthusiasts. They also use additional models, whereas I think NOAA uses only one model(their own). This is all relayed second-hand, so weather experts feel free to correct me if I'm way off base. I've found wunderground to be really accurate for 'home' forecasts, but they lack the stations in the mountains to get really good predictions out there. Also - when using NOAA, did you know you can just go to the map and click the location you want the forecast for? It will give you the forecast for the specific elevation you clicked on. For example, this forecast is for 5600' on Heliotrope Ridge. The current weather may not be accurate, but the forecast is for this specific location. http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-121.87898407722952&lat=48.78110458486057#.VlymBb95Hhk

+1 for BD Storm. I've currently got 3 scattered in different cars/gear kits, and I've found them to be bright, reliable, waterproof, and easy to use. Plus I've had good experiences with BD customer service if you have any issues. Totally just personal preference, but I've always found the various BD models to be more intuitive to operate then the models by Petzl, which I'm sure are nice as well.

Looking for a consistent partner to climb at Stone Gardens in Ballard. Hoping for 2-3 nights a week, some time between 5 and 8 PM. I'm up for bouldering, top-roping, leading, or any combination of the three. Currently climb 5.10ish or boulder V2, hoping to find a partner to train and push my grade with. Let me know if you're interested/looking for a similar thing. Cheers, Tobin

Haven't been up there for a couple months, but in September the glacier had receded so far up the couloir that it would have been more than half the way up on scree before getting to the toe. I'd be surprised if there is enough coverage now to make up for what was lost this summer, but I could certainly be mistaken.

For sale: Five Ten Moccasyms - $75 Size 9.5, worn but still in excellent condition, plenty of rubber left. Not stretched out yet. Smith Dolen Sunglasses - $100 Like New in Box. These are the black frames with Polarchromic copper mirror lenses. The lenses are both polarized and photochromic, which means they change how dark they are with the ambient light conditions. The chromopop lenses are pretty sweet as well, they really do brighten up colors. They retail for $219, They're yours for $100. They are essentially brand new; I tried them on, wore them in the car for about 20 minutes, and decided they didn't fit. They come with the original box, semi-hard case, and lens cloth/bag. Craigslist ad with more info/pictures here - http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/spo/5198791389.html Scarpa Laser AT Boots, Size 12 - $60 Nearly brand new pair of Scarpa Laser boots, still have the size stickers from the manufacturer on them. I bought these secondhand from someone who had never used them, replaced the stock liners with a pair of Black Diamond liners with Boa closure. I skied in them a twice before deciding I wanted something stiffer. Great set of first boots for someone just wanting to try ski touring, or for someone who really loves the old lasers and wishes they had another pair. Shells are size 12, liners are a 29.5. More info/pictures here - http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/spo/5198806801.html Live in Woodinville, work in Ballard. I'm flexible and can likely meet you somewhere to drop items off. Email me tobinstory@gmail.com

I'm interested in the Venom tools if they're still available.

I'm interested - I live in Woodinville and climb at Stone Gardens a couple days a week, although usually in the evenings. I'd really like to get out and do some cragging though. I'm available pretty much every weekend. I don't climb quite as hard as you, but I'm working up to it. Currently climb into the 10s. More comfortable following, but will lead 9s. I've had my eye on multipitch in Leavenworth and the North Cascades as well. Let me know if you want to meet up. Tobin