Nolan E Arson

This is fantastic—nice work!

Shit. More bad news

Good stuff—thanks!

We took a cab from DF to Apizaco for a Malinche hike. It was a bit pricey, but we were in a hurry, and didn’t have the lay of the land—transport-wise. Bus from there to Tlachichuca (and back to DF) was cheap and quite nice. It was nice to actually be in the culture for a minute, instead of always being the rushing tourist. I read something about the mandatory insurance for car rentals being expensive, so I didn’t dig deeper. That said, there were a few parties (even twosomes) of climbers who did rent, so it can’t be that bad. I really don’t know...

Seems pretty common to drive to Tlachichuca in a rental, then arrange higher transport through Servimont. They shuttle up and down all the time. It’s also a convenient place to get fuel.

We stayed at Servimont one night on each end of the Orizaba trip, arranged for transport to Piedra Grande, and bought water and fuel. It’s a simple climb, just a fun slog at elevation. I would save your money and not hire a guide. It was just my girlfriend and I travelling and we had no issues. I speak semi-decent Spanish, but lots of folks pull it off with zero Español. We only had seven days, and only climbed Orizaba—with a stopover to hike La Malinche for acclimatization. So no info on the other volcanoes. It was a great trip, and totally doable with a short window.

Agree. Mexican bus travel is pretty easy and safe (and nice!). Cheap too. If you go for Orizaba, check out Dr. Reyes’ services in Tlachichuca. Totally customizable and affordable. http://www.servimont.com.mx/en/

Here’s a pic from a sun break on the Palmer webcam today. After the long storm it looks well covered up there. Probably no open bergshrund concerns. With the sun breaks and some more freeze thaw, hopefully the snow will be well consolidated. Sunday’s weather forecast and the lower freezing level look lovely for climbing. A second tool is recommended for beginners, or for the surprise icy section. Have fun!

Yes they are! I’m in Portland and have a pretty open schedule if you want to meet up to check them out.

Bumping. Price shrinks again. $525

Are PRG memberships transferable?

Brand spanking new, cradled in their box. Dropping the price to $600.

The gate was closed when I went up to check things out today. Weird, as the upper road is clearly drivable. Bit of a bummer, as we had a mandatory later start time and the extra hiking killed our chance to put tool to ice. Ah well, still a lovely hike, and it was nice to be up there in the white stuff again.

Oregon High by Jeff Thomas might be your best bet for a route description.

Found an ice screw Thursday September 27th at the base of the ice climb. Give me a description and I’ll get it back to you.