geordie

Ahhh, the PNW climber's favorite can of worms.. the +/- of the Mountaineers et al. Someone probably told you to post that question just to get a rise out of us. Like the weather doesn't give us enough to complain about...

Ok We went to pinnacle on Friday and spent the night in the rain just above reflection lk. It shoulda been a day trip but... anyhow we finally got going around ten after it stopped raining. Went to the pinnacle -castle saddle but stopped there due to lack of snow and motivation. Snow had funky crust and mush underneath - not a whole lot of snow on classic winter routes. good luck on that secret new route on mailbox..

What do folks use for sleeping bag systems? My old bag is losing loft and life. I was thinking of a light 800 down bag for summer with a synthetic overbag or add-on for winter or cold climbs. I'm a cold sleeper so despite Twight's precedence I won't be taking the 25 deg bag to Alaska. As always light weight and price are factors. thanks.

As far as Cascade River road goes the park boundary is approximately 5-6 miles from the Cascade Pass parking lot and I'm pretty sure the new NPS ban is in effect. Another issue is that the road sometimes is closed before one reaches snow - either by down trees or mud/rockslides. The county usually waits until spring since no one lives past milepost 4 0r 5. All that said, I think snowmobiling to the NPS boundary would be the way to go.

I'm an aspiring alpinist with excellent backcountry travel skills and experience and technical abilities that are struggling to catch up. I've done a dozen or so routes in the N. Cascades, climbed all the volcanoes by fairly pedestrian routes and have recently returned from an iceclimbing roadtrip where I managed to get in my first ice leads. I'm looking for folks to try some winter ascents during those rare weather windows we sometimes get as well as taking full advantage of highway 20 opening in the spring. I'm also open to longer trips outside of the region and am fully flexible and available throughout the winter. I'm available anytime 24-7 and have a reliable 4X4 vehicle. Geordie garomer@aol.com

I'm the mostly proud owner of my second pair of Solomon adv. 9s. I use them for climbing, backpacking, long North Cascades approaches, and recently spent a month climbing waterfall ice in them. I have a very very narrow foot (AA) and have found them to be one of the rare boots that fit my feet right out of the box. They have kept me warm and dry without fail. My one issue with them is the "soft/sticky" rubber that they use for their soles. My first pair lasted only 1 season. Admittedly, I used them 25+ days a month from June-October, not typical use I know. My second pair may last into their third season in part due to the havy snowload in 99 which kept the scree slopes from eating away the rubber.

I'd just like to remind everyone who the governor of Texas has been these past few years during the Hueco Tanks debacle. Despite good faith efforts by the climbing community, the state of Texas has not been willing to come to the table with a workable solution.