geordie

Nice work. Take any pictures along the way? What does the Chopping Block look like from the East- esp NE ridge? thanks in advance. GR

Someone went into the southern pickets over memorial day weekend - can't wait to see the trip report if you know who these guys are. GR

Road is in good shape. Haven't been on the route, but all of BC was there last weekend.

I did the SW Couloir for the 2nd time this season last Friday. There's actually more snow than there was when the highway first opened. Neither time did I climb with a rope though other parties we saw did use one. I doubt you will find anything to put a screw in. A few nuts, pickets, and a rope for rappeling will do. Both times we descended the arete route. I wouldn't do that again since it's a bit of work (more interesting than the climb) but it 's bettern than kicking stuff down on people climbing the couloir, have fun

Borbony aka BonBon really likes those radios. One almost hit him on Saber ledge as it came flying down the cliff. (another point for the mtnrs) g

DoIgottahaveaame- You can "get out of" a ticket by appearing in front of a Federal Magistrate in Federal Court. Me, I'd rather be spending my time climbing. If you've really got a beef, run for congress. g

Last summer I got rejected from Sloan because the water crossing was too deep. So with the drought in effect I thought I'd check it out. You can't drive the mtn loop from the south, but you can get to the trailhead from Darrington. The last few miles are 4x4 required because of rutted snow, but that will improve within weeks. The trek to the river is nice without the brush and the river is low, low, low. (You can boulder hop the slough that we waded in August and the river looks about a foot deep.) Now who's going with me to check on climbing conditions? g

I e-mailed DOT and they are going to send in avy experts within the next 10 days to assess the highway to see of work can begin. The site to check on their progress is www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/northcentral/maint/area3/nc2000/ncassessment.htm (maybe the computers wizards can make a link..) Geordie

See the thread under N. Cascades trip reports. I haven't been up lately, but the area hasn't gotten much snow and mostly was missed by the Pres. weekend storm. I assume it should be an ok drive up to the gate at Eldorado. I should have an update prior to next weekend.

As silly as I find the Twight threads I have to put my two cents in. I was lucky enough to spend time with Mark at the Bozeman Ice Fest this year. He was the most personable, helpful, friendly instructor one could ever hope for. A few days later we ran into him at a local gear shop and talked for an hour or so. Say what you will about Dr. Doom, the legend, but Mark is a decent guy, who we would all be lucky to have as a friend or neighbor.

Go where the ice is. Sounds obvious, but I wouldn't make concrete plans for spring ice climbing too soon. See what the weather does and head north, south or east accordingly. I had a great time in November in the bozeman, mt area. I was there climbing for a month and found plenty to TR as well as my first leads. It's probably not much farther than Lilloet. I haven't climbed at Lee Vining, but the sierras snow year has been good. You can also bust down to Bishop for bouldering and rock climbing if the ice isn't in. All that said, I may be up for joining you depending on conditions here. (Highway 20 opening for example.) -Geordie

A beautiful day, no climbing partners and a craving for adventure. A perusal of my Beckey guides led me to the Roost. 6705', located between Mt. Ross and the Pickets, 6 hrs from Newhalem. "The route is not difficult, but expect some crosscountry obstacles, including berry bushes." Perfect. I had been up Goodell Creek to the Southern Pickets earlier in the summer and knew that the hike along the old road would go quickly and that the path up the hillside, while steep, would be routine. What a joy to be doing this with a daypack. At 3200' according to the Suunto on my wrist I headed off the climbers' trail and into the huckleberries. Soon enough I reached the "talus tongue" (mentioned in the old Beckey) and boulder-hopped my way up. From 5500' the area is wide open and covered with wonderful rock slabs spread out across the west facing slopes. The season's first water ice was sprinkle across the slabs here and there. A little scrambling through recent snowfall led to the "summit" - the largest bump on the ridge. But what a view. The Pickets,Triumph, The Chopping Block, and that little strip of asphalt called 20. And I on my Roost! If only my descent was as simple as my climb. I retraced my steps down to the bottom of the boulderfield. From here I headed down the slope and near 3200' began looking for the climbers' trail. There should be an obvious shelf here where the trail traverses north. And yet.. Out came the map and compass. Which of these seasonal streams was big enough to be shown on the map? I traversed the slope having heated internal discussions that would make the producers of Survivor proud. Somehow I kept finding steeper forested slopes that were much steeper and nastier than the ones I came up. I wasn't really lost though - all I had to do was descend and I'd hit the old road. (sounds easy doesn't it?) Finding the climbers' trail would make this so much more pleasant. For one reason or another I listened to the Devil on my shoulder and decided to follow a streambed down. At the first the going was moderate. The angle was gentler than the surrounding slopes and there was friendly vegetation to hold on to. As I progressed, the walls of the gully trapped me in and the going got rough. Before I knew it I was descending a class 3/4 waterfall with all my gore-tex on to stay dry. "If I get hurt I will disappear forever." Sweat collects on the inside of my raingear and my pulse quickens. I take deep breathes and continue down. An hour (?) of this struggle and I find a way out of this wet hell and onto forested slopes. Magically and mysteriously I'm not far off from the climbers' trail and I scurry down it. I'm filled with relief. Down on the overgrown road I begin to run. I'm ready for the day to be over. After 10 hrs in the mountains, it is.

my two cents- Get a jacket with a hood that can fit over your helmet. If it's that cold, keep your head warm. We all had this inner discussion at one point. A friend of mine pointed out that if it's cold enough for you to be wearing this jacket, it's not going to get wet. Sure there are places where that may not be true, but I've had no problems keeping my down jacket dry. (Marmot Parbat) Lots of folks seem to like the Patagonia DAS jacket, if you do go synthetic.

Was it L-Even-worth-it? Went to Leavenworth in search of the elusive beast this weekend. Hubba Hubba was not in, but 2 parties climbed Hubba Hubba left. (3R)Bring rock gear (pins) and a sense of adventure or just go someplace else. Sunday climbed Rainbow Falls left (4+?) across from Snow creek lot. One of us managed to lead this short, but sweet beast and the rest tried in on TR. The top out sucks. "There wasn't even moss, I mean there was moss, but not the kind you can have any confidence in." However, this route was fatter than anything else we saw in the Icicle. A third party reported having a good day on Millenium wall.

yes, I'm a seasonal ranger. No I'm a Seattle Native, raised in Olympia. Now a gripe. This bulletin board is beginning to look like a PG13 version of the mountaineers bbs. Someone asks a question and the community feels like they have to answer even if they have little to say. The Captain and Colonel Crags of this world have made this site amusing, but they're really a turn off to many climbers who could find this site useful. If you want to argue this point, open a new thread. If you want to find out more about me, send me an e-mailk. Spickard deserves better.

Has anyone climbed the sw couloir on Spickard? Would you recommend it? Has anyone done the depot creek approach in winter or early spring?

Update as of 2/7. Cascade River rd plowed to Eldo gate at Mp 20/21. Beyond the gate 12" of melt-freeze crusted snow. Go get 'em.

We climbed Cherry Ice last weekend in the 40 degree weather. It was super plastic and climbing it sounded climbing an old cedar tree .. thunk, thunk. I wouldn't have wanted to test any of those screws, but it was thick enough to put in 17s without them hitting rock. We also made it to the Rambles on Sunday. It may have been busy, but we camped nearby and didn't have any problems choosing our route. Early bird gets the worm... ( or the big fat ice)

hey folks here's the update. The cascade river rd has snow on it beginning about mp 6 (1200') near the USFS boundary. High clearance 4x4 vehicles can make it to the gate at Eldorado lot (mp 20/21, 2300'). Beyond the gate there is now 16" of new snow. Skiing has much improved. I haven't been up there, but this comes from a reliable source. g

I'm up for a party. The only real slides I have are of Kenya and Kili, but I'm in. (unless the weather's nice and I'm climbing.)

I'm pondering getting into the AT ski gig. (Despite this year's snow anomoly.) Hagan and few other brands sell approach skis in the 120/130 cm length. Has anyone used super short skis like this? Even 160/170 cm seems short for a tall climber and gear. I'm not interested in world class ski performance, just a better way to get to and from climbs.

The road is a little icy, but not much snow. The toyota camry handled it fine. I think climbing conditions should be good except that I would expect crevasses not to be as filled in as one might like/expect.

A handful of us decided to take a hike up the Eldorado approach since the Cascade River rd is open until the gate at the Eldo parking lot. The lack of snow is bizarre and amazing. We ran into a few inches of snow prior to the boulderfield. In the open, the boulders had a foot or so of snow with lots of punching through. Rumors have it that the Cascade Pass trail doesn't have much snow either. Folks in Marblemount seem to think that highway 20 will be opening soon. Can anyone confirm or deny?

I own a 3R tent that I bought last summer. It came late in the season and I've only used it a few times this winter. It is really big and very light. It looks like it will handle the wind and weather well and reviews, both from Climbing magazine and other owners I've run into are good. I've heard a number of stories about stephensons being the only tents to survive nasty storms on rainier. I'm still dealing with the condensation issue, but I think that's only a matter of tweaking and fiddling. everyone else will tell you bibler is the way to go, but I like the idea of more space for us tall folks and our gear for a lighter weight. Curious to hear other folks thoughts.

I was in Kenya and Tanzania a few years ago. I climbed pt. lenana (trekking) on Kenya and have some sweet slides of the diamond couloir. I also climbed the arrow glacier/western breach on Kili. I'm in NH now, but live in Olympia and will happily show you my slides and hook you up with some guides and porters. (guides required on kili). I'll be back jan 22. garomer@aol.com ps keep this africa stuff quiet. most people haven't figured out how much good stuff is over there.