JasonG

The A7RII.......sigh. Is it as good as I've read, or at least comparable to your 5dmkIII? Excellent report as usual Luke! I love the humor, seriously (esp. the greased calves). I also need to get back to that side of the mountain, thanks for the reminder. Curious why you didn't cut the corner on the trail up Tahoma Creek?

Yeah, Gaia Pro is way slick. I built routes for each day of the Wapta and pre-loaded the map tiles for each route. Worked flawlessly. I didn't even need my spare battery, but our weather was pretty good.

That is a stout effort, thanks for the TR! If you haven't ever used one, I'd highly recommend a topo app (Gaia is great) and a smartphone for whiteout navigation. You can leave the phone off most of the time and power it up when things are dicey. I've been impressed with how well they work and you can get a week out of a battery for most phones in airplane mode.

That chimney is a pain for someone of my skill level.

Thanks for the update on conditions! Throw some snow in those bottles and drink out of the streams, you'll move way quicker when hydrated, with or without sleep (although that isn't a bad time for spring conditions on foot).

South Couloir on S. Early is all melted out. The easy side of Vesper is not slabby. I don't think you have much in the way of glide avalanches to be worried about. But this is internet advice so......

I think the one in telluride looks cooler.

Agreed. It gets tiresome. Of course, they've covered their bases: "Closed near junction with Icicle Road until snow melts and road dries out". Dries out? Do they close the road when it rains in the summer? In other words, when the permit season opens.

The Slot could be good for your purposes if there is enough snow. I'm not familiar with what it is like up there now. You could also go climb Vesper or Sperry. The boot to Headlee pass is pretty steep as is the finish to Sperry. Those are sure to be in pretty good shape. Also, the descent route on Chair might still have enough snow to be entertaining, depending on if the cornice is still there or not.

That looks like the real deal right there. Stout!

I'll second that Josh, you're an inspiring example of how to persevere in the face of pain and setbacks. You are already an Alpinist, certainly in attitude. That is the kind of mental strength and determination that fuels the strongest in the climbing community. I hope to run into you again in the hills, take care!

You can save maps for offline use AlpineK?

Worth the wait, thanks Lucas! I loved the bit about the fight, but you were wise to stay out of it. Lena lake is a haven for derelicts, and they were just speaking each others love language.

Thanks! I appreciate that you guys are working on it. TRs are vital, as you know.

Oh, that makes it all seem so much more reasonable. I had forgotten about that switch, thanks!

They're not completely similar, but the routes on 3 O'clock Rock, Green Giant Buttress, and Exfo Dome in Darrington (Clear Creek) should be in good shape about now. Condorphomine Addiction in Leavenworth Prime Rib on Goat Wall in Mazama

Expect several feet of snow above 4500'

No open crevasses perhaps. They're most certainly there, and conditions will be changing week to week throughout the spring. e.g.: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1148277/Re_Mt_Hood#Post1148277

I'm as big a Luddite as anyone, but I have to say that a smartphone app like Avenza or Gaia is the way to go. My S5 is waterproof so I just keep it in my pocket or pack in airplane mode and I can easily get a week out of it (including playing music at night). I tend to only turn it on when the weather is bad, however. Just got back from the Rockies on a big ski traverse and it worked like magic. Of course, your device can always crap out (or you can drop it), but I'm willing to take that chance. Plus, you always have Halen or Ozzy at the ready. This is key.

My personal favorite of the early TRs from Marc: Two White Boys on a Big White Hill Some of the spray is hilarious given what has transpired in the intervening years. Especially that SummitchaserCJB. In case you were wondering, here's CJB's list for 2016 : Since lists are fun, i'll do a top 5 of real, serious objectives from now until 2016. 1. Dragontail Triple C 2. Mt Stuart Sherpa Route solo. 3. Mt Colchuck 4. Prussic in winter. 5. Ski a technical line off a peak 6. Do a link up of three peaks (bivy allowed) 7. Do Stuart Glacier Couloir I'll leave it at that. The list may contract or expand. I'll keep you updated with videos and hopefully lots of photos. Bye for now.

Wait, he just started climbing in 2008??!! Marc's first TR on this site: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=790223 Just a wee bit of progress since then.

Great, thanks Jon!

Youth!

Wow. Seth, those are some incredible adventures on your Flickr page! Have you written up any of those anywhere? I would love to read some more, though the images are incredible. Taking an FX camera and lenses into those locations is no small feat.

Most years, by mid-July it will be snow free with the possible exception of the exit gully (this isn't a problem as you can work around the snow patches). A lot depends on the spring weather, but I would say you could plan on it being in fairly good shape. Have fun, it is a real classic.