JasonG

Russ, just so you know what to expect the next time, this is pretty standard for the winter. Most parties unrope and scramble the ledges as the snowcover is usually thin, the rock loose, the ice nonexistent, and any sort of protection problematic. The ledges are pretty easy (if exposed) scrambling/climbing though. Still, often parties will descend a different way, depending on conditions. The ID is easier if not too broken or loaded with snow, but it is really hard to judge from above. We ended up wading down through spooky snow, and rapping off an ice bollard in the ID icefall - probably should have just backed down Gib chute and the ledges instead.

Thanks! I imagine that the unofficial story is probably juicier than "mechanical issues".

I've found that clear weather is not enough in the winter on Rainier. As you found out, the winds matter a great deal as well. The forecasts I saw were calling for 70+mph winds on the summit for Sat/Sun/Mon so my group opted to go elsewhere closer to home (and still got screwed by the weather). If you didn't already know, THIS is probably the easiest spot to check Rainier weather quickly. Excellent effort though! Third time's a charm.

The June curse! I am curious how you found the crossing of the major creek on the old roadbed though. I thought that would have stopped you before you even got to Thorton lakes. Maybe there is a bridge now? P.S. I love the burning USFS rig! Do you know the story behind the fire?

Wait, even CC.com Mgmt. is not free from conspiracy theories??!! Oh, the humanity!

By the "end" you mean the eldo gate?

There is "news" for every political stripe, including conspiracy theorists. You can always find what you want to hear, and post a link in spray to back up your position. Caveat emptor.

For me, in summertime, any type of softshell is just too warm. I go with light nylon pants and nothing else for weekend climbs. On a longer trip where the weather is more uncertain, I take a lightweight waterproof shell pant to round out the kit. Then again, I am a fair weather climber who will change destinations based on the forecast.

It is pretty amazingly efficient when you have 2-3 folks shoveling, especially for deep burials. And, as others have said, it is standard practice in the modern Avi courses. If you haven't taken one recently, I'd highly recommend it. I was amazed how much the curricula has changed in the past 10 years. I can specifically recommend any course that Kurt Hicks is involved in thru AAI in Bellingham. I took a level 1 course that he led last season and it was fantastic.

Nice Kirk, looks like a fund climb. I think that mtn. you were wondering about is Cheam peak. Pretty impressive North face, eh? And thanks for the reminder to check out the blog, I hadn't looked in awhile. Always fun to see your ID projects, I suspect that we will see more of your gear hit the market in the years to come! I wish you luck as you finish out the year, sounds intense.

I think you speak in parables.

The FA was a solo, but you probably knew that. Early season you could certainly down climb from the col sans rap, and the descent from the west ridge would go without a rope as well. If you are comfortable soloing around 5.8 with some looseness and are good at route finding, it might be a good solo for you. You are right that the setting is hard to beat. The rock isn't seriously loose, but it isn't Sierra granite either. That would be an amazing feat C2C! I'm guessing 14-18 hours of pretty serious effort?

Great thread! I am humbled looking at some of the adventures above, very cool. My four "best" trips of 2013 were a bit more on the pedestrian side, but memorable nonetheless. 2013 started out with fantastic skiing out of the Burton Hut on Garibaldi Lake: Followed later in the spring by stellar conditions on the Spearhead: Summer climbing in the alpine was topped by a strenuous week in July where I managed to whimper my way up Nooksack Tower: (and get back down in one piece) followed the Stoddard Buttress on Mt Terror a few days later: Looking forward to more adventure in 2014!

I never knew why I was so unhappy until now. Thanks Science!

I've had bad luck with G3 skins (same bad glue you experienced) and have sworn never again. BD/Ascension is my choice. I have an old purple pair of Ascensions that are over 10 years old and going strong (after several re-glues).

Thanks for pointing out the broken link. And yes, when you are hanging out in the lodge Après-ski, you have to look marvelous!

Late July will have the best weather and glacier conditions, on average. Especially in a low snowpack year, which we may see in 2014, given the slow start to the winter. Early August and late August would follow in order of preference, on average. This assumes you want to find the routes on Baker in the easiest shape with the best weather. If you are looking for more ice, crevasse avoidance, and pumice, go later.

After going head to head last year with a bunch of modern, digital, three antennae beacons, I quickly bought a Mammut Element to replace my old Ortovox M2. Total newbies were schooling me, and it was obvious that the new beacons are far, far superior to the old ones, not matter what your ability. Especially with deep or multiple burials. I'm very happy with the Element, but I know that there are less expensive options as well that will perform nicely. From what I gather, THIS is probably the best value going right now: IMO, it isn't worth using the old analogs if you spend a good bit of time in avalanche terrain each winter. I'd highly recommend taking a look here for more in depth analysis on a wide range of beacons: http://beaconreviews.com/transceivers/

Like an iced version of D-town slab dancing! Thanks for posting Eric, that looks a better time than chattering around on skis.

Very cool! That looks like some fun climbing, and not as hard looking as I was expecting. Certainly something to aspire to.

Everybody's guessing this far in advance. The NWS (Portland) long term fcst dicussion is probably as good a guess as any this far out: .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THE EXTENDED PERIOD BEGINS WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DROPPING DOWN THROUGH THE REGION ALONG THE COAST. AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY ALONG WITH PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF WIDESPREAD RAIN AND CASCADE SNOW. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER BEHIND THE FRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND SOME SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO THURSDAY UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE CASCADE FOOTHILLS AND COAST RANGE MAY ALSO SEE SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW...THOUGH THIS WILL DEPEND ON THE FROPA TIMING AND MOISTURE EXTENT. BY THE END OF THE WEEK...THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE IN THE PACIFIC IS CENTERED NEAR 140W KEEPING THE REGION UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT MAY BE DRY AHEAD OF THE NEXT DISTURBANCE THAT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH ON FRIDAY OR FRIDAY NIGHT. FORECAST MODEL AGREEMENT DECREASES AT THIS TIME...WITH THE 12Z GFS KEEPING THE BULK OF THE MOISTURE TO THE NORTH WHILE THE 12Z ECMWF MOVES THE SYSTEM INTO THE AREA FASTER AND WITH A MORE WIDESPREAD AREA OF PRECIPITATION. WHILE THE DETAILS REMAIN A BIT UNCERTAIN...THE EXTENDED PERIOD GENERALLY WILL BE COOL AND WET ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. CULLEN

Ah ha. Right on track then.

Thanks so much for posting this Mark. Amazing story, history, and adventure.

Thanks for your efforts Kurt, much appreciated! If I catch num1mc's drift, I don't think he is questioning the glue-ins, but the type of glue-in as maybe being less than optimal. I am too ignorant to have an opinion, but you guys may be talking past one another.

I will have to check that out, sounds pretty ideal.