JasonG

You put your sleeping pad inside your sleeping bag? Or you probably mean inside your pack?

And I'll try to remember to add captions in the next couple of days....

Trip: Spearhead Traverse - Blackcomb to Whistler Date: 4/22/2013 Trip Report: The Spearhead! Gordo admires the view from just before Decker I had been wanting to make this trip happen for the last several years but, for a variety of factors, it never seemed to materialize. When Gordo and Scott did the trip a couple years ago, I thought I had missed the boat. Luckily it is as good as everyone says, and they could be convinced to give it another go. Gear responsibilities sorted, Scott picked me up way too early Sunday morning for the drive north in the rain (it wasn't supposed to rain!) to pick up Gordo in Van. Our first setback occurred at the border when Scott and I realized that the duty free store at the Peace Arch only works if you are going south, not north. We had no whiskey, sort of a major deal, but we decided to wait until Whistler and see what we could find before pushing the panic button. We picked up Gordo up only slightly late continued north, in the intermittent rain to Whis (Gordo informed me that those in the know don't say Whistler). Not much was open in Whistler but a gear store, so we popped in to see where one could find some whiskey at 0900 on a Sunday morning. They laughed, even more so when we said we were serious. Fortunately it turns out, if you are willing to pay top dollar, that there is a private liquor store where you can get royally gouged for a bottle of Wiser's Deluxe on a Sunday morning. Check, on to lift tickets. Buying a single ride lift ticket at Blackcomb is only slightly less difficult than trying cross into Canada with a handgun. I was amazed that they had to physically see every bit of avlanche gear plus skins before they would sell be a ticket. Nevertheless, getting put through 20 questions and paying $50 is an OK trade for 5K of elevation gain, sans skinning. With the drive, and Whis shenanigans, we weren't skinning out of the area until nearly 11am. But this gave the raging blizzard of the morning time to blow through and by the time we left Blackcomb it was only somewhat socked in and flurries. I had Gordo and Scott guiding me so I wasn't worried. Basically we followed the traditional route out past Decker, Trorey, Pattison, and through the Shudder/Tremor col, up to the summit of Shudder and down to a big wind cirque for our first camp of the trip. It was scenic, windy, and COLD. I think it was around -13C inside the Hilleberg that first night, and it was then that we started to realize that the Whistler Alpine forecast is probably for somewhere below 2000m. The next day we got a slow start and continued on the traditional route past Quiver, Macbeth, and Iago to the Diavolo Gl. where we stopped for the second night. En route, we half heartedly tried for Macbeth after dropping packs, but left too much gear behind to feel comfortable going all the way to the top. Next time! Also in this section, my splitboard got away from me and ended up on Lawsuit lake. D'Oh!! Thanks to Gordo for trying to chase it down and bringing it part of the way back up. Truly embarassing, I hope that is the first and last time that happens to me. We got into camp on the Diavolo early and talked about skiing something on Cheakamus, but in the end just sat around in the sun eating and hydrating in preparation for a longer day the next. The second night wasn't nearly as cold as the first due to some high clouds, but we still got a later start after things warmed up a bit. Partway up to the col above camp we dropped some of our stuff and headed up Fitzsimmons, hoping to ski from high on the peak. Breakable crust dashed those hopes several hundred meters below the top, but we had a fun romp up and down, enjoying the spectacular views down the excellent north face ski line. We quickly booted/skied back to our stuff and and skinned up and over the summit of Benvolio, and on to the summit of Overlord. Great views and solitude were the theme all along this stretch, the highlight for me of the whole trip probably. The ski down and around Overlord was still surprisingly good given all the sun, and soon we were skinning up to the Whirlwind/Fissile col where we readied for the first somewhat bad descent of the whole trip (crusty/icy snow). Still, when you are in such surroundings, it is hard to complain. We especially enjoyed the views over to the Castle Towers, where Scott, Gordo, Kit and myself were over New Year's this year. So much good ski terrain up there! We opted to continue to Flute rather than exit Singing pass and the next section started to drag, but we didn't have hordes to annoy us (Gordo says this part is usually mobbed when Whistler is open) since Whistler had closed recently. The Flute summit was empty so we had a nice break looking over the terrain we had covered over the past three days. I can't believe it has been done in less than half a day!! While it would be cool to cover so much ground so quickly, I really enjoyed the relaxed peak bagging of our trip. The scenery is so nice, it is never boring, no matter how slow you go. The run down into the village was surprisingly fun on soft spring snow, and we skidded to a stop right in the midst of the fashionista hordes within a half hour or so of leaving the Flute summit. It was surreal, and a jarring re-entry into lowland life. Pretty funny too. Bring on the huts! Skinning up below Decker Gordo and Scott scoping the route ahead A windy passing through the Shudder/Tremor col Descending Shudder to camp Camp 1 Skinning up to Ripsaw ridge on the morning of day 2 Fitzsimmons Icefall Macbeth Col, quite the view. Camp 2 on the Diavolo Gl. Cheakamus Peak. Gordo's not sold on the idea of eating uncooked Ramen Shortly after leaving camp on day 3 Summit of Fitzsimmons Mamquam! Does anyone know what this peak is?? Scott and Gordo looking small below the summit of Overlord Skiing down and around Overlord The traverse is complete! Gear Notes: Don't forget the Whiskey. Whippet works for peak bagging. Boot crampons helpful for Fitzsimmons. Approach Notes: You can't miss it.

D'Oh! I should have read the gear notes. I have one on backorder and am really looking forward to it. Anyway, strong, fast work was usual Mr. Frieh! I have to think that those smash and grab ascents must seem like a dream when you are back at your office on a Monday morning...very cool.

Sweet! How do you like that new Sirocco?

.....from Argentina! http://twoblindtoride.org/index.html I ran into them on my ride home from work today along a lonely stretch of old Hwy 99. Curious as to where they were headed with the heavy load, I rode along and talked with them for a few minutes about their trip before they told me that they were both legally blind! Amazing, an inspiring story for sure, and not the first adventure that these two have been on. Good luck and God speed Christi and Tauru!

I suspect that the crux will be battling the brush below 2K. The topo and photos make the actual route higher up look pretty reasonable. Of course most of it is threatened by avalanches, so be careful if the forecasted sustained warming occurs. May is the month of slurpee death after all.

Maybe, but there is probably a bit more to the story. Regardless, sounds like the Sherpas got way out of control. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316109/Jonathan-Griffith-British-photographer-injured-terrifying-fight-climbers-Sherpas-close-peak-Mount-Everest.html

Finally got around to adding captions..... Yeah, we thought that the SE face did look a little leaner as well. There appeared to be a couple of old crown lines and a lot of debris below the face. Maybe an avi cycle stripped a bunch off?

Excellent! Much less snow than last year, eh? TR like this always make me realize how torn I am in the spring....ski or rock? Skiing usually wins out, and my climbing ability reflects it.

Ha! I'll try that next time I'm angling for a hall pass from the wife and kiddos- "But I'm on assignment for cc.com!" Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you like the photos.

Trip: Silverstar - Silverstar Creek Date: 4/17/2013 Trip Report: After a week of summer it is hard for me to believe we were skiing boot top powder last Wednesday. But it's true! As most of you know, Hwy 20 opened last Tuesday afternoon, and I was able to rally a crew of the usual suspects to take off from work and enjoy a winterish spring day up in the North Cascades. The weather forecast wasn't perfect, but in retrospect it preserved the snow and made for a fantastic ski. We got a painfully early start so that we could try and beat the weather forecasted to come in later in the day. Still, with the long drive, carpool shenanigans, gas stop, etc., we weren't skinning until about 8:45ish. Lucky for us there were four folks about an hour in front of us breaking trail, and we made quick work up the valley from the highway. Coverage was surprisingly good down low and we were able to skin from the highway (ski crampons helpful). We we broke out of the heavy trees we were all impressed by the view (none of us had been this way before), and my pace slowed considerably to take some photos. Siverstar creek is an amazingly scenic valley, especially in winter conditions. As we ascended higher, the clouds got lower, and a light snow began to fall. The winds weren't bad though, and avi conditions seemed reasonable, so upwards we went on the well set track. We arrived at the col just below the summit and ditched the skis for the final boot/scramble to the top, which was a little spicier than I last remembered it. Thankfully we had Fausto to lead the Gordo step and show us the way. I think it took us about 4 hours to get to the summit, which was much faster than any of us thought. View were predictably limited, but dramatic, making for a memorable ski down, down, down to the valley floor. As we had noted on the way up, it skied much better than expected, ranking as one of my best runs of the season. We were back at the car less than seven hours after leaving, giving us enough time to head down to Early Winters campground for dinner with Scott and Meghan. Many thanks to them for the fine food and drink, and a fitting end to a spectacular day! The Wine Spires: Ski up and down the prominent glacier: Scenic skinning midway up the valley: The view west from just below the summit: Gordo Fausto is a handsome man. Book your trip with him today, dates are filling up fast!: Big Country: This dinner was almost better than the ski, thanks Meghan!: Gear Notes: ski crampons Approach Notes: Silverstar Creek

I heard that Silverstar skied pretty well on Wednesday.

Yep, I think Scott's saying "Dan skied that!??"

Jason- you would be completely fine on Larrabee. It is somewhat steep, but not extremely so. I did put my SLR away for the descent (and forgot my little camera, thus no descent pics) to make sure that I was prepared and carried my ice axe, but it turned out to have softened enough to be pretty fun and not very stressful. Since I am on a split, this kind of stuff (45 degree firm/chunky snow) is about at the limits of what I find fun for going down. Most compentent skiers, with twice the effective edge as a split, wouldn't think twice about it. It is a great trip, and I certainly would recommend it for folks, esp. if you stare at it year after year from the Baker backcountry! There are some truly steep lines off Larrabee though that Dan, the Hummels, etc. ski. Those are impressive and out of my league! Just dropping off the summit to the east to access them looks scary. And yes, we should get out in the hills again!

Trip: Mt Larrabee - SW slope Date: 4/3/2013 Trip Report: A few years ago Scott and I skied in to the Winchester LO just after New Year's, maybe thinking of skiing Larrabee if conditions warranted. Scott broke a binding on the first day, meaning that we had a nice stay in the LO, but had to leave first thing the next day without skiing any of the excellent terrain around the LO. Fast forward several winters and part of a spring, and Tim, Scott, and myself find ourselves back at the LO, ready for some spring corn and sun. Family Easter obligations in the San Juans meant that I squandered the best of the long weather window for our team, but we were able to squeeze this in at the very end. The weather was a bit in and out on the ski in and in the morning of the second day, but overall conditions were quite nice on south facing slopes- provided you didn't get too late of start. It took us about 5.5 hours or so to skin up to the LO from the highway on the first day, and I was beat. Luckily the clouds rolled in and I didn't have to choose between afternoon turns and rest. Instead, the hut reading material entertained us for the afternoon and evening, esp. some of the angst fueled entries in the hut log. Oh, to be young, earnest, and aimless again. The next day dawned foggy with very little viz for the ski down and over to Low/high pass. We waited and waited for the sun to burn through and eventually it did. We were underway about 1000, not optimal. I think it took us about 2.5-3 hours to ski and boot up to the summit with mostly good travel conditions. It got a little warm/soft near the top, but Tim gamely wallowed a trench for us up the final steep bit. It is quite a view from the summit! An interesting perspective on a number of peaks you don't see up close often, especially Slesse and American Border Peak, with the impressive north side of Shuksan dominating the view south. And, the best thing about a ski ascent is that all the notorious choss of Larrabee was covered by snow, making for a pleasant experience. The ski down wasn't anything special, but it was steep enough to get my attention given the variable conditions. Lower down we set off many wet slides, managing them so as not to get caught and carried. Pretty fun actually, and some of the slides entrained a good deal of snow. Just above High Pass the snow firmed up to nice corn for a long stretch, easily the best turns of the day. The 900' slog back up to the LO was predictably painful, but Tim and Scott did all the work for my sorry butt. A quick pack up and ski down to the road followed, traversing several large debris fields from earlier wet slides. That wasn't so fun. I think it took us a couple of hours, or a bit more, to ski down and out to the car where mosquitoes, beer, chips, and smoked salmon awaited. We hadn't seen another party or evidence of recent traffic anywhere past the upper road, making for another memorable North Cascades ski. A couple friends, a couple summits, and lots more ideas to fuel trips for years into the future. I love our backyard. Goat Mtn. and Shuksan in the growing gloom: Skinning up just below the LO. Tomyhoi in the clouds behind: Socked in and bored in the hut: Larrabee. We skied the left face, wrapping around to the bowl in the lower right of the frame: Scott marveling at ABP, emerging from the clouds: Shuksan dominates the view south: Topping out: The view east to the Pickets, etc.: The slog back up to the LO sucked the life from me, Tim and Scott pulling away: The NW Couloir right in the middle, maybe some day: Gear Notes: Whatever you need to feel comfortable on 40-45 degree icy snow and rock bands. Ski crampons and helmets useful. Approach Notes: Twin Lakes Rd. Park at the WSDOT maintenance shed if there is room, if not park at the Hannegan road snow park. Slog upwards for ~4500'

Yes, you need to take off the handle from the blade, but most should fit great (mine is a Voile T-wood). The shovel handle and probe have dedicated sleeves inside the back pocket. There is enough room for skins as well. Mine isn't an Avalung version, but it looks like that is all they sell now? Also, mine doesn't have velcro on the straps, just standard buckles that tighten. Looks like the new ones are similar in the photo, but maybe there is a bit of velcro to keep the straps from flapping (hard to see on the website). Great pack, I've used it for a couple seasons now and am impressed for the price point. $130 for the one I have online

I really like the BD Revelation. It has an insulated hydration sleeve that I've had good luck with well below freezing. Doesn't have pockets for pickets, but I usually don't bring them on ski trips as I always have an axe or pole that could be deadmanned if need be.

Well, don't count on us, plans have changed. We're heading to the great white north.

You won't be disappointed hiking around Patagonia either! Technically the Linda Gl. on Cook is maybe a bit harder than Liberty Ridge, but not by much. With a heli assist to the Plateau hut, it is shorter, time wise. BUT, the Linda is certainly much, much more dangerous with huge ice cliffs that threaten a significant portion of the route (you descend the same way). We were so worried about it that we climbed Zurbriggen's ridge to avoid going up the Linda (this route isn't threatened by ice cliffs, but it is much steeper and harder than the Linda). Right as we were about to join the Linda at the summit rocks, one of the Gun Barrels let loose and shed a house sized block of ice across the ice shelf (right behind a team). My wife (this was our honeymoon) turned to me and said "Aren't we going down that way?" "Ummmmmmmm. Yeah". By the time we got back to the hut after 17 hours on the go we were shattered, and our feet were thrashed. Talk of climbing the Silverhorn on Tasman vanished. We ended up hiking out from the Plateau hut to save money, but I wouldn't recommend it. That was a whole different adventure!

You must try to climb this (photo stolen from http://www.alpinenz.com): The obviously elegant SW ridge of Aspiring is one of the best and most memorable climbs of my life. It is worth waiting a month for the weather, if you have to. We climbed it on 12/23, so your timing is right. Be prepared for a long day from the French Ridge hut, but it is worth every bit of the slog across the Bonar Gl. Mt. Cook is also a memorable climb by most routes (we climbed Zurbriggen's Ridge), but I can't say it was safe or nearly as enjoyable as Aspiring. If you want a sandfly infested bush bash, you may want to give Mitre Peak a go (you won't forget it). It's another long day, but what a view! No gear needed, except for a strong constitution. On the other end of the alpine spectrum, I think Mt. Owen up by Nelson is worth a visit. Better weather and amazing limestone formations make for a cool outing. Minor scrambling, but mainly a hike. Boulder at Castle Hill too, that place is incredible, and I'm not even a pad person. For a mountaineering oriented tramp, I can also recommend the Copeland track. It crosses the Main Divide to Westland National Park from Mt Cook Village and passes through an amazing cross section of the South Island, with a spectacularly situated hot spring en route. If you get the weather, any of the above will be quite beautiful. That said, you need to expect that the weather will not be stable. Think a warmer version of Patagonia.

Great, thanks much. We may be heading that way so will bring a saw, etc...

How many trees need to be cleared (and what size)? This is good info Kurt, thanks! And nice work on the Isolation!

This is a fantastic site, thanks for updating and maintaining it! It is pretty much my go to for trip planning/research.

Casey told me about this adventure a few days ago, and I couldn't wait for the TR! Just when I thought a face was safe from being skied, you guys went and expanded the possibilities yet again. Amazingly strong work!