JasonG

Having known folks whose family lived under Stalin (in the Baltics), there is no way anyone has made him out to be worse than he was, esp. if you got on the state's bad side. Beyond imaginable suffering.

Also, I would be interested to learn how Victor has his SLR rigged to his pack. I have worked out an OK system, but I am always looking to improve upon it.

Such a great write up, thanks! I have to admit that on my winter "ascent", due to a lot of factors, I stopped at the rim. Way to complete it in good style and ski from the tippy top. Proud.

While the ski was cool, I'm psyched to have found Scott's imagery- that man can take a photo! Thanks for turning me on to his site.

Scott- I checked out your site, and I'm quite impressed with your work (good job on the descent too!). Your images are inspiring, I have much to learn....

But they can special order them....not that I am advocating pushing business REI's way. But getting to your situation with the worn out gromments, seems like a good cobbler could fix those without too much trouble/cost. I had an old pair of Makalus years ago that had loops in a similar spot wear out. I had a cobbler fix them for ~$40. Probably not something to put off, given the looks of them. Good luck!

Probably depends on who you get. My experience hasn't been good with LaSportiva CS, but it has been a long time since I talked with them (years), so your experience may be different. I had a pair of Trango S's that wore out in 11 months (sides blew out, surprise, surprise) of weekend warrior use. They told me that I got my $300 worth, and I would need to pay full price for a replacement. This demonstrates why there is some value in buying from the evil empire (REI) when it comes to boots (which seem, these days, to wear out faster than it takes to wear down the sole). I've had several pairs from different manufacturers wear before their time. It surprises me that modern boots don't seem to be designed to take the abuse of mountaineering. Light is great, but they need to last at least a few seasons of moderate use.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos everyone! Mr. Sepultura, Fausto is probably just intimidated by you manly commercial fisherman types. Don't worry, I'll get you two together when you get back from AK.

Trip: Shuksan - Circumnavigation + Summit Date: 1/21/2013 Trip Report: In our eternal quest to get a sunburn in every month of the year (turns out you can get burned in January in the North Cascades), Gord, Kit, Chad and myself made plans to spend a couple of days on Mt. Shuksan. Chad had driven all the way in from southern ID for a N. Cascades sampler, and the conditions lined up nicely to get him way up high in the range.On the way out of the lot on Sunday morning we ran into the one and only Daniel Helmstadter, newly back in ass-kicking action. He promptly dropped us like we were standing still (which we did frequently based on the silly overnight loads we carried), and we never saw him again. He had a First Descent on the south side of Shuksan to get to, but I'm somewhat certain he has teleportation abilities as well. That man can move! We, however, took our time getting to camp at the top of the Fisher Chimneys, but still arrived with time to watch a spectacular afternoon. We didn't even need to level a spot for the Megamid- fantastic! In the late afternoon we saw Jason4 and a group head down Winnie's slide The night was as long as expected, but not too cold. We were reluctant to leave our sleeping bags and camp in the morning, not rolling until around 0800. Up the Upper Curtis, through Hell's Highway, and up the Shulphide to the summit gully, we found ourselves booting up to the tippy top around noon. We ended up belaying a short bit from the gully to the summit ridge, mostly on the way down. Dan had kicked some great steps that made a lot of it easier. Unlike him though, we left our skis at the base. What a view! The summit of Shuksan never disappoints, but especially in winter. Wow. Chad was suitably impressed as the view was a bit different than the Tetons (his home range). We had the summit to ourselves, naturally, but couldn't stay too long due to the short days. We returned to our skis at the base of the summit pyramid and proceeded to circle the mountain's north side via the Crystal and Hanging Gls. A scenic way to complete the tour, and we were back at camp without too much delay. Packing up camp went quickly,and soon we were faced with the unpleasant ski down the VERY firm White Salmon with full packs. That was certainly a theme on the trip- great climbing conditions but generally poor ski conditions. Ski crampons were very useful. We battled the usual shenanigans in the valley bottom, getting back up to the parking lot around 1730. The gate wasn't locked, and we were soon in Kendall wishing Gord well on his way back across the border. Another North Cascades adventure complete! Pics: Skinning up the White Salmon Camp Chad admires the view north Gord exploring above camp Baker from camp Lower Curtis Icefall Dan, you are THE MAN. I think there are two of his First Descents visible, maybe more. Topping out on Hell's Highway Skinning up the Sulphide In the Summit gully Kit topping out on the summit ridge On the summit Looking east to Icy, the Pickets, and beyond Dropping onto the Crystal Gl. Pausing at the transition between the Hanging and Upper Curtis Gls. Skiing the Upper Curtis Gord hanging on near Winnie's Slide Gordo Fausto always leads the way for his North American clients. What a handsome man! Gear Notes: Ski crampons, whippet, boot crampons, axe, helmet, rando rope- all useful and used. Approach Notes: Park at the White Salmon Lodge. You can't miss it.

This time of year the online reports are often outdated. Best bet is to give the ranger station a call in Marblemount if you can't track any recent TRs down on TAY or here.

This kind of what you are getting at?

Excellent route, eh? That was nearly the same line as we took last winter. I remember being surprised by how much real ice climbing there was on the route, not just icy snow. I was wishing that I had brought two tools, not just an axe and a tool. You had the right idea!

From the company's website: "P2i originated within the UK Ministry of Defence as a project investigating the use of super-hydrophobic technologies to enhance soldiers’ protective clothing from chemical attack. Traditional protective uniforms used non-porous materials with little breathability and reduced mobility. The key to P2i’s success is making breathable fabrics such as cotton, liquid repellent without changing their original properties. With P2i’s technology, completed garments can be processed ensuring that seams, stitching and even zippers are treated with the nano-coating. This provides superior liquid repellent benefits as there are no weak points attracting or absorbing hazardous liquids."

ion-mask Saw a write up on this recently, sounds interesting. I guess it was developed for the military, but has recently spilled over into the consumer world. The end of DWR and membranes? Just some nylon with an "ion-mask"? Anyone have any experience with this new technology?

Thanks! I will look forward to the TR on your site, always a good read.

Is that a one piece? Does anyone make matching leg warmers?

Nice work Loren! Did you ski the Ingraham like you planned? I was wondering about the winds. On Shuksan yesterday it was surprisingly windy, given the inversion. Nothing severe, but we weren't at 14K either! That is very cool when you have the upper mountain to yourself, I remember that as being the best part of my winter experience several years ago. If you get a chance it would be cool to see some pictures!

The amount of terrain you cover in a push never ceases to amaze me, another first descent? It was great running into you on your way out of the parking lot yesterday! We were the group of four poking our way up to the White Salmon at a slow clip, and wondered over the past couple of days what you had been up to. We camped up at the top of the Chimneys and followed your tracks today to the summit. Thanks for the steps, and for the great story. That sunset was spectacular last night, glad you had a chance to enjoy it.

I'm not a skier, but have been snowboarding and splitboarding for a similar amount of time as Sol. He's right about the skis, watching my AT companions. So much better for climbing access, icy conditions, and traverses! Splitboards are way more work on the same terrain, for a lot of reasons. Maybe things have changed a lot on the boot front in the last few years, but I think AT boot are still going to be the better option for skinning and climbing, paired with the Voile mtn. plate binding. Dynafit TLT5's are a good example of something that lots of alpinists are using these days. They aren't as rigid as most AT boots, esp with the tongue out. It won't as good for going down as softboots, but it will skin and climb much better, and be crampon compatible. This is similar to what I have used for the past 7 years after 4 years with softboots and bindings. You can spend a ton of money on getting "the best" board. I think the Voile packages are perfectly suitable for climbing access and day trips for powder vert. It has served me well for years of hard abuse. You can often find them on sale starting in a few weeks. How long ago did you try skis? My impression from watching folks on the new, fat, rockered, skis is that they pretty much ride similar to snowboards and are probably more forgiving than the skis of old. Things have changed so much on the ski side, that I plan to learn to ski in the next five years or so. Probably when my son learns.

Having seen Vance give a slideshow on this years ago, I'd agree. It seems like I saw a dream at his show, like there was no way it possibly could have happened. Simply amazing, with almost no fan-fare. Thanks for the link, I'd heard about this article, but hadn't tracked it down.

Wow, that Hunt character is crazy! Those are some of the wildest lines I've seen outside of Helmstadterville. Unfortunately we were pretty far from Atwell and it was mostly hidden by Garibaldi. I have a few pics of the NE face on Atwell, but it doesn't come close to filling the frame or providing much detail (in shade).

Thanks for the kind words everyone! Yes Mr. Dog, you need to move back north, and pronto! Also, for those interested in how much you can accomplish in a day from the Burton Hut, take a look at Louie and Kirk's trip. Kirk makes is sound pretty casual above, but that is a stout day to climb Carr, Castle and Davidson!

From the NWS long range discussion: .LONG TERM...MODELS ARE STILL IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE UPPER RIDGE WILL MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD NEXT WEEK...PROBABLY ENDING UP NEAR THE COAST OF NORTH AMERICA AROUND THURSDAY. NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE NORTHWEST AS THE RIDGE NEARS...AND IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE ANY WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. THE FREEZING LEVEL WILL GRADUALLY CLIMB AS UPPER HEIGHTS RISE WITH THE APPROACH OF THE RIDGE...EVENTUALLY REACHING AROUND 10000 FEET ON THURSDAY. CLEAR WINTER NIGHTS...WARMER AIR ALOFT...AND LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW SHOULD LEAD TO A STRONG INVERSION AND SOME AIR STAGNATION ISSUES AS IT ALWAYS DOES IN THIS PATTERN. MCDONNAL Looks like a good window is approaching....I have to work next week of course. Write a TR!

That has to be one of the more gripping reads in some time here. Glad it all worked out, that sounded like it almost ended very badly.

I should add that guys like Lunger, the Traslins, and Sky could probably ski everything we did and more in a day from the road! Reading the hut book was humbling, to say the least. I will be interested to read what Louie and Kirk got up to, they seem to fit in the former list. We just skied easy lines close to the hut, but the potential is mind numbing. Such an impressive area.