JasonG

This time of year the online reports are often outdated.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.

Thanks Mark! I look forward to your TRs, and esp. the annual J-tree one. The combination of stories and images are always appreciated and do a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the trip each year. I didn't know you painted, those are impressive. Though you climb, photograph, and play music well, I have to admit that this seems (to me) to be the trickiest of your artistic endeavors.

Thanks Gene! I think access in the winter is actually a great deal easier (if you nail the weather), at least it gets more use in late winter and spring than the height of summer. I'd almost forgotten about your trip in there a few years ago! Completely awesome.

Trip: Castle Towers, Mt. Carr, The Sphinx, Deception - Burton Hut Alpine Extravaganza Date: 1/1/2013 Trip Report: Over New Year's I had the good fortune of joining several longtime ski/climbing partners on a trip to the VOC Burton Hut. We were trying to figure out where to go to avoid the crowds and Gord came up with this spectacular destination. Turns out that a stiff 6-7 hour ski weeds out folks (with the exception of Louie and Kirk from B'ham who joined us the last night). Over three days (five day trip total, with an approach day on either end), we managed to climb and ski East Castle Tower, Mt. Carr, The Sphinx, and Mt. Deception. All yielded ~1000m runs down to the hut at 1450m! We were blessed by good snow, fantastic weather, and stable avi conditions- what more could one ask for to start the New Year? I think this may have been the best winter ski trip I have ever been on, due all the factors aligning just so. We live in a remarkable part of the world, and I feel fortunate to have such good friends to share it with. Captions refer to photo above: Skinning across the massive Garibaldi Lake en route to the Burton Hut. Atwell (L) and Garibaldi summit close up. Skinning up Deception with the Sphinx behind. Topping out on one of Deception's summits with Mt. Carr above and to the left. Skiing off Mt. Deception The Sphinx, Garibaldi, and Deception (L-R) Skinning below Phyllis's Engine on the way to Castle Towers This notch accesses easier slopes on the east side of Castle Towers Booting up East Castle Towers Summit of East Castle Tower The true summit of Castle Towers is a bit of a challenge in winter conditions. We were content to stop and take photos from the east peak. Perspective. Skiing down the Sphinx Glacier with the Sphinx above. Skinning up towards Mt. Carr Gord leading the charge up the final steep bit below the summit of Carr. Endless ski terrain awaits on the east side of Mt. Carr if you have the energy to drop off the ridge away from the hut. We didn't, but Kit looks pretty happy regardless. Skiing the west side of Mt. Carr in fun conditions. Lower down on the Sphinx Gl. Spectacular! Looking at Sentinel Bay and the usual exit from the Garibaldi Neve. Some of the hoar crystals were impressively large (>1.5") on the ski out. Gear Notes: Hut booties, Whiskey Approach Notes: Rubble Creek to Garibaldi Lake. Make sure it's frozen.

"Some of the most tragic accidents have come when climbers mismanaged this distinction, becoming blasé on easy terrain. On July 6, 2000, Cameron Tague made the approach to the Diamond Face on Long's Peak. To get to the midway point on the cliff, he decided to traverse in from the side, along a big sloping ledge called Broadway. For a climber as gifted as Tague, it would be an easy traverse, and to save time for the difficult climbing higher on the face, he didn't even bother to rope up. Then somehow, he lost his concentration, pulled on a loose piece of stone, and stumbled backward. Tague tried to recapture his balance, his hands grasping and waving about as he skittered toward the edge of the ledge. He disappeared over the edge of Broadway and fell 800 feet. The probabilities of falling were remote, but the consequences were lethal." From: http://www.fastcompany.com/47527/leadership-lessons-rock-climber Better write up in ANAM 2001, but I don't have that at my fingertips. Very sad.

Great photo Doug! When were you there in 2004? I was in Goyko in November of that year....funny. I thought Goyko and the Cho La were one of the highlights of the trip....good memories

Thanks for the info everyone! The lake was a bit slushy in spots on the 30th (but pretty safe feeling overall), and frozen solid today. South to west slopes have a bit of crust, but north slopes remained fine throughout the week. Such a great amount of ski terrain out of the Sphinx hut! TR to follow in a few days.....

Sphinx Bay in particular.....Thanks for any info!

It is a marked FS trail (at least on the ground, sounds like it might not be on USGS maps), and heads NE from White Pass to a pass that gains access to the south side of Glacier Peak. I imagine that it was originally a herder's trail? Regardless, take the NF Sauk trail to White Pass and you will see the junction for the Foam Creek trail right at the pass. I think it is another couple miles from the pass to the typical high camps for Glacier. The approach is quite nice, although the climb from that side is fairly unpleasant after the snow melts. Mid summer or earlier would be the best. Good luck, and have fun!

And the fact that the summit is guarded by tuantuans in winter. Seriously though, picking a date for a winter summit of Rainier, is akin to picking a winning lottery number. It may happen, but your chances sure improve if you have some date flexibility (over several months). That said, 12/28 is a particularly auspicious day.