JasonG

Thanks for posting that link, certainly a much stranger story than first reported.

Good to know, thanks Tom!

Wow, nice off-the-beaten track ski! I've wondered about that torment basin route. Pretty easy to follow? Not too brushy?? Thanks for the report!!

I heard an officer here in Mount Vernon say that >80% of all property crime in town is METH related. That amazed me that one drug could be responsible for so much of the theft. The few meth heads I have run into while out on the river or in the woods I would want no part in fighting- they don't seem human. I don't envy the police.

I seem to remember stopping maybe 10-15 vertical feet from the tippy top as it looked to be a blade of ice only a few feet wide and ready to fall off. That was in December of 2002, after a pretty decent winter. It wasn't too hard (relatively) to get close to the summit. After topping out on Zurbriggen's ridge and joining the Linda Gl. route at the summit rocks, I still remember the sinking feeling watching a house-sized chunk of ice come off the bigger gun barrel, sweep across the ice shelf, and rumble down the glacier towards the hut (very nearly killing a team on the ice shelf). My new wife (we were on our honeymoon) turned to me and said "Isn't that the way we have to go down?" "Ummmm. Yeah." At that point I am pretty sure she would have rather been bouldering at Castle Hill. Some day I will have to go back for the Grand Traverse (not with my wife), and keep my weather fingers crossed.

When was that Dru? I don't seem to remember it looking quite that vertical. . . .

The classic line on Aspiring: http://www.ericandlucie.com/New%20Zealand/Aspiring/IMG_6886W.jpg The "easy" side of Cook- we climbed Zurbriggen's Ridge, the obvious snow line below the summit: http://www.trentw.net/Sports/New-Zealand-Mountaineering-1/Upper-Tasman-21-28-Feb-05/418447_zSBx2/2/16753302_PEkWw#16753302_PEkWw-A-LB

I think NZ is a great place to go climbing once you are a fairly experienced climber. I thought Cook by even the "easy" routes to be somewhat more intimidating/difficult than Liberty Ridge. Quite good climbing (if weather/conditions allow), but it is far more dangerous than most all peaks in the Cascades. I also thought the SW ridge on Aspiring to be a classic anywhere, but again harder than most Cascade climbs. I think both of our summit days on Cook and Aspiring were 15+ hour jaunts. As a friendly bit of advice, don't hike in to the Plateau Hut on Cook- the heli ride is very much worth the cost. As Tvash pointed out, the tracks to the climbing areas tend to be rough. The huts make up for it, but the weather can be very, very bad- so they are kind of a necessity. It is a great country and one I would consider going back to each winter- if it wasn't so darn expensive to get there. There are plenty of great hikes (tramps) to go on if the weather/climbing conditions stink (which is likely). Lots of crags too....

Nice work, you nailed it!!! If only my home and work commitments let me have a little more flexibility . . .next time!

Although I really hate to admit it, I can relate. With my youngest just a year old, and my oldest three, I am still in the midst of the sleep deprived craziness. It will do strange and unsettling things to a person (at least me), and although I haven't hurt my kids, I know exactly where it comes from. I would not be able to cast the first stone for sure. We all make mistakes- some are more horrible than others, unfortunately.

Cool! Give me a ring next time you are up for Erie and need a partner Curt, I need to get back in climbing shape.....

Shuksan was skied several times over the last couple of days, check TAY for reports. A party turned around (and went down the NW couloir), and did not drop in to the NF due to a reactive 1' windslab. Still winter up there, no matter what the calendar says.

When I did the research to buy ours a couple of years ago, the sherpani rhumba was about the best (http://sherpani.com/sherpani-rumba.aspx). I think we found it new, on sale for ~140, but they often show up on craigslist. We have gone backpacking several times and used it on dozens of day hikes and it works quite well. If you are over 6' 2" the shoulder straps are a bit short, otherwise it carries really well. I would highly recommend it.

Well said John. That TR and your images stuck with me as well . . .RIP David.

Great Photo Matt!!! Dallas would've been proud of Calvin's lead. Thanks to one and all who attended- we got a lot of trail work done, and climbed Dallas's classic Zig-Zag under a warm sun. You couldn't ask for a better day to remember one of our local legends. And, as least as far as I'm concerned, Dallas kept the ticks at bay. Thanks!

If she is really a he, then I would suggest "Dallas" in honor of Mr. Kloke- one of the few men who could challenge "Fred" for the title of "human Cascadian climbing database".

Beta At least that is what I usually try and extract from her . . ..

Oh yeah! I've gone either way and that is certainly better if it isn't weeping....

Thanks Matt, I will look for you and I am sure we can get you a partner. Right now I have no idea who I am climbing with so it could be me! I don't know about Zig-Zag, we can talk tomorrow....

For all the folks who plan on attending, if you could say so on this post it will help with the preparations. Thanks, and I hope to see a lot of folks Saturday at 0900!

I don't know Mike- I think the spec on the Bluewater is around 2500 lbs while Darin's is about 2200, both for 6mm. The Imlay is less than half the price per foot too....

So are twin ropes just too 20th century? I would imagine that the lightest 7.5-7.7 twins would compare favorably to a thicker lead line and pull cord for weight(although probably more money). I understand that for harder rock they wouldn't haul worth a damn, however.... It seems like 1/2 or twin lines used to be the standard for ice and long alpine climbs, and am wondering if they are mostly out of favor now. Is rope management while leading the deciding factor for going with the systems described above? Or?

You were right Dan- http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=327&projectID=15048&documentID=20910 As an FYI there are now four repeater sites: McGregor, Ruby, Desolation, and Copper. The latter two are at the lookout sites. Sat phones were rejected as an alternative, but were considered. Maybe next go around....

I think that there is one on easy instead of copper ridge? . . . .It seems like they could switch to sat phones at some point and remove the repeaters. I agree that they aren't too bad, but it seems like if technology allows, they should still be removed. Same thing with the snotel sites . . ..

Ha! I am being a bit grumpy, I suppose. Looks like you had a fine day this winter too, Tom. That's a good bit of work without skis!