JasonG

because you can go a hell of a lot farther (with much less effort) on skis than snowshoes. If you have ever tried to keep up with a pack of people on AT/tele gear while on snowshoes you'll know why split boards are the ticket for backcountry snowboarding.

Have ridden the burton a fair bit, and having owned the Voile, I'd say the Voile was the way to go. In typical Cascade conditons, the Burton sucks big time!!! It rides well enough, but getting the board together is sometimes next to impossible. I consistently have to wait 10-15 minutes for my friends with the Burtons, and only with two of us working on it are we able to lock it together. This is in typical winter conditons. In the spring time the burton goes together much easier. Still, there are other problems with the Burton. It isn't nearly as durable and the heel risers have the annoying tendency to flop down on long ascents. The only way to fix it is to stop, take the binding apart and bend the heel riser back in place. A very poor design all around compared to the Voile. But everyone must realize, that no matter what split boards will never perform as well as tele/AT gear. Too wide to traverse well, and quite bad on rolly terrain (doesn't ski that well when split). Anyways, that's my two cents . . .

Mainly because I like to enjoy the view for more than a few rushed minutes. A pack really isn't that heavy when all you take is a down bag, bivy sack, light rack, stove, etc. My 3000 cubic inch day pack has gone for four-day alpine traverses (like the Buckner, Logan combo) when I've packed light, plus you get more chances for cool pictures. To each his own, though. . . .

Not to offend anyone, but what hell is with all this banter?? Aren't most of us wannabees who are doing routes pioneered 30+ years ago?? Is doing them in a single push important enough to spray endlessly about?? Basically it boils down to getting out in the hills more, getting in better shape, etc., etc., and babbling online less (myself included). This thread is starting to sound like a poor rendition of "Extreme Alpinism".

Descent-Coming off of Buckner into Horseshoe basin. Bad slide alder interspersed with cliff bands. A close second would be the descent to Baker Lake from Mount Blum. Steep, brushy, 6000 vertical feet of brutality

I'd have to say the Columbia Mountains of BC first, followed by the Southern Alps, followed by the real Alps . . . Patagonia is too hard and scary (for a wannabe like me).

Why would anyone want to work at REI?? I did for a short bit and found absolutely no reason to stay. Yeah, you get cheap gear but at what mental price?? Let's see, mind numbing work, low pay, and no respect=dead end! Get a real job and then you can buy anything you want with all that cold hard cash that you couldn't possibly earn at REI. Plus, then you are free to spray away at them for all of their ignorance . . .

GEEZ! Everybody was on Hood yesterday. I was with a friend on the Leuthold and had a blast (we were the two yahoos in MEC gear). Not quite as hard as I was expecting (Still fun though), so maybe next time it'll be the Reid headwall (or the Sandy). Now if only we could make to order another weekend like that . . . heinie

Traversing icy snow isn't that much fun with a split board due to its width. Possibly with stiffer boots (Dynafit, etc) and plate bindings it might be easier. Voile and Burton both sell crampons that are supposed to make traversing icy stuff easier. Haven't tried them yet . . .

Quit your useless hiking and get a split board! I did and haven't looked back. The burton is not as durable (tried it out for awhile last year), and the binding system is kind of a pain. The burton skins are way better than the Voile (full length skins that attach to tip and tail, Voile's only attach on the tips). Still, I've been pleased with this year's Voile 173. Just about as fast as tele/AT gear on the way up and much faster on the way down. Plus you can use you plastic boots in whatever two-strap binding you have and it works fine (if you want to approach a climb for example). Just my two cents . . .

What difficulty are the mixed pitches between the notch and the summit of NEWS? Beckey book is not quite handy right now at work . . . . Thanks

Snafflehounds are another name for the bushy tailed wood-rat. If you have ever been molested by these bastards you'll never confuse them with pikas. Much bigger, meaner, and uglier. They'll destroy gear faster than you can say snafflehound! I'm serious too, if you don't believe me, just bivy at Burgundy Col and find out for yourselves.

With all the inept blather on this topic (Don't you people have other websites you can ramble incoherently on???) this response will probably get lost in the mayhem. No, I don't think there will be enough melting this week to put the north ridge of stuart into summer-like condition. If you are looking for more of a wet and snowy spring-like adventure, though, I think it would work.

North Ridge-lots of snow and wintery looking. Serpentine arete-quite a bit of snow on the lower ledges then snow bits all the way to the top. This info is as of yesterday 5/21 as we rambled up dragontail and colchuck. Both routes are still a bit early if you are looking for dry rock and warm feet.

What were the temperatures like?? I was thinking of heading up there this weekend if the temps continue to be low. Other than being bombarded, was the route in good condition? Thanks for any info.

i've climbed from park creek pass up and over the east ridge of buckner into horseshoe basin. lots o' loose rock (mostly 4th with some low fifth sections) and not a reccommended route. i'm not sure of the way you are proposing to get into horseshoe basin but it might be a bit better. i'm told that once in h-basin the route up and onto sahale arm isn't that bad (when not snow covered)-much better than our scary vertical bushwack down the non-existent "climbers path" Becky describes into lower horseshoe basin. have a good time-it's a beautiful area that you will probably have all to yourself.

Tod- How was the north ridge/buttress of Fury? Good climbing?, worth the effort? It is a route that I've often wondered about . . . Thanks much for any info.

Phil's right. There really isn't any way to go too far before starting up to high pass. Cliff bands block the way on the traverse, and all you have to do is look up and see the notch of high pass. Good luck, It's a great view down to the farms on the Stilly.

One of the most obvious things the Mountaineers have done is publish pretty much all of the guidebooks Mr. CascadeClimber uses to find his way in the hills. One thing I would like to point out is that if we looked at all of the private parties out there, I think we'd see about as much stupid stuff as we see in the Mountaineers (I know I've witnessed plenty of 'accidents waiting to happen' in private parties). The Mountaineers are just really easy to pick on as the are visible and tend to travel in packs. That isn't to say that there aren't problems with the Mountaineers, they're merely human like all of us.

As a mounties member, I feel the pain that the club sometimes inflicts on the unsuspecting public. HOWEVER, I have met many fun and skilled climbers through the club and have learned much from their courses. I often check the schedule and avoid areas where there are basic trips but, like Lowell, consider it a minor nuisance for all the good the club has done over the years. I feel that the real problem lies not in the Mountaineers, but the extreme population growth over the last few decades. It's my guess that most of you are part of the problem, have you been here longer than the Mountaineers?

I was up on the South face of the Tooth yesterday. We worked a nice path up to the climb and it took 2 hours. Anyone going now could do it a bit faster. The rock was warm and mostly melted off, with snow on the ledges and some holds. The NE slab looked horrific and something I don't think most people would deem fun under these conditions (mostly wet rock and thin, thin, ice and snow). The avi danger was almost nonexistant and felt very safe with all the freezing rain they've recieved in the last few days. As far as condtions on Chair go, I'd imagine very thin. In the gullies below the Tooth the snow was thin and unconsolidated without any ice. I'd imagine Chair wouldn't be too fun right now. But, then again, I am not an uber climber. For some it might be fun . . .

Anyone have any recent beta on the route? New snow amounts, iciness of the rock, etc. Thanks

Went up to the Enchantments this last weekend and was treated to beautiful larches and warm rock. The west ridge is a great climb and I highly recommend it to anyone. Great rock, moderate difficulty, and nice views. No problems were encountered and a fun time was had by all.