JasonG

And the weather looks iffy next week, at least up here. .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...After a break on Monday, both the GFS and Euro still show a frontal system arriving for a rainy day on Tuesday. Wednesday would probably see postfrontal showers tapering off for a day or two even as an upper trough nears the area for an increase in showers sometime in the latter part of next week. 19

Due to COVID Mount Rainier is closed above 10k, and you can't drive into the park. No estimate on re-opening. https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/conditions.htm JG

While we're at it, we should ban TRs from climbs that are too hard for most people. I don't like TRs that make me feel weak!

Another great lesson learned, thankfully without much damage.

Nice work! I'll have to go back and look at my pictures from 20 years ago but the ice cliff looks much bigger now than it was then? I need to get my mind back in the alpine mindset it would seem....

sweet!!!!

This is a very important message for those climbers who are just getting keen. It will serve them well.

Great idea for a thread! I have a some good (?) stories that I will try and post as I have time. The first that came to mind was falling unroped (with the rope) into a 'schrund on the NE couloir on Colchuck around 2000. My partner (who didn't fall in), was my soon-to-be wife.

@Max Jackson....this for sale post is from 7 years ago, so not likely!

....as in Carlos Buhler??!!

From what I gather, he traveled off trail from the road to the summit and back to the road, and didn't park at the TH. Totally legal per the MBSNF statement. Way to thread the needle!

Welcome to the party @cowolter! The great thing about the mountains of WA is that there is an objective for every ability level that will safely stretch you into a better climber. And nearly all of them will kick your ass in the process. I still feel this way after many years in these mountains, and I love them for it.

Last summer, @tylerhs01 did a pretty awesome job of it in 24 hours:

Yep, i think you are right. I thought my heels were moving around too much with the Towers when I got them, but then they broke in real nice. Also, as they break-in, more of the tread will contact the trail. Or maybe you need to stretch your calves a bit more? They do climb pretty well.

WHAT??!!!!! THE ANDY KIRKPATRICK HAS JOINED CC.COM??!!! I think I need to buy a lottery ticket. This is truly an auspicious day. THANK YOU Andy, for years of adventure and alpine wisdom.

Yes, yes it is! And I think the Towers will break in nicely for you. The first fit you describe was similar to my boots and now they are really great. I would add that I always carry Leukotape on any mountain trip now. THE BEST tape out there for dealing with hot spots. Truly amazing stuff that will stay on for days and come off without taking your skin with it.

I do know that glaciers deep down move more like a thick liquid and are not broken (i.e., below ~30-50 meters). The ice at the surface is brittle and that is why the cracks form as it flows over the irregular bed surface. This also partially explains why crevasses pinch down and don't go all the way to bedrock, especially above the firn line.

I would say over the life of the boot. I think it is because the rocker gradually gets bigger as the boots wear in and the material flexes down on top of the toes? I don't know exactly why, but it sure feels as if your toes don't gain room over time, even after you've walked for a while in them.

Well, there you have it. Identical! I'll ask my climbing partner what he thinks about the durability of the cube. He's had them a few years more than my Towers. The other thing I would mention is that my LaSportiva toe boxes only seem to get smaller with time.....

I have had the Towers for a couple Cascadian alpine seasons and really like them. They seem just about right, but I still wish the uppers didn't have any of that mesh stuff on them. Not the best for abrasion resistance in talus fields. I think they are very comfortable on long approaches and climb pretty well to mid-fifth. I think the Towers have more rocker in the sole than the Cubes? I guess you would know if you've worn both. If so, might make the Tower the better choice if you are doing a lot of approaching?

The Coleman headwall is in the accumulation zone of that particular glacier, so I think the cracks are more a function of how much snow/movement is going on high on Baker. We've had some really snowy winters in the past 20 years and I suspect that this is causing the upper Coleman to move and break up a bit. This is more what you'd see in the situation you describe @aikidjoe.... Lots of cracks, but generally easily passable on a stagnant glacial ice remnant. But hey, this is just an educated guess from someone who isn't a glaciologist!

I think you stick with whatever company fits your foot and then choose the best model for your desires. Footwear has to fit otherwise the features are pretty moot. In my case it has to be LaSportiva. Nothing else fits as well from the major companies.

Sorry to hear about your loss.....Thanks for some insight into someone I had never heard of, but should have- it sounds like he didn't waste his time here.

You guys stumbled upon a little known rule built into the new software - the first Eiger North Face TR in the database gets automatic "Best of CC.com"! Enjoy your time in Cham and the views @Priti & @JeffreyW, we'll look forward to more radness later in the year!