JasonG

So true, @olyclimber, so true.... Until then @glassgowkiss, you better not get hurt in the hills. Us crapheads will be manhandling your ass into a litter!

That may be true @olyclimber. But @glassgowkiss IS drawing the correct parallel. Fifty plus years ago emergency response for road accidents wasn't well organized, nor did we have 911. Many people had to get themselves to the hospital, or rely on friends or family if they wanted a speedy trip for help. Over time though, people were willing to pay higher taxes to improve emergency response and agitated for it, such that by the early 1970s much of what we see today in the roaded areas was in place. The same may happen with Mountain Rescue in the PNW if we get the sort of climber density they have in Europe. Personally, I don't see that happening for at least a few decades.

This is a great outing, love it! We opted for the traverse in the other direction since we had no idea what to shoot for to get into the Great Basin. We were scratching our head on the way back so felt that this was a good plan in the murk of early morning. I don't think we had to rappel, but it was close in a couple spots.

Wow, that crown is scary! So did that happen between your and your friend's ascents?

There are no guarantees in this life except to die. I suppose it depends on your outlook of the afterlife as to whether this is a good or bad thing. Bottom line is that the Euro system isn't a bad thing, I just don't see the public pushing for it, nor accepting the inevitable increase in regulation/red tape to go climbing. That said, belittling the efforts of those involved in Mountain Rescue certainly doesn't accomplish anything productive in your quest to remake emergency response in the hills.

You haven't changed a bit @glassgowkiss .

The members of the Mountain Rescue Units in the area would beg to differ. We're not as skilled as euro professionals, but we are quite a bit better than crap. There is a big difference from Ground SAR and Mountain Rescue, in my experience. I think you may be confusing the two.

Volunteers are pretty cheap.

Oh, it was pretty short, maybe 5-10 min. walk from the avy path of Grouse creek to the outhouse. Much shorter than it is now, that's for sure! Yes, the Coleman will be good for many weeks to come.

That traverse pic is crazy! Wow, thanks for posting this, it isn't often you see a TR from these types of routes.

Liberty Ridge is open for business! It's hard enough coming from White River, I have a difficult time imagining the effort from Carbon River! Strong work @Kposaune and Valerie!!!

I hope you are getting submissions @Brian O'Dell!

Oh, and how much snow around Goat Peak still? Heading over with my family on Friday....

D'oh! Thanks for the report, and glad you made it happen despite the suffering. I think with the new site you could just cut and paste the content directly from your blog @The Real Nick Sweeney? You know, for those too lazy to follow your link....Thanks for considering it! Oh, and you saw the views on Sunday. I was going to ask about that. Ouch, that makes it even more painful. In the future, I've found the UW model to be the best predictor of clouds and rain coverage, esp. 24-48 hours out. I use the 4km loops for 1 hr. precip and Column integrated cloud water. It was spot on this past weekend.

Ah, that's what I meant, the chockstone pic you posted above. Looks stout!!

Keep these TRs coming @John Frieh!! Mine the vaults, look under the couch cushions, whatever it takes!

Those are good priorities to take time away for @John Frieh , but we're glad that you're back at it! Spectacular climb, wow. Is that chockstone pic above the crux?

This sounds like an interesting route up Jack, thanks for sparking my interest in heading back!

OK, if we're going to go back to the vaults @Rad....

Yeah, @tobias tillemans keep these TRs coming!! That does sound like a pain to get out in the hills, at least for a weekend trip. Thanks for reminding us that we have it pretty good here in the North Cascades!

@blake_taruscio I think it will depend on if we get a freeze. The snow has transitioned and is fairly well consolidated. It should climb just fine if it is cool enough. I suspect that everywhere except the ice cliff will be breakable crust with solid foot and vertical axe placements. But maybe it will be firmer than I suspect. Citrus based cleaner will remove the pollen, as will WD-40 (or proper ski base cleaner if you're less of a cheap bastard than me). It takes the wax off too, so you'll need to re-wax. Good luck, such a fantastic route!

The snow might be crazy sticky on the way down. It was on Monday. Bring a scaper and a small can of WD-40. Looked reasonable to access the ridge, you can probably drive to less than 1/2 mile of TH. Grouse creek coverage was enough but going fast. A bit of a carry from outhouse to continuous skinning. I posted a TR from the Coleman that has pics.

We have dedicated resources to respond to traffic accidents. That isn't the case with mountain rescue locally. We're all volunteers and there is no guarantees that helo resources will be shaken free. And in this case there was some uncertainty on the urgency of the request. The people at the scene seemed to think he was pretty much OK but unable to walk out on his own power. In that instance a ground evac is often selected as the military doesn't like to put crews at risk unless there is a clear case of life/death on the line. If we want to move to the Euro model, it could get expensive real quick to go on climbs, at least if you want a prompt rescue. And, if we go to that model, would the volunteer mountain rescue units be disbanded? It's a can of worms for sure.

Nice story @kurthicks, glad to hear that the young phenom still has time for helping out mortals.

Trip: Kulshan (Mount Baker) - Coleman Deming Trip Date: 05/14/2018 Trip Report: The pollen is flying and the snow is melting fast. So much so that I think a scraper and a can of WD-40 might be the ticket for those headed up later this week or weekend. I'm not joking. By the bottom of Grouse Creek I felt as if I had velcro for a base (see the last photo). Ah well, the views were great and @sepultura got his annual tick (#29!). The Coleman is nicely filled in at the moment and pretty smooth. We were able to skin the Roman Wall with the aid of ski crampons, but plenty of others thought that was too easy and carried their skis. To each their own. I always marvel at being able to ski up and ride down Kulshan in a day from my bed (I can see the summit from my roof here in town). So cool! Upper Thunder Gl. @sepultura setting his usual mean pace: Don't linger here long: on the Roman wall: The home stretch: Fire and Ice: Across the Easton to Sherman on the way down: Skiing down the Pumice Ridge: Why don't you ski this part quickly @sepultura? Ah, the Twin Sisters: Slogging back to the road: Spring is not for speed skiing: Gear Notes: skis, ski crampons, harness, light rope. Crevasse rescue kit. Approach Notes: Grouse Creek was in, maybe for another week or so. You can drive to within ~ a half mile of the TH