JasonG

You see what you get. I heard it was due to some of their grants or something that they couldn't make it very user friendly. But, if you spend a bit of time with it, it really isn't THAT bad. And I've not found anything that predicts timing of precip or clouds any better. It also give you an indication of whether the clouds are going to be high or low and in your face. 24-48 hours out (farther out is just a guess for any of the models, skill degrades dramatically after a couple days) it is the best thing going for the Cascades since the underlying model was tweaked for our specific terrain by UW researchers. Look at the 4km or 1 1/3 km grids, 1 hour precip, and column Integrated cloud water loops. Or use the flashy websites and bring a rain jacket.

UW , of course. Go Dawgs! But that site is cool @Rad. Uses the Euro which is the global gold standard. Still, 9km grid is pretty coarse. The UW has 4km and less.

That's really interesting @jon! A great spot to get inspiration. We stopped to watch two ptarmigan in white browse the melted out bits yesterday, after passing a bear munching on new growth down below. Clouds were blowing by the peaks. It was a magical day. We didn't see anyone on our tour- it was a great reminder of why I stay in the Skagit, year after year (although I sometimes have to go during the week to find solitude these days).

Agree with others that Stuart/Ingalls should be high on your list. And the Beckey Route on Liberty Bell!

If you want spectacular, put Sahale at the top of your list. Hard to beat the views for the effort. I was just up skiing next to the summit block yesterday and the view is fantastic as always:

Good advice above. Most of the high peaks in late May/early June time frame will involve steep snow to access the routes. There is a lot of snow in the hills now, but maybe it will come off quick if we get a warm spell? Aside from maybe the West ridge of Forbidden, and south face of Ingalls all of the routes will have your typical loose rock of the alpine. I would take Guye, Gilbert, Reynolds, Crescent off your list, they don't get much traffic and will have more loose rock. Given your experience and comfort on rock rather than steep snow I think focusing on the Stuart range and WA pass might be the best. But even those will likely have steep snow at that time of year. Lastly, the weather is likely to be challenging. There is always cragging in the Icicle or Goat wall for longer multi-pitch if the high peaks are socked in.

True, early does mitigate some of the hazard. Yep, that's the north peak of Hozomeen. The right skyline is a recommended route, provided you find someone to lead the first bit!

Excellent @Alisse, glad you found a willing person to suffer with you. That is an EARLY start! Wow! I often don't start skinning until 8 or 9, but I guess I like my sleep too much. And, do you have a photo of the mountain in question? I'm guessing you're talking about Hozomeen.

I did this the first time I went up the Reid! Then I went back and went left a few years later. Both had fun bits, but going left seems a bit longer and more sustained? Hard to say since the second time was a lot icier and more technical.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Did you try TAY?

This is a pet peeve of mine in the spring. Nice work on the runnels, sounds spicy!

awesome, glad you had a good trip!

I don't know anything about purmit.com, but maybe @jon or @olyclimber do?

Oh, and it was Special blend, hands down.

Great shot @sepultura! I was distracted I guess and didn't take a vertical one. Here is mine standing next to you. Is it really worth hauling all that glass around? You're making me wonder.

These are great boots! I love my pair, perfect for Cascadian volcano slogging.

I've long thought about climbing Phelps since it lines up on 80th going from the family home in Ballard to the freeway.....

Thanks @olyclimber @jon!!

Perhaps @jon can dig up those images if he's feeling charitable? You may also check out @Steph_Abegg's website @sarahmorsely to see if she has anything that you could use.

My brother went on the 20th, you'll need to carry the skis at the bottom for a bit @Alisse

Not really @Bronco. It felt weird, and a bit decadent, thanks for reminding me what that nagging feeling was. No suffering! Next year we're gonna suffer though, that's for sure! The soul crushing slog to Stanley Mitchell is on tap. You in?

Thanks @Off_White! And, just to keep the party going, here are a few more photos I forgot to include! In case you're wondering, Sir Sanford is a beast! I really need to climb Sir Donald and Uto this summer: So, so many rad mountains in the Selkirks. Waldorf Towers, Whiteface Tower and Serendipity Spire (I think):

A shameless photo nerd reminder: Click on the first photo then scroll through to get the best image viewing experience. And not on your phone people!

Trip: A week at Fairy Meadow (Bill Putnam hut) - Pythias, Damon, Enterprise, My Little Pony, Pioneer (ski peak) Trip Date: 04/18/2018 Trip Report: Last year a bunch of my friends and I won the lottery! Well, more accurately, Bingen won the lottery and invited us to share in his prize- a week at the Bill Putnam hut up at Fairy Meadow. Wisely, he convinced to us to spring for a cook for the week, a luxury on top of the helicopter ride for us and our gear to the hut. And what a week it was. Storm, sun, wind, and fantastic food- It was my first taste of the more refined side of backcountry skiing. We had the whole hut for our party (20, including Patti the Mo's Mountain Cuisine cook). Each day the weather gods were consulted and plans hatched for whatever objectives seemed reasonable give the avy conditions and visibility. Some days this meant tree skiing below the hut. Others were spent chasing 10,000'+ summits ringing the valley dominated by the Granite glacier. Views down the spine of the Adamants are quite impressive, along with far away views of Sir Sanford (highest of the Selkirks) and Sir Donald (Sentinel of Roger's Pass). The hut is carefully situated at 6,800' meaning that a huge variety of ski terrain of all complexities is right outside your door. Steep chutes, mellow glaciers, treed glades and everything in between are comfortably within reach in a moderate day. We were moderately successful with weather, having one bluebird, three OK, and two storm days, managing to ski or boot up Pythias, Damon, Sentinel, Pioneer (ski peak), Enterprise, and My Little Pony (glaciated bump above the Unicol). All fairly easy, but each with it's own uniquely spectacular view. You're only limited by the conditions and your imagination at Fairy Meadow....Just don't be late for appetizers at 4pm! View across the Gothics Gl.: Skiing late season powder below Friendship col: Go big or go home: Heckling people on the "practice slope" right above the hut: Sauna Fairy, she points the way to cleansing warmth: Hut diversions (High Country Christmas is now at the hut for your reading enjoyment): Sentinel keeps watch over a trio battling high winds near the hut: Cycle Peak across from the hut: Granite Gl. Icefall: Skinning up to the Granite: on the Granite below Unicol: S Summit of My Little Pony: View of storm clearing on Austerity and Ironman: Shoulder of Colossal above the Unicol: Skiing the very mellow Granite Gl.: Skinning over to another part of the Granite under Pioneer Peak and the Stickle: The Stickle! Heading to Friendship Col on our best day of the week: Almost at the col, Gog and Magog above the skinning skiers: Friendship col: The Black Friars from Pioneer ski peak: Ridiculous peaks all around: Mount Columbia (?) in the distance: Adamant and Austerity: Our tracks on Pioneer: Adamant North Face: On the summit ridge of Sentinel. We fixed a line in case the slope slid: On the Gothics Gl: Skinning over to Enterprise under the watchful eye of Adamant: Just below the summit of Enterprise: We tried a different way back to the hut, coining the term "Adventure Suck Tour". It worked to cross the lower Granite this season with a 4m snowpack, but don't count on it every year: Bye bye Fairy Meadow, until next time: Gear Notes: Harness, rope, ski crampons, axe, whippet, rando ropes, avy gear. Plenty of beer/whiskey. Hire Mo's Mountain Cuisine for your cooking needs! Approach Notes: Alpine Helicopters out of Golden

Any particular reason you didn't want to rap it? It really saves a lot of time and energy!