DPS

The NCNP is the second least visited of all National Parks. I suspect 90% of the crowds visit a very small handful of easily accessible areas (Cascade Pass, Baker, Shuksan, etc.). The lack of roads and trails are part of what make NCNP unique, but also what lead to overcrowding in a few areas. Most folks do not have more than the weekend to go climbing which puts most of the park out of reach. I think the answer is a three day work week. Let's face it, with the amount of time I spend on this board, I really only work three days worth anyway.

Well, thank goodness for that. A .357 six shooter wasn't enough to keep those rowdy climbers in line. Gotta have a 16 round capacity, 9mm Luger round, semi auto to keep the peace.

Fusions are more pricey and the better bargain in this case. If I did not already own 6 pairs of ice tools I would consider it.

I had a climbing partner who was a ranger out of Marblemount for a summer before becoming the youngest guide at AAI. He said when he encountered parties w/out a permit and would radio in and issue a permit on the spot. Hard to imagine that happening in today's climate. There was also a ranger at the front desk whom I went to graduate school with. She was nice. Frankly, Kelly's revolver scares me.

Juan and I tried to get an overnight permit for TFT a couple of years ago. We were told all the Boston Basin permits were taken. I promised the ranger we would bivi on the Boston Glacier side. His response: "Doubtful". We were given a permit for the NW Arete on the Boston Glacier side, but it seemed completely arbitrary.

I watched Dwayner down solo a thin, slippery 5.10 in flip flops so 5.13 would not surprise me.

And that is how to humble brag. Nice work! Which route did you climb?

I'm not trying to harsh on your advertisement, but I really think the tools in the photos are Fusions. Venom: http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/climbing%2Fice-axes-piolets/venom-adze-%2F-hammer-BD412101_cfg.html#start=4 Fusion: http://www.omcgear.com/black-diamond-fusion-ice-tool.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwy4zLBRCOg6-4h6vs3cUBEiQAN-yzfk3BoH1XG_-7XcFYDWYgDYvjrlzZ9TVu8uRTkUYPoNgaAjs68P8HAQ

Sold

Learned it the hard way.

Someone needs to remind that girl that boots and tights season starts in September.

I know a number of folks who have gone that fast, pretty much every climber who has at one time set the speed record came through Muir in 60 minutes or less.

If Damnation = 5.9, Saber = 5.4, Scary Canary = 5.8, etc. then I would argue Castle Rock has maintained its traditional ratings and is slightly incongruous with routes on SCW and in the Icicle Valley. In my mind Godzilla at Index is the 5.9 by which other 5.9' should be compared to.

Are you sure those are Venoms and not Fusions or Fuels?

As in Leavenworth 5.9 == Index 5.7 or Castle Rock 5.9?

Yes, very nice. The North Buttress of Fury was on the short list (100 routes) for 50 Classic Climbs of North America. It's been on my list for years, but I've only managed to nibble around the edges of the Pickets. Strong work.

I went to grad school at Huxley in Bellingham, I still have a number of friends there. If you think Bellingham has too many people, DO NOT move to Seattle. I would kill to get back to Bellingham.

Colin Haley has said that he felt like Forbidden Peak was the first real alpine climb. I felt the same way, something clicked, like, 'oh, so this is alpine climbing'. Of course Colin was 10 when he did it and I was 23.

I think BigEO would agree with me that the road is not comfortable for riding.

I bet Whittaker Mountaineering in Ashford sells fuel, and they open at 7 AM according to their web page. You could get an even earlier start in that case.

I am in no way stretching the truth. Also, the elevation gain is less than 4,800 feet. I know a lot of people who have gone to Muir in an hour so I don't think it is that big a deal, especially if conditions are perfect and one is skinning. The two fellows from Utah who set the speed record on Rainier skied up to Muir in 60 minutes, and their time above Muir was not any faster than what I have done in the past. They made up all their time on the descent. Funny story though, as I was skinning above Pan Point, an overweight fellow started running to keep up, telling me he was looking for climbing partners and wanted to climb Tahoma Glacier. I said that's sound cool, then he had to slow down and I kept going. I relaxed for a while at Camp Muir then skied down until I ran into a group of people. I stopped and recognized one of the people as AJ Ritter, a friend who was deeply involved with Seattle Mountain Rescue. They were gathered around the dude who tried to keep up with me, he was laid out in the snow, gasping "I'm ok...". FWIW, I have a 7.2 liter lung capacity (my height, gender, and ethnicity would predict a 4.8 liter capacity) and a VO2 Max of 65. I trail ran a lot, running up to 500,000 feet of elevation a year in addition to the climbing and skiing. I was going to mention the opportunity to hit on the female guests of the guide services is worth an early start.

My times to camp Muir range between 60 minutes skinning with a light day pack to 3 hours hiking at a casual pace with an overnight pack. I've seen a lot of over burdened climbers with ridiculously huge packs who may take 5 -6 hours. Your pack should not weigh much more than 30 pounds. Starting late cons: - Camping permit availability - may be forced to camp somewhere other than Muir or may not get a permit at all. - Soft snow on the approach - Less time to acclimate at Camp Muir Starting early cons: - Less beauty sleep, but you can nap at Camp Muir.

I don't know exactly when, sometime before 2009 when I climbed it. Before the southern road washed out, obviously, but not sure when that occurred.

Congratulations on Rainier, the first time is always special. For guide companies I would recommend Pro Ski and Guiding based in North Bend for three reasons: they are at the forefront of the professionalization of guiding in the U.S., have a stable of awesome guides, and seem to be more flexible than the other guide firms in terms of custom trips. As for progression, since you do not want to do any rock climbing and already have climbed the biggest glaciated volcano in the contiguous U.S., what about doing something steeper? I would recommend (with a guide) North Ridge, Park Glacier Headwall, and Coleman Headwall on Mt. Baker, North Face of Mt. Shuksan, and Adams Glacier. All offer challenging alpine ice climbing and fewer crowds than Rainier. Without a guide, Sulphide Glacier on Shuksan, Coleman Demming, Easton, and Boulder glacier on Baker, East Ridge of Eldorado. Shuksan will require rock climbing and route finding, but it is possible to climb it at 3rd and 4th class. You should be comfortable rock climbing at low 5th class for Shuksan, even though you can certainly find routes that are easier. It would not be much less technical than Sahale.

Colin and Bart Paul did NE Buttress of Goode in 8 hours and change, but that was before the southern approach road was washed out.