DPS

I've climbed Eldorado and Ruth/Icy traverse in October and September, respectively, and the glaciers on both were easily navigable. I think Sahale by Sahale Arm would be fine and Silver Star via Burgundy Col might be ok too. It is while others are fine. The Colchuck Glacier comes to mind as a dangerous late season climb. Easy in early season, icy with a bad run out late season. I climbed NE Buttress of Colchuck in August and descended the Colchuck glacier which was a frightening experience. A father and son died there when they slipped and slid into the rocks. The take home message is yes, glaciers tend to be very icy this time of year, but my experience holds that some glaciers remain in good shape in the fall.

Germany seems to have the loosest immigration laws in Western Europe. My folks have retired and spend a good part of the year in France, and have talked about moving there. My dad said as long as you don't want to try to get a job or be a drain on their social welfare network, you can move there fairly easily. In other words, if you are independently wealthy... My wife and I looked into moving to New Zealand when we were younger, and it looked pretty doable, but we both had in demand skills (civil engineer and software developer) and assets. I've heard that if you want to live in Chamonix, the way to do it is on a student visa and then find some job working under the table.

Map and compass/GPS are considered to be essential for back country travel. An altimeter is very handy as well. In a white out on a glacier a GPS with a track laid is very helpful. Also, many climbers use wands to mark the route of ascent on large glaciers and then collect them on the descent. Generally at night there is enough star or moon light reflected from the glacier to get a good idea of where to go and headlamps to see features immediately in front of you.

October can be a difficult time to climb in the Cascades, starting of the 'shoulder season'. Stable weather can persist into mid October some years, so keep your fingers crossed for that. Eldorado, Sahale, Silver Star, and Ruth/Icy traverse are actually really excellent choices for early October. Typically the glaciers are all passable and any early season snow should not stymie the easy rock climbing found on these peaks too much.

What is the word on the street regarding the climate this winter? Cold and wet? Warm and dry?

Good to see that left big toe nail grew back after Forbidden.

I did FC in mid September a couple of years ago. Winnie's slide was not difficult, but the pitch that gains the Upper Curtis was a bit icy, and we were forced to climb into and out of a crevasse on the Upper Curtis. Hells Highway was not difficult either. We had read a TR the week before recommending a second tool, so we brought, and used second tools for the two more difficult sections I mentioned. If you mean by the '5.7 variation' the SE Ridge of the summit pyramid, I've heard from a solid partner of mine that they encountered difficulties in that range. The SW Ridge was really nice, the Haley boys and I did it sans rope BITD. Last time I did the SE Ridge was after climbing Price Glacier in challenging conditions, I took a belay for one or two moves of 5.5.

I've chatted with some notable climbers interested in doing some winter routes on it, but I've not heard of any actual ascents winter or summer lately.

I think that FISH duffle bag in the photo is the one I sold you (mthorman). Nice to see it getting used.

I have the same problem with La Sportivas, so I have switched to Scarpas and have found a much better fit. Scarpa Mont Blanc is their current all mountain boot, on par with the LS Nepal.

Maybe Classic Crack ate the kid and spit out the harness. Usually it just spits out the climber.

And special forces guys are well known for having very dry feet.

What boots are you wearing? Double plastic? Heavily insulated single leather? If so, you may want to consider lighter, more breathable boots. Also, changing socks on the summit does not sound that unreasonable to me if your feet require it.

Nice report, I am shocked at the amount of glacial recession since I was there in July 2013. In a couple of years it will be climbable with approach shoes and no axe or crampons. Makes me sad.

My 8 year old really liked the Goat Rocks Wilderness and there are some kid friendly summits like Old Snowy.

SEWS definitely, Liberty Bell you may have to use some intermediate anchors.

Unless you are specifically planning on climbing steep ice routes (e.g. NF Spider), you can certainly make the traverse without screws or a second tool. I really think you should be ruthless when it comes to unnecessary weight.

+ 1. Aqua Mira uses Chlorine Dioxide, which is more effective against protozoans like Giardia sp. and Cryptosporidium parvum. ClO2 is also available in tablet form.

Ditch the snow shovel, wands, screws, second ice tool, and the weather radio. One Z-Ridge is fine on glaciers. I would bring one 16 oz cannister (lighter than 2 8 oz) and one 8 oz. Go light young man!

You have not climbed this route, have you? I will grant you the rock is interesting. Thanks for the invitation, but I am recovering from some health issues that is keeping me out of the mountains for the time being. Have fun.

Why not climb it as a three person team using double ropes? This is my favorite size group for most climbs - three people to share the weight of the rack, the double ropes, the stove, the tarp, etc. The leader belays both followers simultaneously using an auto locking belay device (BD ATC-Guide, Petzl Reverso).

I've heard of very few carry overs, the descent is not bad. We walked straight down, facing out. Late season may require a rappel or two off of bollards or threads, but that saves having to carry the entire kit up and over. But the descent from Camp Muir is easier than from Kautz, so there is that.

That would be Columbia Crest and Liberty Cap. And what about Point Success, it is higher than Liberty Cap? Did that not pop up during your research? You are likely going to have to find a partner, pretty much all guiding permits are going to be locked up. I recommend going in your August time frame, glacier conditions will likely be much more favorable than September.

I climbed the Kautz route over the Memorial Day weekend, 1999. I had an REI/SMC 60 cm axe. We walked up the route and walked down the route. That said, be aware that the Kautz becomes steeper and icier as the season progresses, so much so that one party felt after climbing it that they were unable to descend it, so they descended to Camp Muir. They were last seen offering to pay people to retrieve their camp. I think a 60cm, slightly tech axe (Petzl Summit, Grivel Evo Tech, etc.) is the most important tool to take on this route. As for a second tool, as we head into the middle of the summer, I would recommend a straight shafted 50 cm hammer. The second tool offers a lot of insurance for a justifiable weight increase. Throw in a few ice screws in addition to your pickets. Bring some 6 mm for v-threads in case you decide you need to rappel the route, or just plan to carry all your gear over and down the DC. Don't be that party that ends up at Camp Muir with their camping gear over on the Kautz.

This trip report sounds very similar to my experience some years ago around the same time. Compared routes of similar character (e.g. Mt. Stuart's Ice Cliff Glacier and Mt. Shuksan's Price Glacier, both of which I would describe as on the harder end) the Adams Glacier was significantly easier and very much a 'moderate' route by my standards. 'Easy' routes would be South Spur of Adams and Sulphide Glacier on Shuksan. Fisher Chimneys on Shuksan, one of my all time favorite routes, would also fall into the 'moderate' category.