DPS

Funny story, not especially helpful. I was climbing once with a new partner. The partner had a lightweight elephant's foot style bag. I had a traditional 30 degree bag with a hood and a zipper. We were camped on a tiny col, with no true flat ground, so we pitched the tent as best we could. I slept on the down hill side and woke up several times with my face against the tent fabric (it was a single wall tent) and my partner smashed against me. The next morning I mentioned something to my partner about sliding downhill all night. My partner said 'no, it was not that, I was just cold'.

FYI, the obvious couloir SW of the summit is fixed for 30 meter rappels now, not that I would recommend it.

That is a very good question. I think the one picket/pulley per person assume at least a three man rope team, so two pickets/pulleys will be available to set a Z haul system. The times I have climbed on big, remote glaciers in a two person party, we had other items that could have been easily used in addition to a picket, such as dead manning an extra ice tool/shovel/skis, etc. Speaking from experience, this one time, on the Ruth Glacier, my partner fell the entire way into a crevasse when the bridge he was standing on (while wearing skis) broke. The butterfly knot jammed into the lip and his weight never came onto me. I was carrying the other rope (we were coming off Ham and Eggs on Moose's Tooth, so we had two ropes). I used my skis to set up and anchor, padded the lip with an ice tool, hauled his pack and skis up with the extra rope, then dropped it back down so he could prusik up. The knotted rope was so entrenched we had to cut it. Assuming a party is using one rope, then you would have to carry a long enough rope so each partner had enough length in the rescue coils to reach the fallen partner. Hauling on the knotted rope simply would not work in my experience. I've though a lot about this because all of my AK and big glacier trips have been in a two person party. I think the ultimate two person system would be using two 30 meter ropes. One is knotted, and tied between each climber, the other is not knotted, and tied to each person, with rescue coils. This would have one rope to catch the fall and jam into the lip, leaving a rope free to either prusik or haul on.

Have you looked into tying butterfly knots between in the rope between the two of you? This technique adds extra security in a rope team of just two.

One picket per person is standard, unless you are attempting one of the steeper routes like Liberty Ridge, Ptarmigan ridge, Mowich Face, etc., then one or two extra pickets per team would be helpful. I think I have one picket I can loan you if you need it.

Kind of a harbinger of things to come, all boots now are built on an asymmetrical last.

Nobody rents harnesses or ropes for liability reasons.

Are those the first generation Scarpa Freneys? One of the first boots to offer a strongly asymmetrical (curved) last.

I have a write up as well, kind of a Cliff Notes (har-har) for climbing Rainier: http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-to-climb-mt-rainier/507227 I think attempting Rainier in the winter as a novice is a bad idea. If you intend to go guided, be aware that the 'guide season' does not start until May. If you are set on a winter attempt, you should be looking for winter/expedition seminars, I know RMI offers trips like that, perhaps the other companies that guide on Rainier do as well.

I rarely recommend REI for anything, however, that is where I buy my NW Forest pass, stove fuel, and maps. (And sunblock). There is one in Seattle, one in Issaquah (off of I-90) and Portland.

My rescue was in the same place in 1994 or 1995. Fortunately we pulled out two living people.

20 years ago my partner and I pulled out a mother and daughter on Mt Baker who had done just this on the approach to the Coleman/Demming Glacier. What a horrible way to go. My thoughts and good wishes go out to friends and family.

Looks like Sherpa Glacier is hanging in there: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1149136/Re_Sherpa_glacier_decent_quest#Post1149136, If Stuart Glacier Couloir is in, that would be my recommendation, with a descent down Sherpa Glacier

Once with me! Over the years it all kind of blends together, only a few climbs stand out and everything feels like 5.7 or WI3.

I did not realize they required permits for the Stuart. Has the permit zone changed or have I been illegally camping for the last 25 years.

If the weather is bad on Rainier, the best bet is to head east young man. I recommend Mt. Stuart via the Stuart Glacier Couloir, if it is still in good nick, might not be, a little late in the season. If not in, Ice Cliff Glacier or Sherpa Glacier as back up plans are totally worthy. Take a good hard look at Ice Cliff Glacier before committing and make certain there are no wall to wall crevasses or moats that will stymie you. If the weather up north is good, Shuksan is as cool and aesthetic as it gets, however, if you think Forbidden Peak has terrifying choss and/or a sketch descent, you should avoid the Fisher Chimneys route and opt for the Sulphide Glacier. Or, North Ridge or Coleman Headwall on Baker would fit the bill - sporting climbing on a big, glaciated peaks with unrivaled views. Weather can be better down south as well. Nothing strikes me as being aesthetic on the south side of Adams unless you are on skis. Something on the North side of Hood would be worthy, the Sunshine or Elliot Glacier routes are probably in condition.

I punched through the bootpack three times. We skied to 11K, then booted to 14k, so I suspect that was where I punched through, when on foot.

Aid routes requires the second to Jumar/ascend the rope, and if you've done that at all you want a beefy single rope, at least 10mm. The tag line is to do full length rappels, and to haul up gear while on lead. I like 50 meter ropes because there is less rope to hassle with, they are lighter than 60 or 70 meter ropes especially with doubles, and are plenty long unless you are climbing routes equipped for 60 meter rappels. My general ethos is only carry what you need. I don't need the extra 10 meters most of the time, 20 meters if using doubles. It should be noted that Vince Anderson and Steve House used a 50 meter lead line (8mm), and a 55 meter 5.5 mm Tech cord tag line on the biggest alpine face in the world, the Rupal Face.

What about how well formed the route is? I've heard Sea of Vapors, one of the original WI7's, goes at WI5 some years.

My experience with tag lines are as follows: - 6mm will work, but tangles a lot. It also seems to hang up in the Cascades on every rock, bush, nubbin, etc. - 7mm works slightly better. - Maxim 5.5mm Tech cord might be the best alternative, although very expensive. I think the stiffness would lead to fewer tangles and hang ups. - The lead line/tag line scenario only really works well when there is little to hang up. In AK it works great. - I stopped doing the tag line thing unless I plan on aiding pitches. More safety and less hassle with double ropes. - I also might be the last guy using 50 meter cords. Although I've seen well know guides using 50 meter cords as well.

You mentioned NH in your original post, my understanding is that New England ice climbs tend to be graded harder than continental or west coast route. Thus the 'NEI' ratings.

Hood River, Oregon is a very nice town to hang out in. Reasonably priced motels, good restaurants, art galleries, brew pubs. Nicely situated between Mt Hood and Mt Adams. I got stuck there on my way back from Mt Adams when my truck broke down. Not a bad place to cool one's heals for a day or two. I assume you are referring to the South Side of Mt Hood. There is no real crevasse/glacier risk other than the bergschrund on the South Side. You do want to hit Mt Hood early in the season, perhaps earlier than the road to Mount Adams melts out. Keep that in mind. Again, assuming you are talking about the South Side route. Camp at the Illumination Saddle. Period. Relatively short summit day, but rad place to bivi.

Avalanche danger could be very high during and after a significant snow storm. I think Fisher Chimneys is a fine route, but I think of it as a late season route after the snow has melted out of the chimneys. Better now might be the Sulphide Glacier. Should have lower avalanche danger. Also, you did not mention which source you are using for mountain weather forecasts, so it is difficult to say if you are using a good one or what. That said, I like this synoptic table - gives you an easy way to knowing where to go. http://lost-in-the-mountains.com/washington_climbing.php Slightly off topic, but if you find the weather in the North Cascades to be inclement, you could head east, over the crest, and possibly find better conditions in the Stuart Range and Enchantments.

I would speak to the clients themselves as to how their experiences were. Find out who the guides are who will be guiding your trip, and what their qualifications/certifications are. IFMGA or at the very least an aspirant IFMGA guide should be selected. This speaks volumes about the guide's dedication to their chosen craft.

The evolution of popular climbing cameras is interesting. When I started climbing the Nikon FM was the camera of choice because if the batteries failed it could be used fully manual. When point and shoot cameras came out, Olympus Stylus was quite popular due to its inherent ruggedness and decent image quality. With the advent of digital, I've been on trips where one partner has an IPhones, the other an expensive DSLR. The IPhone came back with better photos because it was easy to carry and deploy quickly. And Josh, yes, you do need to go to Alaska. Skip Denali and do a Ruth Gorge or Kahiltna peaks tour.