DPS

Every time I have been there, there is reliable running water coming off the Upper Curtis glacier right next to the wonderful bivi sites above Winnie's Slide.

Ruth-Icy is not a technical ice climb, more of a very scenic high alpine tour/glacier traverse with a bit of rock climbing thrown in to summit Icy Peak. I suspect if NF Shuksan is already melted out then most of the techy alpine ice routes you would be potentially interested in will also be out of shape by August.

I suspect there will be exposed ice on the North Face in August, especially this year. I would definitely bring a pair of tools. I fell into a hidden slot on the NF, not sure what month that was though. The approach if done properly is not bad, if you botch it, well, expect some misery. The descent down the Fisher Chimneys is no gimme as far as descent routes go. NF Shuksan is a prototypical Cascades climb, it is not the technical aspect that is the hard part, it is the whole ball of wax. I would not recommend it as a first climb in the range. A climb in the same vicinity that I think you would dig is the Ruth-Icy Traverse. There are crevasses though, but I think you kind of have to take extra effort to fall into them.

I tried Googling 'Mary Green' to learn who the glacier was named for, but I ended up at a web site selling ladies underwear. Anybody know who Mary Green was?

Index, single pitch stuff like City Park and Iron Horse, and other steep, thin cracks that don't get freed too often. Then maybe some upper town wall stuff like Town Crier and Green Dragon.

I recall seeing your name in the register an unreasonable number of times. You must be a glutton for punishment.

..ha! hadn't thought about how wedged that knot would get in there. Difference between textbook/backyard practice and reality is stark! The only anchors that would work were picketed skis, not sure that one is taught in FOTH.

The butterfly knot actually jams in the grove created by the rope sawing into the crevasse list. Realistically, you will need to carry enough rope in the rescue coils to throw down an anchored, padded rope to the climber in the crevasse or carry a second rope. This will allow you to either perform a C x Z hauling system or to allow the climber to Prusik the rope. In one situation in the Ruth Gorge, I was carrying the second rope when my partner went into a crevasse. His weight never came onto me as the butterfly knot jammed into the lip. I set up the second rope for the rescue and the original rope was so stuck that we had to cut it.

Mountaineering boots should not be too tight or too loose. They should fit snugly at the heel with no heel lift and have enough room in the toe to repeatedly kick a stair riser without banging your toes. You should try on boots with the socks you plan on wearing (thick mountaineering socks). If you experience any toe bang in the store, it will only get much worse while step kicking, front pointing, and descending.

What Gene said.

The best conditions I have experienced for a speed ascent on the DC were in mid September following an early season snow storm. The crevasses were all wide open and the icy spots were covered in perfect neve' and all the ladders were still in place. I think soloing earlier in the season is more dangerous as snow bridges of undetermined strength exist.

From what I've read, runners are faster on the ascent and skiers make up the difference on the descent. I think the ski record came though Muir at 90 minutes, whereas the runners come through around 60. I also think most running ascents are done later in the season when the crevasses are open and obvious and the only reason the current record was done early was because they were on skis and wanted snow coverage.

I am surprised at the restraint demonstrated by the cc.com collective.

I climbed with him once, but I don't seem to have his contact info any more. Sorry.

I climbed with a Ken (can't remember the last name) He had climbed Everest. Could that be the guy?

The down climb on the descent that the guide book mentions is a short down climb above a big ledge. You could lower the haul bag to the ledge and then down climb to it. If you solo the Thin Red Line, the descent should not cause you many problems.

I'm kind of a cheap bastard, I buy everything on sale or used. That said, sleeping bags are one item that I happily spend money on. A good down bag will last a very long time and there is a huge difference between the boutique bags (Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering) and the big box brands. Look for something 15-20 degrees with as high a fill power loft as you can afford. 750 at least. Of the big box brands Marmot is probably the best. I've not used a Montbel bag, but their other products I have used are top notch.

Sounds like a bunch of white punks on dope if you ask me.

I disagree with the sentiment that floorless shelters do not work on big volcanos. I've been using a BD Betamid for 14 years, in all seasons, on many Rainier trips, and in very buggy areas (Boulder camp in the Bugaboos). Bugs, high winds, snow, heavy rains, and exposed camp sites have never been a problem. I don't spend any more time staking and guying than I would with any other tent. Unless you do something stupid like try to climb in a big storm, floorless shelters will work fine. Megamids are routinely used at 17k on Denali.

Are you sure you need a 4 season tent? I use an inexpensive tarp for 95% of the trips I do in the Cascades year around. My expensive expedition quality single wall tent gathers dust in the garage.

Pretty much all of the partners with whom I have climbed over the past 15 years I have met through this Web site. Out of many dozens of folks, I can recall only three who I would not climb with again. Those are pretty good odds. So, put up a partner wanted ad and include a brief bio/resume and suggest a few routes that you aspire to. Respond to ads from folks who have similar objectives and experience. My approach with new partners is to do something casual the first outing, usually just cragging, to get acquainted with each other's habits and strengths. One or two easy multi-pitch trad routes is enough to determine if the other climber is someone I can hang with. Oh, and by all means avoid Sketchy Dan. He's trouble I hear.

FOTH is a good introductory text. There are not too many other texts that cover the breadth of climbing. I recently purchased a used copy from Amazon for $8.00 as a gift for a friend's son who started climbing. The down vs. synthetic argument is like democrat vs. republican. Both sides have their points but neither is completely wrong or right. IF you can keep down dry, then it is in all ways superior. IF it gets wet, you are SOL. I switched from down to synthetic for outerwear after getting soaked winter alpine climbing in the Cascades one too many times. If you plan on only climbing in perfect weather, (July-September in the Cascades or Colorado or California) then down is a great choice. I have found that my 100 gram Primaloft hooded parka (Patagonia Micropuff) is the most used piece of clothing next to my Marmot DriClime wind shirt.

Agreed.

I researched the feasibility of using Platypus water bladders for carrying white gas. The bladders are made of a bilaminate - food grade polyethylene on the inside, nylon on the outside with a polypropylene cap. I cross referenced the compatibility of the four major chemical constituents in white gas with these materials and found that PE had good to excellent resistance for all four chemicals, and nylon and PP were even better. My conclusion was that using a water bladder would be just fine, although long term storage may leach some contaminants into the gas.

http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/green/2015/04/28/low-snowpack-could-lead-to-dangerous-climbing-season/26550717/