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DPS

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Posts posted by DPS

    [TR] North Early Winters Spire - Early Winter Couloir 4/5/2015

    in North Cascades

    Posted

    Nice job! I climbed this route in 1998 and I vividly recall the giant cornice. I aided rock on the left side until features ran out, then aided the cornice directly using pickets. Your suggested rating confirms what we thought; WI3-, 5.8, A1. We didn't do much dry tooling back then, pulling rock moves through a couple of those chock stones felt like 5.10 in big boots, crampons, and gloves, which we thought meant it was about 5.8 which is about M4ish.

    Raynauds Syndrome

    in Ice Climbing Forum

    Posted

    You're correct - but Raynauds can lead to frostbite.

     

    Stacy Moon?

    Yep.

     

    I heard the story from two guys who were on that trip. NR Stuart in November as I recall. One of the fellows was named Joah(?). That was 20 years ago, my memory is a bit hazy.

    Want to rent/borrow approach skis.

    in The Yard Sale

    Posted

    Do you know how to wax/tune skis? I have a pair of approach skis I would lend in exchange for a tune and wax. Light 163cm skis with Silveretta 400 binders and skins. The binders are size medium, I believe, and have fit a size 11 Inverno, not sure how much bigger they will accommodate. I'm in Issaquah, email if interested. Daniel dash p dash smith at Hotmail dot com.

    goals for personal progression

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    In the near future Cauthorn-Wilson route on Cutthroat Peak, Early Winters' Couloir, West Face of Silver Star, Curtis or Ptarmigan Ridges on Rainier. If access to Cascade Pass remains open next winter then NW Couloir on Eldorado, NE Buttress of J'Berg, The Misunderstanding on Mixup, the route Kurt did on the East Face of Sahale, or TFT would all be solid objectives. Cosley Houston on Colfax, North Face, NW Face of Mt Shuksan further north.

    New to the PNW

    in Newbies

    Posted · Edited by DPS

    Regarding the 'Seatttle Freeze', if you have an activity you like, such as climbing, it is relatively easy to meet new friends.

     

    Also, to pile onto what others have said, post in the partner wanted forum and include a brief resume high lighting the level you are comfortable climbing (e.g. lead sport climbing to 5.9, trad to 5.7, completed a glacier skills class, etc.), as well as a few objectives that you have in mind for the next couple of months. Hint: volcano season is just around the corner.

     

    If you are looking for a mentor situation, offer to drive, buy beer, etc. in exchange of tutelage. There are a lot of very experienced climbers on this board who are past their sturm and drang years who still love getting out into the hills and enjoy passing along their hard won wisdom to the next generation.

    [TR] Dragontail - Gerber-Sink variation? 3/24/2015

    in Alpine Lakes

    Posted · Edited by DPS

    Okay so maybe those pitches haven't been done in winter before? You'd think with a peak like Dtail it would have been climbed at some point. Edward said he felt the pitch was maybe around M5, at first he thought maybe even M6 but I guess he got a glove stuck in a handjam and had to pull it out. I've never really climbed M-graded stuff before so I really have nothing to compare it to. It felt kinda like old-school 5.9 when I followed it, a little committing and awkward but all there once you go for it.

     

    DPS- Did Alex make a TR? Can you link it?

     

    I don't know if that particular pitch had been climbed before, or if the exact runnels you climbed leading to the North Face Bowl had been climbed or not.

     

    I do believe that gear was left by Alex when he did the Hidden Couloir to the North Face Bowl, and then attempted to exit via the pitch behind the Fin, but lowered/rapped off to climb the easier exit pitches climber's left.

     

    I remember this very well because in February 2000 I attempted TC, but the crux runnels were completely bare, dry rock, so we exited via 3 60 meter pitches (5.7 in summer ~ M4 in winter) to the NF Bowl, which was 1/4" of snice over compact rock slabs. We climbed the entire bowl with no pro, only finding a crack in a boulder into which I welded a #2 angle piton at the very top. The pin is probably still there.

     

    The exit pitch behind the Fin was clearly visible, but Alex had warned me to not to take this, so we climbed the lower (left) option which was about M4.

     

    Alex did have a trip report on his web site, but it looks like he took it down. Or maybe that was here on CC.COM

    New routes on Rainier?

    in Climber's Board

    Posted · Edited by DPS

    Mowich face is climber's right of Ptarmigan Ridge - quite a ways from Liberty Ridge. Climber's left of Liberty Ridge would be the Willis Wall, I think.

     

    My guess is that any new route would be a variation of an existing route, but I'm not an expert as I seem to climb the same few routes over and over, or at least fail on the same routes over and over.

    Moving quickly on winter alpine terrain

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Bailing meant getting to spend the night in a warm bed with a girl, whereas continuing meant topping out at 2 am, and shivering in between 2 hairy dudes until the sun came up and we figured out where we were.

     

    You will be able to spend every night in a warm bed with a girl for the rest of your life after you get married. Do the unplanned bivis now, while you still have the chance.

    [TR] Dragontail Peak - Triple Couloirs 3/13/2015

    in Alpine Lakes

    Posted

    I think it was Jim Nelson who described TC as spanning a spectrum of difficulties; he has experienced it as everything from a 3 hour cruise on neve and fat ice to a harrowing near-death epic.

    I've done it twice, once (via the North Face) I thought I might die, the second (via the runnels) was a straight forward climb with good pro.

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