DPS

My daughter started climbing with me when she was 5 and quit when she was 13. She was never heavy enough to belay me. Most often she would climb with me and another partner. When we climbed together alone, I would self belay off the anchor then she would clean and follow the pitch.

Just because you can get insurance doesn't mean they will pay out on the policy. Check out the company with Consumer Reports, the BBB, etc. I found this out the hard way. My insurance policy through work refused to pay out on my disability claim, as well as a colleague's. (He had multiple myeoloma cancer and needed two bone marrow transplants.) I spoke with a lawyer who said the insurance company was one of the worst ones out there and they had built their entire practice around suing them.

This might have some good tips: http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-to-climb-mt-rainier/507227

This game we all play is just that, a game. It is a way to make our tedious, workaday lives more interesting and fun. Some people golf, some people run marathons, we are driven to climb. For some of us it is a way to channel our ambitions and our sport has no shortage of ambitious people. Ambition is the fuel we burn that gets us up difficult climbs. The flip side of ambition is judgment. It is a balancing act; we walk a razor thin wire. Sometimes we make mistakes and get hurt or need to be rescued. There are people still breathing because I have rescued them, some are members on cc.com. I have also been rescued by others here on cc.com. I have put other’s lives at risk. In turn, I have put my neck on the line for strangers. It is easy to point fingers and say to ourselves that we would never make the mistakes that others have made. We are too smart, too experienced, or too skilled for that to happen. Perhaps that is how we are able to continue playing this dangerous game, we fool ourselves into thinking we are immune. Nobody is immune to a lapse in judgment, an unforeseen circumstance, or just plain back luck. There are two kinds of climbers; those that have had an epic and those that will have an epic. I have made momentous mistakes and had huge lapses in judgment. I am a flawed human. Yet people still rope up with me. It is an act of grace I suppose. It certainly is not because I can guarantee them a hard summit or that I am even a particularly reliable or skilled partner. The euphoria of a hard fought summit, the feeling of perfectly balancing strength and skill against gravity, and our sturm and drang years are all too brief and fleeting. At the end of the day, it is the relationships that last. It is the friendships forged in the mountains that are important. Perhaps some of us don’t realize this or disagree. We bicker over petty issues on the internet. We puff our chests out at the crag. There is no shortage of posturing and posing in our game. I am perhaps guiltier of this than most; driven by deep insecurities and a lack of any notable achievement in climbing or other aspects of my life. But at least I respect my partners and hold them all in high esteem for they have deigned to climb with me, a deeply flawed human. Because of this I don’t ‘kiss and tell’. I have read a number of frank, honest trip reports where the OP is harshly criticized for decisions that were made on the mountain. This seems to be more than the usual armchair quarterbacking or rational analysis of possible errors. From where I am standing there are folks who are bent on character assassination. I don’t know why, perhaps it is because they are threatened by other climbers's successes. I just want those responsible to know their shit stinks, just like everybody else’s. Nobody is perfect and if you continue to climb your time is coming. When it does you better hope your partner shines grace on you and doesn’t out you in a public forum. It may just be the internet, but being second guessed or even outright attacked still hurts.

I tried my hand at guiding for a season. One client showed up with four gallon containers of water tied to her pack. I asked her why she would do that. "To drink of course!" I explained that we melt our water from the snow.

It is FAR more weight efficient to bring a stove rather than enough water for a trip. For a three day trip you would need at least 18 liters of water which weighs 40 pounds. Nobody in their right mind brings more than 2 or 3 liters. Bring a stove, yes it is an onerous task, but it is what it is. Several extra gallons? At 8 pounds a pop that is a lot of extra weight. Not a bright move. Why didn't they a) dump out their containers, or b)leave it at Muir so other climbers could use it. Makes no kind of sense to me. I have heard of climbers who speed climb Rainier cache water at Muir so they don't have to carry much, but they do it CTC in like 4 hours.

I think the variation is called the Old Chute. From the Hogsback it is climber's left of the Pearly Gates. It requires only one axe and is pretty straight forward, although the short ridge traverse to the summit is exposed. When I did the NF a few winters ago, the Pearly Gates were very icy. We saw a V-Thread that friends had left the previous day. We simply walked a short way skier's right and plunge stepped down the Old Chute, stratching our heads why everyone else wasn't doing the same thing.

It was AAI as I recall.

Can't go wrong with either Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends. I own bags from both companies and they are worth every penny.

On Denali I used my old Invernos with heat molded Intuition Liners. The new liners seemed to add at least half a size of room in the boot (the stock liners fit perfectly, but packed out after 10 years). In Extreme Alpinism, Mark Twight advises buying plastic boots 1/2 size small if you plan on using Intuition liners, for this reason I suppose. I did not notice any significant swelling, and even with my thickest sock combo the boots felt sloppy at 6k. We spent a total of 4 or 5 days above the 14k camp on the West Butt. I was 36 and was very fit. We ended up just doing the Butt. An upset wife and really horrible weather for two weeks after our West Butt summit acclimitazion attempt shut down our plans for a more technical route.

July (after July 5th) is the hottest month of the year and typically has very stable weather. That said, this is an unusual year. My personal feelings are if the weather is fine, you can sleep out in a sleeping bag. If the weather sux, you want a tent, not a bivi sack. For your summit pack, bring a belay jacket, preferably a synthetic one, warm mitts, and a warm fleece hat. A shovel, a foam pad (most alpine packs have a removable foam back panel for emergency use) and a small butane stove kit add huge survivability at a cost of ~ 1 - 1.5 pounds per person, but is optional, especially if you start early, have good weather, and are willing to turn around if the weather turns foul. I would go as light as possible, single wall tent or even a tarp. I own four shelters and use my BD Betamid 90%+ of the time, even on Rainier. Another option is the public shelter, which may or may not be full. Here is what I would do; bring a light weight tent, single wall if you have it, and tarp if you have that too, and a light weight sleeping bag. When you register with the Rangers check to see if the public shelter is full. If it is not, leave the tent/tarp and bunk with 50 of your closest (new) friends. Bring earplugs and a sleep mask if you are a light sleeper. If the shelter is full, look at the weather forecast and bring the lightest tent/tarp that will do the job.

Oleg, My daughter got involved in drugs, was in rehab by age 13, still ended up using. She is in med school now, having turned her life around. I had to do the tough love thing, was very hard, but it worked out. I know both you and your ex Olga are smart cookies, I have no doubt your son is pretty bright. Best of luck. Dan

Yes, please send a photo. It was left in a crack on a boulder high on the North Face Bowl, maybe a pitch or less below the exit pitches to the third couloir. My email is softwareninja@live.com. The cord was not ours, I remember attaching a locking biner to both ends of a sewn sling since it was our only piece in hundreds of feet of simu-climbing. I welded that pin. My partner whacked it a couple of times and delcared it fixed.

If the weather is that bad I would go to the east side of the range and find better weather. I've heard from a good number of folks who can't sleep well in the hut. I have found the opposite, I sleep like a log there. If noise is the issue, earplugs and even a sleep mask weigh almost nothing.

Nick and I picked up a hitch hiker in Sultan on our way back from Index. He said he lived in Teepee in the woods. I said 'Crazy Man' in a beatnick way. He took great offense and the rest of the ride was kind of frightening. I was happy Nick, a stong dude, was sitting in the middle in the truck.

Not sure what your price range is, but this would be a great tent for Rainier: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1066843/FS_Integral_Designs_MK1lite_ev#Post1066843

So, does than mean you didn't find my 12 year old pin? But seriously, great job. The route is very conditional I've climbed it twice, once is super sketchy conditions taking the North Face Bowl variation where I thought I might die and another time that via the thicky iced runnels which was an easy 14 hour CTC jaunt.

Oleg, Not sure where your son is living, but Pioneer Industries operates manufacturing facilities in Seattle (and perhaps other cities, I don't know) and their mission is to support and help rehabilitate former convicts through gainful employment. It is a very tough job market, even for those up us with advanced degrees and years of experience. I can only imagine what an uphil battle it must be for your son. Best of luck, Dan

The Icicle seems to offer more straight up crack and slab climbing while Castle Rock seems to be re-metamorphosed or something making for sometimes more thoughtful climbing and route finding. Also the grades at CR seem to be more old skool than the Icicle.

I have the original Betamid, not the SilNylon lighter version, and I have weathered storms on Rainier. I am a bit weary of the SilNylon tarps, they seem delicate. The full sized Megamids are used as cook shelters on Denali, I have seen them even at the 17k camp. Some partners complain that it is a bit drafty, but properly staked and guyed it is pretty stable. You can pile snow around the perimeter to make it less drafty and warmer. I have never built a snow wall for it, my suspician is if you need to build a snow wall for the Betamid, you should be building a snow wall for other tents anyway. I have used it in winter on Rainier. I own four shelters and over the last ten years I have used the Betamid on 90+% of my overnight/multiday climbing/skiing/backpacking trips. The 'chasity poles' keep everything kosher, no hanky panky, which, as an old married man of the mountains who is undeniably attractive to my female partners is important. I prefer the public shelter, others don't, but I generally sleep like a log. I like hanging out and meeting new folks, part of the experience.

On a complete tangent, I weighed my old, U stem style 0.75 Camalot Junior and my new Camalot C4 0.75 and they weighed exactly the same. I thought the C4s were supposed to offer a significant decrease in weight.

If it is not full that is always my preference. Some folks have an aversion to it, but you should experience it at least once if you can.

Good call! Some really good suggestions rolling in.

There is the initial wide crack/chimney, but you are correct, its a bit of a mixed bag rather than a meat and potatoes crack climb. Still, for the grade its a pretty great climb.

You want to go as light as possible. A small single wall like the BD Firstlight, Eldorado, Integral Designs MK1 Lite, MH EV2 and so on are both light and storm worthy. Know how to anchor and guy the tent in snow. Plenty of stories of tents turning into very expensive kites.I personally like the parachute style snow/sand anchors from Mountain Hardware to anchor the tent, and deadmanning trekking poles, shovels, and so forth for the guy out point anchors. Even lighter is a tarp. I have had really good luck with a BD Betamid on Rainier, but I get to cherry pick the weather living so close. Also, when you check in with the rangers, ask if the Muir Hut might be full. If not, that is an option that weighs nothing and is an experience in and of itself.