DPS

Well said Gene. I would hate to have the balance of my life be judged solely on my mistakes.

Congratulations gentlemen.

Don't feed sad, it is called the 'Seattle Freeze' and most new comers experience this to some degree or another. After a few years you'll be treated just like a local; with polite indifference.

After 25 years of hiking, backpacking, trail running, climbing, and skiing, I finally saw a Cougar on West Tiger 2 last year. I am guessing they reclusvie, rare, or both.

I've done TC twice, once in April 2003 and once in February. In April it was a straight forward climb with only 3 technical waterfall pitches that protected with screws well. In February 2000 the crux runnels were bare, slabby rock so we climbed the North Face variation which in the conditions we found them were very significantly more difficult than the standard TC route in fat shape.

You said the boot fits snug with two socks. Do you not have wiggle room for your toes? You should have a little room in the toes, otherwise front pointing, step kicking, and descending will be uncomfortable. To test the fit, kick a stair riser several times. Your toes should not contact the front of the boot.

I did not notice swelling in my boots, Scarpa Invernos with Intuition linters. I think a single sock would keep your feet warmer than any combination of socks that are too tight.

IMHO, one the biggest differences between the top shelf tools and the economy tools is the quality of the picks. With this in mind, I think it is better to buy older, but high quality tools. Charlet Moser Axar, Black Diamond Rage, Grivel Rambo are all solid tools and can be found used for reasonable prices. Many climbers will advise you to buy the best pair of tools you can possibly afford, and there is logic to that. The reality, however, is if you get a generation-old pair of tools you will have a lot improving to do before you out climb them.

No one trip report stands out in my mind, rather the collected works by this profilific author create a new genre that melds the stream of concious ramblings of Jack Kerouac and the gothic aesthetic of Anthony Burgess. The morally ambigous protagonists are drawn across a damp, dangerous, and bleak landscape where adventure and, just as often, basic human survival are hewn from mossy rock faces. That author is ivan. (Note the lower case 'i'). And yes, got a B in English 201, Reading Fiction. 3 cr.

I am also interested in your climb, but only vicariously. I shall look forward to reading about your most excellent adventure from the comfort of my armchair. Bon chance, gentlemen!

Thank you R-b.

2.5 hours. Yes, it averages between 45 and 60 degrees.

I had the SMC Himalayan Hammer. It was great as a second tool for moderately steep alpine ice routes. Like Dane said, heavy, but likely indestructable.

Put a little black skirt and heels on her and call her Misty. That way we can have a coctail server.

A short hammer with a big striking surface, a straight shaft, a pinky rest, and a recurve pick would be sweet.

I suggest a different route for a number of reasons. -In early June the weather is not super stable and periods of high pressure can be fleeting. The question becomes do you want to spend good weather windows approaching or climbing. Doing something like Fuhrer Finger or Kautz Glacier offers a short approach and interesting climbing. I suspect that if you climb Rainier by any route you won't be disappointed. You specificallyt said you don't like "snow hiking". Well, doing Ptarmigan in June will entail three days of snow hiking for 2,500 feet of "climbing". -There are routes in the Cascades that do not sound terribly difficult by the ratings, e.g. NE Buttress of Johanesberg, Torment-Forbidden Traverse, Ptarmigan Ridge on Rainier, but are in reality complex, committing routes. I'm not saying you aren't capable of climbing these routes, just that if this is your first time to the range, it makes a sense to do routes with a lot of bang for your buck. -I also have a standard disclaimer for visiting climbers: Make alternate plans should the weather on Rainier be inclement. Yes, I know you came out here specifically to do the big R, but Rainier can be getting nuked while other areas in the range have decent weather, especially on the east side of the crest. Mt Stuart, Dragontail, Colchuck Peak, and Washington Pass can all have better weather than Rainier.

No. In early June, yes, it will be a snow slog approach. The route will be in shape. Can't say how much of the route will be snow verus ice, but I would be prepared for a lot of ice climbing. I think as long as the weather is decent, June is a good month to attempt it. One thing concerns me though, you mentioned you are a NW noob and are from Colorado. If your climbing experience is limited to Colorado, I would suggest you attempt a different route for your first time on Rainier.

Or scar the poor kid for life.

That is one of the reasons I am so fond of the Petzl Aztar/ex tools - the adze and hammer are very functional. I know alpinsits are using tools without hammers/adzes at all, but one of the reasons I bring a second tool is to place/remove pitons and pickets. I had a 50 cm SMC Himalayan ice hammer that was wonderful for this application due to its large hammer head and overall weight,

I personally would go for the Aztarex, but I am generally a fan of Charlet/Moser/Petzl tools. I saw a pair for sale here the other day for $250, which is a good deal considering they are $199 a piece retail. http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1013765/Petzl_Aztarex#Post1013765

My .02 cents. The cost sounds reasonable, but I would comparison shop at Timberline Mountain guides, Gresham Community College, The Mazamas, etc. Look not only at the price and what is included (rental gear), but also at the syllabus, the intstructor creditals, (all guides should be at minimum AMAGA aspirants and the head guide should be full AMGA Alpine Guide certified if you are going through a commerical outfit). The initial gear list can be a bit of a sticker shock. Rent and borrow what you can, and buy the remaining stuff used through this bbs.

No, they left it behind so they could travel light. My mistake. I suppose the take home message is if you are going to go light, you should probably go fast, also.

I thought it was funny. I don't think a new climber would read Dave A's post and think 'Oh, pot, why didn't I think of that? The lifesaving properties are so obvious.' Stove, foamy, bivi sack, shovel, puffy, etcs certainly is not a bad idea, but may give new climbers a false sense of security. Didn't the three fellows who died on the North Face a few winter's ago have all that shit?

Everyone has their favorite re-soler. Dave Page has done good to excellent work for me on neary 20 rock and climbing boot resoles. Only one job I was not happy with, which was really my fault, I had let the toe wear through the leather.

I think it is totally worth it to resole rock shoes, especially if you like the shoes. I usually pay about $40 for a half sole/rerand at Dave Page, but I haven't had to resole a pair in a while. I have heard that doing the sole is not super difficult, but if you need the rand redone it becomes a much more involved process and costs only and extra $10 for the pair if you are having the half sole done.