Alex

roads so-so, depends on the vehicle...not much snow on the ground yet below 4000 ft so maybe be able to get at least part of the way in if not all the way. or not. just wont know until you go! as for climbs...not sure. I've climbed routes there as early as the 1st week of Dec, and the temps so far have been for ice formation up there, but if anything forms it will be the lower angle stuff (Sad Cebu, Sudden Change) rather than the bigger stuff. It really needs at least some snow for the routes to come in fat The truly fat ice conditions typically occur in Feb/March when the snow is deeper and its been cold a while. But then, its a longer approach in if you dont have a snow machine. Alex

1 is slower than I-90 unless you are headed to Jasper. Maybe from the border, but not from Seattle. I think I've done it in 10, but only very late at night, no truck traffic, with alot of speeding and great road conditions. I've done the trip via 1 about 10-12 times now, and via I-90 twice, and I think 90 is faster to Banff by about an hour and a half/2 hours. Plus not having to go over Rogers Pass in inclement weather is a big plus for the Southern route, if you need to decide during periods of winter weather.

(seated) jon, mvs, Kris Stanton, Theron (in background) ehmmic, forrest_m, AlpineK (in foreground right) fern Gary Ygnve, Dave_Schuldt, dryad dbb, forrest_m, Colin, AlpineK, wayneXXXX

My secret weekend project is "Round The County", a 2-day sailboat race around San Juan County. I know it won't get poached by any of you suckas, because only true fools would agree to sit on their butts for 2 days sailing in this cold..without cabin heat!! If I were not sailing, I would probably be on Hood.

We didnt wait for the weekend, but gave it a try Tues night/Wed am. Left car at around 3am. Temps around -15C. Stumbled around the base of the Eliot in that fucking boulderfield for a while in the cold and dark. One partner was underdressed and the cold really got to him, so we turned the ship around and got back to the car as the sun came up. With the forecast turning on Tues, I am afraid I missed the gravy train yet again this year. Oh well. Don't underestimate this approach, these guys have been very modest in their down-play of the suck factor of those snow covered boulders or of how cold it was. x31A

wait...you had more than one??

next we'll be selling y'all a wasta bivy kit ..!

my only minor issue is that most of the climbs say "1 pitch" or "2 pitches". Me thinks a more accurate assessment in meters or feet would be nice. With ice climbers using anything from 50 to 70 meter ropes, what's a "pitch" these days? It would help me decide which rope to bring or how many screws to schlepp in on the approach! I hear you. We wrested with this early and there was quite a stuggle to agree on pitches, meters, or feet. However, when you are talking to people who climbed such-n-such 15 years ago and really dont remember much, you typically end up with "oh one or two pitches" instead of "we climbed a 43m pitch". In the end we chose pitches, but have tried to indicate if a 60m rope is needed where we could. We can always switch. The key to switching is to get as accurate info as possible for every route, including new routes submitted. Possible but not probable for the next edition. Alex

right on, looks like some nice early season warmups there!

I tried to get this rolling one time at MSFT, as there was an interest in a night WFR class that didnt suck up vacation days, but it didnt get enough support. Basically it comes down to money. Because you have to pay the instructor, and often lodge them as well, doing it "quickly" (i.e. 5-6 days) is the most cost effective way for WMA or any other organization that hands out these certificates to do this accross the country. Otherwise, the course fee would be much steeper, as it covers all the instructor expenses. If you want the instructor to stay twice as long and only do evening classes, the fee could be almost double the current asking rate of around 450-600$ per course. Not many people are willing to shell out an extra 600$ to save vacation days, since most people get leave without pay anyway... just a thought... Alex

Just wanted to let you guys know that I have put together a website where you can get the lastest information on access, submit corrections to the guidebook, and record new routes and rumors. We've put a select number of routes in almost all the areas we cover online, and intend to add new routes that are submitted to us to that list as the season progresses, so people can see where the ice is and whats been climbed. This web site is going to be the interim repository for information that Jason and I work with until the next edition. http://www.wastateice.net/default.htm Its still in its early stages, so we dont have all the eye candy or the complete set of routes we want online yet, but I wanted to let you know that the forms for new routes, corrections, and rumors are there and available for you, as well as Access information and links etc etc. Bring on the cold! Alex

I think Silverton Sickle might be an interesting exploration trip this time of year, but dont bet its formed. Its a long climb thats at least going to be partially fed by snowmelt... Alex

I've dropped large knives in the kitchen before, while wearing Teva's!

hey smg, let us know if you find anything in spokane thats not in the guide. We tried to beat the bushes for the locals with da kine beta the last two years, but didnt find much. Banks is close to spokane, however, and with the continued cold there should be some stuff there in a few weeks time. Last year with consistent cold it took only 2 weeks for the Cable to form completely. I climbed at Banks Nov 3rd last year! Alex

Witht the temps, sure seems like Sat would be a prime day for Hood, NF. Alex

Yo...me, my fat arse, my wife and her skinny arse, and two kids will be there next w/e... There is a group from Seattle heading down this weekend, as well as me and the wife and our asses, and Send-Bot and partner I believe. Fine weekend to be had by all!

Sheesh..what a "sporto"?!?! quite the receding hairline though..!

well thats no use to us this weekend, now is it?

who's gunna show yo?

Just some observations on my own experiences trying to push... For me, it depends on the type of route. But I also think it depends on what you want to get out of climbing/leading. Are you trying to push your trad leading grade? Are you trying to get stronger faster? They might be mutually exclusive. I've noticed that if I let myself toprope at all, I do not gain the mental focus to lead at all. I become mentally lazy. So I typically don't TR unless the day/week/season is already shot. When I lead primarily bolts, I get strong fairly quickly, but still do not have the confidence to push my trad grade. This is because I climb more routes in a climbing day, but the climbing is artificially secure. So while I might take some falls and get stronger, I am probably not willing to do the same when I am placing pro. When I lead primarily trad, I get more comfortable and much faster at moderate grades, but do not get stronger and am not able to push my numerical upper bound. This is because I am getting better and faster placing gear, but not typically getting stronger because I do less climbing overall, and am not willing to push myself to a fall as easily as on bolts. Of course, one thing most people can't really get past is falling. You should get used to falling on both bolts and gear if you want to advance. Whenever you fall, stay on the horse. Do not dirt and untie...you've got to stick with it mentally and not give in to the fear. The best way I've seen some of my friends push themselves up is by climbing in the gym/garage for strength (which you will loose in a matter of days or weeks if you stop training), seconding routes that are beyond their leading abilities but just barely within their physical abilities to second (this teaches new leading skills), leading a 50/50 mix of bolts and trad, and finding trad climbing goals/projects that are at the very upper bound where you can reherse, then pre place gear and clip, and finally lead from the ground up. So for example, you want to get into leading trad Leavenworth 10s confidently? Set up a TR on MF Overhang. Flail. Wire some moves. Go to gym for 2 weeks. Come back, set up TR on MF Overhang, get through crux ok. Come back after 2 more weeks. Rap and pre-place gear. Send. Come back the next week and lead it from the ground. The same day, head over to Bo Derek and lead it from the ground onsight. You can always back off it and retrieve your gear from above.... Alex

Thats a pretty serious roster of actors there, michael caine, richard chamberlain, and olivia de havilland et al!

by mid november 90% o f the climbs are formed up. yes there are some that form later, but in general they are a minority. That just not true I don't know about "90%" but there is a fair amount in by Thanksgiving. It depends on the year though, the last two years especially have been very mild in the early season.

We're trying to get some Seattle, Bellevue, Bellingham, Spokane, and Portland shows...

If you really must know, the web site is currently in a kernel debugger undergoing some ...uh ....testing. Yeah, testing! It should be up in bits and pieces over the next few weeks/months. http://www.wastateice.net/ Alex

The route never made it into the guide because neither Jason nor I were ever able to get to talk to Sean Courage or Andreas about what they had climbed (or named), nor get photos from either of them. However, when the book project was at Mountaineers Books, Sean sent in a set of photographs to the editor separately from all the others (hundreds) that we had gathered from the ice climbing community over the last few years. His express wish was that they were to be considered for the cover only. This is why there are no other photos from Sean in the guide. Ultimately one of Sean's pictures was chosen for the cover of this edition. Alex