Alex

i think the appropriate place for this thread is in the n00b forum, or Cafe Sensitivo... there is usually so much penalty slack in most systems that it just wont matter. for what its worth, youd activate a screamer with every fall, even on toprope, which might yield a few giggles the first time but would get aweful expensive after a few pitches.

looks awesome!

the answer to all this is very very simple: take your skins and skis and ski up and down Palmer snowfield from Timberline, as far as base of Crater Rock, on the South Side of Hood, as often as you like. There are no crevasses, there will be no avalanches, and there are no trees either. Just wide open turns, 3000 ft of vert, and all the cardio workout you can handle. Totally solo-able, as long as you have decent visibility. When you get bored ofthat side, buy a lift ticket at Mt Hood Medows

the route itself is pretty straightforward, you can come down the ne shoulder easily or traverse across the backside of n sister (west side) and go down thevse route as well. the crux is the summit pyramid which is quite steep and has very awkward exposure right down the couloir...

@MrGecko, thats Flow Reversal. SLL is off to the right of this pic

My first summit of Hood was a Dec 1993 solo. These kinds of trips are full-value, nothing n00b about them, good job!

rap wall is pretty difficult to access from above without extensive and time consuming shenaningans

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/900925/Searchpage/3/Main/69080/Words/Buck/Search/true/Re_TR_Buck_Mt_North_Ridge_8_10#Post900925

Those are neat!

I've never climbed Yocum but from my poser armchair here it seems like you'd need 29 70m ropes, tied together with tricky knots designed to irritate you, to siege the entire ridge to the summit so rappels are not needed from the Third Gendarme. Does that answer your question?

Stout. I think this inversion is killing it more than anything.

Leavenworth Area, Careno and Rainbow areas trying/forming but not in. The inversion was very telling at Blewett Pass!

i ended up doing a full season rental through ski mart, as i missed the newport ski swap (again) this year.

i think falling on trad gear happens, but i would much rather practice falling on steep sporto climbs where a fall will not result in injury. smith rock is your friend here. if you havent been pushing it into 10a at Smith, and taken some falls, that's a really good exprience to get you to trust the safety system - ropes, belay, pro - more. In 1995 i pushed into 11a for the first time as a leader after getting used to falling on the 10s all summer there.

the approach is never not steep ....

Also, one very tried and true phase that most of the people I've climbed with have gone through, as you alluded to, is aid climbing; it tends to make one much more gear savvy. I had a couple years there where all I did was aid solo at Index during the winter. A number of folks here on the board went through that phase with me. When you are suddenly standing and bouncing on every placement, it makes your placements much better over time. It also helped my alpine skills somewhat, as it was the first time I drove pins, placed bolts (this in the boulder fields..!) and messed with bashies and copperheads. The pin driving helped my winter alpine in later years.

I think at this point you don't need more gear, you need more miles. If you are thinking about "doubles" in sizes, it means either you are prone to sewing it up on routes and are running out of your pro before the top on a 50m pitch, or you are climbing harder than mid-5.10 and really need doubles, in which case I'd guess you wouldnt be posting this in the Newbie forum. You need practice and mileage climbing a ton of moderates to 5.9 Index, to start feeling better about your gear (or lack thereof). You shouldnt need doubles until you're getting into mid-5.10 or so. I'd MOST HIGHLY recommend a long trip to Squamish, the Gunks, or some such area where there are a good number of trad moderates (5.3 - 5.7) you can do without feeling too stressed out on, to feel more comfortable. Once in a while check back and try some harder or steeper trad climbs - I find Vantage serves this well - you'll know what you need.

Nice. I also enjoyed your Fail1 TR, it articulated very well how I've sometimes felt, as am imposter in perhaps the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems like it takes time-hardened experience to become eloquent about the emotional side of mountain endevours. I couldnt speak to any of it when I was in my 20s.

Nice kurt!

I was looking furthest left.

FWIW, if the local Alpental conditions continue (cold, little precip) that line forming to the left of SLL in this pic (left third of the pic, big icicles!) is something new. Can't quite see into the corner to see if it will go without the icicles touching down?

so jealous!

awesome!

yeah way too much approach tax, go Muir. Probably fine but winter road closures can add up to 24 miles RT if going in via White River. Roads are plowed to Paradise all year.

Your revised plan is very good. I think its important to be conservative here as any kind of injury will make you lose weeks in the season at the very least. In 1993 I was working as a liftie on Mt Hood and over the course of the season I got 52 days in, but that was with 2 sprained knees, 2 sprained ankles, and a very serious back injury that plagues me to this day. I was not patient enough then to heal completely before the next injury came along, and I was an expert skiier even then! I would just add a few things... Agree with your gut: dont try to learn to tele if you dont know how to ski yet, it's quite difficult to learn and just adds length to your apprenticeship, for little practical gain. I've been skiing since I was 4, and tele for 18 years now, and I am back on AT gear half the time in the backcountry now Someday when you get bored of fixed heel skiing, go try tele Renting is an OK way to go. If you believe budget will be a problem, start visiting Second Ascent/Marmot as they often have used AT setups. I would highly encourage you borrow some setups and try them out a few times before you commit to anything. I was super lucky and borrowed a friends Dynafit setup for a long weekend of touring before I pulled the trigger on a used pair of boards WITH Dynafit bindings for only 200?! Sometimes the stuff you'll find at Marmot/SA is not always a deal, but you'll get some exposure to different options. Don't feel the need to buy new! Be very patient with the gear purchase, a good pair of AT boards should last you 10+ years. Also, realize that the boards and boots are just part of the cost: you MUST have a beacon for any serious off piste sliding. Don't be cheap, get a great beacon! Its part of the ritual to go and practice with it with your friends early season. I'd recommend a metal-bladed shovel, and a probe. Skins are actually getting very costly these days, and for serious usage only last a limited time so budget for skins as well. If you're lucky you'll find them on sale or get them used off craigslist in good condition, but sooner or later you plunk down serious money for skins, so budget for it. As for late spring plans, my first recommendation would be to go ski St Helens from the top in late March/April. Its much less variable than Adams and will be easy for you to walk up in boots, and easy for you to walk down should it not be working out. I've skiied off the top of Adams and Hood but Adams wasnt that great of a ski - some very steep terrain and some real low angle stuff that wasnt inspiring. St Helens is good for the money. Finally, most religious b/c skiiers read TurnsAllYear regularly, its a good place to meet other b/c skiiers.