Alex

Nice trip. I've never done the Stout, it always seemed like a long slog breaking trail. Twisted looks really cool, have not done that one, looks excellent.

No showing off on The Bone, nooooo.....

"Apparently Rafael didn't have the adrenalin left to get pissed or he is just a really patient soul." Rafael is a regular partner of mine, he is a really patient soul.

second winter ascent of Huntington.

Seems like you have the requisite number of toys to fit right in when you arrive ! It looks like a very modern move. When I moved to CO in Spring '93, I had an 86 Honda Civic hatchback I bought from a buddy for 200$, a custom plywood and 2x4 roof rack, and could only take what fit in the car, including my cello.

I've plateued at 208 but havent exercised in 3 or 4 weeks

powderhound == sneaky! great weather and lots of nice pics!

sweet. would love some pics. i wish I knew why the mountaineers creek didnt come in more reliably, it's an awesome playground! maybe it needs sun on the slopes above to get enough water moving downhill.

That last shot is awesome. Congrats you two, thats a total dream ice vacation! I have an ice climbing pal who was UK-based for quite some time and between Norway for ice climbing (he had climbed in Telemark as well) and Chamonix for accessible winter alpine climbing it sounded like real good options with any kind of time off!

Awesome trip, thanks for sharing!

Another vote for Adams. I don't think it will be disappointing. It is alot of work and a good workout, and sweet views in all directions. Somewhere early on the thread it was mentioned that Adams has only 30 degree snow slopes. While Adams is still a hike, I disinctly remember a steepish headwall that (at the time) felt quite steep...something that in firm conditions you would HAVE to self-arest on should you slip. So please take ice axe and campons and practice some self-arest with a partner on a short but steep slope with good run out before you go to the top.

And yet, by continuing to insult folks with whom you disagree, in the form of a veiled apology, you choose to do just that. From your approach, and other posts I've read of yours recently, it seems to me that you've already made up your mind about the "hardmen" on the board and their "wisdom", and all the "assumptions" they are making about Newbies who post here. So further discussion doesnt seem like it would result in you opening yourself up to different opinions at all. I think it is because you do not know the other posters personally. Internet anonymity does not bring out the best in people. I know many who post on this board from - you know- real climbing and real life, so the respect for each others opinions comes from personal relationships, not climbing resumes. To answer your question directly to me, yes, I will stand completely by my position that S Side Hood, S Side Adams, and some routes on Baker are all completely approproiate for flatlanders and noobs with little or no experience. I know many personally whose first mountaineering experiences were those routes. My 9-month old Malamute puppy climbed Mt Baker! Other fine routes include S Sister and Middle Sister in Oregon, Sulphide on Shuksan, Eldorado E Ridge, and other such climbs.

The irony is staggering.

Nice trip yo, always stoked for the folks that do the work to get in there! Dropline is a great line! Sudden Change and Sad Ce'bu look pretty typical. The ice on Sad Ce'bu will be thick enough to lead the second pitch even though it looks thin from below.

yeah you cant go into the ghost without 4wd this late in the year. It's still worth planning on sometime in the future, there are a lot of classics back there and the ambiance is just very very different from the rest of Banff scene. icefields pkwy: Bow Falls - classic route but we usually leave it for early or late in the year (Nov, March) as it is pretty cold and forms early and stays long. It can have a terrifying top-out. Murchison - must do. The only av hazard is, as the book says, on the final couple hundred meters of approach slope to the base of the first step of the route. It is also a very cold route, good for March. I'd second Polar Circus. You can go as far as you want, as the way down is the established rap line down the route, so whenever you want you just turn around. Seeing all this stuff makes me want to go. Anyone want to babysit my kids for a week??

Geez whats with the graffiti?

+1 take off pack and sit on it. foam pad is bulky so day trippers dont usually carry. The thing you want here is a thermos: if the break is long after sweaty uphill grind, one cools off very quickly and can quickly become hypothermic if in the wind. so have your hero bust out a thermos with warm tea and the extended break will be more plausible. bc skiiing arsenal usually includes beacon and shovel. not everyone skis with a probe. climbing skins. skin wax. depending on where your hero is they might have ski crampons. a repair kit for fixing fuxxored bindings is pretty common. a leatherman.

cue broken record

I've tried NR Baker only to be turned around by the Coleman maze. I did Adams Gl in June and it was a walk up, though a nice one. More interesting than S Side Adams and less horrible than trudging up the volcano dirt on N Ridge (which is decent route and fine for that). In hindsight I wish I had brought skis and whippets and skied that northeast? face above the Adams Gl. back down

what crag are you developing? I'm psyched to explore new crags this season. It's up at Exit 38 Far Side, near Headlight Point. Rad is pretty good with giving guided tours. The area needs more aficianados. I might come out to play this Summer too and finish a proj not even Rad knows about, but will need to replenish my stolen bolt and hanger cache

You got on some great climbs! Everything looks hella fat. Looking at the pics, Moonlight and Snowline very fat. Louise is a nice route, Professors is classic. Even Grotto and His/Hers are nice for a trip to the Rockies. Now the best part is going back year after year and doing lots of other stuff - IceFields Parkway, Ghost, David Thompson, Field - without repeating the stuff you already did. I'd recommend Rocky Mountain Ski Lodger or similar in Canmore over a hostel anyday, the privacy is totally worth the extra couple bucks. We fit 4 easily in the Ski Lodge which keeps costs low.

* spend my money more wisely than I did in 2010 * file my taxes in the next week * fix my yard that I just destroyed moving 2500 pound trailer over wet mushy ground * install bigger skylights so I can enjoy the sun AND rain more * fix my wifes MTB before she kills me * go skiiing some more * take more RAD footage with the GoPro..shouldnt be hard! * get kids (4 and 2) on more real rock this year. * take the training wheels off the 2-year-olds bike in next 4 months. But generally: * less working * more playing So much to do, so little time!!

I sent phat air.

Dru is not very creative in his spray today.

Agree with Kurt. The cold snap is really nice but it would take a week+ for anthing that wasnt alredy reasonably well-formed to build into protectable quality ice. I know there are exceptions (Jeff always seems to ferret out something!) but I wouldnt expect Banks or Frenchmans or anything on the West side to coming in again. So these last couple days should be good for skiing but I think the recent trend was spot on: now is really the time to get into the alpine for NF Snoq, Pineapple Xpress, N F and NEB Chair, Dragontail, N B C Colchuck, all that goodness.