Alex

Bronco, please include me in your plans. Climbers must have no idea how easy the Norweigian Buttress is, and how cheap! We will scoop them all and climb this covetted cascade jewel! You don't even need a Chinese liason officer!

check yer pms

Plastics have really limited use, in my experience. I used to use plastics for winter-ish trips, now I use leather boots (Scarpa Eiger, Freney) exclusively. They are lighter, cheaper, more comfortable. You don't have to get a La Sportiva Nepal Top to get a worthy leather boot. There are only two instances that I use plastics now: week+ long trips to snow country (like, the Alaska Range) and -25 degree days ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies. The leather boots do everything else, better. If you can, take a long hard look at good leather boots.

REI has some information on a Seattle-area local company that is recycling these now.

My buddy Monkey was s'posed to gun me up Nutsack Tower, but his old creaky body just isnt up to the punishment after his weekend epic. Anyone up for Thurs/Fri climb? Slesse, Nooksack, something similar?

Kaia, yes. Check out Alpine Lakes forum. Alex

personally I hate the heat, but I am more sick of all the hardman climbing going on here despite it, while I rot away at my desk job ug! ah to be 20 and in college again!

I think so. The S Ridge of Ingalls N Peak is 130m of climbing (so not "long" by Cascades standards). The "walkoff" (more of a downclimb) is to the West off the summit, avoiding the rap stations down the S Face. I've always preferred the raps, though.

There is a small patch of snow in the gully still, however right now (8/8/2004) you can stay on some gravel/scree on its left without needing to set foot on the snow proper. So no crampons or axe needed.

Mark, the Easton is one of the easiest routes in Washington. It is covered in Fred Beckeys Alpine Guide (vol 3). People climb this route often without incident, and its snowmobiled in the winter. However, it is a technical route where you will be expected to know what you are doing! When I climbed (as a party of 2), I fell waist deep into a hidden crevasse. Any mountain route, especially up an active glacier, can be very dangerous. People get hurt and die on Mt Baker every year. No one here on this board will be able to mitigate the risks you and your party take.

Joe Josephsons guide has about as much info as you could ask for on Polar Circus. Go check it out! You will not have a problem routefinding once you are at the base of it.

ah thats true, AllYouCanEat is right on, N Ridge of Adams might be just your ticket...decent camping in the meadows below it, and a non-technical, non glaciated route to the summit

NE Ridge of Black Peak Thompson

Phil actually mentions perhaps the two most classic 'Daks alpine trips, but there are very few peaks in the 'Daks that are higher than treeline so "alpine" there is all relative to roadside cragging. There are two more very good trips that might give you a run for your alpine money, and that is a technical route on Big Slide in Keene Valley, or do the Great Range traverse in a day car-to-car (Lower & Upper Wolfjaw to Marcy, and out Johns Brook, or you can get crazy and go out to Adirondack Loj). By East Coast standards these are very hard days in the mountains. Alex

November. Your success will be completely weather dependent. If you get good weather for more than a day or two, chances are the steep slope before the summit plateau will be stable enough to climb. If you get bad weather, you won't be able to see farther than 10 feet.

nice shorts!

Climb: Ingalls-East Ridge Date of Climb: 8/8/2004 Trip Report: My wife and I climbed the E Ridge of Ingalls on Sunday, Aug 8th. (We had actually gotten up at 4am Aug 7th(!!) and driven well over Snoq Pass in the pissing rain before we decided to put off the attempt for a day.) Arose at 4am to drive to Teanaway River. Approach hike was nice in the cool early morning shade, and fast with tons of cars in the lot, but no one up and about. We were afraid of other parties on route as we have heard there is alot of potential for rock fall in the approach gully, so motored. 3 hours car to rope-up. The approach gully looks yucky from below, but is fine, and even well travelled. Snow no problem. The climb starts about 50 ft left of the deep chimney where the gully steepens. The first pitch is 60m to the notch, with much loose rock. If you plan to climb this route, make absolutely sure no one is in the approach gully or on the first pitch above you before you enter the gully! The tales of rockfall are true. My wife and I had thought to climb the E peak from the notch, but it looked unappealing, actually. Instead, we simulclimbed the E ridge (4th, sparse pro) of N Peak in around an hour to the crux move where I stopped to give a quick belay. The crux is steep on crappy rock, but 2 fixed nuts and a nice red alien placement make it fine. We rappelled the S Face with a party from Portland in about 30 minutes, and had an enjoyable (though hot) hike back out to the car. Its hard to recommend this route to others. Though it looks awesome from a distance, and has a few spots of fine position on the climb itself, up close and personal its just not that interesting really. Still, if you have only done/are bored with the S Ridge of Ingalls and are looking for something just a hair longer and a hair more challenging, this might be your ticket. Gear Notes: This route takes mostly small pro. You will want small sized cams (green, yellow, red aliens), one #1 camalot size, and perhaps half a set of nuts, on the small side. You can climb this route in approach shoes (the crux has positive holds), however rock shoes might be nice, especially if you are simulclimbing.

Welcome FineLine!

yeah but the New is a long ass drive from Toronto!

There was a party of 6(?) going up the West Ridge of Stuart when one of the party slipped and tweaked ankle(?). One of the party went out for a cell phone and called in the "rescue" early evening on Saturday. When the helo's arrived Sat night, they realized they could not haul people off the mountain that high. The remainder of the party had bivied at the 8000 ft level on Stuart for the night, awaiting "rescue". (This info is all second-hand, from a party camping in the area Sat night that talked to the rescue people). The helos where STILL hard at work all Sunday and well into Sunday afternoon. Eventually things worked out.

A. I think this took me and partner a good several hours, but the trail is easy to follow so you can easily hike it in the dark B. Maybe 4 hours?

scrambled_legs, the Mellor guide has a farily new edition which is up to date, actually. I have the first edition (from what? 1988) , however, and it still gets me around very well. The Adirondacks *are* old school you will find very little in the way of bolted 5.10s. There are plenty of trad 5.8s! It being the East coast the Adirondack crags are actually all very well established and are easy to find. For trad 5.8 where you can TR 10s I would suggest the Creature Wall near Chapel Pond, or Pok-O (Gamesmanship is the classic .8) I would second Pok-O as a great place to go, probably the premier crag in upstate NY, however it might be hot and humid in August and would prefer to go in Sept or October. I thought there was an "Ontario Limestone" guide at one time that had stuff that would have been closer to you...? Alex

People who equate the Phish crowd to the Dead crowd clearly just don't know.

not if he dies on the N Rib of Slesse first

When I look at these pics I can't help but think "what is she looking at in there?"