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Everything posted by Lowell_Skoog
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I bet you can get water a lot more easily in July than September, especially this year. Snow in a dromedary bag strapped outside your pack would melt pretty quickly. Also, 9/12/09 was a very warm day. (Seattle broke a record with a high of 87F.) So don't feel too bad. Still, there's no denying how amazing Croft's climb was.
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[TR] Mt Shuksan - Hanging Glacier - 1939 8/7/2009
Lowell_Skoog replied to ckouba's topic in North Cascades
Email sent. Thanks Donn. -
[TR] Mt Shuksan - Hanging Glacier - 1939 8/7/2009
Lowell_Skoog replied to ckouba's topic in North Cascades
Hey all...does anyone know how to contact ckouba, the originator of this thread? I sent him a PM, but no reply yet. I'm pasting up the 2009 NWMJ and I'd like his permission to use the following photo: Reply to me by PM or email to lowell.skoog SPLAT alpenglow.org Thanks for any help! -
Ultra-light descent skis / "firn-cruisers" ?
Lowell_Skoog replied to Colin's topic in the *freshiezone*
Yes, the toe wire has two positions. The heel lever has three different positions (where it can be screwed into the base plate). The heel lever also has a fine adjustment screw the tightens the cable a little. Yeah, my shorty skis were acquired on trips to Europe several years ago. Historical. The first mountain boots that I used with Ramer bindings had a very minimal toe notch. (This was when step-in crampons were just beginning to appear and plastic boot manufacturers hadn't fully designed for them yet.) I had to make homemade toe wires to fit precisely on my boots. Because of this, I had right and left skis. As the boots evolved, I didn't have to do this anymore. But some toe wires are a bit asymmetrical, so I've always marked my skis to indicate the best fit. -
Ultra-light descent skis / "firn-cruisers" ?
Lowell_Skoog replied to Colin's topic in the *freshiezone*
It sounds like you know about snow blades. Searching for "ski blade" or "snow blade" on the web should get you some hits. Also search for Kneissel Big Foot skis. These little skis have simple non-hinged and non-releasable bindings, which I think would be fine if you're looking for shorty skis for descents only. But as you mentioned, some of these bindings aren't light. You have to look around. I have a pair of figls with some really light step-in bindings made by Salewa. They're nearly 20 years old, so I don't know if you could find anything like them today. I'm reluctant to part with them, so I'm not offering them for sale. Here's a picture: As for skis, be aware that short does not equal light. Trabs are incredibly light skis even though they're not as short as you may want. I don't know how heavy a short pair of Hagen's would be, but they may be heavier than Trabs. But then again, if you're thinking of non-releasable bindings, short is important, so you're less likely to generate leg-breaking forces in a crash. Here's a picture of some 130cm Kastle firn skis mounted with Ramer bindings. Unfortunately these skis are so heavy that they weigh as much as my standard 175cm touring skis. They are nice and compact though. I skied the SW route on Mt Buckner on these skis in 1999. I seem to remember some interesting looking non-releasable bindings at Marmot Mountain Works in Bellevue. They weren't super sturdy as I recall, but they might be worth a look. -
That's good to hear. In the past we have tried to make the NWMJ website stand alone. We've modeled our short reports section after the AAJ, and we haven't included links from the NWMJ website to trip reports (as you did in your list). This was mainly an aesthetic decision, I would say. But our editorial team wiki (which is accessible only to our volunteer editors) has links to all the original trip reports which you included in your list. I collect these links by monitoring CC.com and other forums throughout the year. When we swing into editing mode we refer to this list to contact people and compile our short reports. I wonder if we should start including links to TRs on our short report pages? The links may eventually go bad (an aesthetic bummer) but in the short run they would probably be useful. I welcome your thoughts.
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Thanks for the list, Blake. Do you know off-hand which of these climbs have not been reported in the NWMJ? Do you have any suggestions on how the NWMJ editors can do a better job of learning about and documenting these climbs? (Keep in mind that the 2009 NWMJ is still under development and climbs done this year won't be documented until next year.)
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What causes this mountain landform?
Lowell_Skoog replied to tvashtarkatena's topic in Climber's Board
See "Hunting for Eacas Glacier" in the following NWMJ article: http://www.mountaineers.org/NWMJ/07/071_Post3.html -
[TR] Mt Shuksan - Hanging Glacier - 1939 8/7/2009
Lowell_Skoog replied to ckouba's topic in North Cascades
Yes, Dr. Otto Trott was an early member of the Mt Baker ski patrol. The "Otto Bahn" run is named for him. In 1941, Otto Trott and Hank Reasoner made the first ski ascent of Mt Shuksan via the White Salmon Glacier. It was one of the finest ski mountaineering achievements in the Northwest before World War II. On the Hanging Glacier climb, Otto led all the ice pitches, according to his memoirs. In 1948, he was one of the founders of the Mountain Rescue Council (with Wolf Bauer and Ome Daiber). I climbed the north face of the summit pyramid with my wife, brother Carl, and another friend in 1986. We thought it was an okay climb, but I recall that one of our ropes was chopped by rockfall. I have not done the lower, Hanging Glacier part of the Trott-Hennig route. -
[TR] Mt Shuksan - Hanging Glacier - 1939 8/7/2009
Lowell_Skoog replied to ckouba's topic in North Cascades
Congratulations on a great climb! I think the 1939 Hennig-Trott route on Mt Shuksan was the most advanced all-around alpine climb done in the Cascades before World War II. (Note that their climb also made the first ascent of the north face of the summit pyramid.) I haven't been able to think of another pre-war climb that combined technical ice climbing, a bivouac, and multi-pitch belayed rock climbing the way their climb did. Ptarmigan Ridge on Mt Rainier is a contender, bit it lacks the rock climbing component. I wonder if anybody can think of a more impressive all-around alpine climb done before the war in the Cascades. This is just an arm-chair interest of mine. ------------- Edited to add: Here is the text of a Seattle Times article about the climb published on September 10, 1939, page 19: I like Hennig's attempt to patiently explain front-point cramponing technique to the reporter. The article includes a rather poor photo that suggests that they may really have climbed some 60-degree ice to surmount the ice fall. Note that the Hanging Glacier climb took place just three days after Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II. -
I sent an email to Mark Moore, director of the Northwest Avalanche Center. I asked if he climbed the north ridge of Buck Mtn. He said, no, it was a different Mark Moore. FYI.
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Craig Luebben dies on Mount Torment August 9th
Lowell_Skoog replied to dberdinka's topic in Climber's Board
Agreed. I've climbed Mt Torment five times and four of those times were via the south ridge. I climbed the SE face with my wife on the 4th of July many years ago but I've never gone that way again. (I think of the SE face as a descent route.) The original Cooper-Sellers climb of the Torment-Forbidden traverse climbed the south ridge of Torment (the first ascent of that route). I've never climbed Mt Torment after July. Like a lot of North Cascades peaks, it is safer and easier when there is more snow on the glaciers and couloirs. -
is alpine climbing more dangerous than...
Lowell_Skoog replied to Gary_Yngve's topic in Climber's Board
A few years ago I decided to write down the names of friends who had died in recreational accidents before I forgot them. My definition of "friend" was anybody I had met in person, to distinguish them from the other fatalities I've heard about. Although I suspect that I've forgotten a few people, the list has 25 names on it. Here's a breakdown by sport: 1 - Avalanche (sport unknown) 1 - Bicycling 9 - Climbing 2 - Kayaking 6 - Para/hang-gliding 6 - Skiing Of the climbing accidents, 5 were due to snow/ice or rock fall, 1 was due to a rappel anchor failure, and 3 were due to unknown causes. (All were alpine climbing.) Of the skiing accidents, 3 were due to avalanche, 1 was due to a fall on steep terrain, and 1 was a tree-well suffocation. I think paragliding is the most dangerous sport I've done, based on my own perceptions and on the number of people I know who have been killed or injured. The number of participants is much smaller than climbing and skiing, yet the accident rate is high. I can't think of anybody I've known who has died in an auto accident, so the assertion that driving is the most dangerous thing we do is not borne out by my experience. -
Craig Luebben dies on Mount Torment August 9th
Lowell_Skoog replied to dberdinka's topic in Climber's Board
From CAG Vol 2, 3rd Ed., p. 318: I think it's fair to say that the rock on Mt Torment is no worse than average for the North Cascades. Considering all the different routes done on it, you could make a case that the rock is better than average. The reports so far indicate that Craig Leubben was hit by ice, not rock. My condolences to Craig's family and friends. -
Done. The Mounties have another wall inside the clubhouse that is oriented more toward bouldering. You can see Fred Beckey climbing on it near the beginning of the following video: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/12/15/sports/golf/1194835655194/the-old-man-of-the-mountains.html?scp=1&sq=beckey&st=cse If that doesn't work, try this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/sports/othersports/16beckey.html?_r=1 Of course the indoor wall is not a city park. Both walls were designed primarily to meet the needs of the Mountaineers climbing courses. The club has limited funds, and renovating the Magnuson Park clubhouse went over budget already, as I understand it. Sure, it would be great to have the ultimate facility that would please everybody in the world and where climbing would be absolutely free, but it's not realistic financially.
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The Mountaineers' wall was designed for teaching basic mountaineering rock climbing skills, not to compete with the climbing gyms. I've taken my 12-year-old son there several times. It's the only place I know in Seattle where I can teach him how to anchor himself, belay, clip protection, and rappel in a semi-realistic setting. I think it's a great resource. I'd change a few things if I was running the show, but overall I have few complaints. I also think it's great that the wall is open to the public. The climbing plaza was donated by the Mountaineers to the city of Seattle, as I understand it. Good for them!
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Interesting...I did the East Face of Mixup and it was great. Minimal loose rock rock for that type of route and fabulous views. Otherwise Adam, the standard route of Kangaroo Temple and lots of climbs in the Twin Sisters Range might fit the bill. The bad rock on Mixup is at the bottom (climbing out of Gunsight Notch) and at the top (reaching the summit crest). The middle section is very clean, easy, and solid. A friend of mine died in a rappelling/rockfall accident high on the peak in 1987. There was another serious accident a few years later when the rappel anchor above Gunsight Notch failed.
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from Rock and Ice newsletter Tyrus doesn't need more messages from distant grown-ups. He needs a loving adult to be right there with him. I've skimmed the threads over at supertopo and I keep wondering who he has right there. It's just weird for a 12-year-old kid to be engaging in a long distance relationship with hundreds of adults that he doesn't know. I pray that there is somebody close who is helping him.
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It takes a village, sure. But a village is not the same as a real father.
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For what it's worth, I voted 100-250. If you count each person only once per year (not each time they do a climb) and if you count only climbers doing 5.9 and up in the alpine, I think the number is pretty low. But I'm just guessing.
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One idea you might not have considered - join the Mountaineers and get their monthly newsletter, then consult the newsletter before you head out to avoid the locations where they are having field trips. I used to do this when I was climbing more often in the places where they go. I agree that climbing classes should be kept small and they should be responsive to other users in the area. But hey, climbing classes are a fact of life in the Northwest and they have been for decades. Smart climbers learn to work around them.
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Mineral spirits (paint thinner) is a pretty safe alternative for cleaning wood. A few months ago I wrote up some preservation guidelines for use in the Mountaineer Archives, based on a couple of books that I read: http://www.mountaineers.org/history/preservation.html See the sections about wood and iron artifacts near the bottom of the page. My personal practices are less formal than what these guidelines suggest. (My previous post summarizes what I do with my own gear.)
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When I used my Chouinard axes regularly, I did maintenance on them after almost every use (typically every week). Just as I would scrub the dirt off my leather climbing boots and re-apply SnoSeal when they dried, I would apply a little TLC to my wooden tools. To remove tarnish and rust from the head and ferrule, I'd use a steel-wool dish-washing pad then rinse it off. If the rust was stubborn, I'd use fine grit sand paper (something like 220 grit). Sand paper sounds harsh, but I've used it many times on my Chouinard tools and it just makes them shinier. The key is that you have to always rub along the same axis (NEVER in circles). Rub the head along the axis from the pick to the adze. Rub the ferrule perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. I also applied linseed oil to the bamboo shaft after almost every use. Just a thin coat rubbed on with a rag but not rubbed off entirely. Over time the shaft acquired the shine you see in my photos. Nicks and scratches in the shaft accumulate a bit more oil than smooth areas, and eventually darken. The nicks from years of use give the axe a distinctive personality.