Lowell_Skoog

Right. Muelefire was the peak I was thinking of, named after John and Irene Meulemans and Joe and Joan Firey. All but Joan are still living. I think the other peak you're thinking of is Keyes in the Monte Cristo group. I forget the story behind that one.

Right. The Ptarmigans called Mt Formidable "Daiber" after Ome Daiber, one of their mentors. Mt Johannesburg they called "Ellsbeth" after Ome's first wife, who died in a plane crash. Ome remarried in the early 1940s and his widow Matie still lives in the Seattle area. I believe the name Formidable was applied by Hermann Ulrichs before the peak was climbed, so Beckey and Co. retained it, since it came first. Johannesburg is an old mining name.

Yup. What was the other peak called? And what are they called today?

As I recall, Beckey wrote, "The wimsy of this appelation is lost on those who know the area." So, even he doesn't know.

Okay, another one for the hopper... It's rare in the Cascades for peaks to be named after climbers. It's even rarer for a peak to be named after the first ascenders, and rarer yet for the name to be accepted while the climbers are still living. Name a peak which is named (in Beckey's guide, if not on the map) using a contraction of the names of the two couples who made its first ascent (around 1970, I think). Hint, you can call me a flaming donkey if you get it right.

Nope. Was Mt. Berge named after the fellow who died on Mt. Baring? I don't have my Beckey books with me to check. Here's a big hint on the first question. Both peaks were named by the Ptarmigan climbing club.

You're right about Spickard. The first question hasn't been answered correctly yet. Have you seen the Warren Spickard memorial plaque in the summit lodge at Crystal Mountain? He was one of the people who surveyed and founded the ski area. I'll try to think of more, but feel free, anybody, to toss out your own!

And while you're working on that one, here's another: It's notoriously difficult to get the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to rename mapped features. But in 1964, the Board renamed a North Cascade peak after a prominent Mountaineer who died three years earlier. Who was the climber and what peak was named for him? For extra credit, what Washington ski area also has a memorial to this man, and where is it displayed?

Boy I'm having a hard time keeping my mind on work today... So how about some more trivia: What two North Cascade peaks were named by the first ascenders after a famous Northwest climber and his wife? The peaks face each other across a wilderness valley. Later, the names given by the 1st ascenders were officially changed. Give me the official names and, for extra credit, the original names. (Hint: Both peaks were first climbed in 1938.) If that one's too easy, suggest another one!

My brother Carl and I climbed the descent route that Dan describes in 1995. My writeup is in the 1996 AAJ, I think. We called it the SW Buttress, a variation on the west ridge. The route begins with the first two or three pitches of the south face route. Then, where the south face route angles right up the 4th class ramp, we continued straight up toward the crest of the lower west ridge. There's some nice climbing in this section in the 5.7-5.8 range. The route soon joins the normal west ridge, making for an elegant route that avoids the gully entirely. When we did the climb we saw a sling or two suggesting that it had been rappeled before. We didn't rappel the route, but wished we had later. There's a nice ledge at the start of the south face route where you could stash boots and snow gear for a climb of either the south face or SW buttress, returning to your gear. That would make either climb much more enjoyable.

Even more trivial is what the guys who named the Buckindy crags proposed for the name of the peak now called Mt Misch. They wanted to call it Mt Margaret Sanger, after the birth control pioneer. At least that's what they wrote in the summit register. (It's possible that another party proposed that name, but I think it was the Buckindy crag party.)

The east ridge of Jack is a pretty good climb. (I have to say that because my brothers did the first ascent.) When I climbed it a few years ago we descended the south route. I have heard of people descending back down the east ridge to avoid the south descent. I think that would be tedious. The key to climbing Jack mountain is to go when the south route is mostly snow. Then you can downclimb the south face by backing down the snow, with just a rappel or two in the lower rock bands. In most years, that means going by mid-July. It's too late this year, in my view.

Katsuk glacier is not part of the Ragged Ridge traverse route, in my opinion. It is a side trip. There is no good way to backpack from Mesahchie glacier to Katsuk glacier while staying high. I have done it, crossing the north ridge of Mesahchie at 6800 feet, but I don't consider it backpackable. To traverse from Mesahchie glacier to the peaks west of Katsuk and Kimtah, you need to drop into the head of Panther Creek below 5400 feet, then climb back up to the east edge of Kimtah glacier. Your traverse route won't cross Katsuk glacier at all, but you could certainly jaunt up there to bag Katsuk and/or Kimtah peaks.

Our party signed the register on Hurry Up last July (2002) after climbing the north glacier.

I climbed this route on June 26. The approach to Boston Basin has a big avalanche blowdown from a year ago. Follow the scuffmarks, don't climb too much in the blowdown, and you'll get through it. I'm not familiar with the Sharkfin alternative you're talking about, but you can avoid the notorious unprotected pitch below the col by ascending a ramp system that begins a couple hundred feet west of the col. It's class 3. The rappel to Boston Glacier was less than 80 feet when we did it. The glacier crossing was no problem. I recommend crossing the N ridge of Forbidden at a small notch (not the lowest saddle) set amid good rock, visible as you traverse the glacier. The NW face of the N ridge had a good bridge over the schrund when we did it and was easy snow climbing above. We descended the same route, so I can't comment on other descents from the summit.

With the season winding down, I've updated the Chronologies on my history website, http://alpenglow.org/ski-history, for 2003. Most new entries are marked "undocumented," which means that I haven't written or posted abstracts of the trip reports. I'll get around to it eventually. I've also added a "strawman" annotation on routes for which the previous history is uncertain. Here's a summary of new route activity that I know about, with links to published trip reports, if available: February 2, 2003: Mt Shuksan, Fisher Chimneys ski descent (from Winnie's Slide), by Ben Manfredi and Sky Sjue - see http://cascadeclassics.org/FirstDescents/FirstDescents.htm April 6, 2003: Mt Cashmere, North Face ski descent, by Armond DuBuque and Harlin Shepard - personal communication April 18, 2003: Mt Johannesburg, Cascade couloir ski descent (from saddle), by Jason Hummel and Sky Sjue (strawman) - see http://staff.washington.edu/skykilo/Chronologically.html May 2, 2003: Mt Shuksan, Price Glacier ski descent (from Nooksack Ridge), by Ben Manfredi and Sky Sjue - see http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=9076&forum=1&37 May 11, 2003: Colchuck Peak, North Buttress couloir ski descent, by Jason and Josh Hummel, Ben Manfredi (strawman) - see http://cascadeclassics.org/FirstDescents/FirstDescents.htm May 12, 2003: Mt Stuart, Stuart Glacier couloir ski descent (downclimbed The Narrows), by Mark Simon - see http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=182214&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 June 5-8, 2003: Mineral Mtn high route on skis (Hannegan Pass to Perfect Pass), by Ben Manfredi and Jason Hummel - personal communication June 15, 2003: Luna Peak, Northwest flank ski descent, by Ben Manfredi, Jason Hummel and Sky Sjue - see http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=9687&forum=1&20 June 16, 2003: Mt Fury, Upper NE Face, East Fury Glacier ski descent, by Ben Manfredi, Jason Hummel and Sky Sjue - see http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=9687&forum=1&20 June 16, 2003: Mt Baker, ski orbit (from Heliotrope Ridge thru Colfax saddle), by Matt Peters, Jim Cronan, Josh __? (strawman) - see http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0306;action=display;num=1055883260 June 17, 2003: Spider Mtn, North face (left side) ski descent, by Martin Volken and Peter Avolio - see http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=freshies&Number=197928&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 June 25, 2003: Mt Baker, Roosevelt Glacier ski descent, by Ben Manfredi (strawman) - see http://cascadeclassics.org/FirstDescents/FirstDescents.htm June 25-27: Forbidden Peak, ski orbit, NW face of N ridge ski descent, by Lowell and Carl Skoog - see http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=9739&forum=1&3 June 28, 2003: Mt Adams, Lyman Glacier (north portion) ski descent, by Ben Manfredi, Jason Hummel, Corey Bloom, Sky Sjue - see http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0306;action=display;num=1056951750 ---- I've also posted a few earlier routes, previously unreported. These reports are based on personal communications: 1989, June: Mt Challenger, Whatcom Peak, ski summits by John Dittli and Scott Croll 1995 (circa): Mt Adams, Pinnacle Glacier headwall ski descent, by Matt Perkins 1995 (circa): Mt Adams, Avalanche Glacier ski descent, by Max Block, Brent Hostetler and Lorna Hughes (strawman) 1997 (circa): Mt Larrabee, ski descent by Steve Hindman If you find errors or omissions in my records, or if you know about earlier reports than I've listed, please let me know. You can contact me through my website, http://alpenglow.org/ski-history. ---- This message has been cross-posted to the following forums: http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=ha1;action=display;num=1057646482 http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=9816&forum=1&0 http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=freshies&Number=207653&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

I'm not sure what people mean by the Luna cirque traverse. Do you mean staying high along the shelf glaciers? That's not the only way to get from Challenger Arm to Fury. You can drop to the bottom of Luna cirque. You generally work rightward (west) as you go down from Challenger Arm. This descent works well when there is reasonable snow cover (i.e. early July). In 1980, my brothers and I went from Challenger Arm into the cirque, climbed the NE face of Fury, descended the Fury Glacier route, and returned to our camp on Challenger Arm in a day.

I often use a short ice axe in one hand and a ski pole in the other. I feel like a snow-spider in this mode--nimble and secure. That said, it's interesting to compare modern gear with the Olde Days. In the old days you carried a big, long, heavy ice axe. You used it to walk on level ground, climb steep snow, and fashion belays. Today anybody using a big, long, heavy axe like that would get some strange looks. Today we have little, short, lightweight ice axes, great for climbing steep snow. And today, someone who owns one of those little axes is also likely to own ski poles and snow pickets, so they can walk on level ground and fashion belays. That's progress, I guess.

I just had a good look at the NW glacier last Friday (6/27). It is completely spanned by an overhanging bergschrund. You should probably plan a different climb, unless struggling over an overhanging crevasse in order to climb a 40 degree snow slope appeals to you. Interestingly, this schrund is not visible from Eldorado or any other easily accessible spot. Thus, you'll never know whether it is passable until you actually approach the climb.

The south side route is fine if you do it early in the season (like right now). It's mostly snow. As I recall, there are a couple of south side gullies and you want to take the more easterly one (traverse farther east from Spider-Formidable col). The Kloke route on the north face is a fun snow climb, but usually requires a rock pitch to bypass the schrund. Avoid the ridges on Spider.

The gully southwest of the summit of Ruth was nicely snow filled last Sunday, 6/15. We skied both down and up it. It should be plunge steppable and step kickable for a few weeks yet, as long as you don't hit it too early in the morning. Bring crampons just in case. The ledgy terrain just east of the gully is the way to go later in the season, after the gully melts out.

The USGS has been studying the South Cascade glacier since the 1950s, before there was a Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. Their studies are valuable to gauge the pace of global warming, among other things. If you've ever compared old pictures of the glacier to today's pictures, you'll be amazed at the amount of glacier recession. In the 1930s, Dwight Watson said he could throw a rock across the lake at the foot of the glacier. By the 1960s or so, they were able to land seaplanes there. Today, the glacier barely reaches the lake, I believe. The bottom line is, the USGS equipment there is important. Leave it alone.

With the freezing levels higher than they've been all season, it's a good idea to get an early start and try to be off the steep upper slopes of the Coleman-Deming route before the heat of the day. Also, minimize the time you spend below the serac on Colfax Pk as you walk up or down the Coleman glacier. Avalanche hazards are pretty predictable this time of year (low in the morning, rising during the day). In July 1939 six college students died in an avalanche on the Roman Wall (upper Deming). An unusual occurrence, but it shows what can happen. Here's a reference: http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/notes/ms/lds-avalanche.html#bh-1989-jul-23

As I stare at my list (when I should be working), I think my criteria for "appealing" translates to something like "architecturally grand." I listed peaks that stand apart, have a mix of rock and ice, and have a dramatic form. Peaks like Slesse, Bear and Baring are severe and brooding--impressive, but not so attractive to me. Too much shadow, too little ice, too close to the brush.

dberdinka's list is very good. I have a hard time limiting the list to six. It's like trying to pick your favorite children--you don't want to leave any out. My list is slightly different in that "appealing" means "nice to look at" as well as "nice to climb." Anyway, here goes: Shuksan, NW Forbidden, NW Goode, NE Stuart, N Redoubt, NE Bonanza, N If I put even more weight on "nice to look at" I'd have to include peaks like Challenger, Dome and Glacier.