CascadeClimber

Let's take a look at the information presented here: - She swims- She dives- She runs- She cycles- She works out- She is a triathlete- She boulders- She climbs rock (sport and trad)- She climbs ice- She eats raw crustaceans- She has her own gear- She crosses rivers- She battles brush- She brings the beer- She looks nothing like the female gym teachers from high school and indeed appears to be very easy on the eyes- And she wants to share a room??? This is either the best troll ever (complete with a website), or the stuff that climber-dude dreams are made of. But which is it? Mr. Caveman, is that you??? -LorenLame-ass skierMountaineers Reject

It is a long story, but after several months I did get the money I paid for the climbing class back. I used it to drown my in Come on, anyone else out there willing to admit that the mounties kicked you out? Surely, I can't be the only one!

Talk, talk, talk. But how many of you have actually been kicked out of the Mountaineers? My basic climbing course story (greatly abbreviated): Snow 1- Hike up terrain trap on day 1 in three feet of fresh snow. Leader refuses to turn around despite the advice of most others in the group. Day 2 I dislocate my patella in a weird incident. Same leader 'requires' me to be littered down to the parking lot, claiming that it will be 'good practice for us'. I nearly get dumped with the litter several times. Snow 2- The leader sets us up under loose rock, against the advice and request of the others in the group. He says "We know there will be no rock fall because we've been watching for two days and nothing has fallen" (yes, he said this). Five minutes later a rock half the size of a car comes down, narrowly missing two five-person rope teams. A week later I get a phone call: "Yes hello Loren, we are asking that you no longer participate with the club because you are unsafe. With your knee, you put everyone you climb with in jeopardy." So there you have it, the sordid tale. I've outed myself: I tried to be a mountie, but in the end, I didn't have the right stuff. -Loren

Memories of Red. One weekend several years ago I snowshoed in for a planned bivy on the summit. But I was sick and our progress slow. We made camp on a small shelf perhaps 700 vertical feet below the summit on a ridge just south of the usual winter climbing route. As I fell asleep it was but 5F inside the tent, and frost was growing on the ceiling. I had on all my clothes and burrowed down into my sleeping bag. I awoke some hours later soaked in sweat. "What the hell is going on?" I checked the thermometer and found that the temperature was more than 40F inside the tent, and it was raining outside. Exhausted, but worried of being trapped by rising avalanche danger, we packed in the dark and rain and descended to safety in the trees below, where we spent the rest of the night and a good bit of the morning. Ya gotta love the Cascades. -Loren

Agreed with TTT. 36" is enough. The dark bamboo sticks with colored duct tape work great. Some people like to mark them with initials so you can be sure you are following the right ones on the way down. Try to save them for above the ledges, but also make sure you can get down from Muir in a whiteout. -Loren

Got back about an hour ago from the North Face of Chair. First, congrats to Colin for a fine solo (IMHO). There is ice on the route, especially the first pitch, but there is also a lot of granular snow over rock, making for poor sticks and unsure footing. Of note: A moderately sized slab release high above the approach gully (the one above Source Lake, not the one to the base of the route) ran the length of the gully. I'd guess two days ago? There was one set of downhill tracks in the debris, but none up. Not huge, but more than big enough to kill. I expected the snow to be much more stable than it was. Also of note: We were the only ones up there today! What gives? I'll have a TR and some pics up later today. Happy New Year all- Loren [ 12-29-2001: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

It is worth noting that Chris Grover's post is from May of 2000. Since that time BD has reduced their wholesale prices in the U.S. It was described to me as a "significant" reduction at the wholesale level (maybe someone in the know can enlighten us?), though it seems that retail prices only came down about 10% (anyone notice that Cobras are $269 this year instead of $300?). It's a move in the right direction by one company, but I don't think it is enough: My LaSportiva Nepal Top Extremes cost me $190 from Telemark-Pyrenees. Compare at $420 locally. -Loren

Am I missing a joke here? Lessee, Jon and Tim bust their asses to keep this site going at their own cost. Notice any ads? Me neither. That means that they are paying all the costs related to this site out of their own pockets. You like all the bells and whistles (Who's Online, etc.)? Those are not included in the UBB software; Jon and Tim make that shit work. Now they've asked that we keep one forum free of "spray" and the response is to call them and the moderators, who have also volunteered their time, "fuckheads" and "penises"? Again, unless I am missing some joke here, that is pretty uncool. -Loren

Oops. Misread... [ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

Crystal was great today. Watch out for the rocks just below the Green Valley chair, but the deep and dry powder waiting below was worth it. I think everything was running except High Campbell. It was snowing hard when we left at 4:30. -Loren

Nice site, keep it up. Damn ATT/Excite blocks port 80. Oh well, at least you don't have to worry about Code Red. -Loren

The two LIVE trees broke off about halfway up. One landed on the roof of the Explorer, right above the front seat. It looked like an empty beer can that someone had stepped on. I'm heartened to hear that perhaps one person survived. My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. -Loren

I think he is talking about classic climbs, not classic fantasies. But tell us, did you free-solo or use protection?

I need a clarification: We have to go climb the routes after today, or can we submit routes we've already climbed? And what about the Twight rule: I climbed the crux so I didn't need to actually reach the summit? Using this technique I was able to free-solo Colchuck Balanced Rock: I sat in my easy chair and, in my mind, cruised it. Then I got up, ate 28 packets of Gu and threw a stove in the garbage. Since believing that I can do it is often the crux, I think it should count. -Loren

This isn't really climbing related, but I am wondering if anyone has any info about the car accident just inside the park on Saturday. I got there just after the ambulance and I've been hoping that the people somehow survived. -Loren

Oops. Make that MRNP. -Loren

From today's AAC "E-News": AAC PREVAILS ON MOUNT RAINIER MANAGEMENT PLAN As a result of concerted advocacy efforts by the AAC, Mount Rainier National Park’s Final General Management Plan has removed a controversial proposal to prohibit climbers and backpackers from parking at trailheads and major parking lots and requiring them to use and pay for a shuttle system during peak seasons. While the AAC supports shuttle systems within the National Parks as a way to reduce pollution and improve congestion, we rejected this proposal since it discriminated unfairly against overnight backcountry visitors and raised significant concerns regarding climber health and safety. The Park’s own data indicate that most visitors drive through the Park, stop briefly to take photographs or tour a visitor center, and leave within a few hours. These visitors contribute most to crowded roads and parking lots and are easily accommodated by a shuttle system since they bring little equipment with them and are gone by sunset. In contrast, climbers and backpackers usually transport a large quantity of gear, leave and return to the trailhead at all hours, and frequently adjust schedules due to weather, equipment problems, and accidents. These problems would have made it extremely difficult to design and operate an effective shuttle system for overnight Park visitors. The Final General Management Plan calls for developing a shuttle system for peak season when the parking lots are full. All Park visitors will be able to use the trailhead parking lots on a first-come, first-served basis until full, at which time all visitors will use a shuttle system. The AAC will monitor further planning of this parking and transportation system to ensure that it meets the needs of climbers. The Final General Management Plan also contains a framework for managing use of Park trails and backcountry areas. The zoning system is designed to protect solitude in more remote areas while accommodating higher use in currently high use areas. The popular Muir Snowfield/Disappointment Cleaver climbing route has been placed in a High Use Climbing zone, while the Emmons/Winthrop, Kautz and Fuhrer Finger climbing routes have been placed in a Moderate Use Climbing zone. The AAC will continue to monitor the development of specific capacities and desired visitor experiences for these zones as Rainier National Park begins work developing a revised Backcountry Management Plan. The Final General Management Plan has been posted on the NPS planning website at http://www.nps.gov/planning/mora/finalgmp/home.htm. [ 11-21-2001: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

Alas, all the ice-related pages on bivouac have disappeared in the last several days. I'm hoping that they will return, new and improved... Oops. Or, yep, rather. The pages are back. They reorganized the site: http://casbc.bivouac.com/ice0001.htm [ 11-20-2001: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

Okay, no one else brought this up, so I will. There is a difference between pounds-force and pounds-mass. They are not interchangeable. Thusly, they cannot be converted to newtons the same way. Newtons are a measure of force, not mass. Unfortunately our crappy English system of units makes this all more complicated that it should be, not to mention costing me more than a few tenths on my GPA, and the whole Hubble debacle. I don't suppose that the friendly BD rep happened to mention whether he was talking pounds-force or pounds-mass? Loren-used-to-be-an-engineer

"A Call to the Iceman and His Goddess" I bring to you a tale of woeOf freezing levels none too lowThe angst of climber's will have its wayManifesting in the form of spray The rain fell down, the rock was dampThere was a spray war 'bout smokin dope at Muir CampWay before five it was dark out-of-doorJust as Caveman made post seventeen-O-four Oh please, oh please let the cold wind blowAnd end this boring tale of sorrowFor it is true that climbing in November sucks'Cept maybe for a few of those far-north Canucks Weekend after weekend you'll sadly find usOn the Muir Snowfield, though it's quite tediousWe ski the crud, the crust, and the chunder"Isn't there something better?", I certainly do wonder So pray with me now to the Goddess of Weather AlmightyTo make the ground cold, pretty, and whiteyAnd deliver unto to me with no further delayThe new ice-climbing boots I ordered Sunday And deliver us all to the kingdom of iceAnd spare us from huge wingers, oh-so un-niceLet my ice screws and specters and screamers remain still untested;Let my ice-leading skills not by the conditions be bested May Oregon Jack this winter stay blueLet no more red stains mar that color so trueAnd for Dan let Drury not be the site of lapsAnd in Lillooet let me meet more cascadeclimbers chaps Let the powers that be keep the Phair Creek road open'Cause "A Phairwell to Arms" just looks totally dopin!And bring Carl's Berg in, just huge, blue, and fatSo I can test my mettle against that Let this year's Lillooet Ice Climber's FestBe by far and forever one of the bestAnd deliver by mail the long-promised map by Lyle and othersWho've been playing all summer, enjoying their druthers Please protect me from evil in the Reynolds BarI don't want no trouble from the bad-asses in tharOh, and I'd like to meet Fred, living legend that he beAnd have him lead some heinous ice route for me Or perhaps show me his little black bookAnd tell me the tales of routes that he tookBetter yet let me in on his secret attracting-babe-charms'Cause it seems that he always has one on each of his arms Please don't bury Mike and Ray in the snowRight beneath that crappy old Alpental flowLet Phil and his buds work first ski descent magicBring us more snow than last year, it was really quite tragic Let Alex and friends finish the Washington Ice guideCause the few routes I know are tired and triedFreeze up Alpental, Vantage and Tumwater Canyon, along with the Gorge (what the hell?)Yes that's what I'm after: A real long, real cold spell And for me, just for me, let Silk Degrees touch the groundI don't want to climb the rock again, monkeying aroundI pray that my leaders head really does jiveAnd by seasons end I lead water ice five So here I sit on my ass making rhymeJust wasting and whiling away my timeMr. Parker says, "Soon the iceman will cometh.""And we'll all go out and get us someth." Amen [ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

It is looking a bit toasty and humid at Mt. Hood Meadows this afternoon... http://www.seawfo.noaa.gov/products/OSOMHM [ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: CascadeClimber ]

Great. Rain crust at 6000'. I know, I know, it's early. But this is starting to smell an awful lot like last winter. Ugh.

Presuming the telemetry is correct, the 103 MPH wind gusts at White Pass, and the 90 MPH gust at Alpental should do some interesting things with the snowpack, too. Beware the evil windslab!

Hey, that is a pretty funny idea: Designate the handi-crapper as the smoking lounge. After all, we paid for it. Maybe we could get that info added to "how to not get lost on the Muir Snowfield" flyer. Good point about the stoves, David. It seems different to me, but I know that is partly because I don't smoke but I do use stoves. -Loren

Yikes. Who is the uptight one here? I'll be at Muir next weekend setting up a meth lab in the hut. If you don't like the risks associated with sharing the hut with a meth lab, you are an uptight fuck and should stay away. Oh, and it is too cold to walk to the shitter, so watch where you step. I think is is rude and selfish to compromise the experience of other climbers by stinking up the hut with smoke from any source. If it is that important to you then do it outside. -LorenLame-ass Skier