CascadeClimber

Barry- I think you were finishing your first rap as we skied out of the notch. I wasn't envying you your walk out in the dark. I converted from snowshoeing to randonee (I won't hold the tele comment against you) a few years ago. We were 50 minutes from the notch to the lot. This is the first time I haven't had a snagged rope on that route. Sorry to hear about yours. Where did it hang up? -CC

I climbed the south face of the Tooth on Tuesday. There was little snow and a lot of *dry* rock. I was wishing for rock shoes instead of rando boots and it was so warm (45) that I was able to comfortably climb and belay the whole thing bare-handed. I left crampons and tools at the base. There was no ice on that northeast route that everyone is jonesing about. We skied from the little notch in 18" of heavy, wet snow that was remarkably stable. It got lighter as we got lower, due to the inversion. -CC

My two favorites (neither of which have been mentioned so far): - Kendall Mint cake: Three ingredients- Sugar, glucose syrup, oil of peppermint. Quick energy boost, doesn't make me thirsty, doesn't freeze, beautifully simple. Hillary took it to the summit of Everest in 1953. - Gookinaid: How can you go wrong with a name like that? An electrolyte replacement drink, not an energy drink. Favorite flavor- red. -CC

From a person who spent a year trying to avoid spending the money on AT gear: Before you *buy* skis and bindings designed to be used with your plastic (or leather) mountaineering boots, *rent* the setup and spend a day lift skiing in it. Make sure that you don't just cruise the groomed runs- get into some of that lovely Cascade off-piste. I suspect that you'll come to the same conclusion that I did: Backcountry skiing in climbing boots is for sadists. This is fine if you are a sadist, but my motto is "No pain- no pain". After my experiment I searched out Dynafit boots and bindings on sale. Happy ever since. -CC

Yeah, I was there last weekend (12/9-10). There is ice to climb, though it is a bit on the thin (and steep) side. We climbed at Crown Lake on Saturday and went up to Night N Gale on Sunday. Bridge Creek was not frozen, we had to get creative to cross it. I'll post the pics on my site when I get them back. -CC

It is still a work in progress, but I have some decent TRs at www.cascadeclimber.com (not to be confused with www.cascadeclimberS.com!) Climb on- CC