Jason_Martin

Atlanta Climber, I've put together a list of cascade routes on my personal website for people who are in a very similar boat to yours. web page Hope this helps. Jason

The Strand on Hamilton Mountain is an elusive WI 6 that seldom comes into condition. It has a history that goes back to 1981 when Robert McGown and Mark Simpson made the first partial ascent. To date it has not seen a complete ascent. Unfortunately, there is ice on this thing once every four or five years. It is unlikely that it will be climbed by anyone but a person who watches it closely over the course of a cold winter and gets it when it on one of the very few days that it is in. Jason

I was up there about a week and a half ago. Four to five parties climbed the far left side. I don't know what the boot track was doing as I was looking down at them from the saddle between Colfax and Baker. It looks like the only disadvantage of climbing that side would be that one would miss out on the view into the crater. Oh well... Jason [ 08-21-2002, 04:14 PM: Message edited by: Jason Martin ]

Mice are a problem all over Mt. Baker right now. Keep your food away from them as a significant amount of the rodents in the Cascades carry the Hunta virus. I haven't climbed that particular route for about a month, but I've been on the mountain a lot. Many parties appear to be climbing up the left side of the glacier. Many have come over so far that they are ascending the Deming Glacier as opposed to the Easton. The shrund was not a problem a few weeks ago. And last year it was never a problem. I have not heard anything about it to indicate that it is a problem from others who are on the mountain as much as I am. Have a great trip! Jason

Most of it is... However, the very last section of the approach is covered by steep hard late summer snow. It's not fun to do in tennis shoes. Jason

Coleman Headwall no longer looks like it is in condition. One may be able to climb it if you are willing to expose yourself to the danger of climbing overhanging seracs. The route saw a lot of action in June and July. But it has seriously deteriated in the last few weeks. Jason

I own a pair. They do fit very well, and they climb quite well as well. I've done steep snow and a little ice in them as well as mid-fifth class rock climbing. The only problem that I have with them is that they seem to get wet rather easily. In the sloppy Cascade snow sometimes my feet are really quite wet in these boots. I have treated them, but they still leak a bit. Either early season or late season when the snow is not knee deep slush they are fine. Jason

I was up there on Sunday when this took place. We were descending to the saddle and discovered a guy with a broken leg. He had been glissading with crampons on. His partners had made him comfortable. We worked on him together, administering first aid. He was dehydrated and was getting cramps on and around the fracture... Not a real comfortable situation. We called for a patient evacuation and about two hours after the accident a large Navy helicopter came and picked him up. Good job to the injured party's team members. You guys did a good job. And good luck to the injured, I hope it wasn't too bad and that you're back on your feet soon. A lot of sketchiness in the mountains this year. It seems like a lot of simple basic safety is being ignored. Jason

There were two people (an older Euro and a younger woman) on Baker yesterday with a glider. I'm not sure what kind it was because they were unable to fly. The guy told me that the winds had to be under twenty-six miles an hour to fly off the summit. Unfortunately for this guy, the winds were way over that yesterday. And realistically on a volcano I doubt the winds are favorable for these guys most of the time. He told me that he flew off the summit once before and landed in Glacier! Seemed like a pretty cool way down. Jason

I think the difference in the definition of an "experienced climber" is not with the climber, but with the media which is reporting on said climber. Mass populace journalists know less about climbing than those that filmed "Vertical Limit." As a result the information that one might garner from these reporters must be filtered through one's own climbing experience. For example, some of those involved in the recent tragedy on Liberty Ridge were said to be part of a climbing club. The immediate assumption by mass populace journalists is that these people were experienced. Why? Well obviously because they were in a club. We as climbers know that just because someone flouts a club membership or a patch on their pack, their climbing resume may not include what most climbers would consider serious experience in the mountains. On the other hand, subculture specific journalists -- those that write for magazines about climbing or serious journals like "Accidents in North American Mountaineering" -- may have the information required to make a judgement as to whether a person should be called experienced or not. As a result, I'm personally more inclined to believe the reports in these magazines and journals than those that appear in the general press. Jason

Just got off today. The route is in great condition. There are very few sketchy crevasse crossings. The wind has been rather strong over the last few days. Apparently on tuesday rocks were being blown off Ruth Ridge and were nearly hitting people. High on the mountain the winds would often calm and then suddenly hit us with tremendous force out of nowhere... We saw Mark Twight up there. He was training a bunch of FBI guys in glacier travel. Seemed a bit like Michael Jordon teaching someone how to dribble... As we left, the new weather report indicated that the freezing level would drop down to about six thousand feet. Hope this helps... Jason

I don't mean to be obnoxious but: Potentially Difficult Late Season Conditions + Little real glacier experience + Solo Climbing + A route that has seen both accidents and deaths this year + Twenty-one years old + The inability to look through a guidebook = No Climbing Permit I can't say that I blame the people down at Mt. Rainier for denying a permit. Good for them. Too much bad stuff going on around here this year. Disappointment Cleaver or Emmons glacier are both good routes for people new to Mt. Rainier. Jason

Saw those guys on the trail... They did fine. Jason

Alan Kearney's new book has some great beta on the route. I don't understand how one would descend the North Face... The Sherpa Glacier is an option if you need to descend to the same side of the mountain as the climb or if not, the Cascadian Couloir will bring you down the other side. Jason

Erik, You're thinking of Jon Waterman and Guy Waterman. I don't know who said it though. Jason

Thought I'd share this with the online community since so many people knew Randall. I received the following email this morning... Jason Notice to the AMGA community: Two weeks ago the guiding community lost one of it¹s shining members. Randal Grandstaff was killed while guiding in his home, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Randal was the founder of Sky¹s the Limit guide service and climbing school and was the mentor to many young guides. He put up hundreds of routes in Red Rocks and was a brilliant rock climber and Certified Rock Guide. Autopsy showed Randall had advanced heart disease which would probably have taken his life in the coming months. The extent to which this played a role in his death is unknown. Randal had a thirst for life, for mountains and for the profession of the mountain guide that was inspirational to guides and climbers around the world. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, clients and by the larger guiding and mountaineering communities. We are the mirror as well as the face in it. We are tasting the taste this minute of eternity. We are pain and what cures the pain, both. We are the sweet cold water and the jar that pours. Jellaludin Balkhi (Rumi) 12th Century Turkey Translated by Coleman Barks Randal will forever be part of the canyons he loved and of the people who loved him. Good bye my friend. Ramsay Thomas AMGA Vice President

On thursday there was still quite a bit of snow. There was no rock showing in the main gully at all. Though it has been warm and while we were there there was quite a bit of snow sloughing off. One party ahead of us elected not to climb the summit pyramid because of the amount of slough coming down. Jason

Dan, I'm on Baker so much it will make your head spin. I hope they do cross! Jason

Dan, I was up there on thursday. It would be a good ski right now. Skiable snow starts near the end of the logging road. There were no open crevasses on the route last week. Jason [ 06-19-2002, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: Jason Martin ]

Climbed it the weekend before last... At that time the upper portion of the gully had little snow it it and was quite loose. After the warm weather I doubt very much if the route is still in. Jason

I don't want to spread too many rumors about this incident, but following is the information that I have heard. There is a lot of speculation which has been ommitted. Randall was guiding the Great Red Book in Red Rocks. His student rappelled the route safely. Inexplicably, Randall fell to the ground and died on impact. Randall was a great climber with numerous first ascents. He was also a friendly and engaging person. He will be missed. Jason [ 06-18-2002, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: Jason Martin ]

If your partner is bleeding or severely injured, the sooner you can get him out the better. On the other hand, one could rappel down into the hole and provide first aid. Obviously it is situation dependent. For example, if the guy is not breathing, it is nearly imposible to provide effective CPR in a hole. The CZ is a fast way to get him out of the hole and provide appropriate treatment for his injuries. I agree with Iain, the lip is a huge deal. There was a case in Alaska where a woman was crushed against the lip and killed because they had excellent mechanical advantage, but kept pulling. It appeared that she got heavier but they didn't do anything about it. They didn't check and see why. Clearing the lip is one of the most important steps to a successful rescue. Jason

CrazyJZ and Alpine K, I know you guys are actually one... A few things... 1) I don't understand the animosity. I don't believe I attacked you in previous posts... 2) You should look into a penile implant. It might do you good. You know, give you a little courage. Perhaps you wouldn't hide behind a pretend name while attacking someone you don't know. 3) I will not be responding to you personally again. You're lack of knowledge and indeed your very existence is simply not worth my time. Jason [ 05-23-2002, 01:51 PM: Message edited by: Jason Martin ]

CrazyJZ, I work for a guide service. The CZ combination is something that we teach all the time. If you put yourself out there then you should be able to take care of yourself and those that you're with. After proper training a single person CAN pull another single person out of a crevasse quickly and effectively... And when I say quickly I'm not talking about hours here, I'm talking about minutes. If the problem in the crevasse is severe, it's best that you know what you're doing. Jason

Norman, The C/Z is complex. But it's really an essential piece of knowledge for the two man rope team as it is quite difficult for a single person to pull his partner out using just a Z. To add the C it's assumed that you've already built your Z. Tie the end of the rope into the anchor and send a large bite of the rope down to the edge of the crevasse. The idea is to create a C coming off the anchor and going to the line that you were originally pulling on for the Z. Put a prusik on this line (the original line you were pulling on for the Z) and attach it to the the line that is coming off the anchor as a C. Now to get your partner out you must pull on the C line that is attached to the Z line. It's quite complex and confusing and definately not easy to explain without a demonstration. It's even more complex when there is additional crevasse danger in the area. To really get this thing down it's probably best to take a course from a guide service. Most of them provide training in how to create this type of set-up effectively. Jason