layton

Thanks, it was pretty hairy, especially on the upper slopes. I guess those "belays" were buried since I was vertical groveling w/at 400' fall potential. We descended the west coulior from the summit. It's really obvious. We didn't head back south, opting instead to just follow the gully all the way down. It went well, downclimbable in better snow. The last 1000' of downclimbing was extemely tedious. That was a beautiful ski you did from atop the cornices. WOW! As for the party that bailed...good choice. How did the "ice" look when you got there. Much thinner that the pic in the guidebook, eh? Did you find the pin I dropped? I feel sorry for anyone that attemped Greybeard this weekend. I can only imagine the wallowing...

O yeah one more thing. It took 10 hours car to car, less if you've got neve. It may have been the last day to do it, since it was thin thin thin and it got hot and it's getting hotter. I'd rate it WI4 X, Alpine Slush 6, 5.0.

Well I'm totally wasted on tequilla from Casa Que Pasa from a despair/celebration of a succesful ascent of that E.Face Coulior on Cuthroat. I think it's called the Cauthorn Wilson or something. Since I'm totally fucking drunk, I'll give this TR from the perspective of my feces which I horded througout the day... ...I forced my master to awaken at 2am and hypnotically sugested that he quaff his regurgitated coffe vile that he brewed to coax me out of my early alpine start slumber. Cuthroat E.Face Coulior WI4 X, Alpine Slush 6, 4th. Car to car 10 hours (less if neve). This could be it for the season, cuz it was thin thin thin, and it got wicked hot. Each cruch of hard snow from the hard snow sent parastalisis waves of anger through me. I knew my time was near... ...Unforetunately as dawn broke below the route, my arch nemisis "Pinchy" kept me at bay as my master haphazardly climbed well above Necronomican, his so called "partner". Sending showeres of ice and snow onto his cursing belay bitch Pinchy held me from my destiny... ...Alas! My master hast forsaken me!! WI? XXX and thoughts of imentent death were all my master could think of as he manged to live through the crux pitch. Where was I during this insane fight with potential energy? Lurking in the bowels, biding my time... ...Master's so called "partner" Necronomican led a easy WI-4 pitch and belayed me and my carried from a shrub and sunken tool. I was begining to force my way into the concsciousness, but master's next lead all but destoyed my will... ...Master was looking at a 400' whipper as the sun's pulsing rays oscillated down upon the ever-softening snow pack. My master prayed to his god as he pinched Pinchy tighter and tighter as his death fall potential increased with ever hyper-Pan Dome step, slipping, gaining ground...60, 70, 80 degree slush and powder snow barely held his feet, nary his useless tools. Every inch was a mile, every step was a step toward the grave... ...At last, a cam, a pin! Such relaxation caused my power to become almost overwhelming as my noxios gas escaped from his churning bowels... The oppresive heat almost overcame, as master looked toward Colonial, and the sure death that would have taken us if we had huberusly decided to do that mountain today... "Fools!" my master thought as he saw climbers approaching the entrance gully. This late in the day would be foolish, even to a turd worming his way to freedom. He hoped they would turn around or perish. On the summit my master wondered about the 5.7 pitch, and where that was supposed to be since we were already on the summit. My will way strong. I will have my victory. Many horrid, stupid rappels led master to a 1,000' long down climb which he though he downclimbed just fine. His partner however, took about 45 minutes longer while cursing masters good name!!!! Master squatted and looked upon his downclimbing partner. The sun was blazing. The time was at HAND!!! I leaped from the little brown star from which my tribal leaders has told of in my rite of passages through the G.I. tract. I steams and coiled upon the snow, all the while Necronomicon downclimbed... I was buried this day upon the flanks of Cuthroat peak. I write through the drunkeness of the ages, and of the battles of man vs. mountain and my kin vs. Pinchy, gatekeeper of the underworld.

Any updates on the Salomon Pro Ice, or La Sportiva Trango Ice??? I need a new boot. I can't decide!!! I've had the Nepal Tops for 3 years, but they really do put the pain on. I need something lighter. I've looked around on the internet, Climbing Magazine's Gear Guide, Climbing's shoe review this may, and the dealer websites. All the weight info was contradictory, and weights varied from review to review by as much as 3 lbs!!!!!! Needless to say it's next to impossible to see these new boots, since no one caries them! Any more info on the previously mentioned boots, and also the Kayland boots? Thanks, I need new boot soon!

Brown rice sryup and chocolate sryup or strawberry sryup will be your cheapest best. Put it in a sqeeze tube. I'm never going back unless I get a real job. Take some supplements to take care of the vitamens and other ingredients in GU that this concoction doesn't have. I've proved its usefullness on my trips.

quote: Mattp did NEBC of Colchuck with skis on back this season, and while not as sustained as TC I'm not sure if I saw Mattp or not on the way up, but some dudes were comming down from colchuck as I headed up in the treed section just below the lake. Anyway, they were swearing and having a miserable time and I heard, "I wish I had snowshoes" more than once. In fact the whole trail up and 50% of the road are not skiable. If you were to come down in boots on the trail, your life would be pain. I saw some Serious post-holes that looked crippling. Most of the descent was icy. If you simul, and do a short pitch across to the 3rd coulior, I believe you can get away with one rope. I don't work at a gear shop or for a guide service, so I don't feel bad about giving you a possibly dangerous reccomendation. Like I said, you can get away w/ it, but only if you feel comfortable simul-climbing 95% of the route. Or, leave one of your friends at home.

You will Epic, and it will suck. It will suck harder than anything has EVER sucked before. Go ahead w/just one rope though for the upper rock bands, but be prepared for it to suck.

I talk w/ my chiropractor today. He said to check what my hamstring : quads stregnth to weight ratio is. It should be 3:2. If there's an imbalance, it could be the cause. I'll check...

Anyone else got Illiotibial Band Syndrome? I just started suffering from it. First time in my life I wished a descent were uphill. To add shame, it was on a day hike w/my girlfriend. I have started rehabin' myself. This is what i've done: 1.stretch- cross one leg behind the other, lean sideways against the wall to stretch the ITB and tensor fascia latea. 2.stregnthen a.scisors- lay on my side and do slow scissors w/my legs b.ab/adduction on a weight machine, you know, the one w/the line of chicks waiting to hop on Suzzane Sommers style? Any other ideas? I saw one stretch that entailed 3 pages of notes to get into the damn thing, so I obviously didn't do it. I see a chiropractor, and I'm thinking of seeing a Rolfer. Sorry I forgot to put all the damn trademarks after Rolfer. Don't sue me.

Necro and I tried the Central Coulior last fall. Looked like it was in great shape, even with a previously low-snowfall winter. If you must know why we didn't climb it......we left B'ham at mignight for a round trip outting. When we got to the Chevron and McDonald's in Cloverdale on HWY 15 (heading for 1) we saw a spectacluar car crash. Necro ran for the phone while I spend some lovely time dealing with hysterical drunk kids and holding a bleeding, drooling, blood-snoring, dying kids smashed-in head in my hands, then filing police reports in the back of the squad car... ...We made it to the bottom of the coulior, but unforetunatle the shock wore off so we had to go home and puke.

Mr. Wotang of Bollard,I'd like to know what the climbs you thought were crappy outta the SW B.C. book?

Yeah, it would be more desirable with more ice. I totally agree with that. Not many people are going to go all that way to be like, "geeze doesn't have enough ice let's go home". Or at that critical decision at the top of the 2nd coulior, "hmmmm, the 2nd coulior is supposed to be harded so I should do that. But wait, it's pretty snowy so maybe I'll head onto the north face cuz it may be more technical. Shit, if I do that I won't have climbed the tripple couliour route!" Sound stupid? Well that's what half of you are fucking saying. If someone goes and does a WI6, M9 30 meter variation, then you've got something to argue. Not, "well I was going up Baker and I walked to the left of the footstep trail so I didn't really do the coleman-demming". Dru, aleady did the sit-start on Stuart...it's V1 bro, not V2 (unless it's wet then its V3).

quote: can i vomit with all the sunshine being blown here?? Sure. What color does this thread make you feel? quote: Actually it is correct that the NF route does not climb the section between Hidden and 2nd Couloir. Either way it is fun I am sure. I know, I know. It's just that differentiating between the two seems contrived. Both climb the north face of dragontail and share most of the same terrain. It's like doing a variation on any other long alpine snow/ice route. It's just a name thing. If there was much technical difference between the two variations, maybe I'd conceede. I'm just sticking up for Climzalot. I just thought it was pretty low to put down their accompishment right after they climbed it by throwing some nitpicky technicality in there. Anyway, it only matters to .0000001% of the population anyway. If I ever do a new route on a north face, I'll use a 6 inch wide indellible marker to show the route. That way any variation will count. All that matters is your experience. quote: Anuses. My knob hangs into my sock now, that's all I are about. Ladies? Please keep it there.

Necronomicon and I did tripple c's Bellingham to Bellingham yesterday. All 3 are in good, maybe a little soft. Bring snowshoes to the lake as we saw and incredible amount of hospital-sending post-holes. I pity anyone who feels like skiing up there. Road will be closed for a while, lots of snow and trees higher up. Bring 1 8-9mm rope, a few (4) screamers/long runners, a selection of thin bugaboos and angles, and cams in the .5,.75,1,or two range(almost useless). Easy solo conditions right now. Hard part is traversing from 2nd into 3rd couliour (keep your eyes open). As for Climzalot & Seth, way to go on your early ascent. Conditions must've been way harder. All that talk Mr. Shithead threw you is a load of crap! How fucking contrived about a route can you get? Its not a damned sport climb!

Haul a sled?Have fun? Sorry, but those two phrase can't exist in the same post. Necro's advice on the sisters is pretty good. He's a sheep descrotumizer in Deming, and has a good handle on his Twin Sistometer for mountain snow conditions. They're like his giant weather rock.

Dude!?

Hey Necro, Gene. Just go straight up to the col btw 7-fingered jack and maude. Don't follow the nice trail. It gets really shitty though. I thought it seemed E.Facing too. I swam most of it. BRING A BIKE!!!!! (screw the rules)

All right, I'm sure this has been done. What's the worst approach you've done in the Cascades? I mentioned the Price Glacier in the dark in the B.C. conditions page. As for descents, hmmmmmm....I usually erase those from memory, but as for knee-pounding is concerned, I'll give Slesse an nomination.

quote: "The man who climbs only in good weather, starting from huts and never bivouacking, appreciates the splendor of the mountains but not their mystery, the dark if their night, the depth of their sky above...Some mountaineers are proud of having done all of their climbs without a bivouac. How much they have missed! And the same applies to those who enjoy only rock climbing or only the ice climbs, only the ridges or faces. We should refuse none of the 1001 joys the mountains offer us at every turn. We should brush nothing aside, set no restrictions. We should experience hunger and thurst, be able to go fast, but also know how to go slowly and to contemplate. Variety is the spice of life." Sounds like a lecture to me. I agree camping out is fun, but a lot of hard routes are a lot safer (faster) if you don't bivy. Sometimes success is critical w/ a light pack or lack of camping gear. Just one more thing to go wrong or slow you down before the storm. I have much more fun if my pack isn't heavy. I think that's the worst part about climbing- a heavy pack. BUT, that's not every route! You can get really screwed if your caught out. I don't bivy if I want to try and push myself, or if I've done the route before. If the route is too long for me, or I feel the need to sleep cold and cramped and miserable, I'll bivy. Good or bad, I've had some great memories suffering and shivering. Now, camping below the route after doing the approach is a different story, and I don't think Gaston was talking about this. I think the choice to do that totally depends on how much time you have and how long the approach is, and style points aren't given if you go car to car on a route that you could climb in a day from the base regardless. Bear in mind that Necronomicon is one of my climbing partners and he gets all freaky at night, chanting, "Death by dawn". Would you bivy?

Thanks for the info. I may pick up an atlas and gazeteer to find a spot, those are indespensible for finding a ditch to sleep in. If you're near a train track, you get an alarm ever hour!

I checked on the rec.climbing newsgroup, but didn't find much besides my original question. Anyone?

Anyone know places to bivy and not get caught by Johnny Ranger? Those bastards at the BLM! -Major area, one f%#$%%$#cking campground run by a@#$@#$sswipes. I've slept in the parking lot at the campground and have been okay, but that's cuz I've gone to bed after the host, and left before the host got up. I've also slept in the Black Velvet parking lot, but I know the rangers patrol sometimes. What kind of desert is this! Should be able to park your car, pitch a tent, kill some cows, and claim a frickin' mine!! BTW: a friend of mine would sleep in the circus circus parking garage! Boy could play the system!

Need a partner? As Andrew told us at Rampart, it's a hell of a schwack! He's done the Price on shucksun, which I once believed to be the WORST approach/'schwack ever(at least in the dark!). He claims this is far worse. Don't split up on the schwack back down either, or if ya do, you both should have ropes. p.s. do you have a sister?

quote: but should you ever find yourself out here mid-winter, there sure is plenty of ice to climb! Really?!?! (Cough-bullshit-Cough Cough) Go to the Canadian Rockies or Colorado.Hey, how far is it to Banff from you Carolyn? It should be reasonable, eh.

A little testis feels like wearing roller-skates while fistin' a horse ready to fall over, but at least you've brought your protection. What about split beaver, hand jive, id, etc... Maybe it's cuz' that was my first climb that morning, but...? Anyway, I'd kill to climb anything right now so I'll shut up and get back to studing for final exams. (2R,3S)-trans-1-(dietherpentyl)-t-butyl-Ihatechemistr-2-ene.PV=shitRT