dberdinka

I was looking at Sloan for a good part of the day. The actual face with runnels only picked up the sun in the late afternoon like 2 or 3-ish. So it's not getting sun all day, still might be enough to make for some nasty ice though.

Thanks Tyree. I'm not dead yet!

Mike doth protest too much! West Face of Sloan on 1-30-2007. Looks pretty continuous to me...

Trip: Hall Peak - NW Face - N Ridge Date: 1/30/2007 Trip Report: On Tuesday, January 30th, Dave Brannon and I climbed a fun snow and ice line up the NW side of Hall Peak. This is a relatively low (5484') but extremely rugged peak located just west of Big Four. Access is incredibly easy from the collection of cabins called Silverton. We left the car at 5:15 AM, an hour later we hit treeline. Another hour and we were standing at the base of the very impressive, 1900' tall northwest face. View of Route from Descent The route we climbed was first attempted in May 1962 by Dan Davis and a 15-year-old named Steve Skubi. Steve died in what was apparently a large avalanche. I have no clue if the route has been climbed since, but I really doubt we were the first people to ever carry ice gear in here. Conditions were absolutely incredible. The snowpack was setup as solid neve and loads of good water-ice coated everything. Near the top there was some rotted out snow but it was the exception rather than the rule. Starting up the NW Face on bomber neve Starting from the bottom left side of the face we climbed up and right on steep neve to reach the base of an obvious steep couloir that ends at a deep notch in the north ridge maybe 500 vertical feet below the summit. The couloir was more bomber neve with ice coated walls that took good screws for protection. Dave finishing the traverse out of the notch From the notch continuing up the ridge crest appeared unfeasible. Instead we did a tenuous and challenging mixed traverse for about 80' across the NE face. This started on very steep rock and very thin ice and ended with rotted neve for the feet and loose, sloping sidepulls for the hands. Fortunately there was lots of generally suspect rock pro. A little more traversing led to a steep runnel that was followed for two full pitches back to the ridge crest. The runnel was a wonderful mix of water ice to 80 degrees and steep 50-60 degree neve. A final pitch on the ridge crest up more great ice and a final moderate snowslope led to the summit at 3:15 PM. I really can't overstate how good conditions were, I think we placed ice screws at least 12 times to give a sense of how much ice there was. Final snowslope below summit On the Summit with Big 4 in background The descent is a real piece of work and has serious EPIC potential. Basically you following the west ridge for about a half-mile to a notch and then descend down the 2000' north face. This a steep convoluted face littered with some enormous cliff bands. It would be too easy to get all commited on a rappel and suddenly pop through the brush above a steep nasty 600' drop. After downclimbing a bunch of snow we did 7 full rope rappels with a fair bit of traversing inbetween to reach the valley floor around 7:30 PM. Dave set most of the rappels leaving me to enjoy the brilliant full moon that thankfully illuminated the face. If you go climb this peak make sure to have a plan on how your going to get down. See John Ropers report to get a good sense of what the descent route is all about. An hour-and-a-half later we were back at the car, just under 16 hours roundtrip. Thanks Dave for an excellent day in the hills. There is a ton of potential for more alpine routes on the NW Face as well as loads of ice climbing near the base in the right conditions. Anyone else ever been in here? Gear Notes Screws, pickets, nuts and a few knifeblades

This is the best photo I have seen in a very long time. :tup:

Nice Work! Beautiful pics! I've experienced a similar mix of snow and ice on that summit pyramid in winter as well. Can you comment on how the snowpack was set up on various aspects. Was north face consolidated at all? Boot packable? Base on pics south looks pretty firm. Thanks. D

Hahhh! Perfect beta. Thanks!

Holy Shit I don't get out much these days! Might peel away from responsibility here for a day, so.. Anyone have a good idea where the snowline is right now, as in how high up logging roads can one get? Particularly in the Mountain Loop area. Thanks for any input... D

And when are we GOING TO MARS anyway!??? Haven't heard him mention much of that latey???

A couple summers ago I spent a lot of time climbing in the Green Creek Valley. Definitely a beautiful place, but the rock is typically only OK, the climbs are generally short and the approach is not neccesarily pleasant. However it was all less than 30 miles drive from my front door. What a relief to spend only 45 minutes in the car verses 3+ hours.

Honestly as an "experienced climber" it would be my slightly-informed opinion that the most a significant contributing factors to this accident were based on decisions made within the time span of "MONTHS, WEEKS AND DAYS" rather than "minutes and seconds".

MIKE LAYTON submit your Trip Report NOW on behalf of all CC.COMER! Mikes Turd on Cutthroat Peak MAKE US PROUD!!!

If your friends have access to Black Hawk Helicopters as well they can come looking for me too!

Climbing at Red Rocks is not particularly technical, almost always friendly and generally moderate, I use to go there a fair bit and now find it sort of boring (and I suck!). Just to agree with everyone else you probably wouldn't regret spending a few days in Black Velvet Canyon. Yes it's popular and generally moderate but the climbing is superb. It's also more than likely freezing ass cold at this time of year. There is also some superb "adventure" climbing in some of the other canyons. Go do Community Pillar it's the ballz.

FOTH? What in the hell does FOTH mean? Acronym Definition FOTH Fool On The Hill FOTH Friends of the Harbour FOTH Front of the House (TV) FOTH Friends of Town Hall FOTH Friends of the Heroes

Oh, I forgot. Use the ducttape to make mexican lockers out of your prize ovals, at least with the belay biner. That means duct tape the gate shut after passing your rope through it. There, after 10 months of patience you now have an answer. Though of course the best solo method would be to get someone else to belay you or even get the rope to the top of the pitch.

Just ran across this thread, can't help but respond. I've used the following with good success (I never fell!). Now assuming your freesoloing a majority of the time and only want to belay a few crux sections this actually works and is incredibly simple. Only disadvanatge is you leave all your gear behind!, so bring a rope, a bunch of ovals, a bunch of webbing, you no longer use, some ducttape (it even uses ducttape) and some pro, preferrably pitons and a handful of bootied stoppers. 1) Tie rope to harness. 2) Build (relatively) bomber multidirectional anchor. Or hell at least an anchor that could sustain an upward pull. Slung tree, slung block, single piton etc. 3) clip oval into anchor. 4) Pass rope through anchor biner then girth hitch onto harness about 30' (or whatever) from tie in point. This puts you on a loop of rope 15' long. 5) climb 15'. 6) Now place a piece of gear clipped through both rope strands and add another 30' of rope to loop and repeat. 7) Eventually when you feel like soloing again, untie girthhitch, pull rope through all biners, leave your shit behind and keep climbing. (None of that building more anchors, rapeeling, cleaning jugging crap to slow you down) Obviously this isn't the one solution for everything and it's kind of expensive and trashy but it might get you through that crux bit. D

Awesome historical antedote Bryan. Thanks for posting. I found the Nav Wall to be the most intense experience I've had climbing in the Cascades. It's a bit reassuring to see that you and Doorish also found it to be pretty serious. Heck of an onsite FA!!

Yeah. Guess I needed something to say, maybe I shouldn't have.....

No doubt the guy was a real shitbag who deserved the gallows, regardless of the success of some of his economic polices. But I just love this photo. That guy was living large...

Just over fifty years ago on December 9, 1956 a DC-4 crashed into the upper flanks of Mount Slesse killing everyone on board. There was never an official attempt to clean up the resulting wreckage or the bodies of those who died. To a climber Slesse appears as a savage, threatening and terribly alive landscape. Imagine how it must appear to those whose lives are not vested in the exploration of our mountain-scapes! Their minds must reel when attempting to comprehend the chaos of Slesses’ topography. Only climbers have to presence of mind to become truly intimate with this terrible visage and as a result have become, in a very direct way, the custodians of Slesse and its unfortunate victims. On the southeast flank of the mountain lies a memorial far more intimate than the highly visible and well-known Propeller Cairn. Its history is at best vague and most likely more myth than fact. But regardless it does exist and stands testament to climbers of another era doing their best to preserve some relics of that terrible clash. I learned of it maybe ten years ago. I was on a “reconnaissance” hike, not yet endowed with the experience or confidence to actually attempt a climb of this mountain. It was late summer and the pocket glaciers below the south summit had long disappeared. The Propeller Cairn and the morainal ridge it rests on was a relatively safe place to try and relax and take in the astounding views of the myriad rock walls above. I was surprised to see motion near the base of a long spur separating the south couloir from the terrific sweep of rock below the south summit. Soon I could make out a solitary figure working it’s way down the gneissic slabs towards me, and before long I was joined by a somber man. This guy was a true “mountain man” far removed from the latte-drinking, Arcteryx-smothered, cubicle-dwelling mamas-boys that constitute a vast majority of modern day climbers. Double-welted leather boots over what were practically knee high wool socks matched with running shorts and an old flannel shirt. His face was obscured behind the most cliché aviator sunglasses, a wild beard and long greasy brown hair held back in a bandana. He was friendly enough and we struck up a conversation. Eventually I got around to asking him what he was doing up there. “Well kid I’m going to let you in on something. Today I returned human remains that had been collected by a less pious acquaintance of mine. I brought them back to the Bone Cairn.” I laughed, “The Bone Cairn, give me a break.” He sneered, shook his head in dismissal and said, “Don’t dismiss the exceptional., there is still mystery in these mountains.” I wasn’t sure what to say, I think I just sorta looked at my feet. But he was fired up and laid into a long tirade that went more or less like…. “Today after fourty years of snow, wind, rain and avalanche nature has done its best to clean up from the crash. Now all that’s left is a few scraps of tin, a landing strut half buried in gravel and the well-know propeller cairn. However this was not always the case. Climbers of the 60’s and 70’s found much, much more scattered across the area. Aircraft debris was everywhere and evidently personal effects and human remains were not uncommon. The wreck had definitely attracted “Treasure Hunters” including some looking for a supposed fortune carried aboard the plane and it is unknown how much was carted off by these looters. However even after many years evidence was still easy to come by. At some point in time climbers on their ways to various attempts and ascents collected some of this debris and carried it back to the mountain. A well protected niche in the rock far below the crash site become a shrine of sorts. Morbid, curious and ultimately respectful men created a monument where the remains of some victims could lie undisturbed in perpetuity.” “You should check it out, just don’t stay too long.” With that he turned his back and trotted off down the trail. I’ve yet to run into him again or anyone like him since. That afternoon I made my first visit to the “Bone Cairn”. I scrambled up the gneiss slabs then followed the right side of the rock spur until I was almost directly beneath the south summit. Several wet, mossy gashes cut into the spur below a long band of roofs. With careful examination I spotted a small cave or alcove in the side of one maybe thirty feet up. Easy scrambling and chimneying led up to the alcove. It struck me as both grisly and incredibly serene. The alcove was nothing more than a small, well-protected hollow in the rock wall, three or so feet in diameter, maybe five feet deep. The middle of the alcove had been packed with a loose wall of bones. There were two generally intact skulls and a few fragments of jaws wedged neatly between a collection of long bones. Fibulas and so forth. Scattered about the front of the alcove were small fragments including a few vertebrates. Beyond this wall of bones I could see a collection of other artifacts. I could make out a small pile of decaying rags, an old leather shoe and two suitcases. One of fabric ripped in half the other aluminum-like, twisted and smashed, but still latched it’s contents unseen. Already it was late in the day. It was tempting to take a souvenir but instead I left a small offering of a granola bar and hurrying back to the trailhead now very intent on reaching the car before dusk should my imagination run too wild. I’m older now. Those butterflies I once felt while laying by the propeller cairn and day dreaming of someday conquering Slesse’s shear walls have been replaced by fading memories of actual ascents, details forgotten. The excitement of the unknown replaced with the melancholy of youth disappeared. Over the years I’ve met several people who are also aware or have at least heard rumors of the Bone Cairn so I assume it’s no secret. This last summer on a day very similar to that first exploration ten years prior I found myself alone once again scrambling up the gneissic slabs below the south summit. Sure enough between my two visits several additional objects had collected near the entrance, a rusted belt buckle with a few threads of severely decay leather still attached, what I think were the frames of a barely recognizable pair of glasses and a few bone fragments that appear to be metatarsals or something similar. Certainly nothing had been removed. I sat by the entrance for some time. Sun was replaced by shade. A sharp chilly breeze swept across the rock walls. Nearby I could hear the clatter of stone fall and in the distance the occasional groan of ice straining to be released from the mountainside. The transformations of geologic time are too slow for us to perceive, Slesse was no different than it had been on my first visit. The wall of bones was no longer as orderly as it had once been, but it was clear that it would remain for a long time to come. ... I remember once summiting a peak it the Wind Rivers. I can’t remember it’s name, it’s sits between Shark Nose and Wolfs Head. The summit was a beautiful slab of solid granite. On the very top sat three or four rocks about the size of basketballs. I grabbed one and trundled it off the overhanging east face. Immediately I felt a great guilt. Who was I to disturb these rocks that had sat there for tens of thousands of year since the last ice age? From the perspective of our frenzied and fleeting lives it is too easy to forget the scale at which the inert, material and deceased exist. ...

www.Alpinist.com now offers all their articles for free on line. Limited mtn pron but still a delightful waste of time. What better way to spend a lazy friday afternoon at work?

Dream Climb: Doug Scott Route on Asgard; 30+ pitch 5.9 on perfect granite

And I was there for all 6 of them Gene. I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy........

I've always thought it was supposed to be a replica of Atresonraju in the Cordierra Blanca from the NE I believe. Striking similarity if you can find a pic. From summitpost (A much better match than FIshtail Peak) Not my editing...