dberdinka

Nice work. A couple years back (3?) we were able to follow trail probably 80% of the time with some serious thrashing in between but it was still awful. I think the river seemed a bit deep and swift for wading at the time but it was early July. Would still like to go back for the full DNB. Sounds like late summer is the ticket. Any snow getting to the buttress?

Unfortunately the second rappel is basically a full 35 m. If you're comfortable rigging a Biner block you could use your slings and webbing to pull the rope. If you've never done it before just make sure to rappel on the correct side of the rope. Biner blocks create a situation that provides a really easy way to screw up and die.

Trip: Twin Sisters Range - Hayden & Peak 6136' Date: 8/10/2016 Trip Report: In the last couple weeks I made separate trips with my friends Matt and Dave to explore the potential behind the Green Creek Glacier, in the deep west-facing cirque formed by Hayden, Little Sister and Peak 6136'. We found some really spectacular climbs on ridiculously good stone. What they lack in length they make up for in being densely concentrated. Link-ups are derigor if you're going to make the effort to get back in here. The Green Creek Valley is definitely not as wild as it once was. On both trips I encountered familiar faces. Which is great! But.....pick up after yourself! It was super depressing to encounter your shit paper fluttering about on the approach along with bits of micro trash both high and low in the valley. Undoubtedly human impacts will only become more obvious but at the very least there doesn't need to be garbage strewn about. Approach Hayden Peak is remote. From the Green Creek Glacier the easiest way to get there is to pass between Little Sister and Cinderella Peaks and then traverse through several bowls on the west side. A more direct and interesting approach can be made by climbing over the top of one of the minor peaks above the glacier. The Green Creek Needle sits on the southern aspect of an attractive pyramid of rock (which I hence proclaim as Ribbon Point). The northeast aspect of Ribbon Point has several dihedrals separating long strips of slabs. These slabs are stupidly solid, clean and extremely easy. A bit of a shrund problem may exist, followed by some dirty 3rd class up a gully to reach them. From there it's 3 or so pitches of 5.0 to the summit. (Matt and I climbed the same aspect on the next peaklet north but it was not as good). An easy down climb on the west side and a traverse leads to a saddle in Hayden's east ridge in maybe twenty minutes. This approach will only work once snow melts off the slabs which doesn't seem to typically occur until mid-July. Earlier in season you could climb Green Creek Needle, rappel off the back side and then go up the south ridge of Ribbon Pt at 3rd/4th class. Ribbon Point approach to Hayden Best 5.0 in the universe on Ribbon Point Hayden Peak - NE Pillar Hayden has a really beautiful spur of rock dropping of the east ridge into the basin between Hayden and Skookum. I climbed it twice with both Matt and Dave it was so good. Four pitches of progressively harder rock leads to the tiny summit of a prominent pinnacle on the east ridge. A short rappel leads to a spectacular, exposed 4th class scramble through a series of towers to a longer rappel (75') that intersects the normal east ridge route. From here exposed 3rd class scrambling with route finding issues on more great rock leads to the summit. On the crux pitch either climb the wide crack on the right (5.7) until you can move left across the face (5.9) into a great layback corner. Or start with the short chimney on the left and then climb back up and right across the face (5.7r - micronuts for gear) to the same 5.9 moves into the corner. Awesome. To get off Hayden retrace your steps to the last rappel the work down ledges to the east then west. If it's not easy scrambling you're doing it wrong. Matt near the top of first (5.4) pitch Dave starting up the pitch of 5.7 Looking up at the crux Looking down Matt scrambling through the exposed 4th class towers Looking at Hayden from Ribbon Peak. The NE spur is out of sight but tops out on the solitary pinnacle at center-right before following the ridgeline to the summit. Peak 6136' - North Face Dave and I were on a day trip and bailed out after Hayden. Matt and I had hiked in the day before and had time for another route. Peak 6136' is just a high point on the broad west shoulder of Little Sister. It's 500' north face is one of the steeper in the range and is obviously composed of excellent rock. Matt and I climbed a very direct line to the summit via series of frequently steep and splitter cracks. We scrambled into the alcove below the grey slab in the center of the face. Matt started up the obvious left trending arch for 15' then traversed a ledge to a finger crack. When the crack intersected the arch he pulled the bulge and continued up a 140' of intermittent finger cracks on great stone, belaying when the angle kicked back. The second pitch followed the obvious, steep cracks in a left facing corner with several overhanging bulges that caused me a fair bit of grief. A short chimney led to ledges (belay on the second at a good crack). For the third pitch Matt headed straight up the face above the belay with tricky gear before pulling through another budge and following an easy but very exposed arete to a large ledge just below the summit. From the narrow top it's an easy walk off towards Little Sister. Matt starts up first pitch slab. Pulling out of chimney on second pitch. Topping out. Matt approves. Walk off of Peak 6136' Heading down the glacier Gear Notes: Doubles to 2.5". Include small offset nuts and extra small-medium stoppers. Approach Notes: Green Creek Valley. 5 hrs to base of Ribbon Point. Good camping exists in pockets of grass around 4500'. Beyond that flat, dry sites become more improbable.

Nice work! Glad to see the rock definitely did not suck. Always great to see other parties enjoying the Green Creek.

Trip: Trisolace Peak - Northeast Spur Date: 7/6/2016 Trip Report: I wandered off to the southern end of the Twin Sisters Range and scrambled up a nice ridgeline on Trisolace Peak. There was a lot of bushwacking and boulder hopping enroute. A great place to have an adventure.

Its an Olympus Stylus 1. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Purchased primarily because at the time it was one of the only P&S with a built in EVF which is real handy on an icecap. The lens is pretty sharp to me and the 300 comes in real handy at times (like that Eldorado Ridge shot) but I miss wide-angle as it only goes to 28. The sensor is tiny and it definitely shows when lighting becomes dim. I can't push the ISO very far at all and as a result I'm always having to shoot wide open and sometimes that doesn't even work. Keep thinking of buying an LX100 or an RX100 but then you loose the zoom. To many tradeoffs to upgrade yet. Waiting to see if the Nikon 1" sensor 24-200 ever shows up.

No doubt it's only the helmet that prevents you from having any game.

Trip: Primus Peak-Eldorado - Traverse Date: 6/24/2016 Trip Report: My friend Dave and I approached Primus Peak from the north then exited across the icecap and out the regular Eldorado Approach. This has to be one of the most straight forward high traverses in the North Cascades with nice soothing terrain throughout and the potential for minimal technical difficulty. Good for small children or the elderly. On Friday evening we hiked six miles up Thunder Creek to Mcmillan Camp under occasional drizzle. The following morning we found an excellent path leading 4000' up an occasionally steep forested ridgeline to the cirque below the Borealis Glacier. Old Austin Post photos show a spectacular icefall leading into a piedmont-type tongue of ice filling the entire basin. Sadly this is no more. The glacier has retreated high into the cirque and some partially sunken slabs of ice are all thats left to indicate it's former greatness. Even sadder was the fact that the clouds were not breaking up as forecast and the entire basin was filled with a dense soup of mist. The North Ridge of Primus is one of these obscure routes that just sounds and looks like it could be some sort of unknown classic. However, that is definitely not the case! If you're a frequent choss-dawger you may find it solid and delightful. I often felt like I was about to pull the whole mountain off with me. Maybe if we hadn't try to stay so true to the crest we would have wisely avoid the worst rock in a few rotten notches. So if it's not unrecommended it just certainly won't be the highlight of your summer. About five minutes after topping out two skiers came strolling out of the mist. Maybe more surprised than even we were to encounter another group in such a remote place. While we had originally intended to return the way we came at some point I had convinced Dave that hiking out via Eldorado would be only minimal, if any, additional effort. This was pretty much the case, particularly with a skin track to punch holes in. We bivied near the foot of Klawatti Peak before tagging Eldorado in the morning and experiencing culture shock in the Tentropolis of Eldorado high camp. Wandering across the Klawatti/Inspiration icecap should be considered a must do by any Cascades climber no matter how you get there. Really I just wrote this whole TR so I could have an excuse for posting this picture - there are I think 4 people in the image 3:20 pm 6/25 Gear Notes: small rack to 2" for North Ridge

Glad you liked it. It involved way more excavation than I anticipated before I began. You wouldn't believe how much trundling and cleaning the "fun short slab pitch" required. A third route is in the works maybe 50'-100' left with a surprisingly different style of climbing than True Grit or Ragged Edge. Hopefully finished up a little earlier in the season than the last two.

I'm honored and surprised you would dump my route overlays right into your website. But then again I learned everything I know from (imitating) you.

Awesome. A worthy destination in and of itself.

I wonder how old those two big cedars are? They are pretty special.

Maybe if you cheeseheads got back to burning down our tents we might be less inclined to visit.

AMAZING. Nice work. Thanks for posting.

A COUPLE HOURS WITH A WIRE BRUSH WOULD DO MORE GOOD THAN THE PASSAGE OF A 1,000 CLIMBERS.

Blast from the Past!

SOLD

Trip of a lifetime. Just stunning. Two questions.. Is it true that they found ancient relics on the summits when modern climbers first climbed these things? I thought I once read that somewhere. How did you rationalize the reasonable chance of getting your head lopped off?

I recognize that spot! We use to call it Hyperbole Canyon. Been there a few times myself.

Widowmaker face..

The most reactive conditions I ever encountered were on a day where the avalanche forecast was Moderate. On the singular aspect we went to ski there was an intact hoar frost layer and the entire slope slid easily. Very similar aspects across valley appeared totally bomber as we watched other parties ski down them. Point being is the NWAC forecast is painted with a broad brush with far too little actual observations to be considered definitive. FWIW my rudimentry understanding is that this particular accident occurred in an area that I would consider to be the sketchiest terrain by far in the entire Heather Meadows area.

Silvretta 404s mounted on 177cm Hagan TX titanium skis. Skis are ultralight, 177cm in length with dimension of 92-69-80 and weight 1.1 kg each (w/o bindings). Considering their size and weight they ski very well. Bindings are size N (normal) and supposedly fit sole lengths of 11.375" - 13.375". Gear is very lightly used and in excellent condition. Ski bases are pristine. No skins. $120 OBO. Located in Bellingham. Would prefer pick-up. Buyer pays shipping and packaging costs. PM or e-mail dberdinkaATgmailDOTcom.

Basically brand new. Size large, worn for a single day of ski touring. Great pant/layer. I just decided since I don't actually do any winter/alpine climbing anymore I'd be better off with a more ski specific pair of pants. I'm 5' 11" and 170-175lbs and they fit fine. $150 + shipping. ($300 retail) PM or email dberdinka AT gmail DOT com.

Saw this Woman of the Skag in the local news

Jason, how do you interpret the "column-integrated cloud water" loop? That one didn't make immediate and obvious sense. The Low/Mid/High cloud water loops seemed more intuitive, where I assume they are an indication of how cloudy the skies are going to be. If Low is green/blue your in a whiteout if not your in flat-light or better?