Climzalot

I thought I saw some at MEC earlier this year but I could not find the product on their web site. http://mec.ca/

Ahh, one of my favorite pass times is to search for and research new additions to the lifetime tick list. Most climbers I know whether they are skilled at and/or enjoy one medium or several, have at least a few routes that they aspire to or dream of doing for a variety of reasons, not just difficulty. I personally enjoy climbing in new and exciting areas as much as anything else. For me climbing includes everything from cranking an asthetic boulder problem to frozen waterfalls to shiver bivies on a remote peak. I enjoy spending time expanding the diversity of my climbing rather that working hard to become more skilled in one discipline. I guess this means that I will never climb harder grades on rock, ice, or 8000 meter peaks but there is enough climbing to do in the acheivable grades in each of these areas to keep someone busy for many lifetimes. Here are some of the routes on my lifetime tick list. I look forward to seeing others lists and maybe finding a few new additions to my own. Ferrari Route, Alpamayo, Peru Astroman, Washington Column, Yosemite Regular Route, Lotus Flower Tower, Yukon Terr. Ham & Eggs, Mooses Tooth, Alaska Range Keeler Needle, Whitney Area, Sierra The Nose, El Cap, Yosemite Cassin Ridge, Denali, Alaska Range Moonflower Buttress, Mount Hunter, AK Nemesis, Ghost Area, Canadian Rockies Mount Slesse's NEB, Cascades, WA Sea of Vapors, Mount Rundle, Canadian Rockies Midnight Lightning, Camp 4, Yosemite And many more! Happy climbing

How about Geronimo. Also near the Hidden Valley Campground at JTree. Definitely the largest semi off-width roof crack I have had to surmount on a 5.7. The emotional scarring wouldn't have been nearly as bad if the campground audience had not witnessed the entire embarrassing sequence of events.

Oh, life it seems is a struggle between What we see and what we do I'm not going to change my ways Just to please you or appease you Inside a crowd, five billion proud Willing to punch you down Right, wrong, weak, strong Ashes to ashes we all fall down Look around about this round about this merry-go-round around If at all God's gaze upon us falls Its with a mischievous grin....... -Dave Matthews "Seek Up"

We were out there last weekend and had no trouble with the glacier. Crossing from the col was super mellow and straightforward. Approach shoes worked well and crampons made the glacier travel go a lot faster. There were no problems getting on to the ridge and the route was in fine shape. There is good fishing in the Thornton lakes on the way in as well. Enjoy!

Some years ago I read a series of books by a fellow named Peter Hathaway Capstick. He tells some pretty adventurous tales about hunting various man eating beasts in Africa and other parts of the world. Really enjoyable reading and highly recommended to those looking for adventure literature.

There are several organizations out there who offer the WFR cert. and recert. To name a few of the larger ones Wilderness Medical Institute (WMI), Wilderness Medical Associates(WMA), Stonehearth Outdoor Learning Opportunities (SOLO) and AAI in Bellingham. Often times organizations and/or schools will offer a WFR course but it is usually conducted through or taught by one of the above named companies. I have personal experience with SOLO and AAI and would highley recommend either program based on your scheduling needs. All of the companies have schedules and prices on the net. Good luck and enjoy the course

Can you get by in approach shoes without crampons or axe?

The North Ridge of Baker is very difficult to approach right now and will be getting harder as the season progresses. There is a way of approaching the toe of the ridge by crossing the lower compression zone on the Coleman glacier and looking for a small chute which leads to the ridge proper. This approach usually works for late season attempts when the standard approach is near impossible. Be prepared for more exposed ice on the upper route. For a picture of this approach look at the far left side of the picture in the Beckey guide and the Select book. You should be able to spot the unbroken line from left side of the Coleman to the toe of the ridge. Good luck.

The West Face start is a good way of getting to the route as opposed to heading up the coulouir and traversing over. Look for a large forked larch tree at the base of the West face and head up the obvious steepening ramps. You can make 1 medium length pitch or 2 short ones to get to the dead snags at the base of the 5.8 crack/flake (1st pitch of SW Butt). After that the route is mostly straight forward. We got a little of route and had to back track a bit where the Boving route begins but it was an easy mistake to recover from. The only pitch that is a little run out is the 5.6 friction pitch and it is not bad at all. Descend the S Arete. Fun route but not a high quality route like the Dir. E. Butt or West Face of NEWS, Many ledges and large features cut down on exposure. Have fun.

As of 2 weeks ago the route was almost entirely uncrevassed. The only crevasse wprth mentioning was on the upper Kennedy glacier on your way to the saddle below the rabbit ears. You can completely avoid any and all crevasses in this area by staying high towards the crest of the ridge. The steep sections were fairly mellow with two tools both going up and coming down as long as you are comfortable on 60-65 degree ice. This is one of the more scenic climbs I have done in the Cascades. The meadows and views on the lower ridge are spectacular and the upper ridge is very enjoyable with the execption of the pumice slope below the rabbit ears. The pumice slope is not manadatory. You can climb 55 degree ice to left of it for a more technical and less ugly option. You can take 3 days to do it but it can go in a whole lot less than that depending on how you like to climb. Super fun outing.

I've had a copy of the new book for a little while and you right it is well done. It has kind of bummed me out at the same time though. It is responsible for significantly increasing the size of my tick list. So many cool mountains, so little time.

I am looking for information on all aspects of the Direct North Buttress Route. Approach (time & distance), route, descent, etc. All of the guides I have referenced have been pretty vague as far as the approach and descent details. Personal experiences and thoughts would be appreciated as well. Thanks

Thanks guys. That is just what I was looking for. Happy & Safe climbing

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Any other info on misc details like qality of the rock, the 5th class pitches at the bottom & halfway up the route etc. would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to assess the the feasability of a solo trip. Thanks

Looking for beta on the NE Butt. Approach, deproach, route, etc. Current info would be great as well as past experiences on the mountain. What is referred to as the "standard descent"? Is that the SW Couloir? Thanks climzalot@hotmail.com

A friend of mine got back from the climb yesterday afternoon. He reported soft snow conditions all the way to, from, and including the route. He said there were no major issues on the approach. They went over the Boston/Sahale Col. He did mention that the North Face will not be in condition for too much longer due to the Schrund which typically forms about halfway up. About 11-13 hours or so car to car.

Hey gshryer, I think we ran into you and your partner on the summit Sunday morning. We were the group that followed you up the last bit to the crater rim after crossing Liberty Cap. Way to go on the climb. I dont know about you but I was thankful for our timing as conditions obviously deteriorated as we were heading down. We had a difficult time descending with the wind and low visibility but managed to find a reasonable way to get off the mountain. Happy Climbing

As of Monday May 14th the gang is back in Kathmandu. Without getting to detailed, they were unsuccessfull in reaching the summit due to a combination of factors, hideous weather and poor route conditions. Apparently they only had a few days without precipititation both in BC and on the route. They are working to get out of Kath. by the 18th or 19th and start the trip home, but their departure date is not finalized as of yet. Make sure, if you get the opportunity, to give any or all of the team a warm welcome home.

I know the information that follows is not the worthwhile route beta you may be looking for, but a friend and co-worker of mine climbed the resolution arete last year and called it one of the best long free route he has done. Coming from him I did not take this lightly as he has climbed tons of worthwhile rock routes from here to Patagonia. I hear the crux is an 11a finger crack that splits a narrow arete in a spectacular position. If you give it a go, let us know how it goes. Good luck and enjoy!

I was actually climbing with Fred this weekend and he is part of the reason the ice screw is still there. Kind of a complicated story. Anyway I will keep my fingers crossed for a kind soul passing back by that way. Thanks for the tips.

Due to a miscommunication with my partner, one of my beloved ice screws was left to fend for itself about 1/2 way up the first pitch of Honeyman Falls in Lilloet. I know this is a long shot/needle in the haystack type request but if anyone happens to be on the route and comes across the little fellow I would greatly appreciate it's return. It is a 13cm BD Express with a blue gated Petzl Spirit biner keeping it company. Feel free to email me for route beta. Thanks for the consideration Coley Gentzel climzalot@hotmail.com

Steve, If you are looking for a true summit pack, Lowe Alpine, Serratus and a few others offer a light weight style summit pack which would fit into a larger pack quite much easier than the few packs that you had mentioned. Of the two models I mentioned I would probably recommend the Serratus over the Lowe for a couple of reasons. First it has 2 daisy chains and 2 ice axe loops where as the Lowe only has one of each. The Lowe comes with a removable foam bivy pad but you can add one to the Serratus for about a buck. Second the fabric on the Serratus seems to be a little more durable and it does a better job of keeping water out. Both models can double as a compression sack for your sleeping bag if you want to mold your sleeping bag into an unmanageable, unpackable shape. If you are not looking for a summit pack but rather a cragging/alpine pack I would look at the Arcteryx Khamsin series. Good quality packs that weigh very little for their size. Good luck in your search

Rod, As of this weekend the conditions on the climbs near Icy BC were fairly good. The Deeping Wall was a little drippy but both Icy BC (minus the uppder tier) and the climbs located left of the Deeping Wall were seeing lead ascents. The temperatures never got above freezing in the canyons Sat or Sun. We also had the chance to scout out most of the climbs in the Bridge River area. We only managed to get on one of the climbs in this area but everything there looked to be in good condition and the temps stayed below freezing all day Sunday as well. I haven't heard any recent reports regarding Synchronicity. I hope this helps a little. Good Luck.

I have had the chance to wander up a route on both sides of Mt Adams and given the chance to pick a route I would definitely choose one on the north side and if your are up for it the Adams Glacier route. Although it is not terribly difficult, the terrain is more complex and/or interesting than some of the other routes in the neighborhood. It is not quite on the same level as say the North Ridge or Coleman headwall on Baker it is unique and challenging in its own way. Well worth while.