Colin

Haha, Alex, OK. Forrest and I climbed the NW Face Couloir on Stuart on Sunday, after hiking in on Saturday. It was a route I'd been eyeing for a while, and I thought it was pretty cool. I think that it will come into better condition in the weeks to come (with more consolidation of snow and formation of ice). As of now, I think I'd call it AI3X - only AI3 because it was low-angle, but "X" because it was pretty thin. We didn't take snowshoes, and I think that it was just barely the right choice. By the next weekend, I think that not taking snowshoes will undeniably be the way to go. From the tracks we saw it looked like a couple guys climbed the Stuart Glacier Couloir Thurs-Fri. Alrighty - now how 'bout those pictures guys!

I'm sure there were a bunch of people up there. Did anyone take a digital (or otherwise easy to post) picture of the N Face of Dragontail this past weekend (26-27)?

Mark and I climbed the route this morning, and although the ice is thin it is definitely still in fine shape. Thanks very much to JoshK and Paco - Your tracks made things go nice and quick. I would reccomend getting a real early start, since that side of Cutthroat gets sun so early (we left the car at 3:30 am). Don't take any ice screws, and a single 60 m rope works easily for the descent. Skis are reccomended for the approach, as the ski back down to the car was just as fun as the climb itself.

On a similar note... The rubber grip on one of my Cobras has started to delaminate from the base of the shaft, and whenever I am plunging it snow gets jammed up underneath the rubber, worsening the problem. I sent BD an e-mail, and they said: "The Cobra tool was really not designed with that use in mind-it's considered a technical tool, rather than a general mountaineering tool. Plunging this tool is probably the last thing it would be good at, as you may have noticed." So, remember, if a tool is good at climbing water-ice you aren't supposed to use it on alpine climbs.

We parked at the Blue Lake Trailhead, but didn't come out that way after realizing it was a lot of extra work. Park at the plowed area 0.5 miles W of the Blue Lake Trailhead, and go straight up to the South Buttress from there. Skis or snowshoes were mandatory today, and I'd imagine will still be for a little while.

Tim and I retreated from this route today. We climbed up the entrance to the couloir, to the start of the ice pitch, and then bailed. The ice pitch looked very thin and rotten, and the entire east face was getting baked in the sun, with stuff falling all over the place. If you do go give it a shot, I'd reccomend getting a much earlier start than we did (get to the base before the sun has hit the route). In the next couple weeks I'd imagine that the route will either ice up nicely as a result of more thaw-freeze, or it will melt away completely.

Nope. Sorry.

Anyone have a Wild Things Icesac that they are no longer much interested in? I'll consider any price under $200 (cost of a new one), depending on how used it is. You have to live in King County as I'd want to check it out in person. I might also consider one of the Cold Cold World packs. colinhaley@attbi.com

Based off the dancing marshmallow, I'm not sure if that was just a jest at Terminal Gravity, but in case it was not... I would highly reccomend taking boots that are atleast somewhat rigid (I used La Sportiva Makalu's). In June or July it might not be so bad, but by August the snowfield traverses might be quite icy (particularly this year). I did it in September, and had rigid boots, steel crampons, and one lightweight ice tool. I would have taken two ice tools if I'd known how steep and icy it was. The steep snowfields can be avoided if you take the purist route and stay on the crest the entire time, but I don't know anyone who has done this and I imagine it would take much, much longer.

Asgard Pass is snow covered, but, as usual, quite icy in spots. If you plan to go over it, you should consider taking crampons. I think it's because of the wind, but Asgard Pass is often icy in winter/spring when the snow nearby is soft. From the gate (in Icicle Canyon) to the trailhead is about 3 miles I think. If you're planning to do the whole loop you might want skis or snowshoes.

A number of parties were up at Colchuck Lake this weekend, climbing the Colchuck Glacier, the NE Couloir on Colchuck, and Triple Couloirs. Triple Couloirs is in good shape, meaning that ice is well formed on the "first couloir." There was a fair amount of wallowing in Triple Couloirs and in the NE Couloir on Colchuck. I would currently NOT reccomend taking skis or snowshoes, as there is a boot-pack up to the lake. You might consider leaving the car in tennis shoes, as the first half of 8-Mile Road is snow free.

Obviously, when it is blowing snow you will opt to stuff the tent, but when you have the time to pack it carefully which option is better for the tent? I have heard that stuffing is better, because it puts less stress on the seams. I have also heard that rolling is better, because crinkling up the fabric is worse for it. Not exactly a life-or-death issue, but anyone have other reasons to think that one is better than the other?

Thanks for the info, guys. I went to intuitionliners.com - Intuition and Thermoflex are definitely different brands it looks like, but it looks like they are very similar nonetheless. It sounds like they both rock, so I'll probably just go with whatever is easier to get my hands on, or perhaps cheaper.

Aveolite liners are the standard to make a pair of plastic boots warmer, but I've heard that Raichle Thermoflex liners (they make a version particularly for climbing boots, apparently) are significantly warmer, in addition to fitting your feet better. Anybody have experience with using Thermoflex liners in your climbing boots?

Actually, perlon is more dynamic than you might think. Try weighting a long section of it. More importantly, though, such a rope will be used almost entirely as a rap-line or a haul-line, and doesn't need to be dynamic.

You go to a climbing shop and pull 60 meters off the spool of perlon. Look it up in 'Freedom of the Hills.'

Hehe. Sorry I wasn't clear - I meant the company, silly! I've got a gift card for $303 (so, $280 before tax), but I've already got all the clothing I want right now, and I'm in need of some money. I think that 15% off would make a good deal for both of us.

The first person to take me up will get 15% off any item or items from Patagonia with a total cost between $250 and $280. Contact me: colinhaley@attbi.com, 206-232-1798

Nothing fancy, just a little bit of knee-security under your tele bindings. Super cheap - $15. colinhaley@attbi.com

A pair of Fritschi Diamir bindings, size small (currently mounted on a pair of 160 Heads). They have ski brakes with them, which are not only less of a pain than leashes, but safer in avalanche terrain as well. They were used for half of one season (about 15 days of use). One of the bindings has a stripped screw (the one used to adjust to different boot lengths) that will need to be replaced, probably by Marmot or some other place that does a lot of ski work. These bindings are $220 new (plus $35 for the ski brakes). $80, or make an offer. Contact me at colinhaley@attbi.com, or 206-232-1798.

Thanks for all the kind words. One of us will post some pictures soon, but Forrest might have easier access to a slide scanner than I. Plexus, The approach isn't as easy as in summertime, but fortunately it isn't much harder either. The approach starts at 600 ft., so the first 4.5 miles of trail are totally snow free. John, No broken arm, but I did take a bad spill while biking to school because of some ice on the road, and my elbow was bleeding for quite a while. Yes, it was I who hung the giant pot-leaf-banner on the side of my school. It even made it into the school paper!

Forrest and I climbed the West Ridge of Inspiration today (well, I suppose it was yesterday, now), after hiking in to a camp on the Terror Glacier on Friday. The Gully leading up to the Pyramid-Inspiration col was mostly steep snow, with a quick step of WI2. The West Ridge, above the col, was low fifth class, coated with substantial rime ice. In general, conditions are good in the North Cascades, and things are getting more solid with every day of sun. Skis or snowshoes are still neccesary to get around efficiently, though. I think that our climb might have been the first winter ascent of Inspiration. Please speak up if you have any info to suggest otherwise.

Cpt. Caveman, Could it be Jack Mountain? Nevermind.

MattP, My guess is that your still-unidentified peak is Granite Mountain (not the one on the way up to the pass).

"THE real bond between the United States and Europe is the values we share: democracy, INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM, HUMAN RIGHTS and the Rule of Law." Oh, is that because we put thousands of innocent people in jail each year based off what they choose to do with their own bodies and minds? Or perhaps the human rights bond is in the fact that our government still uses capital punishment? Yeah, you're right, we really value individual freedom and human rights!