max

I heard a blurb on the radio this morning that said there was a climbing accident in the gorge. Something about a 60ft fall near the Dalles. Anyone know anything?

My thinking about this: you should have got a free permit from the get-go, and (at least as far as I can decipher from your story) it was nice that the ranger gave you the option of getting one without fining/punishing you. Regarding the "currently free" part... it seems to me to be a rhetorical device that was somewhat ingenuous, but (by your description) wasn't an emphasis point. Seems like a probable "slip". In the grand scheme of things, it's inconsequential compared to your mistake. Just my thoughts, as you asked.

Care to give us a summary of why LMA is responsible for this? In all honesty, I'm not interested in reading 7 pages to find out myself.

Dang. Sorry to hear about this... http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Washington-climber-dies-on-Mount-McKinley-5466306.php

so snarky-ness aside, you are saying that Sherpa support should be paid the same US dollars as the western guides? Does that same belief apply to workers who make everything else that is outsourced? and to piggy back off that, does that mean I should pay $.03 for a cup of tea at starbucks?

oh yeah...duh! http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2014/may/04/lynnwood-man-stable-after-fall-while-rock-climbing/ Dang. Foot injuries suck! Hope he recovers quickly and thoroughly.

Heard on the radio someone fell and was rescued in the Icicle. Sounded like it happened Sunday. Anyone know anything?

Do a TR search with "triple" in the route name... I got 4-5 on the first page that were from may. As the previous guy said, conditions change quickly around here, but that will give you some idea of what to expect. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it or if you're already aware of it, but we're (NW'ers) are in the middle of a whacky avalanche setup... check it and know it. Probably will be mellowed out in 2 weeks, but might be worth some local insights the day or so before you head out.

This is just my opinion.... I don't have advice as to what specific product you should buy, but I can tell you the market depreciation on this stuff is HUGE! Stuff gets marked way down after a year or so on the shelf, and people sell used stuff a pretty hefty discounts from retail. What does this mean for you? If you're willing to get a first-time setup that's not your dream package, and you're willing to wait (ski season is wrapping up and there's lots of time to watch the boards), you can save yourself at least 50% off a new retail package. Re-reading you post, I see you don't want to futz around a whole lot, so maybe my advice is not targeted for you.... good luck! Dave

Haven't been there but I think a friend of mine told me the road was out. Check http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mbs/home/?cid=stelprdb5150593 for local road conditions. From the WTA site http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/three-fingers:Drive the Mtn Loop Hwy (92) to milepost 7 at the top of the hill and look for two large telephone poles set close together on the left. These mark the turn onto FS Road 41. Turn onto it, and stay on the main road uphill. Three roads leave 92 at this point, but two are private. FS 41 is the eastmost of the three. The sign for FS 41 is about 100 feet down the road. Stay left as you pass several roads. Turn right onto FS 4160. At about 17.5 miles there will be a trailhead signed for Goat Flats. From the FS site: "Tupso Pass 41 CLOSED (Snow) - Closed to all motorized traffic at mile 8.1 (0.1 miles past the Canyon Creek Bridge) due to road damage. OK to hike or bike to trailhead. There is currently no timeline for repairs to the road damage beyond mile 8. Trailhead is at mile 18." Personally, sounds like a great place to go if you have a mountain bike and some extra time. No visitors. SWEET! Good luck!

Or the Hwy 97A slide...?

get lightweight compression sacks for your puffy items (bags and coats). Bring your gear to the store to make sure the sacks you get are SMALL. use thick rubber bands (like the ones you get with broccoli) to hold goretex jackets and pants rolled tight roll (or fold), don't wad put the big heavy items in first, pack the light fluffy stuff in the crevices around the big items most of all, don't bring it. skip the bottle, get a water bag.

Maybe.... Alpine System: The overall seriousness of the complete route based on all factors of the final approach, ascent and descent including length, altitude, danger, commitment, and technical difficulty. This system originated with UIAA Roman numerals; it is now generally seen with French letters and is increasingly being used worldwide. F: Facile/easy. Rock scrambling or easy snow slopes; some glacier travel; often climbed ropeless except on glaciers. PD: Peu Difficile/a little difficult. Some technical climbing and complicated glaciers. AD: Assez Difficile/fairly hard. Steep climbing or long snow/ice slopes above 50 degrees; for experienced alpine climbers only. D: Difficile/difficult. Sustained hard rock and/or ice or snow; fairly serious stuff. TD: Tres Difficile/very difficult. Long, serious, remote, and highly technical. ED: Extremement Difficile/extremely difficult. The most serious climbs with the most continuous difficulties. Increasing levels of difficuly indicated by ED1, ED2, etc.

looking at the description for Flow, it lists the stats for pitch 1 as... P1: **** 5.11- PD, 1x + gear, 30m What's the "PD" mean?

...and that area is what?

No offense, please. I was am psyched to see your slideshow but $8 for a slideshow about being a dirtbag.... ERROR: Does not compute!

Joan Firey. Old school (-ish), Cascades, and a Lady to boot.

He speaks the truth. I was up there a few days ago and have one extra piece of info. At a critical junction (where you will leave FR 38 and turn doen to the gated bridge) there also happens to be a substantial amount of rockfall onto the road. if you find yourself dodging large boulders in the roadway, and you just passed a right hand turn/veer, you've gone 100 ft too far. Back up and take the right branch. Also know that there has been substantial road "improvement" after the bridge. There was a section some described as brushy and impassible to a car. It is now a gravel superhighway. Bring a bike! No matter what season, even if you have to push it up. You'll be kicking youreslf on the way down if you don't.

hey DM: This is just my opinion, and it's actually not that constructive, but I think it might help you choose some good climbs. When you said you were going to be here in may, I thought "That sounds early..." And then I had to check myself because I know there are lots of great climbs at that time, just not the climbs I dream about. So aI can't recommend many climbs, but I can offer these randomly selected TRs from May this year. Check 'em out. It will give you an idea of what to expect in the mountains in may. http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1105470 http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1104950 http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1104333 http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1104437 Personally, I'd be looking for the steep snow and ice routes combined with the foothills cragging. Cheers!

Get ready! Everybody loves to dis Peshastin, but it's actually ok. Suck up yer' **ts, scope things out carefully, get a double set of TCU's, and start with the easy routes. It's pretty quiet around there, too. Go there when you look up valley and it looks like rain. Otherwise go to Leavenworth. 'cause other than it being a place to climb, it kind of blows.

I lived (near) Wenatchee for 20+ years. I'd vote for it over Yakima. Wenatchee has more moderated temps, more river access, more rock climbing (3-4 distinct areas within 1 hour), easier access to the mountains (HWY 2 and HWY 97 North), more central to other POI around the state, easier winter access to the west side (Hwy2 or Hwy97/I90), a more lively outdoor scene, a closer ski area, ... the list is long. In fact, I'd claim Wenatchee wins out by a long short. Where's that guy that went to Afganistan as a contractor? He was from Yakima, right?

What he ^ said. Spend your money on comfy dynafit compatible boots. If you can find dynafit bindings cheap, get 'em. If not, start with a pair of fritchiis et al. Upgrade later. The boots will work for both. Buy used skiis, preferably with bindings. The cost to benefit ratio improved ALOT when the denominator is small. The new generation of skis may be really awesome, but their also 3-4x more expensive. Pay money for a field-oriented avy course. I bought my setup (skis, boots, poles, bindings) for $600 total. I love the crap out of 'em.

you show me yours, then I show you mine. JK. I haven't timed myself climbing any of those.

bad ass! PS: thanks for the information! Your work helps bring the science to the people in an accessible and interesting way.

Word on TAY is that the road is open. http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=29386.0