ChocChick Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 I have done two of these routes already, but my partner has not done any of them. We want to climb all 5 this summer. Anyone done them all, or have any feedback, or interesting stories about the routes? Rainier - Liberty Ridge Forbidden - West Ridge Stuart - North Ridge Liberty Bell - Lib. Bell Crack Shuksan - Price Glacier Quote
bobinc Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 W Ridge of Forbidden isn't that big of a deal; the main issue is the condition of the approach gully. The E Ridge or NW Face of N Ridge are more interesting, in terms of variety and difficulty of climbing. The N Ridge of Stuart is more of an endurance test than a technical challenge if you do it the standard way. Climbing the Gendarme is more sporting, but it's a long way to carry the big gear for a limited number of moves. Haven't done the other ones... Quote
texplorer Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 All you need as far as big gear for the gendarme is one 3.5 camalot. Quote
ChocChick Posted April 7, 2003 Author Posted April 7, 2003 Yep, I have done both Forbidden and Stuart. Anyone have anything to say about the other routes? Come on, give up some beta. Quote
JoshK Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 scoped out price glacier last year. It's garbage compared to what it used to be. Not worth the time... Quote
erik Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 JoshK said: scoped out price glacier last year. It's garbage compared to what it used to be. Not worth the time... JOSK DONT FORGET THE "IMHO" Quote
JoshK Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 erik said: JoshK said: scoped out price glacier last year. It's garbage compared to what it used to be. Not worth the time... JOSK DONT FORGET THE "IMHO" OK, OK, in all fairness, before I get flamed, I was being fecitious here. I had heard that from many people before we went up to try it. In reality, I thought it looked awesome. Probably more technical than it once was, but cool. It's a long approach for sure, however. We would have had it, had my @#@(*#@ crampon not come off. Quote
JoshK Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 or any number of other colorful words. I like to leave room for my readers to truly imagination the swearing they would have done in my place. Quote
erik Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 JoshK said: or any number of other colorful words. I like to leave room for my readers to truly imagination the swearing they would have done in my place. ~^*&@%~^$@!~%$!^*~!@~@%)~@^~@$&*~@#$~$@~@!@^%!#@&!#$@&%!#@$!&@#$*!$@&*!$@%&*!$@($!$@!#$!*#$!*^$#&*!^%#!^($#(!$#&!$#(!%!)%#)~(!#$@*!$#(^$@#*&!%#(!$(*$!*&+^@&*~$#~%#%^~@)$%!@$)@%*(&%()&%)$&*(!@%$)!(@#)(~())!#()&)#$%$&*@%*^@$#^@$#%@$%#$@^#$%@$#%@#$@^)#@#(@$#@$#(@$#)@#$)@$)#@$#)@$#@^$#@&*$#*@$#*@$#*@^$#*@$#(@%#(%@)#%@()#%(@%#&*@$#@%$()%!@#($@&*(!%(!#*(#$(! and that is that! Quote
Alex Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 Rainer-Lib Ridge: a weather climb. If weather is good, you get up the route. If weather is bad, you dont. Try for 2nd week in June. That way if you get dorked, you still have a few weeks to send. Forbidden-Do as a day climb car-to-car. Shouldnt take more than half a day. Weekdays are better. First week of June. Stuart-North Ridge: If you've done it once, then up the ante. Do it as full North Ridge in sub 24 hours car-to-car. Or at least w/ the Gendarme. Mid-August. Liberty Bell: Whenever the bugs dont suck. Shuksan: As early in the season as humanly possible. Like now. Quote
JoshK Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 Alex said: Shuksan: As early in the season as humanly possible. Like now. Alex, I'd have to disagree with you on this one. I think it depends on what type of climb you are looking for. Right now price is going to be a very steep snow climb. We did it late (november last year, which would be more like Oct in a normal year) on purpose. Later in the season it's more of an alpine ice climb. If your point is that it's easiest right around this time, you'd probably be correct. That's a fuggin' active glacier, full of big slots and lots of falling stuff later in the year. Yay, post 1000. Quote
mattp Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 I think the issue with the Price is that it gets a hundred times the attention that it would get if it were not in that book, and some feel it may even be a poor choice. I would not describe the Price Glacier route as "garbage" but a climb of that route will require you to spend more time beneath seracs, cornices, avalanche-prone slopes and rockfall than all but a few other routes in the entire State -- like maybe Willis Wall or possibly something on the East side of Mount Adams. Then, after you "top out," you are nowhere near the top of the mountain and will likely either descend without climbing the summit pyramid or, if you have the extra time and energy, some parties do walk around to the south side of the mountain and complete their climb with all the hoards that came up the Sulphide or the Fischer Chimneys. In my opinion, Nooksack Tower is the real prize in that cirque. It is not without its own dangers, and it definitely has some bad rock on it, but it is cool. Quote
Alex Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 yes, I would recommend now because its easiest now/Spring. Quote
leejams Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 Curious if anyone has a web link to the 50 classic climbs? Or 50 crowded climbs as I have often heard. Quote
Thinker Posted April 7, 2003 Posted April 7, 2003 leejams said: Curious if anyone has a web link to the 50 classic climbs? Or 50 crowded climbs as I have often heard. No link, but I'm sometimes grateful for those climbs being published, as it concentrates the masses of gapers on those specific lines, leaving the 'better' 'cooler' routes less crowded. My favorite memory of a '50 Classic' is the smell of putrid urine and other unidentifiable smells at the belay stations on the Durrance route on Devil's Tower. Oh....and those pee bottles stashed behind blocks and down cracks there. Rarely have I seen anything else approaching the magnitude of that man-made mess on vertical trails. I have been back to the Tower since, but can't bear to go back up the Durrance. Quote
Thinker Posted April 8, 2003 Posted April 8, 2003 Catturdpee said: I peed on Durrance! I did too, and that's the point. Everyone has to do it. The impacts are unavoidable with that many people flocking to the 50C's Quote
Skisports Posted April 8, 2003 Posted April 8, 2003 Alex said: yes, I would recommend now because its easiest now/Spring. no offence but isn't it supposed to be an ice route not an snow route Quote
greenfork Posted April 8, 2003 Posted April 8, 2003 Skisports said: no offence but isn't it supposed to be an ice route not an snow route then why does it have snow on it most of the year??? someone better tell the mountain... Quote
jordop Posted April 8, 2003 Posted April 8, 2003 (edited) Quote Thinker said: Quote leejams said: Curious if anyone has a web link to the 50 classic climbs? Or 50 crowded climbs as I have often heard. No link, but I'm sometimes grateful for those climbs being published, as it concentrates the masses of gapers on those specific lines, leaving the 'better' 'cooler' routes less crowded. My favorite memory of a '50 Classic' is the smell of putrid urine and other unidentifiable smells at the belay stations on the Durrance route on Devil's Tower. Oh....and those pee bottles stashed behind blocks and down cracks there. Rarely have I seen anything else approaching the magnitude of that man-made mess on vertical trails. I have been back to the Tower since, but can't bear to go back up the Durrance. . Edited June 15, 2021 by jordop Quote
freeclimb9 Posted April 8, 2003 Posted April 8, 2003 I did Liberty Ridge some years back (first week of May). We were the only party on it, so I can't relate to the "50 crowded climbs" moniker. From the Rolex ad, according to Jean Claude Killy, "in skiing as in life, timing is everything). I'd like to romp up the N. ridge of Stuart this year. Quote
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