Hood-Leuthold Couloir April 25

[Jbetoo]

Anybody up for the Leuthold Couloir either this Sunday or Monday? The guy I was suppose to go with has bailed on me the last two weekends, and I really want to do this route soon. Email me at Jbetoo@hotmail.com,

[ivan]

don't climb if you can't arrest your own fall.

 

if you can arrest your own fall, you don't need anyone with you on luetholds.

 

if you climb leutholds, sans partner, on a sunny weekend, you'll in all likelihood have plenty of company

[Jbetoo]

Hey, thanks Ivan for the enlightenment on needing to know how to self arrest for the Leuthold. Geez, I just thought there was a safety net on the bottom or something.

[thelawgoddess]

i don't know ... sounds like ivan's advice would hold for just about any route.

[ivan]

so you gonna climb it by yourself if no strangers step forward? partners aren't needed for much more than making conversation and stopping your falls...with the latter taken care of by your apparently perfect technique and the former always in question w/ a total fucking nobody, why sit at home if no one calls? that's my only point... oh, and you can probably fall the full fuk'n way down the coulior and live to see iain making faces at you.

[jeffh]

what about having to cross the reid solo this time of the year? Went over it in early march without much concern but decided this morning in the tline parking lot not to go there for fear of finding a crevasse. It seems to be a popular rescue site this year. How late in the season could you "reasonably" do the Leutholds solo?

[iain]

As always, it's a matter of how much risk you feel it is worth taking for such a route. Why climb it in off conditions? Luck becomes the deciding factor over skill. I slow down on the west side after April in general, and if possible, do that stuff in winter. It's just a lot more scenic and fun then. However, things like sandy hw have been climbed in June with good conditions. Hell, the old timers used to climb all that stuff in August.

 

None of the incidents on the west side had to do with crevasses on the Reid Glacier. The bergschrund gets rather large, and cracks start opening up around the saddle a bit. There is no black and white go/no-go on that decision.

[jeffh]

Thanks for the info. Will probably focus my attention on other routes and save the west side for next winter.