5 Best Highlights of the Past Year

[JoshK]

My 5 favs (in no particular order) this year, and brief notes:

 

*Dragontail Peak, Serpintine Arete - great October weather made this an climb

*Mount Shuksan, Sulfide Glacier Ski Tour - Perfect snow for skiing, perfect neve on summit pyramid

*Mount Stuart, North Ridge - my required suffer-fest for the year (zero sleep bivy w/o bag and death march back to car)

*Eldorado Peak, NE face & North ridge - worth it for the pictures alone

*Prusik Peak, West Ridge, 1 day - lots of walking for little climbing, but I got to see a mom & kid mountain goat, which was very cool

 

My Biggest Disappointments:

 

*Mount Shuksan, Price Glacier - Blowing the chance to climb an awesome route in perfect conditions by losing a crampon is about the lamest thing ever

*Mount Rainer, Kautz Glacier - Blowing the chance to climb another great route in perfect conditions by getting terrible food poisoning is about the second lamest thing ever

 

Biggest Lesson:

 

*Clarke Mountain Attempt - Right after making the painful decision to turn around due to avy conditions (and despite a "low" avy forecast), we watched a huge slide come down and stop about 3 feet from where I had walked 5 minutes prior. This made the decision much easier to bear.

[Skisports]

Tim you did the nose with chirs right???? and did you do murchison falls with dale???

[Bronco]

Chalk up 2002 to learning.

 

1) Didn't get any other newbie parnters killed accidentally or intentionally.

2) Realized how lucky I am to have survived some of the stoopid stuff I've done over my first year of climbing.

3) Got my wife to follow some trad and rap in the dark...heh heh.

4) Got my 4 year old daughter to climb a pitch and have fun doing it.

5) Learned not to push partners to hard 'cause then you get to deal with guilt as well as failure.

5b) in the interest of keeping with the rest of the thread, I on-sighted several climbs up to 5.8d at Index, even in the pouring down rain and scaled some little mountians at Washington and Cascade pass, once with a Cascade LEGEND! [chestbeating]

 

failure -

none, it was all fun, I love climbing (in otherwords, there's to many to list here)

 

[ 11-20-2002, 03:30 PM: Message edited by: Bronco ]

[Winter]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dr Flash Amazing:

Excellent, Winter! Trad climbing is slow, complicated, and boring. Let the Doctor know when you've traded in your trad gear for some sport

acoutrements,

and DFA will see you at the base of Churning for some hang-doggery and beta hollering.

Trad sucks ... in fact I'm tired off being outside. I'll just stay in the gym in 2003.

[sk]

Hey winter, I just wanted to let you know that I have no ill feelings tword you... my ill feelings concern RAINY FOGY COLD WET weather that lasts until JUNE.

[rbw1966]

Rain in lower elevations (usually) = snow in higher elevations.

 

Let it rain baby, let it rain!

[sk]

fricking skiers

[iain]

what's that? penalty freshiez for you sista!

 

[Winter]

quote:

---

Originally posted by yaya:

fricking skiers

---

I also ski.

 

You don't ski?

 

[Bug]

quote:

---

Originally posted by pope:

Wow....swell to see everybody has been taking it nice and easy. Did anybody climb anything hard?

---

Curious dirth of info.

Not a good year for me. Just made money. Finally getting those pics digitized. Coupla good ones. I'll send you a CD. I'm looking at 2004.

 

Top 5.

Davis Holland rt.(10b,A1 PPHHHT)

Soloed WR Prussick(If you bring bivy gear you will bivy).

GM with a first time climber.

Ballard Evringham rt (Blodgett)

Shoshone (Blodgett)

 

Most dissappointing.

Backing off Denali from 17000.

[chelle]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dru:

quote:

---

Originally posted by ehmmic:

Personal disappointment - letting someone else's comments/ego get the best of me and psych me out of a lead I was really excited to try... MEN!!!

---

I knew I shoulda made you lead that last pitch of Super Slab

---

No worries Dru. It was a completely different incident.

[sexual_chocolate]

 

 

[ 11-20-2002, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: sexual chocolate ]

[sk]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Winter:

quote:

---

Originally posted by yaya:

fricking skiers

---

I also ski.

 

You don't ski?

 

---

Jeez I put a

in so you would know I was jokin'. I do not ski snowbord ice climb or climb mountains as of yet. But I am verry willing to learn

[ivan]

1. fleeing the state of virginia forever and celebrating my arrival to stay by heading up the highpoint of washington's dearest rain forrest

2. NR of stuart w/ what felt like the biggest pack ever dragged up that fucking thing

3. WR of forbidden and bushwhacking through all that avy crap in the surreal dark

4. WR of prusik and running the last 7 miles out to make my date w/ the wife (if you don't bring bivy gear, you won't bivy)

5. cooper spur...alright, not that hard but a whole different ballgame descending it solo in super slush...didn't see another soul the whole day

 

big disappointment: weather crap-out on the boulder glacier of baker (shortly after losing the california fool who thought he was going to the top from there w/ his tennies and a stick)

 

can't wait for the first full summer (school ends june 20 goddamit...anybody feel like taking 2 months off?)

[layton]

Your all hardmen! Good job on 2002!!!! It ain't over yet though,

Three Cheers to all who got off their ass

[Climzalot]

I say we revisit this topic near the end of December to determine who truly had the best season. Points could be awarded for technical diffculty, and the grade of the routes, etc. It has been said that the best climber in the world is the one who is having the most fun and I agree. But something has to be said for motivation and the ability to get after it as well. If it came to a betting matter I would have to go with Mr. Layton for the top contender. The man is obsessed and has skills to match. It sounds like many others could raise a glass in agreement that this was the best clibing season to date and hopefully one of many to come.

[Climzalot]

Oh Yeah

 

1. Bear Mtn, DNB

2. South Howser, Beckey Chounaird

3. Slesse, NEB

4. North Ridge of Baker, C2C

5. The Incredible Hulk, Red Dihedral

 

word

[Skisports]

South Howser, Beckey Chounaird I am frustraded that I didn't get that climb in this year..

I am a bit envyous

 

Next year Beckey Chounaird and Sunshine have my name on them

[Skisports]

quote:

---

Originally posted by michael_layton:

Your all hardmen! Good job on 2002!!!! It ain't over yet though,

Three Cheers to all who got off their ass

---

[Duchess]

Biggest thrills (and a few low points) of 2002:

 

1. First ice lead on late-season Kautz Glacier

(disrupted by the idiots that rappelled down

on us, showering me with basketball-sized

chunks of ice)

2. First 5.5 trad lead at Smith Rock (although my

partner had a hell of a time getting cleaning

one of the nuts)

3. Climbing to 13400 on the Gib Ledges in Feb

(the wind that turned us back also stole my

helmet, ski pole, and shovel handle on the

descent)

4. Finally climbed a 5.10a slab (clean) at Owens

River Gorge (the proceeded to flail

pathetically on Show us Your Tits 10b jugs)

5. Birthday climb on the Central Mowich, climbing

the last 1000' unprotected, as my partner

dropped one of two ice screws, which was

hardly a low point but a fantastic adventure!)

[jordop]

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by salbrecher:

 

2.First Trad lead (5.8)

3.Monarch Icfields Traverse

 

---

.

Edited June 15, 2021 by jordop

[eric8]

and your aviater is winter, i find that ironic

[Cpt.Caveman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Winter:

Huh .. interesting. I can send a v4 which is like .11+ (I thought) but haven't been able to get close to .10d trad, although I guess I haven't tried either. Maybe I'm just a trad pussy. Guess it looks like I'm just cut out for sport climbing and bouldering. Hey DFA, wanna go climbin'?

---

Right on brother fuck all the naysayers. I sent a V3 after mucho efforts once. I never did the 10d trad but did a 11b sport route. I wouldn't complain. Just keep up the FUN is the key for me. I couldn't send a v3 right now unless I went to the gymn with sneakers

[mattp]

Accomplishments:

 

1) Climbing Colchuck Peak with Alex and DPS. Not only was the climb on the NE Face very enjoyable, but we found ourselves wandering around in whiteout upon reaching the summit. As we started down what appeared to be the way to go, I insisted on stopping and getting out the map and compass and indeed we were headed the wrong way. I have always taken a perverse enjoyment in wandering about in bad weather.

 

2) Climbing the north face of Big Four Mountain in winter with Daylward. This face had been on my "to do" list for literally 25 years, and it was wonderful to have such an enthusiastic and competent partner, someone I had never met before. I was inclined to go for the "normal" N. Face route, but he was amped for the Spindrift Couloir and it turned out to be fantastic.

 

3) Climbing a new route on Cerberus Mountain in the Coast Range. I spent a week on a tiny nunatuk in the middle of the Monarch Icefield, sharing stories and some fine smokes with two of the best skiers I have ever met, with the legendary Fred Beckey, and Jim Ruch from Colorado. I had never met Jim before, but he was a solid partner and we had an enjoyable climb. Just how I like it, the climb culminated in a whiteout on the summit and we spent about ten hours wandering around in snow and fog and eventually darkness before we found out way back to camp. It was cool.

 

4) Climbing Midway at midnight with Matt. I drove over to ropeup with Matt Heller and we went up Midway on Castle Rock in the moonlight. I figured the moon would light the face after 10:00 and we started our climb at 11:00. Didn't have to use the headlamp at all.

 

5) Completing a new route at Darrington with half of pubclub. Jacob's Ladder is pretty cool, and it goes up a face where as far as I can tell there had seen lots of exploration over the years but nobody had successfully grappled with it. Thanks to all my pubclub friends and some of the DTOWN crew who did all the work for me.

 

Failures:

 

It was a great year. My biggest failure is that I haven't been able to get back into any kind of training routine.

 

[ 11-21-2002, 10:28 AM: Message edited by: mattp ]

[DPS]

Great thread!

 

The highlight of my year, without a doubt, was meeting the future Mrs. DPS.

 

Other high points include meeting and climbing with so many great folks from this BBS: MattP, Alex, MVS, Paco, TimL, Colin, High Climb, Juan AKA Juan Two-Punch AKA Mr Blister AKA Mr. Happy.

 

Also, being mentioned in the same breath as Fred Beckey and Dan Alward in MattP's post was cool and being involved in two of Paco's high points was neat.

 

Most memorable routes this year were the full North Ridge of Forbidden, NW Ice Couloir on Eldorado and sharing a great lighting storm on Torment-Forbidden Traverse with Alex and Summer.

 

Biggest dissapointment was not getting to meet Scot'teryx.