Your toughest climb

[sobo]

My toughest climb hasn't happened yet. It's coming up this Monday morning, when I'm gonna have to haul my sorry ass out of bed and go to work (after doing the presents thing with the kiddies) to make up for all the time I've wasted on this board over the past two weeks on the Hood thing.

 

Edit: Are we still doing :pagetop:s here, or is that passe' now?

[sk]

My toughest climb hasn't happened yet. It's coming up this Monday morning, when I'm gonna have to haul my sorry ass out of bed and go to work (after doing the presents thing with the kiddies) to make up for all the time I've wasted on this board over the past two weeks on the Hood thing.

 

Edit: Are we still doing :pagetop:s here, or is that passe' now?

 

happy holidays SoBo!!!!!

[DPS]

OK, I'll play too. Southwest Ridge of Mt. Hunter. Weather came in on the descent ...

Jeez, the same thing happened when I climbed the route. Ended up waiting out the storm at 10,000 feet right below the rock band. We were out of food and we got very hungry waiting for the storm to break. We were worried that the S-Couloir would avalanche on us as it had to several other parties. We ate bacon when we got down to the glacier.

[sobo]

Hey, TuffGirl! Happy Ramahannukwanzmas to you and yours, too!

 

(I think I've included most everyone, right...? Wouldn't want to come across as un-PC, now would I? )

[sk]

Hey, TuffGirl! Happy Ramahannukwanzmas to you and yours, too!

 

(I think I've included most everyone, right...? Wouldn't want to come across as un-PC, now would I? )

 

we had our solstice celbration last night. i do some of the others but it is the solstice that means the most to me....

 

we are gaining day light now folks.... spring will come and smith will be in YAYYAYAYAYAYAYA

(ya i know i could climb there now... but i am not the masochist i once was )

[sobo]

...we had our solstice celbration last night...

 

OK, then... Happy Ramahannukwanzdrumas to you and yours!

 

(we know who's gonna chime in here soon, now don't we... Is he still there, or are you two done being frisky for now? )

[sk]

...we had our solstice celbration last night...

 

OK, then... Happy Ramahannukwanzdrumas to you and yours!

 

(we know who's gonna chime in here soon, now don't we... Is he still there, or are you two done being frisky for now? )

 

<----- confused Muffin... do you know something i don't know??? I wish i were dating someone

[sobo]

you don't even remember... "snif"

[RuMR]

ahhhh single...so that explains the huge increase in muffster post count lately...

[joblo7]

shishapangma 8025m sw face. a fantastic route.climbed for 3 days, cleared the crux at 7000m (30m wi4/5.9) but only got to 7300m where we spent last night in cave. next morning the wind was slapping us around. almost out of food and gas with zero support ( we were the only 2 guys on that side of the mountain) we turned back.we could have done it,i got rational and i paid for it . i cursed and fumed for weeks.i'm still pissed. they say it's better to retreat when you shouldnt then climb when you shouldnt.... 'tever . that's true if you enjoy the feel of your tail between your legs ... that route has 99% of what heaven is . thoughest bail.

[sk]

you don't even remember... "snif"

 

 

 

 

 

[sk]

ahhhh single...so that explains the huge increase in muffster post count lately...

 

ya that and its winter

I'm sick

and stuck at home with the kids (who i really do love a ton) cus it is x-mas break.

 

just like old times when i was a stay at home mommy.

ALL SPRAY ALL DAY

[joblo7]

get well soon. say hi to the kids. (you're lucky ,havent seen mine in 10 years)ya'll go outside.

merry xmas+

[Buckaroo]

""we turned back.we could have done it,i got rational and i paid for it . i cursed and fumed for weeks.i'm still pissed. they say it's better to retreat when you shouldnt then climb when you shouldnt.... 'tever . that's true if you enjoy the feel of your tail between your legs""

 

I hate it when that happens. And then after you turn back and get too far down to go back up, the weather clears.

 

Maybe toughest would be the Salathe. Got the short straw and had to lead the hollow flake. Then also got stuck leading the last pitch in the dark to two different bivy ledges on two different nights.

 

Or maybe the North Face of Shuksan solo. Tried a variation on the pyramid, got stuck and had to wait till dark so the snow would freeze just to retreat and summit via regular route. Got off route on the descent and all gear got wet, a 24 hour storm came in, white out, shivered in a snow cave for 20 hours.

 

Or maybe main peak of Index via Anderson creek drainage in the spring. Nothing technical, it was just a recon. 45 deg bushwacking for 1500 ft. Then a neverending series of false summits with exposed snowslopes. Then getting off route on the descent via the regular east route. Got to the lake by dark. Massive rockfall on the trail, just missed getting the chop because stopped to eat. Planned on about 14 hrs car to car, ended up being 24 and dropped 5 packs of Gu on the steep bushwack, a mental and physical blow.

 

Or maybe solo North face of Chair. First pitch solid alpine water ice, then turned to sugar snow with a thin crust. Got about 100 above the ice, the crust got even thinner. Was dragging picks down about a foot before they would start to barely grab. Destroyed the crust to get up so couldn't back down. At one point the crust under both crampons broke loose and they dragged down about 2 ft before it barely caught them again. It was a total weight distribution thing, no way any one or even two points would hold you. About this same time a cornice broke loose but nowhere to go as I had gone to the only line where the snow was halfway climbable and no way to move fast anyway. The cornice was mostly sugar though and broke up before it arrived.

 

Or maybe Ice Cliff Glacier on Stewart. Normal until the exit cornice, decided to go around on 30 ft pitch near vertical rock. Dry tool and powder snow. Camming adze, all weight on one tool smearing crampons with no edges. Reached right to cam another adze, put some weight on it and big boulder comes loose. Got past that and ended up perched straddling on a sloping snow slab, somehow scratched up and off, biggest sigh of relief ever.

[joblo7]

wait!!! there is only ONE , YOUR toughest CLIMB ! you b straight chestpumpin!

 

 

great stuf though.

Edited December 30, 2006 by virendra7

[wfinley]

Mine was the east face of Mt. Nestor in the Canadian Rockies. We were young and totally naive regarding snow and ave conditions. Stopped by the Alpine Club and asked about routes and when they told us none of the alpine route were in shape we laughed at them and said "How could they be out of shape? It's sunny."

 

We thumbed through the book and chose a route that Dougherty described as "an enjoyable afternoon climb". We left around 10:30 am and at 2pm were slowly digging our way up a ridge of wet mash potato snow.

 

36 hours later after enduring many firsts like first bivy, first time intentionally triggering slab aves with big rocks, first time belaying off ice tools that wouldn't hold shit, we stumbled back to the van and got the hell out of Canada.

[Buckaroo]

If you want to read about toughest climbs, it would be Doug Scott's descent/crawl off the Ogre with 2 broken ankles, or Simpsons "Touching the Void" or Diemberger's K2 "Endless Knot".

[scot'teryx]

Must have been the North Ridge of Mt Baker in a day with skis.

 

The descent was down the C/D so that was easy. Just a long 21 hours after starting at midnight. Good timing for the corn though.......

 

Edited December 27, 2006 by scot'teryx

[Roy]

Sonds lame but Mt. hood north side on Chistmas eve,mid 90's.

 

Bullit proof ice and a nasty decent down the dog route on the south side.

 

We were bombarded with hard ice slides left me bloddy and battered.

 

 

Never took that thing lightly again.

[Alpine_Tom]

The first climb I ever did was a one-day climb of Baker, the Colman Glacier route. The climb itself wasn't that difficult, but when we got to the summit, it began to dawn on my that we had just as far to go down.

I just hadn't thought about the descent, I'd been so focused on the summit. It was quite the, um, learning experience, with regard to mental preparation.

 

By the time we got to the trailhead, I was so tired, it honestly didn't feel any better to sit down. We stopped at a burger place on the way out (I don't think it was Buffalo Run) and I was just too tired to eat!

[Alpaholic]

I suppose this thread is a real invite for some major chest beating. I hope the following is mostly just comical:

 

Highlights:

 

7 hour bushwhack into NF Shuksan. Camp. Wake up to deteriorating weather and 12h bushwhack back. That was a real downer…Still want to get back on that one.

 

Went into kangaroo temple to do the southeast face (I think that was it…some 8 pitch route rated 5.8 A-something) and the Finger. Decided to do the southeast face first with a nice alpine start of 9am. Following some shenanigans we topped out as the sun was going down. 5 or 6 rappels into the unknown brought us to terra firma. Back to camp by 4:30am . Dropped climbing partners off at work at 8:30am. Big party at my house that night lasted till 12:30 and involved me trying to play guitar with a few guys I used to jam with back in the day.

 

This next one was kind of funny. I couldn’t sleep the night before the climb because I was worrying about how I was going to make my flight for my business trip the day after.

 

Southeast butt of Clyde Minaret (Sierra) 5.8 12ish pitches. Hike in and camp at base. Alpine start around 4am. Climb and back to car by 9:30pm. Dropped off friend in Bishop by 10:30ish. Back to condo in San Diego by 4am ish. Pack up a bunch of test equipment really fast and off to airport for 8:30am flight for a business trip to Montana. Stop first in Seattle to jump in an experimental aircraft to finally end up flying over eastern Montana for testing before checking into my hotel that evening…

 

U-notch to North Pal (3.5 days) and V-notch to Polemonium (2.5 days) in the palisades. Two of my favorites. Not too much in the way of stories but lots of effort, hiking and some seriously windy nights making sleep impossible. Well worth it though. This has become one of my favorite areas in the Sierra.