J-Alpha Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) I'm new to mountaineering and this this forum. I've always been an avid hiker and outdoorsman and recently caught the mountaineering bug after successfully summiting Mt. Washington a few weeks ago. Since then I've been actively researching what my next climb will be and I'd like to hear your opinions on what mountains in the US are the best climbs. My group and I have been talking about Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier. How do these climbs compare to Mt. Washington and in regards to difficulty how would you rank them? Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Edited January 3, 2011 by J-Alpha Quote
olyclimber Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 Obligatory recommendation to pick up a copy of "Freedom of the Hills"! Have fun! Quote
selkirk Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 Most of the Volcano's out here are long up hill glacier slogs for most, though there are certainly more technical routes available. Typical elevation gains from trailhead to summit for one of the volcanoes out here is 8k to 10k ft. Hood, Baker, and Rainer all have crevasse fields to contend with so you should know crevasse rescue techniques before you head up. Adams and Shasta both have non-technical routes (i.e. long snowfields but no crevasses). Regardless be sure you're familiar with crampons and steepish snow travel (say up to 30 or 40 deg?) That said, there are a crap load of good climbs out here that will fit just about any agenda and or combination of short / long, technical / non-technical. You might not limit yourself to just the volcanoes. Some of the more remote peaks are just as cool with just as impressive views and a whole lot fewer people. Have fun! Quote
Choada_Boy Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) Which Mount Washington? Back East? I'd keep at it in the White's while you're over there. Any of the Presidents are good for building the endurance required for larger peaks out here, The Presidential Traverse would be a good test for multi-day preparedness. The weather in the White's is more severe and unpredictable compared to out here I've found, while back-country and off trail navigational skills are more important out here IMHO. Summits are further from the road over rougher country. Mount Baker gives the most bang for your buck for an "intro" volcano climb, good views, rugged and interesting (North Side) on the easy routes, hard routes as well, without the commitment and altitude of Rainier. Edited January 4, 2011 by Choada_Boy Quote
KirkW Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 I think you meant to post this question over Here Nice work on your climb! It looks like your "group" might be interested in what this company has to offer. Good luck, be safe and have fun! Quote
JayB Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 Ditto on the suggestion to emphasize familiarizing yourself with the skills involved in glacier-travel/crevasse-rescue. Good book on the topic here: http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Glacier-Travel-Crevasse-Rescue/dp/1893682064 The only other thing I'd emphasize is the importance of respecting the weather when and if you make it out for a round of volcano climbing. If you're coming from out of state, particularly before the second-week of July or thereabouts*, be prepared to seek out alternate objectives if the forecast is unfavorable. The weather on Mt. Washington is no joke, but IMO you're a lot farther from home on a 10,000 foot-plus Volcano if the weather turns foul. Morever - the storms can and do last for many days, and even if you've got the gear and the skill to ride them out, there are much better ways to spend precious vacation days IMO. There's been more than a few accidents and tragedies that have resulted from folks that have flown in intent on bagging a PNW volcano without due regard for the weather. *We typically get a fairly stable high-pressure pattern started in or around the second week of July, which often makes for much more predictable weather for climbing - but most of the crevasses are wide open by that point and some popular routes are pretty well out of condition by that point, which is why quite a bit of climbing gets done before then. Quote
JayB Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 Also - the gullies on Huntington's Ravine are a great resource for developing steep-snow/moderate-ice skills that you can put to use in much larger settings. Should be more than enough to keep you engaged there for a fair amount of time if you have to delay your plans to head out west to larger peaks. Also - check out Mt. Shasta/Adams as possible targets before you get started on some of the other peaks. Quote
J-Alpha Posted January 4, 2011 Author Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) Hey, just cause were jacked and tan doesn't mean we're gay, we're just from New Jersey. Any recommendations for a guide or climb school for Shasta? Edited January 4, 2011 by J-Alpha Quote
JayB Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 None for Shasta, but IIRC the AAI has some pretty comprehensive multi-day seminars on Mt. Baker that typically include a summit attempt. http://www.aai.cc/ Quote
KirkW Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 jacked and tan doesn't mean we're gay, we're just from New Jersey In that case maybe you should ask (NWS btw)this guy . He seems to be into taking his cloths off in the mountains too. Happy climbing! Quote
chirp Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 I think you meant to post this question over Here Nice work on your climb! It looks like your "group" might be interested in what this company has to offer. Good luck, be safe and have fun! Not sure if you are trying to be funny KirkW, but really your assumptions and comments seem really inappropriate, rude, and pointless to the question posted in the thread. This is not spray. Quote
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