New Routes in the Pacific Northwest (nwmj.org)

[Lowell_Skoog]

 

New Routes in the Pacific Northwest (from NWMJ.org)

 

Readers of the Northwest Mountaineering Journal (NWMJ) may know that the journal has been without a lead editor since I stepped down in Autumn 2010 after the 7th issue was published. I'm too busy right now to lead the effort. Several volunteers have continued work on the journal, but progress has been slow. Since I'm not leading the effort anymore, I can't say when the next issue will appear.

 

For several years, the NWMJ editorial team has used a private wiki to collect information for the journal. Editorial team members browse on-line forums looking for new routes to add to the wiki.

 

Since we don't know when the next issue will appear, I've decided to make the editorial team's work more accessible now. I've added a page to the NWMJ website that I call the NWMJ New Route Inbox. Here is the direct link:

 

http://www.mountaineers.org/nwmj/inbox.html

 

This page is accessible from the top-level NWMJ web page. It is also available from the NWMJ Index of Short Reports.

 

The inbox contains every new route (that I know of) since NWMJ Issue 7 was published that may be suitable for the next NWMJ issue. The list has not been fully vetted by the NWMJ editors. Some routes might not be new or might not be within the NWMJ scope. Currently there are 95 prospective routes listed. We will continue to update this page as new routes are uncovered.

 

Publishing the NWMJ Inbox makes this historical information easy to find in one place and provides a way to get the facts right. The inbox contains just the critical information: date, route, party members, trip report link(s), and miscellaneous notes. If you have comments, additions or corrections to the list, please let me know. An email contact link is included on the NWMJ inbox page.

 

[Sol]

Thx for making that link public Lowell and team. Very cool stuff.

 

I climbed 3 new routes with various partners last summer that I havent publicized, I'll try and get on it and post up soon.

 

Thx for the FA Stoke and your great work as lead editor of the NWMJ over the years! I wish I had the freetime to step up to that role but I just don't. Who's psyched?

[Lowell_Skoog]

This is the time of year when I review notes collected during the past 12 months and update the chronologies on my ski history website:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/

 

I'm also continuing to update the NWMJ new route "inbox" on the following page:

 

http://www.mountaineers.org/nwmj/inbox.html

 

The NWMJ inbox now has 133 candidate routes awaiting publication in a future issue of NWMJ. The routes have not been fully vetted by NWMJ editors, so the list may change eventually.

 

Hopefully we'll find a way to publish short reports of these routes in NWMJ when someone has more time to devote to it. For now, the raw list is a handy reference.

 

If you know of unreported routes that are missing from the list, or adventures that pre-date the listed routes, feel free to drop me a line (lowell.skoog@alpenglow.org) or post something here.

 

Thanks!

[JensHolsten]

Thank you Lowell!

[Eric T]

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=836613

 

Great work Lowell, this a cool resource and really needed to be done. I'm always trying to figure out who's climbed what.

Should the above trip report be included in the list?

Thanks,

Eric

[Sol]

As previously mentioned.. some FA's to add to this list, perhaps this will be motivation for me to get the blog going again:

 

The Honey Badger, Colchuck Balanced Rock, 5.10+ C2+ with Jimbo Shokes and Kurt Hicks

 

Gorillas Direct, Mt Stuart - West Face Wall, 5.11- with Jens Holsten and Mark Westman

 

Captain Kangaroo, Kangaroo Tower - 5.10+ with Blake Herrington and Scott Bennett

 

Previously mentioned on TAY and already on the list:

Mimir's Price, The Witches Tit (Witches Tower), 5.10+ C1 with Ryan Daudistel

[Lowell_Skoog]

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=836613

 

Great work Lowell, this a cool resource and really needed to be done. I'm always trying to figure out who's climbed what.

Should the above trip report be included in the list?

Thanks,

Eric

 

Hi Eric,

 

That route has been documented in a full feature article in the 2009 NWMJ:

 

http://www.mountaineers.org/nwmj/09/091_Lemolo.html

 

Most of the routes in the inbox were done after 2010, when the last NWMJ was published.

 

 

[Lowell_Skoog]

As previously mentioned.. some FA's to add to this list, perhaps this will be motivation for me to get the blog going again...

 

Sounds good, Sol.

 

If you do write something, it would be great if you could also post something (a pointer at least) on CC.com.

 

I'm able to browse CC.com and TAY.com looking for news, but it's not practical for me to follow individual blogs (or even know where to look).

 

[Sol]

Will do.

 

If I wasn't heavily invested in other non-profit work I would be psyched to work on the NWMJ. Somebody('s) should step up!!

 

Thanks Lowell and all the others who have crafted these exceptional Journals in the past!

[Lowell_Skoog]

This is the time of year when I review notes I've collected during the past 12 months and update the chronologies on my ski history website:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/

 

I'm also continuing to update the Northwest Mountaineering Journal new route "inbox" on the following page:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/nwmj/inbox.html

 

The NWMJ inbox now has 156 candidate routes awaiting publication in a future issue of the journal. The routes have not been fully vetted by editors, so the list may change eventually.

 

Hopefully we'll find a way to publish short reports of these routes in NWMJ when someone has more time to devote to it. For now, the raw list is a handy reference.

 

Most of the new routes I've posted were completed in 2014. But a few earlier routes have come to light. These include:

 

1999, Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Thumb ski descent

1999, Mt Garfield, West Peak, Preiss route

2004, Bears Breast Mtn, SE mega-slab

2011, Colchuck Balanced Rock, "Honey Badger"

2011, Mt Stuart, "Gorillas Direct"

2011, Kangaroo Tower, "Captain Kangaroo"

2013, Argonaut Peak, NW Buttress (FWA)

 

If you find errors or know of unreported routes that are missing from the list, feel free to drop me a line (lowell.skoog@alpenglow.org) or post something here.

 

Thanks!

[montypiton]

I've been lazy about reporting seasonal mixed lines that don't come in every year, but two of the more dependable I've done are:

 

Dragontail: "String Theory" - a very narrow string of ice/mixed to the right of Gerber/Sink, joins G/S about ball-bearing ampitheater; ice to WI5 (fragile!), and moderate classic mixed. April of 1998; Haireball & Travis Hammond

 

Mt Stuart: "Mixed Blessing Right" - a modest mixed line, the rightmost of three ice threads located between Stuart Glacier Couloir and the NW Buttress, joins W Ridge west of SGC; ice to WI3+,and easy classic mixed; Memorial Day 2009; Haireball & Bill Dobbins (we use the name "Mixed Blessings" to refer to all three lines, although this one is the only one I'm certain of having been climbed...)

 

whether these really qualify as "routes" or not is, to me, questionable. they're not there every year, and in the years when they do come in, they only exist for a few weeks -- but they seem worth reporting just to get the word out about the opportunities for classic mixed alpine adventure climbing in the Stuart Range April-June.

-Haireball

[Lowell_Skoog]

 

This is the time of year when I review notes I've collected during the past 12 months and update the chronologies on my ski history website:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/

 

I'm also continuing to update the Northwest Mountaineering Journal new route "inbox" on the following page:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/nwmj/inbox.html

 

The NWMJ inbox now has 182 candidate routes awaiting publication in a future issue of the journal. The routes have not been fully vetted by editors, so the list may change eventually.

 

Hopefully we'll find a way to publish short reports of these routes in NWMJ when someone has more time to devote to it. For now, the raw list is a handy reference.

 

Most of the new routes I've posted were completed in 2015. But a few earlier routes have come to light. These include:

 

1998, Dragontail Peak, "String Theory," new route

2005, Little Tahoma, Lower NE Face, ski descent

2009, Mt Stuart, "Mixed Blessings, Right," new route

2009, Red Mountain, West ("Painted") Couloir, ski descent

2011, Black Buttes, Thunder Glacier Headwall (Pt 8704ft), ski descent

2012, Rocky Peak (Olympics), SE Face ("The Dragon's Tooth"), ski descent

2013, Sherman Peak, Talum Glacier, ski descent

 

If you find errors or know of unreported routes that are missing from the list, feel free to drop me a line (lowell.skoog@alpenglow.org) or post something here.

 

Thanks!

 

[DPS]

The NE Couloir/upper snow field on Argonaut that Daniel Helmstadter skied in 2009 was skied by Ryan Laurie in February 2004 or 2005.

[Lowell_Skoog]

The NE Couloir/upper snow field on Argonaut that Daniel Helmstadter skied in 2009 was skied by Ryan Laurie in February 2004 or 2005.

 

Thanks Dan. I went back to my records, and I've already accounted for Ryan Lurie's 2006 descent. You can find it on this page of my ski-history website:

 

http://alpenglow.org/ski-history/chronology/snoqualmie.html

 

The page refers to Ryan's short report in the 2006 NWMJ:

 

http://alpenglow.org/nwmj/06/061_Shorts4.html#r4

 

As you can see, Ryan's descent included a rappel and two down-climbs. After Dan Helmstadter made a continuous ski descent in 2010, I decided to document it as well. You can also find it in my ski-history chronology.

 

I just now added a note to the NWMJ inbox mentioning the continuous nature of Helmstadter's descent. Hopefully that will clarify things a bit.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that the NWMJ inbox contains only routes that I've learned about since the NWMJ ceased publication. It appears that the 2010 ski descent of Argonaut occurred just after we stopped compiling new reports for NWMJ #7, which was the last one published.

[Lowell_Skoog]

 

This is the time of year when I review notes I've collected during the past 12 months and update the chronologies on my ski history website:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/

 

I'm also continuing to update the Northwest Mountaineering Journal new route "inbox" on the following page:

 

http://www.alpenglow.org/nwmj/inbox.html

 

The NWMJ inbox now has 204 candidate routes awaiting publication in a future issue of the journal. The routes have not been fully vetted by editors, so the list may change eventually.

 

Hopefully we'll find a way to publish short reports of these routes in NWMJ when someone has more time to devote to it. For now, the raw list is a handy reference.

 

Most of the new routes I've posted were completed in 2016. But a few earlier routes have come to light. These include:

 

2006, "Black Widow" (Peak 7440+ east of Spider Mtn), First ascent

2014, Kitling Peak, North Face ski descent

 

If you find errors or know of unreported routes that are missing from the list, feel free to drop me a line (lowell.skoog@alpenglow.org) or post something here.

 

Thanks!

 

[JasonG]

Thanks Lowell!

 

This is a great service to the climbing community. We're fortunate to have your eye for detail and history keeping tabs on these ascents.

[wayne]

Thanks Lowell for keeping this alive!

I am not sure it is up to the standards, but the late Laurel Fan and I did a 2-3 pitch mixed route on Bryant Buttress are above Source lake last year" "The Circumvention" , she called it., I tried to repeat it but it wasnt "in" last month.

[Wallstein]

I never got around to writing a trip report on Cascade Climbers for my new route, Slave to Liberty, on Liberty Bell from this past summer. It takes a line just to the right of Liberty Crack and to the left of Thin Red Line. It goes at 5.13- with 7 of the pitches being new and 1 pitch being an FFA. I did put the route on Mountain Project though. Info can be found here; Slave to Liberty

[Lowell_Skoog]

Thanks Wayne and Mikey for this information.

 

I've added "Slave to Liberty" to the inbox.

 

Regarding "The Circumvention," I'm less inclined to add this because of the guideline we used for climbing routes in NWMJ. We called it The Beckey Rule.

 

The basic thinking was, "Would Fred include this route in his Cascade Alpine Guide?" If so, we'd run it in NWMJ. If not, we wouldn't.

 

It appears that "The Circumvention" is an ice route that goes partway up Bryant Buttress but isn't a complete route on the peak. Seems like it's not the sort of thing that Fred would put in his books. More like something that would appear in a guidebook specific to winter ice climbs. I'm open to your thoughts on this.

 

[mattp]

Thank you, Lowell, for maintaining this effort.

 

I tried a link you had for reporting new routes early in this thread and it didn't work out for me - so you may need to update it.

 

Meanwhile, I think I can safely say that all of us northwest climbers thank you for what you do. Really.

 

[wayne]

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1153419/TR_Mt_Hood_The_Pencil_FA_1_30_#Post1153419

 

they are doing some fun things on Hood these days

[Lowell_Skoog]

This is the time of year when I review notes I've collected during the past 12 months and update the chronologies on my ski history website:

http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/

I'm also continuing to update the Northwest Mountaineering Journal new route "inbox" on the following page:

http://www.alpenglow.org/nwmj/inbox.html

The NWMJ inbox now has 236 candidate routes awaiting publication in a future issue of the journal. The routes have not been fully vetted by editors, so the list may change eventually.

Most of the new routes I've posted were completed in 2017. But a few earlier routes have come to light. These include:

2016, Supercave (aka M&M) Wall, "Golden Age"

2016, Supercave (aka M&M) Wall, "Maple Glazed"

If you find errors or know of unreported routes that are missing from the list, feel free to drop me a line (lowell.skoog@alpenglow.org) or post something here.

Thanks!

Edited January 6, 2018 by Lowell_Skoog

[Lowell_Skoog]

This is the time of year when I review notes I've collected during the past 12 months and update the chronologies on my ski history website:

http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/

I'm also continuing to update the Northwest Mountaineering Journal new route "inbox" on the following page:

http://www.alpenglow.org/nwmj/inbox.html

The NWMJ inbox now has 244 candidate routes awaiting publication in a future issue of the journal. The routes have not been fully vetted by editors, so the list may change eventually.

Most of the new routes I've posted were completed in 2018. But a previously unreported ski traverse from the Canadian border to near Lake Wenatchee was completed by Peter Dale and Aaron Mainer in April-May 2016.

If you find errors or know of unreported routes that are missing from the list, feel free to drop me a line (lowell.skoog@alpenglow.org) or post something here.

Thanks!

[olyclimber]

Thank you Lowell!

[JasonG]

Those images of Carl's are fantastic!  Love looking through them....  http://www.alpenglow.org/carl-skoog/gallery/index.html

While it isn't technical (a scramble really), is something like Jacob's Ladder on Mount Prophet of interest @Lowell_Skoog?