2012 Top 5

[kevino]

Hey John,

 

got pictures from #5?

 

Yes:

 

TR

 

Awesome. I must have missed that one since I was in canada land then. Glad I could help with setting the skin track. It was windy as all hell when we were up there above the lake, so no surprise my skin track was gone.

 

Side note, good chance I'll be living in Wenatchee later this year while doing my clinical rotations so hopefully we can get out then.

 

Also, you know an Adam than owns/runs a gym in Wenatchee? Met him up at Keith's hut in BC, cool guy.

[telemarker]

Hey John,

 

got pictures from #5?

 

Yes:

 

TR

 

Awesome. I must have missed that one since I was in canada land then. Glad I could help with setting the skin track. It was windy as all hell when we were up there above the lake, so no surprise my skin track was gone.

 

Side note, good chance I'll be living in Wenatchee later this year while doing my clinical rotations so hopefully we can get out then.

 

Also, you know an Adam than owns/runs a gym in Wenatchee? Met him up at Keith's hut in BC, cool guy.

 

Adam! Cool. Small world.

 

Hey, is your email still the same address (norditalia)? If so, I'll have you put on the Climbing Chatter email list for weekday and weekend climbing for the Wenatchee Valley corridor folks.

[bwwakaranai]

Pretty crazy year for me (outside of climbing life) so not super productive. I did manage squeak a few cool things in mostly at Iron Mt. Crag

1. "Tradical" after 14 trys finally got what is my hardest gear climb and hardest FA to date.

2. "Punked" after recieving some good rope burn and then changing the bolt line finished this lovely sport route

3."Bathtub Moment" an easier variant to Tradical but super fun

4. "Little Big Crack" A chimney you protect with green aliens,sweet!

5. "Slip Of The Tip" Umbrella Rock, finally got it after the 6th try.

 

Here's to getting off the ground a bit more in 2013!

 

[mountainsloth]

1. Epinephrine, Red Rocks

2. Mt Jofre, East Ridge, B.C.

3. Mt Thompson Solo

4. Going back home and finally climbing Cathedral Ledge in NH with my wife.

5. Banks lake various

[skykilo]

I never would have anticipated such a sweet year of climbing.

*Needles: Atlantis and Romantic Warrior with Ross

*Black Canyon: Astrodog with Layton

*Moab: a post-Thanksgiving four-day feast: Jah Man, Fine Jade, Three Penguins & Washer Woman

*Sandias: tough call between Wizard of Air and Voodoo Child on Torreon, both so good

*Squamish: sampling the Calling and Tantalus Wall with Wehrly

 

Good times, many thanks to all who shared them.

 

Edited January 7, 2013 by skykilo

[curtveld]

Looking back, it was another great mixed-bag year. I’ll give my top 5 awards to my partners:

 

1. Brandon – On a gorgeous Saturday in Febraury, he invited me to Erie, even though he already had a partner

2. Joe – For catching my whip off the Javelin, though I easily outweigh him by 70 lbs

3. JasonG – For master-minding an assault on Infinite Bliss - all I had to do was show up and lead the better-protected pitches.

4. Peter – After a 15-year hiatus, picking me up at the SLC Airport for a great first trip to the Winds.

5. Casey – Probably the most enthusiastic first-timer I’ve taken to 3 Oclock Rock

 

Equally deserving: MattP for epic belays at Spring, Tyson for finding the best swimming lake in the N. Cascades, and of course Andy, for another lifetime-achievement award. Hoping 2013 will offer more promiscuity!

[kevino]

In no particular order:

 

-living and skiing at alpental

-exploring new mountains for climbing and skiing outside of spokane

-keiths hut trip/skiing some awesome lines in the coast range

-starting PA school aka putting me back in my place

-skiing powder by moonlight

[TeleRoss]

Had an amazing year climbing for pretty much the first time in 4 years!

 

Needles: Atlantis and Romantic Warrior w/Sky

Needles: The Entity and Don Juan Wall w/Trish

Zion: Shune's Buttress w/Jason

Zion: Crazy epic on Mojo Risin' w/Trish and Jason

J-Tree: Taking my girlfriends 3 year old daughter out to the Tree and seeing her getting stoked on the rock!

[bwwakaranai]

Cheers Curt! lets get out to Darrington or elsewhere in 2013, we will make it happen

 

Looking back, it was another great mixed-bag year. I’ll give my top 5 awards to my partners:

 

1. Brandon – On a gorgeous Saturday in Febraury, he invited me to Erie, even though he already had a partner

2. Joe – For catching my whip off the Javelin, though I easily outweigh him by 70 lbs

3. JasonG – For master-minding an assault on Infinite Bliss - all I had to do was show up and lead the better-protected pitches.

4. Peter – After a 15-year hiatus, picking me up at the SLC Airport for a great first trip to the Winds.

5. Casey – Probably the most enthusiastic first-timer I’ve taken to 3 Oclock Rock

 

Equally deserving: MattP for epic belays at Spring, Tyson for finding the best swimming lake in the N. Cascades, and of course Andy, for another lifetime-achievement award. Hoping 2013 will offer more promiscuity!

[Bronco]

Thanks for limiting it to 5 for us less motivated guys -

 

1. Torment Forbidden Traverse;

2. Skiing the favorite secret day tour in the N. Cascades with some new partners;

3. Sunny summer days Cragging in Mazama with the Mrs.;

4. Ross Lake 3 day backpacking trip with the family and attack dog;

5. Another "exploration" on N. Peak of Index with no summit but found an easier route to the base. Was rear ended on the drive home in Monroe on HWY 2 totaling the F-150 but walked away uninjured.

 

[ivan]

the brush at the base of index n face is fuckign out of control!

[matt_warfield]

the brush at the base of index n face is fuckign out of control!

 

Rumor is its out of control elsewhere in WA.

 

I will add just one more: watching my 1 yr. old granddaughter climb onto the open door of the dishwasher and pull all the drawers out and check the contents when she can barely walk. On her way for sure...

Edited January 8, 2013 by matt_warfield

[Water]

yeah most of ya'll are heros on another level but my top 5 was good to me:

 

1. finally pulled trigger on a tour setup and skied adams sw chutes

2. finally summitted rainier (1 prev. attempt). emmons.

3. shuksan fisher chimneys, a route I first saw 3-4yr ago when I started climbing and was in awe of (was also first trip to n cascades)

4. backpacking kootenay rockwall trail and backway into mt. assiniboine with my wife

5. visiting first climbing partner at his 3 generation cattle ranch in central montana, trout fishing in his backyard, phenomenal landscapes by him

[matt_warfield]

Right now there are 35 registered guests and 56 lurkers. Many of them like to hear about the 99% who have common experiences and have just as much enjoyment as the "heros" whom we appreciate but are not. Keep posting.

 

Where exactly in Montana?

 

And remember, hero can mean an ultramarathon, a 25 mile hike with 5K vertical, a 20 pitch climb, a very tricky ski descent, a 100' redpoint at the edge of your ability, or kissing your spouse or children when they get up in the morning.

Edited January 8, 2013 by matt_warfield

[Water]

lewistown...property by/on the south moccasin mountains.. water access on big spring ck and on warm spring ck... beautiful smallmouth bass caught while tubing on the warm spring. browns and rainbows on the big spring. i was blown away by the life there, so different than what i knew growing up next to the Ottawa river in toledo ohio.. and seeing and doing just a bit of the work required for ranching, the complexity of it all was impressive to juxtapose with the simplicity of a lot of the tasks, hard to get further from a timecard/40hrs and a paycheck.

Edited January 8, 2013 by Water

[Smoots]

Highlights of my first year of climbing:

1. Mt. Baker, Squak Glacier (BOEALPS BCC graduation climb)

2. Mt. Rainier, Emmons-Winthrop (after 1st attempting the DC)

3. Mt. Cashmere, standard one day

4. Mt. Thomson, East ridge (I need to learn trad next!)

5. Enchantments loop in a day with bikes left at Stuart Lake TH to make a complete human powered loop.

 

All done with my brother, my favorite climbing partner.

[JayB]

Climbing was way down on the list this year but not totally absent. In no particular order.

 

1. Multiple powder days on big fat skis.

 

2. Moderate creeking in the Cascades: Ingalls, Peshastin, NF Teanaway, Rapid, Cooper, etc.

 

3. A couple of half-days of cragging at Squamish.

 

4. Fly-fishing infused week-long loop around the Olympic Pinensula in September.

 

5. The first round of triple-generation family trips to Whistler in the summer and the winter.

 

I'll add a sixth and toss in taking the bambino out for multiple snowy XC outings in the ski-adapted-stroller thingy:

 

 

[genepires]

in no particular order

-getting rope gunned up davis holland - luv arms, 2 times (thanks Rad, aka Rad and Matt)

-getting rope gunned up carlsberg column (with a strained Achilles) (Thanks Chris, aka cfire)

-doing a wa pass linkup (nw corner NEWS and W face NEWS) (thanks Chris)

-getting up E buttres SEWS (thanks Tyson)

-getting up total soul (thanks Dave Brannon, aka max)

sure there is more but the memory is weak. thanks to all my partners.

 

oh the life of a dad, the day trip schedules.

[ScaredSilly]

My year was not really all that productive so only a top three. But a top three that all included good friends, as climbing should be.

 

1. Mt Hood - Luthold Col. followed by Sandy Glacier Headwall the next day. Did it with a great partner who turned 65 this year.

 

2. Couple FA rock routes with one of my one of my closest friends.

 

3. A Beckey Route - the route is of no significance but my partner was, we had not climbed together for over 25 years!! It was great to share a rope again.

 

Though only climbing related, I should have added these but forgot as both were last Jan.

 

4. Hanging at my house with Fred Beckey and friends who did several of the FA with Fred that made it into his book.

 

5. Chatting with Reinhold Messner.

 

[Matt Lemke]

A great year for me!

1) Leading my first Alpine trad climb - North Ingalls South Ridge in October

 

2) Forbidden Peak West Ridge in September

 

3) Dome Peak/Spire Point in August

 

4) Whitetail Couloir on Whitetail Peak in the Montana Beartooth Mountains in July

 

5) Mount Rainier Emmons Route with great friends in July

[lunger]

2012 rocked—difficult to recall all the fun (“fun”?). this is a good way to cement the failing memory.

In no particular order; well ok in reverse chronological order:

 

+ Family visit to hometown Hamilton MT wherein also got to climb in Blodgett canyon w/ my works-too-much brother

+ From Sky’s list above: Squamish sampling the Calling and Tantalus Wall (that, or our NM ramblings, hard to choose)

+ Canadian Rockies trip with Pete and Ryan, chasing weather windows

+ Northwest Face of Black Peak climb and ski w/ Dan H. -- one of the steepest commitmentest sickliest

+ “Area closed” with Rolf -- first experience with steep mixed -- think I’d be irreversibly hooked if not for the excellent skiing we have around here. Or maybe our route on W. Black Peak later in the year…

 

Also lotsa good runs w/ my lady, a solo ski descent in the Olympics, and climbs/skis/times with Casey, Pete, Ryan, other Erics and sundry others--thanks all for enduring my company--looking forward to the next year w/ youse.

 

[Whatcomboy]

Good times in the mountains for sure.

 

1 Grand Teton, Exum Ridge with Norman and Vlato.

2 Baker, Coleman/Deming C2C with my daughter telling me hurry up.

3 SEWS

4 North Twin Sister W. ridge with my girl again on sweet Oct day.

5 Mt. Baker Hill Climb, Ride 542 bike race to Artist Point.

 

 

 

 

[Bronco]

 

Hey, I recognize her, she's the spotter from UW rock!

[powderhound]

A great year for me!

1) Leading my first Alpine trad climb - North Ingalls South Ridge in October

 

2) Forbidden Peak West Ridge in September

 

3) Dome Peak/Spire Point in August

 

4) Whitetail Couloir on Whitetail Peak in the Montana Beartooth Mountains in July

 

5) Mount Rainier Emmons Route with great friends in July

 

You rope up for whitetail? Rock creek is an awesome place. and the alpine rock climbing there is sweet cause all the descents are walk offs down whitetail pass

[Matt Lemke]

We did simul-climb the final 500 feet of the couloir with a 30m rope and 3 pickets. It was certainly 50 degrees and not in the best condition for arresting in the event of a fall. Had the snoe been in better condition (say like in June) we probably would have just soloed it up.

 

And I agree...Rock Creek area is fantastic! Going back this June for the NE couloir on Castle! It's Sundance Pass BTW

Edited January 9, 2013 by Matt Lemke