Solitude on Mount Stuart

After much exchanging of schedules, Christi and I made a plan to climb the North Ridge of Mount Stuart the last weekend in July. Christi packed the rope and fresh baked cookies and I brought the rack and tent.

The weather looked perfect, we packed light and put a camp at Ingalls Pass to give us a bivy spot and a little more sleep. We started at 4:30 and made good time till the hike below Goat Pass and wandered a bit in the talus field for a while.


The traverse across the Stuart Glacier was mellow and uneventful. A couple was a head of us but turned around leaving us on our own for the day!Glacial recession exposed some more rock below the gully , so we had some alpine spice before 8, avoiding
looseness. Christi took the first block from just below the notch and led us to the first hard move, where I took over for a pitch. Christi got her grove on as it was her second lead of the summer and led the second block to the Gendarme!







We climbed the first 2 pitches of the Gendarme, awesome, even the offwidth with many features outside for feet felt fun. We climbed around to the saddle for pitch 3 and arrived at the saddle where simul-climbing is not a great option. I tried to shorten the rope, but I ended up pitching it out for another 4 pitches and ended up 1 pitch below the summit. We finally encounter people, 6 climbers from the West Ridge, breaking our solitude for the the first time since we crossed the glacier, what a gift!





Sharing the route finding down the Cascadian, we headed down to beat the sunset, since it was just after 5. The descent was long, with a small snow field, many lost trails and headlamps on from Ingalls Creek to our tent. We made it back after 11, slept till 4 and drove home at 6.
Although our spouses were worried, we just a few hours behind schedule. With no cell phone reception till the end of the Teanaway River Road, apologies waited till after 7 AM. Still a classic day in the Alpine, Thanks Christi!

Linguini with Penitente

The allure of Mount Rainier for climbers and skiers is much like a moth to the flame. Hard to resist a big snow covered mountain, so Sally and I gave in and headed up the Emmons Glacier July 12-13. Sally and I share our East Coast roots, which helped create the trust needed to convince her that she should ski Rainier for her first glacier climb.... We headed up the Interglacier after trail damage and soft snow slowed us down but we made to camp by 6:30. Our welcoming committee to Emmons Flats included the all wise group leader asked us if we had read the forecast for high winds and if we were prepared to ski boiler plate snow. I thanked him for his wisdom, continued to set up camp and settled in to sleep by 9:30.

The wind decided to blow on Sunday so we delayed our start till 4:30. Like wine, best to wait till the snow is ready to ski, otherwise the crust tends to disturb a perfectly good descent. The track was in so we followed the yellow brick road and depoted the skis at 12,500' due to big, open crevasses and increasingly icy conditions.

The route traversed all the way across the Winthrop glacier which added a lot of extra travel which allowed the 40+ mile an hour winds to pummel us that much longer. Sally pondered the value of the summit versus the skiing. At almost 14,000' she decided that she was too close to the top and would suffer the rest of the way.





We topped out in swirling clouds, increasing winds and diminishing views. Five minutes later we headed down and arrived at our skis an hour later. The sun had come out and the winds mellowed enough to soften the snow. A pair of skiers had sideslipped the route for us so we were psyched to click in and make some turns!

Softening penitentes made the skiing challenging. We side slipped through some interesting crevasses but managed to whoop it up into camp. The best turns were on the Interglacier some 12+ hours after we started our day and Sally mentioned something about her legs were over it.


With noodle legs we cruised the last 2000' of perfect corn into Glacier Basin, passing several large parties on foot. The best turns finished at the creek so we unclicked and packed our skis down to the car for our well deserved cold beer!

MY NEW GEAR: 3 things I can't live without.

MY NEW GEAR: 3 things I can't live without.

This spring I cleaned out my basement and after disposing of many loads of junk, I felt the need to pat myself on the back and go shopping! I did have some specific needs, so research ensued and this is my wish list for the summer...

Rock Climbing-Petzl Corax Climbing Harness
The Cadillac Eldorado of harnesses is what my carcass needs to enjoy a day of hanging and this is it. With skier's legs I need adjustability but not too much bulk in the belt so I can actually bend over and see my feet once in a while. After 20 + days of climbing outside(really, we have a rain shadow in Washington, state secret!) I can say the Corax is saving my kidneys and allowing me to focus on climbing, not lack of circulation.


Ski Touring/Alpine Climbing-Grivel Alpine Pack
After months of physically examining dozens of packs, I caught an image on the internet of the new Grivel pack and I was hooked. Maybe it was the Italian accent, maybe because I had the previous generation of this pack and it lasted 700+ days of alpine climbing and skiing before it gave up keeping out water that I gave in to buying a new one. Thank the alpine gods Grivel figured out how to improve a great pack.

Key features that sold me:

• full length frontal zipper which opens from the top and bottom, perfect for ski touring(shovel, puffy jacket access) or climbing
• floating, removable top lid with over sized powder skirt for carrying extras into camp, then climbing with a stripped down pack for the ascent.
• Cordura material so your skis or ice tools will not shred the pack, maybe mountain lion will.

After several trips into the alpine with loads to a high camp, I am happy to report, I love the accent and the pack!


Travel-Outdoor Research Organizer
So I was looking for something to put some first aid supplies and toiletries in and I ordered the medium size kit. It arrived and immediately surpasses my expectations! Well designed compartments with differing zippers and mesh allow for great organization without feeling like you are dealing with nylon origami. Pen and card holders remind you that this is a travel organizer and can fly with you and your documents as well as your travel size toothpaste and deodorant.

You can find this harness and the products reviewed here at http://wwwfeatheredfriends.com. Well then thank you for your time, I hope you have a great summer and look forward to hearing from you!

Ski ya later,

Matt

Corn Skiing, Climbing or just relax: how to choose your activity in the heat of the summer

The thermometer is pushing 80, the trail head just melted out and it has not rained in 24 hours, it must be summer! In most alpine regions, just when the corn cycle peaks for great spring skiing, the will falters and the desire for shorts and lighter footwear tends to prevail. How to accommodate all activities in a day takes good time management, that is the key to enjoying the brief window where you can ski, climb, windsurf, mountain bike, hike or just relax and watch the world go by with a cold beverage in a single day.

At National Outdoor Leadership School, someone told me to do well in the outdoors you need the 7 P's; Perfect Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. With this mantra the day before, select the activities you want to do, where each leg will take place, then pack a separate bag for each leg, including the appropriate food and change of clothes. The phase of the planning will require timing each section to match the best conditions.

Skiing should be first, since you need an early start to ski quality corn and gain enough vertical to make it worth your while. The volcanoes in the Northwest offer up to 10,000 feet of skiing but you have to top out on your intended run before 10 AM to guarantee consistent 2-6 inches of easy cruising before it goes to deep slush and starts to slide down the mountain with or without you. Typically a 4-6 AM start will get allow you enough time to accomplish the ski leg of your day, setting you up for a noon return to your car and plenty of time for the next activities.

If you are like me and melt in direct sunlight ( a result of too many powder days), the next event should include some shade, so mountain biking or rock climbing are often good choices for this time slot. If water sports are your thing then it is another excellent activity to take advantage of the heat of the day.

As with real estate, location, location , location. By late afternoon, the temperature should come down so you can enjoy your last leg, on rock, on a bike or in a chaise lounge with your cold beverage which you rightly deserve! I wish you a fun and safe summer,
Matt