The Indespensibles

We all have them. They are the luxury items that you absolutely must have on every trip.

They are the indispensables.

In climbing, we always worry about weight. Every single item that we carry costs us energy, so every single item that we carry should be valuable to us.

I have a few items that are absolutely and utterly indispensable for longer trips. These aren't always the lightest items, but for me, they are completely indispensable. I always take the proceeding items:

1. a book
2. a jetboil and lots of tea
   
3. a pee bottle
4. down booties or flip flops
5. good chocolate

I am terrified of tent time. I am terrified of knowing how many stitches are in my tent because I don't have anything but counting them to occupy my time. And as you know, sometimes the weather causes us to be trapped in a tent for anything from a few hours to a few days. As a result there are two items that I will always have with me. First, a book and second, a jetboil with lots of tea.

Books can be heavy, but they are literally worth their weight in gold when there is a storm. If you are in the middle of a novel, don't be afraid to cut a book in half in order to avoid carrying some of the weight. I often slice books in half and then put duct tape on the remaining spine to ensure that it doesn't fall apart.

I bring a jetboil with lots of tea because a jetboil can easily be used in a tent's vestibule. When I'm sitting in my tent for hours on end, drinking tea not only keeps me warm, but helps to keep me hydrated and occupied. And it tastes good too...

At the ripe old age of 36, I've become lazy. I do not want to get out of my tent at the middle of the night to use the bathroom...indeed, I don't want to get out of my sleeping bag. As such, I carry a pee bottle on most of my mountaineering trips. Men have it a little bit easier with pee bottles than women do. If men get really good at using them, they don't have to get out of their sleeping bags. Women usually require a pee funnel (something that most female guides consider an indispensable). The reality is, that I find a pee bottle so indispensable to my happiness on trips, that I would use one at home if my wife would let me. She doesn't...and has threatened divorce if I even think of trying to use a pee bottle in bed.

Early in the season I like to bring down booties. These provide a great way to get out of your boots when it's snowy. Later in the season, when I can camp on dry dirt, I like to bring a pair of flip flops for the same reason. These items provide my boots the opportunity to dry and my feet the opportunity to breathe.

And lastly, I find good chocolate to be indispensable in the mountains. Why? For two reasons. First, it tastes really good and I have a sweet tooth. And second, eating fat before going to bed can help you keep warm at night. When your metabolism is at work breaking down fatty foods, it warms your body in the same manner as light exercise. It's hard to sleep whil excercising, but not so hard when you're just digesting.

While I consider each of these items to be indispensable on multi-day mountaineering trips, I consider all of them to be completely dispensible on short, fast and light alpine climbing trips. On such trips, I carry as little as possible. And when I say as little as possible, I mean as little as possible. This may mean leaving everything from the toothbrush to the sleeping bag behind.

Everybody has luxuries that they consider to be indispensible. The goal in creating a list of indispensible items is to really think about things that you absolutely must have in order to be comfortable. And your indispensable list should be very very short...

--Jason D. Martin

April and May Climbing Events

--April 2 -- Seattle, WA -- Climb for Life

Climb for Life is a fundraising event for HERA Women's Cancer Foundation, a national nonprofit that aims to empower women, researchers, and local communities in the fight against ovarian canter. While Climb for Life events are designed to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and raise funds for finding a cure, they are also a great introduction to the sport of climbing, and its physical and mental benefits. Climb for Life and other HERA events are held throughout the country year-round. For more information about HERA please click here.

--April 3 -- Lincoln, RI -- Collegiate Climbing Series - Rhode Island

USA Climbing began the inaugural season of the Collegiate Climbing Series in January 2009. The first Collegiate Climbing Series is held in six regions across the nation with 30 competitions. Competitors in the series must be currently enrolled in an accredited academic institution.

Each Series will include individual and team competition. USA Climbing compiles and tracks both the individual and team results on their website. Each series will consist of four local regular season events and a regional championship. Individual awards will be given out at each local event. At the culmination of the Regional Championship, a team champion will be announced as well as the individual series champions. Registration is open on the USA Climbing website. The Schedule of events can also be found there.

For more information on the CCS, go to www.usaclimbing.org.

--April 4 -- Marquette, MI -- Norther Michigan University's Annual Superior Climbing Competition

--April 9 -- Seattle, WA -- Skip Yowell Slideshow and Booksigning

--April 10 -- Seattle, WA -- FONWAC Snoball Dinner

The Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center is ramping up for the inaugural Snowball Dinner and Auction, an end-of-season celebration to support NWAC. Join the party on Fri, April 10 for some good food, great auction items, shared stories and maybe a prayer for more snow in 2010! NWAC is facing a potential budget shortfall of over $100,000 next year. Come out and show your support for a service we all rely on to plan trips and stay safe in the mountains. More info and tickets click here. Buy them now...tickets will not be available at the door.

News to you? Sign up for periodic updates from the Friends of NWAC and get in the loop about avalanche awareness in the Northwest.

--April 17 -- Bellingham, WA -- Mount Baker Ariel Photography

--April 18-19 -- Shenendoah National Park. VA -- Shenendoah Rockfest

--April 18 -- Bishop, CA -- Buttermilks Clean-Up and Slideshow

--April 19 -- Duluth, MN -- Concrete Smorgasbord

--April 20 -- Seattle, WA -- Ken Burns National Park Film

--April 24 -- Rohnert Park, CA -- SSU CCS USA Climbing Comp

--April 25 -- Boston, MA -- Collegiate Climbing Series Regionals

--May 3 -- Lincoln, RI -- USAC Onsight Competition

--May 7-May 10 -- Carbondale, CO -- Five Point Film Festival

The 5Point Film Festival is on a mission to inspire adventure of all kinds, to connect generations through shared experience and respect, to engage passion with a conscience, and to educate through film.

On the edge between desire and fear, between the known and unknown, is a place deep inside us all where the spirit is transformed — pushed beyond its limit by our deliberate commitment to usher in something new and original. In this soulful place we are catalyzed to learn, expand and engender newfound understanding to inspire others on their journeys. It is this spirit, this thirst for adventure that the 5Point Film Festival celebrates and shares with the community and filmmakers that gather for its annual Festival in Carbondale.

The 5Point Film Festival is on a mission to inspire adventure of all kinds, to connect generations through shared experience and respect, to engage passion with a conscience, and to educate through film.

The 5Point Film Festival inspires us to explore wild places and to return with a renewed vigor to protect our natural world. Proceeds from the 5Point Film Festival, a 501(c)3 non-profit, benefit 1% for the Planet, Carbondale Environmental Board and other non-profits throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.

--May 9 -- Seattle, WA -- Skip Yowell - Founder of Jansport

Dance Monkey Dance

The following article written by AAI Guide, Andrew Wexler, was first published in Highline Magazine.

_______________________________________________________

Nineteen ninety nine was not a particularly unusual year for Ecuador. The President was about to be thrown out of office, the country was defaulting on international loans, indigenous groups were rioting in the streets and the value of the local currency was falling faster than a 10- pound Loonie. As a first year guide with the Spanish verbal skills of a rock, the situation was not quite ideal for my South American debut.

“Mountains are mountains; it’ll be fine,” I reassured myself. Of course, I was wrong. What I learned quickly enough was that in South America, guiding the peaks was the simple part. Logistics, health and the reality of political and social chaos would end up presenting much greater challenges to a northern guide and his innocent flock.

What skill-set best serves a guide when working in an environment as reactive as Chernobyl and as unpredictable as a harridan? How does one operate effectively in places where roadblocks pop-up like ground squirrels, where baggage disappears faster than a pickpocket, where every morsel of food is a potential time bomb, and where the answer to every question is: yes? Obviously, guiding clients to the summit of a 6,000-metre peak requires basic skills: glacier travel, crevasse rescue, short-roping, ice climbing, hazard assessment and good route selection are all part of the job. But a skill-set will only get you so far in South America. What The Freedom of the Hills fails to mention, and what every guide new to the region soon learns, is of course, how to dance.

The Dance begins when the organized planner, the well intentioned if naïve guide, meets the indifference of a continent that seems committed to a state of perpetual chaos. The Dance involves a curious, if not baffling, mixture of improvisation, madness and demonic possession. It’s what a guide does when a roadblock pops up on the way to an intended mountain, and there are 10 clients looking at you with an expression of, “Okay, now what genius?” Where the only appropriate response is to mirror yourself on the chaos that you wish didn’t exist. The Dance happens when it’s midnight at high camp, and you find yourself lying in the snow, curled in the fetal position, purging violently from both ends, and a client asks if you’re going to be ready for the summit in 20 minutes? “Aww, this is nothing, just a little uncooked meat in the system,” you say as you drift in and out of consciousness, determined to lead the group to the heights. And if it isn’t already clear, dancing like a monkey is the only response when the airline loses your bags, the hotel loses your reservation, the bank has no change, and the ATM machine eats your card all within the space of a few hours.

If I had to bet on one time and one place being particularly challenging, I would put my Bolivianos on Bolivia’s Festival de San Juan. This local celebration occurs in late June and like any noteworthy party, the shindig involves back-to-back days with a surfeit of fire and alcohol. Traditionally, the fires are lit outside, in the hills, in order to keep evil spirits away on the coldest day of the year. But in 2006, the rules of the game were suddenly changed. In that fateful year, the staff at the hotel we were staying at decided it would be prudent to light a massive bonfire in the hotel basement. I have no idea how many evil spirits fled the establishment, but I do know that every hotel guest was successfully smoked out of the building. “Andrew, what the hell is this?” I was asked by more than one client as we huddled together in the street, fighting to stay warm. “What kind of a staff lights a fire in the basement of an occupied hotel? Why the hell are we staying here?” The Dance happens here, at the moment when the guide is confronted with the impossibility of translating the chaos into a coherent narrative.

There is no single word in the Spanish language that will get a guide’s attention faster than "Bloqueo," (roadblock). The mere thought of this word is enough to make a guide's back hair stand on end, for it embodies all that is out of the guide's control. Steep snow, hard ice, challenging clients; all these can be dealt with safely. But the Bolivian Bloqueo is a stubborn situation that often refuses to be tamed. So when our private bus rolled to a slow stop on the outskirts of La Paz one day, and our driver sent his son outside to scout, I didn't know what to think. When the scout returned moments later and climbed aboard, shaking his head and muttering "bloqueo, bloqueo...." I cleaned out my ears and asked him to repeat himself. "Roadblock," he said, "the bus drivers from Coroico are striking...." At this moment, faced with only one choice, I stepped off the bus, put on my dancing shoes, and began to move to the beat of an imaginary tribal drum. In this lucid and flexible state, I spent the next hour gathering intelligence from various sources: the local ice-cream boy, the llama man, the soda lady, the chicken kid and other drivers, before formulating an ad hoc plan. Once it was determined that we could not A) ram our bus through the road block or B) take a side road around the obstacle, we decided on option C. Carrying nothing but our day packs and flanked by our local staff, we walked stealthily through the angry mob, around the roadblock, and hailed a cab once on the other side. Of course, that cab ended up breaking down but the next one we caught managed to work out.

You’ve got to be in the right frame of mind for South America. If you’re hell bent on promptness and organization, you’re probably better off going to Switzerland or Germany where you can spend your Sundays marching around the local parks. The Southern Continent has a unique ability to ratchet human folly up to the highest level, and the only surprising thing is that the Locals never seemed miffed. Don’t expect to manage the chaos. The best you can hope for is to ride it with grace. If you try to mould it or make it bend to your wishes, you will fail. Relax, enjoy the ride, and come ready to dance.

--Andrew Wexler

Weekend Warrior -- Videos to get you stoked!

Ahhh, the time is upon us again.  The time of week when we, the Weekend Warriors, can shed our work clothes in exchange for the respective gear of our favorite outdoor endeavors.  Since March is coming to a close and Spring has officially begun, at least according to the calendar, I wanted to feature some great Northwest traverses in hopes of getting everyone stoked for the coming Spring and Summer climbing season!  Whoohoo sunshine!

The first video features a traverse of the Northern Pickets of the Cascades.  This documents a trip up to Challenger then around the Luna Cirque.  If you're looking to escape the crowds this summer this is the place to head.  Enjoy!

The second video is the famous Ptarmigan Traverse.  This has been on my tick-list for quite some time and this video reaffirms why I want to do it so badly.  Beautiful scenery, lots of peak bagging opportunities, incredible vistas, wildlife sightings, the list goes on and on....

Red Rock Rendezvous 2009

This was my first year joining all the AAIers at Rendezvous, and I didn’t know quite what to expect other than some hopefully sunny weather and a chance to see all our guides in one spot (a rare occasion given that they are guides!). But what I found out is that I can't wait to get back there next spring. Red Rock Rendezvous (RRR) is a huge 3-day climbing festival put together by Mountain Gear with the support of a bunch of sponsors – including the American Alpine Institute. AAI’s responsibility during the event is to plan for and provide guides for all the clinics that are run for the festival participants.

All the AAI Guides

AAI guides and athletes on stage for the opening ceremonies

On the first day of the festival, Friday, all the attending climbers are in clinics focused on teaching basic climbing skills – learning climbing commands, rappelling, the use of different gear, knot tying, belaying, hand and feet placement and general climbing techniques. One of the reasons RRR is so amazing is this first day. There are not many events in the world that teach people who have never stepped into a harness how to climb on their own.

Festival participants enjoy a water break during Friday's clinic with Andy Bourne

Viren, an AAI guide, relaxing in the sun on the Friday clinic

On the second and third days, Saturday and Sunday, the clinics ranged from rock rescue to crack climbing to slacklining to wilderness first aid. The majority of the clinics were run by AAI guides and professional athletes such as Sonnie Trotter, Micah Dash, and Katie Brown. Many of the clinics took place on the festival grounds (especially as the weather turned to rain on Sunday), but most were out in the Red Rock canyons. The canyons are breathtaking this time of year - everything is green and vibrant, there is water in the creeks, and wildlife (birds, rabbits, burros) to be seen.

Participants in a course on wilderness navigation - note the mild confusion on everyone's faces as they learn to use a compass to navigate the wilds of the RRR festival grounds . . .

A burro - I can't tell you how excited I was to see this little guy!

A few rain clouds approach on Sunday

It is a great opportunity for everyone involved – the festival participants, the sponsors, professional athletes, and our guides – it gives folks a chance to make connections with peers in the climbing world and for the athletes and guides, it’s a great chance to teach new climbers safe and effective climbing techniques.

AAI guide Andy Bourne teaching belay techniques out in Calico Basin

My role (I normally work as one of the program coordinators in the office) was to hang out at the AAI booth and talk to festival participants about what AAI does and who we are, and how we’re involved with RRR. Although I didn’t get to attend any of the clinics (next year I’ll make it happen!), I did get to do some personal climbing before and after.

The AAI booth - come and see me here next year!

Laura and Richard hanging out in the booth

Because we had 20 of our guides in one spot, we ran a few trainings for our guide staff. As I’m still a pretty new climber myself, I got to be the ‘client’ in Thursday’s training, which was super fun. We all climbed Algae on Parade, a four-pitch route in the First Creek area. On Monday, I climbed in the Calico Basin area - and tried out some of the routes detailed in Jason Martin's new book, Fun Climbs Red Rock.

Jason Martin, AAI guide and program coordinator, signing a copy of his new book, Fun Climbs Red Rock

Here I am starting up the first pitch of Algae on Parade

Ben and Forest discuss the finer points of guide training half-way up the route

Can you see the rainbow? The rain never seems to stick around too long in the desert . . .

Can't wait for next year!

-- Ruth Hennings

Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- March 26, 2009

Red Rock Canyon:

--The Sixth Annual Red Rock Rendezvous went without a hitch.  Eighteen AAI guides participated in the spectacular event.  Alasdair Turner took the following photo of the guides that attended:

The 2009 AAI Red Rock Rendezvous Guide Staff

Photo by Alasdair Turner

Alaska:

Alaska's Mount Redoubt

Photo from Wikepedia

--Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted five times on Monday, sending an ash plume more than 9 miles into the air in the volcano's first emissions in nearly 20 years.  Residents in the state's largest city were spared from falling ash, through fine gray dust fell Monday morning on small communities north of Anchorage.  To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Wrapped in a different way but still enormous, the omnibus lands bill passed the house of Representatives and should shortly became law.  State after state, group after group, have pumped out the releases describing the vast projects that included in the bill since the House voted 285 to 140 to pass the legislation. To read more, click here.

--In the months since the change of administration on Capitol Hill, the Access Fund and their Outdoor Alliance partners have been busy advocating for the interests of the human-powered recreation community on a variety of issues that impact climbing on public lands, including the 1872 Hardrock Mining Law reform, the FLAME Act, roadless area protection, climate change, the economic stimulus bill, and the President's 2010 budget for public lands.  To read more, click here.

Conditions Report -- March 25, 2009

RED ROCK CANYON:

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The scenic drive loop is back to opening its gates at 6 AM instead of 7 AM. 

JOSHUA TREE:

Climber on Touch and Go (5.9) Photo (Archived) from Dana Hickenbottom

--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

NORTHWEST:

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth and Highway 2.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--A huge slide occurred on Table Mountain near the Mt. Baker ski area on Saturday, March 21.  Tim Place got an incredible shot of this frightening avalanche.  Luckily, he and a friend skied the only part of the slope that didn't slide.

Table Mountain slide.  Photo by Tim Place

--Lots of skiers took advantage of the nice weather this weekend with trips into the Washington backcountry.   A party headed up to the East Summit of Snoqualmie, intending to ski the Crooked Couloir .  After making the East Summit they were socked in by a white out and unable to safely find their objective.  However, that didn't stop Matt Hart from shooting some great ski footage while they were out.  Check out his blog for a more in depth trip report and enjoy the video he shot below.

Skiing the East Summit of Snoqualmie Mountain from Matt Hart on Vimeo.

--Another party headed up to the Tatoosh Range near Mt. Rainier and skied in the Castle Basin.  They were pleasantly surprised with great weather and conditions for most of the day.  Check out their full trip report here.

Brenda Metz making some great turns in Castle Basin.  Photo by Michael Metz

--We recently found a website which features great daily video conditions reports for Snoqualmie Pass. These are put together by the Snoqualmie Snow Troopers. Follow this link to watch.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest Ice Conditions may be found here.

--The Tieton River climbing areas have been closed for the season due to nesting raptors. To read more about this closure, click here.

--Early Saturday morning I headed over the mountains with two of my old climbing buddies in search of warm weather and sunshine.  We found it at Frenchman Coulee near Vantage...and so did many other climbing parties.  We enjoyed mild temperatures and even a bit of sunshine on Sunday.  The rain stayed away for the most part, only arriving as we were packing the car to head back home.

Ryan Huetter enjoying the thin parallel cracks of Red M & M's (5.12a) Photo by Dana Hickenbottom

SIERRA:

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.

ALPS:

--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

ALASKA RANGE:

Mt. Redoubt eruption on March 23, 2009

--Mt. Redoubt has erupted!  It began late Sunday night and Alaska residents woke up Monday morning to an abundance of ash in the air.  The majority of the heavy ash was deposited fairly close to the mountain but the lighter ash was carried through the air and across the Alaska landscape, coating everything in a light layer of ash.  For current updates visit the Alaska Volcano Observatory here. 

*Please note that this eruption won't have an affect on our current Alaska programs.  Air travel has resumed to Anchorage and our expeditions will run as scheduled.

--Forecast for Denali

--Webcam for Denali National Park.

--The Alaska season will start up in April. We are now accepting applications for our 2009 Denali expeditions and our 2009 Alaska Range Mountaineering Programs.

Bear Encounters

Prior to working as a mountain guide, I was a high school teacher with a lot of free time in the summer. The free time was great. I definitely got out and climbed as much as I possibly could. But I also had the time to pick-up a part time job in the mountains.

For nearly ten years, I spent part of my summer as a field tech doing fish habitat surveys. Most of the surveys took place in remote streambeds throughout Washington, Idaho and Southeast Alaska. And most of the time I was in bear country.

In the place where the bears get their food.

While the salmon were spawning...

American Black Bear
From Wikepedia

Needless to say, we had a lot of bear encounters. In Southeast Alaska, we averaged one to two bear encounters a day. Most of the time, you would see a bear fishing in the creek nearby. A loud yell, a hoot or a holler was usually more than enough to scare most up into the woods. Most didn't want anything to do with us. Most...

Occasionally a bear would be curious. They wouldn't run up into the woods after we yelled at them. These were the scary bears.

Bear safety is an incredibly important part of wilderness travel in bear country. And while bear attacks are incredibly rare, they do happen. There are a number of common sense safety tips that all backcountry users should be aware of:

1. In the Sierra, never leave a cooler in your car. Bears in that region know exactly what a cooler is and what's inside. The result is that they will destroy your vehicle to get to the cooler's contents.
2. Never cook or store food inside your tent. Create a cooking area that is away from your camp and use bear canisters or bear bags to store food. If you hang food, be sure that it is really hung in a way that a crafty bear won't get to it. Garbage should be kept with food.
3. Campsites need to be cleaned well. Watch out for food microtrash that has a scent.
4. Try to keep food smells off of your clothing.
5. Avoid surprising bears. If it is difficult to see, make noise as your travel, sing songs, talk loudly or wear a bear bell.
6. While bears are active day and night, they tend to be most active in the morning. Be wary if making an alpine start below treeline.
7. Pay attention for hints that there are bears around. When I did fish habitat surveys we often saw fish swimming by that had bites taken out of them. This is an obvious hint. Less obvious is bear scat, tracks, areas where they've dug up the soil or even trees that they rub up against.
8. Dogs are not welcome in bear country. Pets seem to arouse a bear's aggression, so leave them at home.
9. Stay away from bear cubs and never get between a cub and its mother.

Grizzly Bears
From Wikepedia

If you do run into a bear, remain calm. Don't run away or otherwise provoke it. If you run, you may actually initiate the bear's predatory instinct and it will probably chase you. If it does chase you, it will probably catch you...so don't run.

Obviously you should give any bear that you encounter plenty of room. Make sure it knows you're there by making noise, but don't surprise it. If the bear is in your way and won't leave the trail, find a way to detour around it.

If a bear notices you, try to get the bear to understand that you are a human by talking to it in a normal voice or waving your arms. Sometimes a bear will come closer or even stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. Usually a standing bear is just curious, and shouldn't be seen as an escalating threat.

Occasionally a bear will charge. Most charges are bluffs and the bear will veer away at the last second. Do not run if a bear charges. Instead, you should stand still until the bear makes his bluff. After this has happened, slowly back away from the animal.

Polar Bear
Photo from Wikepedia

Some charging bears will be distracted by an item thrown to the side. If a bear is distracted by a thrown hat or trekking pole, back slowly away. Do not throw food for the bear to chase. He might like it and think that you have more.

Bears can climb trees. So climbing a tree to get away from a bear is really not a very good idea.

Many backcountry users carry pepper spray. It is important that you know exactly how the spray works before using it on an animal. Practice with it before carrying it. And never use it unless you believe that your life is in jeapordy.

If a Bear Attacks:

There are three major categories of bears: black bears, grizzly bears (called brown bears or brownies in Alaska), and polar bears. Each of these bears will attack for different reasons.

Black bears tend to attack when they are hungry. As a result, the old idea that you should play dead during an attack wouldn't be very effective. The bear will keep at it in order to feed himself. If attacked by a black bear, fight back vigorously, yell and scream at it. Try to scare it away. Try to make it think that you're too much work to deal with...

Grizzly bears are responsible for most of the bear-attacks and fatalities in North America. Usually, a grizzly is attacking because it sees you as a threat. It is in these attacks that you should try to play dead. Lie face down and cover the back of your neck with your hands. Spread your legs to keep the bear from rolling you over. If you are wearing a pack, keep it on in order to protect your back. Usually the bear will end the attack once he believes that there is no longer a threat. Lay motionless until the bear has left the area.

Obviously it's important to know what kind of bear is what. Your self-defense in an attack is dependent on this. Following is a excerpt from an article about bear safety by Darren Smith:

There are some obvious physical differences between the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) and the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis). Color, however, is not a reliable identifying characteristic for either species. Not all black bears are black in color; they come in a various shades of brown and may even be blonde. Grizzly bears range from yellowish-brown to black. When looking from the side, a black bear has a straight facial profile ( from the forehead to the nose). The same profile of a grizzly bear will have a dished out appearance. Also, a black bear will have a straighter shoulder-rump line, while the grizzly will have a characteristically large hump on it's back above the shoulders. The black bear has claws which are shorter and more curved than those of the grizzly bear.

While polar bear attacks are the most rare kind of attack, they are almost universally fatal. Polar bears attack because they see you as food. So there are three things that one must do in polar bear country. First, don't get attacked. Second, if you do, shoot the animal or hope that someone else does. And third, if you don't have a gun or bear spray, get eaten by the animal.

It is important to have a good understanding of bear safety whenever you are in the backcountry. A good understanding of the proper ettiquete and protocals in such an area could save your life.

--Jason D. Martin

March and April Climbing Events

--March 17-18 -- Tempe, AZ -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 27-28 -- Bishop, CA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 28 -- Washington DC -- Fourth Annual Climb 4 Life

--March 28 -- Alpental, WA -- Vertfest

--April 10 -- Seattle, WA -- FONWAC Snoball Dinner

--April 17 -- Bellingham, WA -- Mount Baker Ariel Photography

--April 18-19 -- Shenendoah National Park. VA -- Shenendoah Rockfes

Leave No Trace: Leave What You Find

It's not especially intuitive...

You see a beautiful flower, a cool native arrowhead, a colorful rock, or something else that you just want to take home and keep...but you know what's going to happen to it. That flower will be destroyed in your pack. That arrowhead will just end up in a junk drawer. And who knows what you'll do with the rock?

In the fall of 2006, a friend and I were on our way out to climb Jackass Flats (II, 5.6) in Red Rock Canyon. The route is located in a part of the canyon that is not visited very often. Indeed, until a few years ago a heard of wild horses roamed freely in the desert there. Wild burros still make their way across the desert in this area with very little oversight by humans.

It was on this approach that we found it...the skeleton of a wild burro. The bones were a bit scattered, but they were all there. The most spectacular part of the skeleton was the skull, bleached white by the desert sun. It was an incredible find.

My friend indicated that he thought that he could sell the skull on Ebay for a fair bit of money. I didn't feel comfortable with this. Finding that skeleton made our day. Ultimately, we decided that it was best to leave the skull for the next visitor. We decided that the experience of finding something like that was one of the values of playing in the mountains.

A Burro Skull found in the shadow of Windy Peak in Red Rock Canyon
Photo by Jason Martin

When we left the skull, we were adhering to the fourth of the seven principals of Leave No Trace, Leave What you Find. The following text about this principal is from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics website:

Minimize Site Alterations

Leave areas as you found them. Do not dig trenches for tents or construct lean-tos, tables, chairs, or other rudimentary improvements. If you clear an area of surface rocks, twigs or pine cones, replace these items before leaving. On high impact sites, it is appropriate to clean up the site and dismantle inappropriate user-built facilities, such as multiple fire rings and constructed seats or tables. Consider the idea that good campsites are found and not made.

In many locations, properly located and legally constructed facilities, such as a single fire ring, should be left. Dismantling them will cause additional impact because they will be rebuilt with new rocks and thus impact a new area. Learn to evaluate all situations you find.

Avoid Damaging Live Trees and Plants

Avoid hammering nails into trees for hanging things, hacking at them with hatchets and saws, or tying tent guy lines to trunks, thus girdling the tree. Carving initials into trees is unacceptable. The cutting of boughs for use as sleeping pads creates minimal benefit and maximum impact. Sleeping pads are available at stores catering to campers.

Picking a few flowers does not seem like it would have any great impact and, if only a few flowers were picked, it wouldn't. But, if every visitor thought "I'll just take a few", a much more significant impact might result. Take a picture or sketch the flower instead of picking it. Experienced campers may enjoy an occasional edible plant, but they are careful not to deplete the surviving vegetation or disturb plants that are rare or are slow to reproduce.

Leave Natural Objects and Cultural Artifacts

Natural objects of beauty or interest such as antlers, petrified wood, or colored rocks add to the mood of the backcountry and should be left so others can experience a sense of discovery. In National Parks and some other areas it is illegal to remove natural objects.

The same ethic is applicable to cultural artifacts found on public land. Cultural artifacts are protected by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. It is illegal to remove or disturb archeological sites, historic sites, or artifacts such as pot shards, arrowheads, structures, and even antique bottles found on public lands.

Ironically -- as stated above -- even trash that has been left for over fifty years could be considered a cultural artifact. Imagine the remains of a mining operation that are hundreds of years old or the vestiges of an old pioneer settlement...these items develop value by staying where they are. Indeed, in some National Parks it's actually illegal to pick up items that are over fifty years old.

Leave What You Find wasn't designed for outdoor educators to wag their fingers at people with, but instead was designed to give people an opportunity to relish in an outdoor environment that hasn't been impacted by modern people. Finding beautiful plants, beautiful trees, beautiful rocks, beautiful animals, beautiful artifacts and beautiful vistas are one of the main reasons that we visit the outdoors. If everybody takes a bit of that a way, there will be nothing left to look at...

--Jason D. Martin

Weekend Warrior -- Videos to get you stoked!

Buenos dias Weekend Warriors,

In the honor of the Red Rock Rendezvous climbing festival I decided to compile a few "fest" videos.  These are pretty varied and cover alpine climbing, ice and mixed climbing as well as skiing.  A couple of the videos aren't official "festivals" but who cares...they're still super cool, and they have 'fest' in the name so that counts right?

The first video is from the 2008 Ouray Ice Festival.  This an incredible event that brings together the best of the best in the ice and mixed climbing world.  On an interesting side note, one of our very own guides, Dawn Glanc, recently won the 2009 Ouray Ice Festival...way to go Dawn!

The second video features a trip to the Wind River's in Wyoming.  The trip was into the Cirque of the Towers and was dubbed by the filmmakers as "Climbfest 08".  This has been a place I've always wanted to go and explore.  The peaks are striking, the scenery grand, and the climbing is phenomenal.  Enjoy!

The final video turned out to be less of a festival and more of a celebration of backcountry skiing.  Enter "Snow World 2008", an incredible journey into the beautiful backcountry of Washington.  This is part 1 of a 3 part series.  I would recommend sitting down with your coffee (or morning drink of choice) and watching all three.

Full Moon Skiing March 10-11

Once or twice each winter the full moon lines up with clear, cold conditions in the Pacific Northwest, so we took the unusual opportunity to make some powder turns while the rest of the world was sleeping.

It felt like we were going skiing in reverse. At a leisurely 4:30pm my roommate Ben and I packed up the car and left Bellingham for the Mount Baker backcountry. Passing all the other cars coming down the highway in the opposite direction, we arrived at the almost empty parking lot just as the sun was turning the Canadian border peaks pink.

We made the short approach to our camp where our friends had already dug an enormous snow cave. We dug a bit more out and made room for all five of us, then started on dinner.


Around 10:00pm the moon rose and the scenery went from dark to a surprisingly bright wintery lunar glow. Headlamps were turned off and we packed our gear for the hike up Table Mountain.


After an hour or so of skinning up to the 5300 foot level, we ripped our skins off and headed down the fresh powder. There was hooting and hollering piercing the otherwise bitter cold silence. After the first run we were so amped up, we all decided to make another run. By the time we got to our highpoint again I looked at my watch . . . 1:00am. It was so surreal to be there at that time of night. I asked around to see what time people thought it was and the estimates ranged from 11:00pm to 3:00am.


We finished our final powder run and made it back to our snowcave at 2:00am. After everyone piled into the cave, I decided to sleep outside. Poor choice when the temps were in the single digits. After a cold night, we awoke the next morning to skiers heading out for the day. We got a late start and went out for another tour, this time by the light of the sun.


It might not happen again until next winter that we get these conditions, but I'll be on the lookout for when the planets and weather align once again for the moonlight ski session.

- Andy Bourne, AAI Guide

Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- March 19, 2009

Northwest:

--This weekend one of the biggest climbing festivals of the year will take place in Red Rock Canyon.  There is still a little bit of space at the sixth annual Red Rock Rendezvous.  American Alpine Institute guides will be teaching clinics throughout the festival.

AAI Guide and Scholarship Winner Dawn Glanc
Photo from the Dawn Glanc Collection

-Last week we announced that AAI Guide Kurt Hicks received an American Mountain Guides Association/North Face scholarship for full tuition to an advanced level guide's training course. This week we discovered that two more of our guides won AMGA Scholarships. Dawn Glanc collected an AMGA scholarship from Mountain Hardware and Forest McBrian collected one from Marmot.

AAI Guide and AMGA Scholarship Winner Forest McBrian
Photo from the Forest McBrian Collection

Sierra:

--The Eastern Sierra Wild Heritage Act, which could create over 400,000 acres of new designated wilderness on local lands, has hit a stumbling block in Washington.  Bundled up into a larger collection of bills known as the Omnibus Land Management Act of 2009, the larger bill has passed the Senate but was two votes shy of passage when the House of Representatives voted on the bill last Wednesday.  To read more, click here.

--With a stormy start to the month of March, snowpack numbers have crept toward normal.  As of March 10th, the LA Department of Water and Power website lists 35.4 inches of water in the snowpack at Mammoth Pass.  That's 90% of normal to date and 81% of normal for the season total.  To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Sixty-seven year old Curtis "Woody" Stark was killed in Joshua Tree National Park on Sunday.  It appears that dehydration played a role in the fatality at the Great Burrito Rock.  Joe was well-known to the Southern California climbing community and will be missed.  To read more, click here.

--Young Sherpa conservationists are organising a race on June 18 to draw attention to the devastating effects of Global Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) in the Himalayas. The Beat the GLOF Action Run will be the highlight of the Imja Tsho Action Event 2009, and has been initiated by Nepali mountaineer Dawa Steven Sherpa. The race will demonstrate that even the fastest runner cannot escape from a GLOF, a flood which is caused when lakes formed by melting ice burst their natural dams. To read more, click here.

--In 1965, Congress created the Land and Water Conservation Fund to provide a steady source of money for the acquisition of threatened lands, the protection of significant landmarks and the expansion of outdoor recreational opportunities. The money would come from offshore oil and gas leases, giving the program an interesting symmetry: dollars raised from depleting one natural resource would be used to protect others. The program has rescued millions of acres from development. But it has never been allowed to live up to its potential. To read more, click here.

Petzl Pro-Traxion

--It appears that an October 17th fatality in Zion National Park was the result of an improperly closed Pro-Traxion device.  In an attempt the recreate the accident, National Park officials were able to sever a rope with the device and found it very easy to improperly load it.  To read more, click here.

Conditions Report -- March 18, 2009

RED ROCK CANYON:

Beautiful view from the Panty Wall.  Photo courtesy of Sara Lingafelter

--With the Red Rock season in full swing there is no shortage of warm weather and great climbing to be done.  Sara Lingafelter, aka rockclimbergirl.com, is currently in Red Rock and maintaining a fantastic trip report from the canyon.  Read more about it here.

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The scenic drive loop is back to opening its gates at 6 AM instead of 7 AM. 

JOSHUA TREE:

Climbing Ranger Vic Zielman in the depths on Between a Rock and A Hard Place (5.10b). 

Photo by Ian McEleney

--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

NORTHWEST:

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth andHighway 2.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--We recently found a website which features great daily video conditions reports for Snoqualmie Pass. These are put together by the Snoqualmie Snow Troopers. Follow this link to watch.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest Ice Conditions may be found here.

Lillooet and Seton Lake.  Photo by Jesse Mason

--A party headed up to the Lillooet area and found some amazing ice climbing right out of Seton Lake.  Jesse Mason and Bruce Kay canoed in to the 400m+ climb up Winter Water Sports called Piss 'n Vinegar, tied their boat to the cliff and roped up.  They were treated to about 10 pitches of great ice climbing and a lot of beautiful pictures.  Read the full report here.

--The Tieton River climbing areas have been closed for the season due to nesting raptors. To read more about this closure, click here.

SIERRA:

The Palisades at Sugarbowl...all filled in and ready to ride.  Photo by Seth Burke

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.

ALPS:

--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

ALASKA RANGE:

The SW Ridge of Peak 11,300.  Photo by Clint Helander

--A team recently got a great opportunity to do some winter mountaineering in the Alaska Range.  Clint Helander and his partner headed up to attempt the SW Ridge of Peak 11,300 and wrote all about their escapade in a great trip report.  These pictures are just a little taste of the amazing shots and stories they came away with.  Read the entire trip report here.

The North Face of Huntington as seen from Peak 11,300.  Photo by Clint Helander

--Forecast for Denali

--Webcam for Denali National Park.

--The Alaska season will start up in April. We are now accepting applications for our 2009 Denali expeditions and our 2009 Alaska Range Mountaineering Programs.

Michael Kennedy Named Editor-in-Chief of Alpinist Magazine

The following piece was published on supertopo.com, last evening:

Michael Kennedy named Editor-in-Chief of Alpinist Magazine 
Announces April 15 release date for Issue 26 

Jeffersonville, Vermont—March 16, 2009 Height of Land Publications, the independent publisher of Alpinist, Backcountry and Telemark Skier Magazines, announced today the well-known climber and editor Michael Kennedy will join Senior Editor Katie Ives to relaunch Alpinist Magazine. Issue 26 ships to subscribers, shops and newsstands April 15. 

 

Founded by Christian Beckwith and Marc Ewing and operated in Jackson, Wyoming, until the autumn of last year, the quarterly Alpinist features a timeless, clean design with minimal ads. Publishing only the highest quality and most authentic climbing art and writing, Alpinist portrays the essence of the climbing life, inspired by an ethos of beauty, purity and style, and a dedication to help preserve the natural world that makes all adventures possible. 

”My aim is to continue to explore the heart and soul of the climbing experience,” says Kennedy, “building on the incredible foundation Alpinist has developed over the last six years.” Widely known in the climbing community for his work at Climbing Magazine from 1974 to 1998, Kennedy served as an advisor to Alpinist since its inception in 2002. In over 35 years of climbing he has ventured far and wide, from pioneering Colorado ice climbs to lightweight alpine climbs in Alaska and the Himalaya, and he remains an active rock climber and backcountry skier today. 

Independent publisher Height of Land Publications was founded in Jeffersonville, Vermont in 2002 and currently owns and operates Alpinist, Backcountry and Telemark Skier Magazines. "Our mission is pretty simple," says cofounder and Height of Land Publications Editorial Director Adam Howard, "to publish about that which we live. Michael is climbing, and he understands little companies like ours. It's a perfect fit." 

A Wonderland of Glaciers and Snow

Northwest ski historian Lowell Skoog recently posted some interesting facts about the history of skiing in the Cascades on the Northwest ski forum, Turns-All-Year. Lowell has done a great deal of research on the history of skiing in the Cascade range of Washington state. His post on Turns-All-Year indicates that the he believes that recreational skiing on Mount Rainier began with an expedition lead by Milnor Roberts on March 18, 1909.

Lowell posted on Turns-All-Year because he recognized that this March 18th marks the one-hundred year anniversary of skiing on Rainier. Lowell has also put together a centennial event to celebrate the anniversary which will take place on March 22nd in Mount Rainier National Park. To read more about the event, click here.

The following article was written by Milnor Roberts after the ski trip to Mount Rainier. This article recently moved into the public domain. As such, I have reprinted it here:
_______________________________________________

A Wonderland of Glaciers and Snow

By Milnor Roberts, University of Washington, Seattle
National Geographic Magazine, Vol. 20, 1909, pp. 530-537

The Editor of the National Geographic Society recently asked the members to name those articles in the last volume of the Society's Magazine which seemed most interesting. Opinions on such a question naturally would differ widely, but it must be admitted that in the remarkable array of subjects treated some of the most striking articles consisted of illustrated descriptions of snow-clad mountains and polar regions. The remoteness of these scenes may add to their charm, but it also lessens our chances of ever seeing them. The Mount Rainier National Park, a wonderland of glaciers and snow in our own country, is so easily reached in summer that it is becoming fairly well known to travelers. A recent visit to the park made by the writer and a party of friends has shown that the slopes of Mount Rainier may be reached even in winter without discomfort.

The Mount Rainier National Park, of 324 square miles area, includes the symmetrical, glacier-clad slopes of the mountain and a broad belt of magnificent forest land around its base. In 1883, Professor Zittel, the geologist, and Prof. James Bryce wrote of Rainier:

"The peak itself is as noble a mountain as we have ever seen in its lines and structure. ... The combination of ice scenery with woodland scenery of the grandest type is to be found nowhere in the Old World, unless it be in the Himalayas, and, so far as we know, nowhere else on the American Continent."

The altitude of Rainier has been reported between 14,394 feet and 14,526 feet, placing it either first or second among the peaks in the United States proper. A difference of a few feet, which can be determined only by accurate measurement, is of slight importance to the ordinary observer. The noteworthy facts are that Rainier stands absolutely alone, is snow-clad throughout the year, and may be seen in its entirety from sea-level at distances of forty to one hundred miles to the westward.

The Cascade Range, in its north-south course across the State of Washington, has a general summit elevation varying from five to seven thousand feet, above which tower the volcanic peaks of Mounts Adams, Saint Helens, Baker, and Rainier. Glaciers still linger on nearly all the higher peaks, as relics of the ice-sheet which once covered the whole range. Many cirques of former glaciers are occupied now by fields of snow and neve of great thickness. The snowfall is heavy throughout the mountains, due to the chilling of the warm, moist winds from the Pacific. In spite of the glaciers and snows, the winter climate of the Cascades is mild.

The railway station nearest to the Mount Rainier National Park is Ashford, on the southwest, fifty-five miles from Puget Sound by the Tacoma and Eastern Railway. Camping parties with wagons or automobiles must come in from the lower country by the county road passing through Ashford, but pack-trains can be driven into the park by four or five other routes. The county road from Ashford continues up the Nisqually River for six miles, to the western boundary of the park at which point it joins the government road. The latter has a maximum grade of 4 per cent, and extends to Paradise Park, a favorite camping ground near timber-line, between the Nisqually and Paradise glaciers.

In summer the Ashford stages run thirteen miles, to Longmire's Springs, where there are two hotels. The road is open however past Nisqually Glacier and Narada Falls several miles farther up.

During the season of 1909 a temporary road with steeper grades will be completed to Camp of the Clouds, at an altitude of 5,600 feet. Eventually the permanent road will reach 7,000 feet, where trails will branch off. An automobile party leaving Seattle or Tacoma in the morning can pitch its evening camp in one of the dense groves of stunted trees at timber-line in the shadow of the great peak, looking out upon the jagged pinnacles of the Tatoosh Range and the vast forest wilderness to the westward.

On March 18 our party found three feet of snow at the National Park Inn at Longmire's Springs. On the morning after our arrival a dense cloud-bank hung a few hundred feet overhead. Frequent flurries of snow came drifting down from it, now in matted bunches of moist flakes an inch wide, again as separate crystals, these in turn giving way to little rounded pellets like dry sago, which hopped from bough to bough down through the evergreens. Our skis settled silently through the fresh snow, as we trailed up the government road along the Nisqually River, intending to break a trail part way to Paradise Valley, the goal of our trip. During the midday thaw, masses of snow clung to the worn spots on the sole of a certain ski in the outfit. After many gyrations and contortions had been made by its fair owner in removing the burden, she announced piously, "My soul is ready for Paradise," and on we "mushed" again.

On the trail up the narrow valley of the Paradise River the snow was found to be a foot deeper for each two or three hundred feet of elevation gained. So quietly had the flakes fallen in the sheltered valleys that each stump and fallen tree was covered almost as deeply as the surrounding ground, as some of the photographs show. On the exposed ridges, however, the winds had piled huge drifts over the brow of every leeward slope.

Cornices of snow overhanging the crags of Eagle Peak had broken off and shot down its precipitous northern side, coming to rest on a long talus slope near the stream. There we reveled in ski sliding and jumping. Huge boulders in the talus beneath the seven-foot covering of snow had caused hummocks on the surface which served us in place of the artificial take-offs used in regular ski jumping.

Two divisions of our party made the ascent to Paradise Valley. The first group consisted of three men, including the writer. We followed the general course of the horse-trail, but made frequent cut-offs by crossing Paradise River on the snow bridges. The only toilsome part of the journey was at Narada Kails, where we were forced to navigate our skis sidewise, in crab fashion, up the steep slope. Half a mile farther upstream, on the second bridge of the government wagon road, the snow measured more than two ski-lengths in depth, at least fourteen feet, without a sign of drifting. Under the bridge was a pool of open water overhung on all sides by rounded cornices of soft snow. A few inky-bottomed wells marked the upper course of the stream for a short distance, until it disappeared entirely under the deepening load of snow.

The long, open meadow in Paradise Valley lay like a smooth floor of snow, rising slightly until it merged into the final slopes of Mount Rainier. The surrounding ridges, dotted with the tops of stunted trees, had been so rounded and smoothed by drifting that the small gulches and hillocks of ground were almost blotted out. Constant shifting of the dry snow had produced a fine, powdery surface everywhere. All appearances indicated that the snow in the open meadow of Paradise Valley was much deeper than at the bridge where we had neasured it. The difference in location and elevation of the two localities may be held accountable for such a condition. Some marks which we made on a tree trunk at the surface level of the snow will be interesting reading in summer.

Excellent views of Mount Rainier and its southern glaciers were had on a brilliant sunny day from the Ramparts, a long ridge covered with standing burnt timber, extending southward from the mountain. A series of cascades in the South Tahoma Glacier caused the ice to stand out in jagged blocks against the skyline. The surface of the Kautz Glacier was perfectly smooth with snow except at its cascades. From Gibraltar Rock a snow banner as large as the rock itself waved to the eastward.

On March 24, another cloudless day, two young ladies of our party, accompanied by James McCullough, watchman at the National Park Inn, made a ski trip to Sluiskin Falls, considerably beyond the point reached by the first party. As both the ladies had ascended Rainier in summer, they could enjoy to the utmost the wonderful view of the snow-clad range spread out before them.

The Cascade Range in its winter garb is just beginning to be appreciated. Hotels at several mountain resorts now remain more or less open throughout the winter. The great advantage of visiting the higher altitudes lies in the drier snow usually found there, with only a slightly lower temperature. The beauties of the forests and the snow-fields may be seen without hardship by any visitor, while experienced mountaineers have unlimited opportunities for climbing and exploring on trips of two or three days. The writer's experience, gained through mining work in various parts of the range at all seasons, has been that only the severest storms or the heaviest rains make the Cascades unpleasant. So far as ski sport is concerned, it would be difficult to imagine more perfect riding than can be had on the many miles of varied slopes in Paradise Park. Judging by the fresh tracks of snowshoe rabbit, weasel, marten, fox, wildcat, white goat, and bear which our party saw in a few days, it is safe to say that the Mount Rainier National Park offers good chances to the camera-hunter.

To see archival photos from this trip, check out the following links:

A Group with Skis and Snowshoes
A Woman Skiing Under a Log
A Group of Skiers in a Clearing
Skiers with Long Staffs instead of Poles
A Group of Skiers Pose for a Shot
A Skier with Castle and Pinnacle Peak in the Background

--Jason D. Martin

March and April Climbing Events

--March 17-18 -- Tempe, AZ -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 19 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 19 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Peter Croft Slideshow and BBQ

--March 19 -- Seattle, WA -- Devils Tower Slideshow and Fundraiser

--March 20-22 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Red Rock Rendezvous

--March 20-21 -- Anchorage, AK -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 22 -- Mount Rainier, WA -- Celebrate 100 Years of Skiing Rainier

--March 27-28 -- Bishop, CA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 28 -- Washington DC -- Fourth Annual Climb 4 Life

--March 28 -- Alpental, WA -- Vertfest

--April 10 -- Seattle, WA -- FONWAC Snoball Dinner

--April 17 -- Bellingham, WA -- Mount Baker Ariel Photography

--April 18-19 -- Shenendoah National Park. VA -- Shenendoah Rockfes

Las Vegas Climbing Events!

It's spring and some of the biggest climbing events of the year are getting underway in the desert just outside of Las Vegas!

As usual, the American Alpine Institute will be an integral part of the Red Rock Rendezvous festivities. If you are interested in attending, be sure to sign up. We will have dozens of guides in the area and will be running daily climbing trips to Red Rock Canyon. To book a day or more of guided climbing in Red Rock, give us a call at 360-671-1505.

Red Rock's Rainbow Mountain at Dawn
Photo by Jason Martin

Following are a handful of the events taking place around this world renowned climbing festival:

Pebble Wrestler Bouldering Competition -- March 18th

Red Rock Climbing Center will be hosting their annual Pebble Wrestler Round-Up bouldering competition on Wednesday, March 18th from 5:30-9 p.m.. The cost of the comp is $15 in advance or $20 the day of and features three categories each for both male and female participants: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. The comp will feature over 80 new problems and a fun, encouraging vibe! The first 75 sign-ups receive a climbing dvd valued at $30 and EVERY competitor a raffle ticket for the post comp prizes! Prizes will be awarded to the top finisher in each category but the rest of the many great prizes will be raffled off regardless of where one places! Come on over and throw yourself on the many new plastic classics crafted by our esteemed route setters!

Arno Ilgner Warrior's Way Clinic -- March 19th

Join Arno Ilgner at the Red Rock Climbing Center for a course on mental training for climbing. Arno is well known for his book, The Rock Warrior's Way. To read more about this clinic, click here.

A Climber Sends The Fox (5.10d)
Photo by Andy Bourne

Peter Croft Slide Show and BBQ -- March 19th

Desert Rock Sports and Red Rock Climbing Center are excited to announce that on Thursday, March 19th we will be holding our much anticipated, annual Spring BBQ/Slideshow/Fundraiser with a presentation by the legendary Peter Croft! The festivities will start with a BBQ, by donation, in the parking lot of Red Rock Climbing Center from 6-7:30 p.m.. The Peter Croft slideshow will follow at 8 p.m. in Red Rock Climbing Center at a cost of $10, which also includes one raffle ticket for the plethora of post slideshow prizes! Slideshow tickets and additional raffle tickets (cash or check only for both) will be sold at the BBQ and at the door. Extra raffle tickets can be purchased for $3 per ticket, $5 for two tickets, and $10 for five tickets. All the proceeds from this event will benefit the Las Vegas Climber's Liaison Council (www.lvclc.org) and their ongoing grassroots efforts pertaining to the many climbing areas surrounding Las Vegas. We hope to see many re-emerge from winter hibernation to chow down, hang out with fellow climbing tribe members, get inspired by a climbing master, and hopefully go home with some scored gear! The weather should be good, the company even better, and the prizes epic!


Red Rock Rendezvous -- March 20-22


Mountain Gear Presents: Red Rock Rendezvous” rock climbing festival willtake place this year on March 20-22. This event has climbing clinics for all skill levels at Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, including a Friday “Intro to Climbing at the Red Rocks” day run by the American Alpine Institute.

Due to the growing popularity of the festival, this year’s event is limited to the first 1,000 registrants. Registration is now open at www.RedRockRendezvous.com and interested climbers are urged to sign up quickly. To register for the event or for additional information, call 800.829.2009 or visit www.RedRockRendezvous.com

Road Crews Begin Plowing Denali Park Road

Spring is coming in Alaska! The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Denali National Park:

On Monday, March 16 the National Park Service road crew will begin the annual operations to clear and prepare the Denali Park Road beyond park headquarters (Mile 3) for vehicle access by park visitors. They expect to encounter deeper snow and more drifting further out in the park than they have in recent years, due to reports from overflights and remote weather stations. Last week the Toklat station at Mile 53 was reporting 19 inches of snow, and there were 27 inches at Kantishna. In March 2008 the stations recorded four inches at Toklat and 21 inches at Kantishna.

This year it appears that crews will have less overflow ice to remove from the road. The new culverts and improvements made at Mile 4 – 4.5 last year have been successful in controlling the overflow that has historically built up on this section of road, which is just west of park headquarters.

In addition to removing the winter accumulation of snow and ice, road crew personnel must steam open culverts clogged with ice to prevent road damage caused by the runoff from melting snow and rain. They will also make repairs before opening the road for use by the public.

Updates and pictures of the spring road opening operation will be posted regularly on the park website at www.nps.gov/dena.

Access to park areas west of headquarters for snowshoeing, mushing, cross-country skiing and other seasonal recreational activities is available on the Spring Trail, which runs south and parallel to the park road. The trailhead is located near the entrance to the park’s sled dog kennels. Visitors using the road should expect to encounter snow removal equipment. Please make certain the equipment operator is aware of your presence before attempting to go by.

Depending on the weather and road conditions, the park road could open for travel to the Savage River (Mile 15) by late March to early April, and to the Teklanika River Rest Stop (Mile 30) by mid to late April. Visitors are advised to call before their trip to confirm opening dates.

The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) at Mile 1.3 is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily as the winter visitor center, providing information and backcountry permits. Ranger-led snowshoe hikes are taking place on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. through Sunday, March 29, conditions permitting.

The Riley Creek Campground at Mile 0.2 is open year-round, but water and sewer services will not be available until later in the spring. A vault toilet is provided for campers in the loop that is currently open, and water can be obtained at the MSLC.

Denali National Park and Preserve collects an entrance fee year-round. The entrance fee of $10 per person or $20 per vehicle is good for seven days. The majority of the money collected remains in the park to be used for projects to improve visitor services and facilities. Interagency Federal Recreation Passes such as the Annual, Senior, and Access Pass, and the Denali Annual Pass are also valid for entry into the park.

Additional park information can be obtained by calling (907) 683-9532 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily or on the web at www.nps.gov/dena.

Weekend Warrior -- Videos to get you stoked for Red Rocks!

Hola Weekend Warriors,

In case you didn't notice in the title of this weekends edition of Weekend Warrior but it is all about Red Rock!  The time of year is once again upon us for the famous and much anticipated Red Rock Rendezvous.  This wild and crazy climbing festival is coming up next weekend on March 20 - 22 and I hope some of you can join us there.  For those unfamiliar with the event you can check out the website here.  I've chosen this weeks videos to give you a  little taste of what the Rendezvous is like.

Here is a compilation of footage from Red Rock Rendezvous 2007.   Look like a great time huh?  Lots of great climbing, delicious food, interesting people, beer...what more could you ask for?

And now some footage from the 2008 festival.  You know, I've always heard that the Rendezvous is a lot like a fine wine...it gets better and better every year.  I wonder how 2009 is going to  be?  Only one way to find out...

The final video is a showcase of one of the more popular routes at Red Rock Canyon, the famous (or infamous if you hate chimneys) Epinephrine.  At about 15 pitches this 5.9 is guaranteed to give you a full day of adventure and fun.

AAI Guides in the News

Two AAI Guides recently made it into the news for stories of their climbing pursuits and travails . . . read below for photos and articles from guides Mark Grundon and Andrew Wexler.

Mark just led a crew of the California Montrose County Search and Rescue team to Lee Vining to do some waterfall ice climbing. The Lee Vining climbing area is in a deep box canyon below 13,057-foot Mt. Dana deep in the Sierra Nevada. With walls up to 2000 vertical feet on either side, the shadowed reaches of the canyon stay consistently cold and provide ice that is almost always in excellent condition.



According to Mike Leum, a SAR team member, "We regularly go to areas like Mt. Baldy with ice shoots that can be 1,500 feet long," he said. “Hikers will fall down the ice shoots. We can cover the top and bottom [of the shoot], but we didn't have the expertise to cover the middle." AAI has been working with these groups for several years now to train and prepare them for situations such as this.


Read the full article in the Crescenta Valley Sun here.

Andrew's article for Highline Magazine takes an inside look at what it really takes to be a guide in South America:

What skill-set best serves a guide when working in an environment as reactive as Chernobyl and as unpredictable as a harridan? How does one operate effectively in places where roadblocks pop-up like ground squirrels, where baggage disappears faster than a pickpocket, where every morsel of food is a potential time bomb, and where the answer to every question is: yes? Obviously, guiding clients to the summit of a 6,000-metre peak requires basic skills: glacier travel, crevasse rescue, short-roping, ice climbing, hazard assessment and good route selection are all part of the job. But a skill-set will only get you so far in South America. What The Freedom of the Hills fails to mention, and what every guide new to the region soon learns, is of course, how to dance.

. . . read the full article here

Andrew's been guiding for AAI in South America for almost 10 years. His stories and photos are always captivating - check out some more of his photos below and keep checking back for more stories:

EA for Replacement of Chemical Toilets in Denali Available for Public Comment

AAI just received the proceeding email from Denali National Park:

Environmental Assessment for Replacement of Chemical Toilets in Denali National Park and Preserve Available for Public Comment

An Environmental Assessment (EA) for the replacement of the restroom facilities at the Polychrome Overlook, Teklanika Rest Stop, and Teklanika River Campground in Denali National Park and Preserve is now available for public review and comment, announced Superintendent Paul R. Anderson. The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing to remove the existing chemical toilets at these sites and replace them with non-chemical facilities.

The rest stops and the campground utilize chemical toilets that accommodate more than 220,000 visitors per season. These facilities generate over 3,000 gallons per day of chemical laden wastewater which is pumped and hauled to the park’s wastewater treatment facility near the Riley Creek Campground.

In the spring of 2005, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the NPS entered into a compliance order by consent to bring the wastewater treatment facility into compliance with regulations for wastewater treatment discharge. The NPS will construct new sewage treatment facilities in 2010 to better treat the waste. Converting the chemical-based toilets to vault toilets will eliminate the need to process these chemicals through the wastewater treatment system, resulting in more effective wastewater treatment. Removal of the chemical toilets is an important step toward bringing the wastewater treatment facility into compliance with state regulations.

Installation of vault toilets will also decrease the overall wastewater pumping and hauling requirements. It will reduce maintenance costs and employee exposure to hazardous chemicals. In addition, the chemical toilets currently in use are obsolete. Replacement parts are no longer being manufactured. The existing parts stockpile is expected to be exhausted by the end of the 2009 season.

The “Replacement of Restroom Facilities at Polychrome Overlook, Teklanika Rest Stop, and Teklanika River Campground” EA is available on the NPS planning web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. The EA analyzes the impacts of the proposed actions and the alternatives. It was completed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.9).

Comments on the EA may be submitted through April 13, 2009, preferably via the web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Comments may also be sent to Richard L. Anderson by email at Richard_L_Anderson@nps.gov, by fax at (907) 644-3814, or via the mail at: Environmental Planning and Compliance, NPS Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501.

If you have any questions about the EA or need a hard copy, please contact project manager Tamara Scholten at (907) 683-6213 or Tamara_Scholten@nps.gov.

Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- March 12, 2009

Northwest:

--Stella Keane, 53, of Ketchum, Idaho, was killed around noon Friday when she was caught in a snow slide while backcountry skiing in the area near Gladiator Peak, also known as Mushroom Ridge. The area is just north of Galena Lodge. Blaine County Coroner Russ Mikel confirmed the fatality Friday evening. Keane was apparently dug free from avalanche debris shortly after the slide occurred, but that injuries she sustained while caught in the avalanche were enough to take her life. Another skier, a male, was recovered alive with serious injuries sustained in the slide, including a broken leg.An avalanche Friday, March 6, claimed the life of a backcountry skier and left another with serious injuries. To read more, click here.

Kurt Hicks climbing steep ice on Colfax Peak, next to Mount Baker
Photo by Dylan Taylor

--We are happy to announce that AAI Guide Kurt Hicks just received an American Mountain Guides Association/North Face scholarship for full tuition to an advanced level guide's training course. Congratulations Kurt!

--Blanchard Mountain, found just outside of Bellingham, towers more than 2,200 feet above Samish Bay -- along with adjacent Chuckanut Mountain it's the only place where the Cascade Range touches the tidelands. This unique mountain range and major recreation is home to a number of trail systems and lakes. Unfortunately it appears that Blanchard Mountain's landscape will soon be dramatically altered by logging approved and managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Recent reports indicate that there is active logging currently on the flanks of the mountain. To read more, click here and here.

Sierra:

--A series of unconfirmed reports indicate that an individual fell from upper Yosemite Falls on Monday and was killed. It appears that the person was a hiker, but it is not clear whether it was an accident or a suicide. To read the speculation, click here.

Steve Fossett
Photo from Wikepedia

--The tale of the extensive search for millionaire aviator Steve Fossett and the Mammoth resident who found the wreckage over a year later is well known in the Eastern Sierra. A year and a half after the crash, questions on the cause of the accident and the short term survival of Fossett remain unanswered. Investigators have not yet issued a final determination on what caused the crash, but a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board describes weird wind conditions on September 3, 2007, the day of the accident. To read more, click here.

Montrose County Search and Rescue Climbs Lee Vining
Photo by Mark Grundon

--AAI guide Mark Grundon ran a trip with the Montrose County Search and Rescue team. Photos from that trip were recently featured in an article about ice climbing in the Crescenta Valley Sun. To see Mark's photos and to read the article, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--AAI Guide Andrew Wexler wrote a fantastic and incredibly funny article about the trials and tribulations of guiding in South America. To read the article, click here.

--A massive ice climb was recently completed by a series of separate teams on a massive Norwegian cliff. Parties took advantage of freezing temperatures and ephemeral ice to put up a number of lines on the 3000 foot wall. To read more, click here.

The Piolet d' Or (The Golden Ice Axe)
From First Ascent Press

--Six climbs have been nominated for the prestigious Piolet d' Or, or the golden ice axe award that will be presented in Chamonix, France by the Groupe de Haute Montagne in April. The climbs that were nominated include the following:

• Solo new route on the east face of Cerro Escudo in Chile by American Dave Turner.
• Enchainment of two hard routes on Denali (6,194m) in Alaska by Fumitaka Ichimura, Yusuke Sato, and Katsutaka Yokoyama.
• New route on the north face of 6,931-meter Kalanka in India, by Fumitaka Ichimura, Yusuke Sato, and Kazuki Amano.
• First ascent of the southeast face of 7,756-meter Kamet in India, by Kazuya Hiraide and Kei Taniguchi.
• New route on the south face of Nuptse (7,861m) in Nepal, by Stéphane Benoist and Patrice Glairon Rappaz.
• New route on the north face of Tengkampoche (6,500m) in Nepal, by Simon Anthamatten and Ueli Steck.

To read more about this award, please click here.

AAI 2009 - 2010 Catalog Release!

The American Alpine Institute's 2009-2010 catalog is now available! It features treks, climbs, ski trips and clinics, climbing courses, and expeditions in 6 states and 16 countries.

If you have moved or if you haven't updated your information in the last year, you must update your mailing information immediately in order to receive a catalog! You can do so by either of the following methods:

• Phone - Call us at 1-800-424-2249 or 360-671-1505
• Update your information online

Conditions Report -- March 11, 2009

RED ROCK CANYON:

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The scenic drive loop is back to opening its gates at 6 AM instead of 7 AM. 

JOSHUA TREE:

Climber topping out on Planet X (5.8).  Photo by Dana Hickenbottom (Archived)

--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

NORTHWEST:

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth and Highway 2.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

Eric Roose skiing Heather Ridge.  Photo courtesy of Jim Dockery

--The Northwest got a healthy (and much needed) dose of snow this past weekend.  A party took advantage of this storm and headed up to Heather Ridge near Stevens Pass to find some beautiful powder to ski.  To read about this trip and see some more great pictures by Jim Dockery click here.

--We recently found a website which features great daily video conditions reports for Snoqualmie Pass. These are put together by the Snoqualmie Snow Troopers. Follow this link to watch.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest Ice Conditions may be found here.

--The Tieton River climbing areas have been closed for the season due to nesting raptors. To read more about this closure, click here.

SIERRA:

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.

Skinning out to the good stuff in the Sierra backcountry.  Photo by Seth Burke

--If you are thinking of heading out to the Tahoe area now is the time.  We received another message from Lily Hickenbottom reporting that last weeks storm dumped a total of 90 inches in the area.  Not one to lounge about after a big storm Lily and friends headed into the Sierra backcountry in search of some incredible lines.  Needless to say, they didn't have to look very far.

Lily Hickenbottom stylin' in the backcountry.  Photo by Seth Burke

ALPS:

--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

ALASKA RANGE:

--A group recently headed up to the Chugach range in Alaska in search of some powder...and boy did they find it.  Check out the video below for some great Alaskan ski footage.  All footage is courtesy of David Cain from Portland Oregon.  Enjoy!

--Forecast for Denali

--Webcam for Denali National Park.

--The Alaska season will start up in April. We are now accepting applications for our 2009 Denali expeditions and our 2009 Alaska Range Mountaineering Programs.

Route Profile: Southeast Face of Artesonraju

Artesonraju is perhaps the most famous mountain in the world.

What? You've never heard of it! Well maybe not, but you've definitely seen it. The 19,768 foot mountain's north side inspired the current incarnation of the Paramount Pictures logo. And at the start of movies all over the world, climbers drool over the fantastic lines that exist on the seemingly imaginary mountain.


The truth is that Artesonraju is a real mountain in Peru's Cordillera Blanca. Often compared to Peru's more well-known Alpamayo, Artesonraju has a similar shape and profile. It is a perfect pyramid with beautiful clean and steep slopes leading directly toward the mountain's tiny summit.

And while Artesonraju looks similar to Alpamayo, it is different in two very important ways. First, it is nowhere near as well-known as its neighbor. This keeps the crowding down. And second, the standard route on Alpamayo has a considerable amount of objective danger. Artesonraju doesn't have anywhere near the number of cornices threatening it's flanks as Alpamayo.

The Southeast Face of Artesonraju is as classic as they come. The route works directly up a massive slope with a gradient that ranges between 45 and 55 degrees for most of the way, but is capped by two pitches of 60-70 degree terrain. Most climbers will pitch the route out, climbing nine to twelve rope-lengths straight to the mountain's summit. Once on top, one still needs to make a dizzying descent down the terrain he or she just climbed. This is generally done with a combination of rappels and downclimbing.

Following a short photo essay from a series of trips to the mountain.

The Southeast Face of Artesonraju is the right-hand face.
Photo by Andrew Wexler

Artesonraju High Camp
Photo by Andrew Wexler

The Andes of the Paron Valley
Photo by Marco Gabbin

Alpamayo can be seen on the left. Artesonraju is on the right.
The souteast face route climbs up just right of the rock ridge in the center of the picture.
Photo by Marco Gabbin

To learn more about Artesonraju, check out our webpage on the mountain, here.

--Jason D. Martin

March and April Climbing Events

--March 10 -- Medford, MA -- Henry Barber Presentation

--March 11-12 -- San Francisco -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 12 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 12 -- Seattle, WA -- Kang Nachugo Slideshow

--March 12 -- Seattle, WA -- Radical Reels Banff Film Festival

--March 14 -- Little Rock, AR -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 15 -- Oklahoma City, OK -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 15 -- Woodinville, WA -- AAC Cascade Section Dinner

--March 17-18 -- Tempe, AZ -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 19 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 19 -- Seattle, WA -- Devils Tower Slideshow and Fundraiser

--March 20-22 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Red Rock Rendezvous

--March 20-21 -- Anchorage, AK -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 27-28 -- Bishop, CA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 28 -- Washington DC -- Fourth Annual Climb 4 Life

--March 28 -- Alpental, WA -- Vertfest

--April 10 -- Seattle, WA -- FONWAC Snoball Dinner

--April 17 -- Bellingham, WA -- Mount Baker Ariel Photography

--April 18-19 -- Shenendoah National Park. VA -- Shenendoah Rockfest

The Euro Death Knot

There is a commonly used knot out there that many people use regularly to join two ropes together that is totally misrepresented by its name. The Euro death knot (EDK) is not dangerous and it is not a death knot. It is likely that American climbers gave the knot this name when they saw Europeans use it because it looked sketchy.

The EDK is officially known as an overhand bend or an overhand flat knot. It would be far better to refer to this knot by one of these names as they do not strike fear into those that use the knot.

The Overhand Bend (AKA Overhand Flat Knot/Euro Death Knot)
In this photo the tail is very short and there is no back-up to the Overhand Bend.
Photo from Wikepedia

Most people like the overhand bend for two reasons. First, because of the knot's asymmetrical profile, it tends to pull smoothly over edges and doesn't get caught as easily. And second, it is very easy to untie.

To tie the knot, lay both ends of the rope together. Make sure that they are pointed in the same direction and then make an overhand knot in both ropes at the same time. This is the overhand bend. Most guides tie a backup by adding a second overhand bend next to the first. This will keep the knot from rolling if there are unexpected high loads.

In the past, most climbers tied the overhand bend alone. If the knot is tied by itself without a backup, there must be a significant tail. It is not recommended to tie the overhand bend by itself.

Some people tie an overhand eight in lieu of an overhand bend. This is far more likely to roll than a unbacked-up overhand bend and is not recommended.

Most of our guides tend to tie not only their rappel ropes together with an overhand bend, but their cordelletes as well. Guides tie their cordelletes with this knot because it is easy to untie. A cordellete that may be opened has a great deal more flexibility. It can easily be opened up and used like a webolette. Some like the ability to open up a cordellete because an open cordellete without a welded double-fisherman's knot can be cut up more effectively for anchor material.

Following is a short video from the Canadian guide, Mike Barter, on how to tie a overhand bend.



--Jason D. Martin

Weekend Warrior -- Videos to get you stoked!

Hello again Weekend Warriors,

I'm glad to see that we all made it through another week of work and I hope you all have plans to go frolic in that giant playground that is mother nature.  The videos we've got for you this week feature a type of climbing that makes most people shiver and squirm (including me) while at the same time put a sly masochistic smirk on the faces of a select few.  This is of course the dreaded (or loved) off-width climbing.

The first video features a burly, painful looking V8 off-width boulder problem.  The nature of the route allows for some great camera angles that showcase superb off-width jamming techniques.  The tranquil soundtrack also provides the perfect compliment to the immense pain I'm sure these climbers are going through.  Enjoy!

The second video is yet another off-width roof, this time a little higher above the ground.  This provides yet another look into various off-width techniques, including the upside-down, legs above you, no-hands rest...quite impressive if you ask me.  

The final video contains perhaps the most amazing climbing technique I have seen thus far.  This move must have taken years of dedication and training to perfect and should only be attempted by the most hard-core of the hard-core.  No camera trickery here, just pure, unfiltered talent.

-Dana Hickenbottom

Tour Planning and Navigation - Part 2

Part 2: Putting it all together

(Check out Part 1: Tools for Success)

A days planned route objective near the Ruth gorge, AK

In the previous Tour Planning and Navigation blog, we outlined the gear necessary for planning and executing your outdoor adventures. Here we will talk a little bit about specifically what to put into your tour plan at home.

Step 1: Gather information - maps and info

This is the first step in planning route objectives. Weather, avalanche observations, route conditions, local beta, your maps, etc. are all important factors in your planning process for multi-day or single-day excursions. There are many resources for this step in your planning, the largest being internet resources, guidebooks, topo maps etc. Photos of the area are great too if you can find them.

When using an internet resource or book make sure that your information comes from a reliable source, as there are often many incorrect assumptions made, especially on internet forums. Whatever your resource, make sure to use a notebook (Write in the Rain type) to write down what you need or print it out as you will forget the details in the field. I will sometimes even laminate route beta in pocket size to pull out for quick reference on route.

Lastly, it can sometimes be helpful to have a small map photocopy of your planned objective, along with the large hard-copy of your map. One for quick field use, and the other large hard copy for more detailed planning along the way if needed. This insures that your maps don’t get thrashed during the day.

Step 2: Plan your route - interpret your info and pull the data off your maps

In this step you should plan the route using your maps and the other information you have collected. Divide the route up into different legs, such as from one known landmark to another. For example, one rock outcropping to another at a certain given elevation on your map. Make sure that the legs of your route do not span too much distance as this makes for a larger margin of error when navigating in limited visibility.

Mark these legs lightly on your map with a pencil and label them to make them identifiable when recorded in your notebook. If using GPS this is the time to also pull the waypoints off your map using a UTM grid tool or a computer program. This step also takes into account the given conditions for the day.

Is the route appropriate given the conditions? Identify the hazards and alternate options. There are many variables in this step of your plan and it takes time to develop the skills and know how to formulate the plan. Some great books as a resource are:

Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills by the Mountaineers
Wilderness Navigation: Finding your way using map, compass, altimeter, and GPS by Bob Burns

Step 3: Record information - the tour plan itself

Now that you have gathered your information, find a systematic way to record it all in your field notebook (make it super clean and organized). There are several templates out there to help guide you through the process. This one made by www.brooks-range.com is recommended and others can be found in just about any wilderness navigation instructional book. Make sure that your final plan includes these basic things:

• Route Legs labeled with a comment on each
• Each legs start and end elevation
• The leg elevation gain or loss
• Slope angle (if ski)
• Compass bearing (field or magnetic bearing0
• Leg distance
• Approximate time calculations
• GPS UTM or Lat/Long.

Example of a good Tour plan template

Its all in the plan. Setting the up track. Ski tour in the Ruth Gorge, AK

Step 4: Operational Plan - make the final plans

This piece sounds somewhat formal but can be as easy as a conversation with some note taking. The day of your departure have a chat about the planned objectives with your partner. Identify the hazards you may encounter along the way, both natural and human created. Record them in your field notebook. Is this objective still obtainable given the parties experience and the conditions?

Also, collect the weather forecast (avalanche forecast if appropriate) for the proposed time period and file it in your book. Make sure you go through some type of gear check along with this part of the plan to be prepared in case of emergency. This includes emergency phone numbers to SAR teams and for your family in the event of an injury. Establish a concrete plan for a turn around time if daylight is an issue, based on the calculations you have made in your tour plan above. Be willing and flexible to change your plans, and have other options available to you.

Making the final push to the summit. Ruth Gorge, AK

A well planned tour. Untouched skiing!

Fresh Tracks!

The rewards for a well planned ski tour!

-- Ben Traxler, AAI Guide

Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- March 5, 2009

Northwest:

--A mile-long avalanche near the Wyoming-Idaho state line swept three snowmobilers to their deaths, authorities said Saturday. Lincoln County officials said the three victims were among four snowmobilers caught by the snow slide Friday near Alpine Mountain in the Snake River Range. Sgt. Shane Tindall said the fourth person walked out and used his cell phone to call for help. To read more, click here.

--A Montreal couple lost in the B.C. backcountry ate leaves, built shelters, and fearing an attack by nearby wolves, turned a ski pole into a weapon, all in a bid to stay alive, the brother of the man who survived told CBC News. Marie-Josée Fortin, 44, died before help arrived on Feb. 24. Her husband, Gilles Blackburn, 51, was treated for frostbite and exposure and released from hospital last Wednesday, just 24 hours after flagging down the helicopter that rescued him. To read more, click here.

--The sauna building at the Scottish Lakes High Camp burned down last week. For those who are unfamiliar with the Scottish Lakes, this is a unique resort located at 5,000 feet just east of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness that many skiers use to access the backcountry. To read about the resort, click here. To read about the fire, click here.

Budget cuts in Washington State threaten to close 13 state parks.
From the Heritage Alliance

--An excellent letter to the editor was recently published in the Everett Herald about the planned closure of 13 state parks. The letter's author makes some excellent points in his defense of the parks. He indicates that nearly 6 million people a year visit Washington State state parks and that these areas slated for closure have statewide significance. To read more, click here.

--It appears that the illegal cutting of trees for firewood is becoming a significant problem in the Olympic National Forest. While people are able to buy inexpensive permits to cut the wood, most people are not doing this. Indeed, some are even cutting valuable living trees for wood. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--A missing Lake Tahoe skier was found dead Monday morning at the scene of a fresh avalanche, authorities said.The body of Christopher Trethaway, 39, was discovered near Cascade Lake, said Lt. Les Lovell of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office.Trethaway had apparently gone skiing alone in the backcountry Sunday and failed to return. To read more, click here.

--As the real estate bubble of recent years continues to burst, people who own homes on Forest Service land may end up paying high prices affected by the bubble for the next decade. Recently, Forest Service staff held a meeting for the 335 people who own houses on Forest land in the Eastern Sierra. These owners have cabins in the Mammoth Area, June Lake Area, Big Pine Creek and others. The cabins are privately owned, but the land underneath the cabins is owned by the Forest Service. The cabin owners have to pay an annual permit fee for that land. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:--The American Mountain Guides Association recently announced that the Single Pitch Instructor program has obtained an endorsement from the Union Internationale des Assocations D’Alpinisme (UIAA) Training Standards Working Group. To read more, click here.

--A well-known British entrepreneur was killed in a ski accident in the Alps this week. The tragedy was played out live on the social networking website, Twitter. Rob Williams died after he and business partner, Jason Tavaria, who together run a multi-million dollar music firm, became separated from their party during a blizzard at the Swiss resort of Verbier, while on a trip with Michelle Dewberry, the winner of BBC television reality show the Apprentice. Williams suffered a sixty-foot fall after he was separated from his partner. To read more, click here.

--Two adaptive climbers recently completed an ascent of Bridal Veil Falls in Telluride Colorado. Blind climber Erik Weihenmayer and below the knee amputee Chad Jukes made the ascent with Ouray local Mike Gibbs. To read more, click here.

Off road vehicles have a significant impact on the environment.

Photo from Alba Action

--Off-road vehicle enthusiasts are flocking in record numbers to lesser-known forests, deserts and mountains, where the rules of use have been lax and enforcement infrequent. The federal government has been struggling to come up with plans to accommodate the growing numbers of off-highway vehicles — mostly with proposed maps directing them toward designated trails — but all-terrain-vehicle users have started formidable lobbying campaigns when favorite trails have been left off the maps. To read more, click here.

--Twenty-three people were injured when the cable carrying one of the chairlifts in at a ski area in Sierra Nevada, Spain came loose from the top of one of the lift supports. Difficult snow conditions and high winds hampered the rescue effort. To read more, click here.

Conditions Report -- March 4, 2009

RED ROCK CANYON:

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The scenic drive loop is back to opening its gates at 6 AM instead of 7 AM. 

JOSHUA TREE:

Josh Harding enjoys a beautiful day on Double Cross (5.7). Photo by Ian McEleney

--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

--The climber's coffee program runs every Saturday morning and will begin to run both Saturday and Sunday mornings beginning in February. This pr ogram takes place in the Intersection Rock parking area and allows climbers and rangers to exchange ideas and information. Climbers generally meet at around eight in the morning.

NORTHWEST:

--We received a snow report from our friends up north, the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, which describes conditions around Whistler, BC as of last weekend. The report was written by ACMG member Dale Marcoux.

The snow that fell beginning Sunday and ended overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning gave the mountains 60cm+ of the white stuff in the Whistler area. All this snow fell on top of weak snow that consisted of sugary facets, crusts (on sunny aspects), and surface hoar (the solid/frozen equivalent of dew). During the peak of this storm, and immediately afterward, there was a widespread avalanche cycle in the mountains ~ all initiating on the above-noted weak layers. There were many slopes that did not release at that time - which makes one suspicious and a bit more cautious. Since then, the snowpack has settled a fair amount but much of the testing still indicates some inconsistency (for example: there is still 'whumpfing' of the snowpack in treeline areas ~ a sign that things are still sensitive in spots); it really depends upon where you are testing the snow. Some tests show strengthening and others highlight the need for a measure of caution. The confidence remains on

the low side for large and steep slopes in the alpine and at treeline. Unfortunately, it looks like there isn't much time for all this snow to cure a little more because the next round of weather/snow/wind is knocking at the door at the time of this writing...... meaning that the hazard is about to increase again with the forecasted winds/snowfall.

The last snowfall is helping to add cover to the mountains but there are two other hazards that are still on my mind to-date...... first, there are still many rocks hiding just below the surface of the snow so please be careful of, for example, exiting off of the glaciers and into terrain with no glaciated cover...... second, there are still many open or partially-bridged crevasses. In low or flat light, these hazards are difficult to see. If you plan to be travelling in glaciated terrain this season, then it would be prudent to have access to a rope, glacier-rescue kit, and to seek the knowledge of how to use this kit effectively/preventitively.

It's snowing outside right now..... looks like winter may have finally arrived.......

Wishing Everyone safe travels,

Dale Marcoux

ACMG Member

ACMG Assistant Ski Guide

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth and Highway 2.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

Tinkham Peak. Photo by Don Brubeck

--Last Sunday a party headed up to Snoqualmie Pass and did a ski tour in the Silver Peak Basin. One of the members, Don Brubeck, wrote a great trip report featuring current snow conditions as well as photos of the surrounding area. Read the detailed report here.

--We recently found a website which features great daily video conditions reports for Snoqualmie Pass. These are put together by the Snoqualmie Snow Troopers. Follow this link to watch.

--Another party headed to the east side of the Cascades in search of untracked slopes and lone behold, they found them. The group skied near Cle Elum in the Red Mountain area and after diligent searching they were able to get in some great turns...as you can see from the photo below. Check out the complete report here.

Jim Clement enjoying the goods. Photo courtesy of Pico Cantieni

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest Ice Conditions may be found here.

--The Tieton River climbing areas have been closed for the season due to nesting raptors. To read more about this closure, click here.

SIERRA:

--A dedicated ice climber recently put together a great photo essay which documents some of the ice climbing that can be found at Lee Vining. Click here at enjoy some of the fantastic shots!

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Yosemite National Park.

--We recieved this snow report on Monday night from a friend of the Institute, Lily Hickenbottom, who is an avid backcountry split-boarder and lives in Truckee, CA.

I'm currently looking out at basically a blizzard. We got about a foot of snow last night, Sugarbowl is calling for 18 to 24 inches today and another around 20 inches tonight!! It is on! This storm came in warm but it has cooled down and it is incredibly snowy!

Backcountry turns at Mt. Rose in the Tahoe area. Photo by Lily Hickenbottom

ALPS:

--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

ALASKA RANGE:

--Forecast for Denali

--Webcam for Denali National Park.

--The Alaska season will start up in April. We are now accepting applications for our 2009 Denali expeditions and our 2009 Alaska Range Mountaineering Programs.

Using Trees and Bushes for Anchors

All types of climbing requires all types of anchors. One commonly used anchor in top-roped climbing as well as in multi-pitch climbing is the ubiquitous tree. Trees and bushes are everywhere. You can find solid trees sticking out of cracks in the middle of a route and you can find weak trees sitting on top of a crag. As a result it is very important to look carefully at a tree before using it.

In traditional anchors, we often use the acronym SERENE to determine whether an anchor is good or not. The letters in SERENE stand for the following:

S -- Solid -- Are all the pieces in the anchor solid?
E -- Equalized -- Are all the pieces equalized?
R -- Redundant -- Is there redundancy throughout the sysytem?
E -- Effective -- Was the anchor construction simple and quick with no fuss?
NE -- No Extension -- Will the system be shock-loaded if a piece blows?

All anchors should pass the SERENE test or come extremely close to passing this test.

When we find a big fat tree that we elect to use as an anchor, the tree generally will not pass this test. Why? Because a single tree is not redundant. However, if the tree is giant and has a good root-base, redundancy doesn't matter as much. All the other letters in the acronym will be satisfied.

The SERENE acronym becomes significantly more important when the tree or bush that you wish to use in your anchor isn't very good. Occasionally, we have to link together a series of shrubs in order to create a SERENE anchor. It's important to use as many as you need to use in order to make the anchor as strong as it needs to be.

Following is a video about what to look for in a good tree anchor:



--Jason D. Martin

March and April Climbing Events

--March 4 -- Rancho Cordova, CA -- John Bachar Slideshow

--March 6 -- Arcata, CA -- John Bachar Slideshow

--March 6-8 -- Anchorage, AK -- Alaska Ice Climbing Festival

--March 7 -- Oakland, CA -- John Bachar Slideshow

--March 10 -- Medford, MA -- Henry Barber Presentation

--March 11-12 -- San Francisco -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 12 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 12 -- Seattle, WA -- Kang Nachugo Slideshow

--March 14 -- Little Rock, AR -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 15 -- Oklahoma City, OK -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 17-18 -- Tempe, AZ -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 19 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Warriors Way Clinic

--March 19 -- Seattle, WA -- Devils Tower Slideshow and Fundraiser

--March 20-22 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Red Rock Rendezvous

--March 20-21 -- Anchorage, AK -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--March 27-28 -- Bishop, CA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival

--April 17 -- Bellingham, WA -- Mount Baker Ariel Photography

Glacier Travel Etiquette Questions

Climbing etiquette is a weird and wiley thing. What is acceptable in one area may not be considered acceptable in another. What is common practice in one spot, may be looked upon with horror in another. In the larger climbing world, there are millions of etiquette questions, but on a glacier there only tends to be a few.

1) What is the etiquette for passing a rope team on a glaciated climb?

It is acceptable to pass a rope team on a glacier. However, this must be done without hindering the other team's progress that you're passing. If a team has a pace and continues to hold that pace, then they have a right to the boot-pack trail no matter how fast they're moving.

A team works its way up Mount Shuksan
Photo by Alasdair Turner

In order to pass the slower team, the faster team must step out of the boot-pack and pass the other team without slowing them in any way. This may take considerable energy if the snow outside the boot-pack is soft or deep. The passing team should not complain about having to pass as they didn't get up as early as the slower team.

If your rope team is walking in a boot-pack and needs to take a break, the polite thing to do is to step out of the trail. You should not take a break in a place that blocks others. If your team is slow and is taking a lot of standing mini-breaks (i.e. stopping for a few seconds or even a minute or so), then you should step out of the boot-pack and allow faster teams to pass in the trail without protest.

2) Who has the right to the steps that have been kicked in the slope?

There is a nice line of steps kicked into the slope going all the way up the mountain. Clearly, it is easier to use the steps that another team has put in than to create your own. As you're climbing up the mountain, you see another team descending in the steps. Their plunge-steps are completely destroying the steps as they descend. And while this may make things more difficult for your team, you didn't create the steps and as such, don't have any ownership over them.

A team camps on the Easton Glacier on Mount Baker
Photo by Alasdair Turner

If you create a series of steps up the mountain, you do have the right to use them on your descent. However, it is far more polite to leave these steps for others. I will almost universally try to leave my steps for other climbers, unless the snow is incredibly soft and difficult to move through. Occasionally, the snow is so deep that new downhill steps could cause a climber to hyper-extend his or her knee. When conditions are this severe, I use my uphill steps for downhill travel.

3) What should I do with my human waste? Should I leave it on the summit for all to see with a nice pile of toilet paper? Or should I do something else with it?

You should do something else with it.

On expeditions or on big mountains, sometimes you can put your waste in a crevasse, but you should pack out your toilet paper. On smaller glaciated peaks, you should use a Wag Bag or the equivulent and pack everything out.

If you have other ettiquete questions, feel free to post them. This is such a large topic that a single Blog cannot do it justice.

--Jason D. Martin