Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you stoked!

I'll keep the lead up to this one short. Here it goes: Jacinda Hunter - Mother of 4, full time Nurse, sends 5.14b project. Enough said. Your excuse is no longer valid.

Jacinda Hunter: Style, Grace, Power from Prana Living on Vimeo.

So I'll just stick with the theme I guess, and make this the hardcore women's edition of Weekend Warrior. Another super impressive female climber out there. I love climbing because as a guy, I think it is totally accepted to be extremely impressed by a woman and to admire her climbing, as well as to strive to climb like her. Sure climbing involves brute upper body strength, which on average men have more of (click here to a see a Wikipedia article on it, section 3.1; I am not making this comment from a sexist view point, just stating a fact), but climbing is so much more than just pull-ups. I honestly think I learn way more when I watch a female climb than when I watch a male climb. Trying to take the grace, balance, and fluidity that women seem to inherently have more of when it comes to climbing, and integrate it into my own climbing, is something I really need to get better at.

Alex Puccio: The Centaur from Prana Living on Vimeo.

Mt. Rainier Kautz Glacier Climb

I am way behind on posting photos from the trips I have done lately on my blog, so hopefully I will have a bunch of posts both here on the AAI blog as well as on my own in the next week or so. I will start with my latest trip since it has the fewest photos to sort through.

A Mt. Rainier greeting agent. Much more friendly than the Rangers. Actually the rangers were great!


Here is a panorama from our camp. Mt. St. Helens in the distance.
Crossing the Nisqualy Glacier.

Justin, Kate, and Liz.

Another guide services camp below us.

Scott near the summit.

Scott at the summit.

Liz with about ten steps to go.

Fist Bump!

The rappel down the Kautz Ice Chute.

Kate back at camp.

Heading out in less than perfect weather.

A panorama of the entire Muir Snowfield.

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 7/29/10

Northwest:

--A climber was killed Tuesday on Mount Rainier when he slid into a crevasse high on the Emmons Glacier. Lee F. Adams, 52, was descending from the summit with three other climbers when the last person on the rope tripped and fell, according to a Mount Rainier National Park news release. The four were swept off their feet and, after unsuccessfully trying to stop their fall, they slid into a crevasse at 13,000 feet. To read more, click here.

--A Bothell woman died Sunday after she fell 800 feet from Mount Baring, near Stevens Pass, and her parachute failed to open. Rick Hawkins, a spokesman with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, said the 32-year-old woman was climbing with her husband about noon Sunday when she jumped off the mountain ahead of him. To read more, click here.

--AAI guide Lyle Haugsven had an eventful weekend. On Friday he road his bike 113 miles from Seattle to Paradise on Mount Rainier. On Saturday, he climbed from Paradise to the summit of Mount Rainier and back. And then on Sunday, he road his bike another 113 miles back to Seattle! On his facebook page, he called it Type II fun, that is something that seems really fun when it's done and over with...

--Canadian super-climber Sonnie Trotter, has taken a step back from high end 5.13 and 5.14 climbs to create what will likely become the most well-trodden route on the Stawamus Chief. The Squamish Butt Face is a three pitch 5.9 variation away from the normal Squamish Buttress route. To read more, click here.

The Flagship REI Store in Seattle
Photo from Wikipedia

--The most creative companies in the world understand that design is about creating experiences that consumers crave. In a new book, "Design Is How It Works: How Smart Companies Turn Products Into Icons," former Seattle Times and BusinessWeek reporter Jay Greene explains how several companies, including Kent-based REI, use design to address needs consumers never knew they had. To read about how REI has used design to get you into their store, click here.

--It’s not something you see much on YouTube… at least, not yet. A Camas, Wash., man found guilty last May of illegal off-roading on Washington State trust land, was sentenced to go on the video sharing site YouTube and apologize for damage he caused driving his Chevy 4X4 around a locked gate in Yacolt Burn State Forest. Clark County District Court Judge James Swanger gave Rickey Sharratt, age 28 at the time, a choice between 40 hours of community service on a labor crew or going on YouTube to describe his offense and the damage it caused. Sharratt chose YouTube. To read the rest of the article and to see Sharratt's video, please click here.

--An Arizona man who was rescued on Mount Hood over the weekend is in fair condition. Lucio Barajas, who apparently suffered a broken leg on Saturday, is being treated at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. To read more, click here.

--A California family of three became stranded hiking near the summit of South Sister and called for help Friday evening, triggering a successful all-night rescue operation involving nearly three-dozen volunteers and deputies.Deschutes County 911 got a call around 6 p.m. Friday seeking help for three stranded hikers on the South Sister, just below Prouty Glacier, said Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Coordinator Sgt. Scott Shelton. To read more, click here.

--It appears that a fixed line and draws left by an individual working a project at the Skagit County Crag were stolen this week. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

The Moon over Half Dome
Photo by Ansel Adams

--Rick Norsigian's hobby of picking through piles of unwanted items at garage sales in search of antiques has paid off for the Fresno, California, painter. Two small boxes he bought 10 years ago for $45 -- negotiated down from $70 -- are now estimated to be worth at least $200 million, according to a Beverly Hills art appraiser. Those boxes contained 65 glass negatives created by famed nature photographer Ansel Adams in the early period of his career. Experts believed the negatives were destroyed in a 1937 darkroom fire that destroyed 5,000 plates. To read more, click here.

--On Friday, July 16th, rangers destroyed a marijuana plantation in the park containing 8,125 plants worth an estimated $32.5 million. In the near future, trash, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and other hazardous materials will be removed from the site. The plot, located near an area where a large number of marijuana plants were removed on July 1st, is believed to have been planted by people with ties to a Mexican drug trafficking organization. No arrests have been made yet. An investigation is ongoing. To read more, click here.

--A wildfire is burning in the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area of the Inyo National Forest. It is burning in between US 395 and the north end of the Mono Craters, south of Highway 120 East. Highway 120 East is currently closed, as are Test Station Road, the day use areas at South Tufa and Navy Beach on the shores of Mono Lake. The fire is currently 1000 acres. The cause of the fire is under investigation. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--The body of a missing 17-year-old Boy Scout was found in Zion National Park on Thursday, a day after he was reported missing from a backpacking Scout group. The 12 hikers noticed Corey Buxton, of Las Vegas, was not with the group about 1 p.m. Wednesday, when they were near the Hop Valley trailhead on Kolob Terrace Road, said Ron Terry, park spokesman. To read more, click here.

--Zion National Park officials say three men who were swept away by a flash flood in a canyon were washed over a 40-foot drop and survived. Two of the three men also went over another 60-foot plunge as the water rushed through Spry Canyon on Saturday in the Utah park. To read more, click here.

--After much rigorous planning, training and implementation, the park launched its short-haul program with two missions on two consecutive days last week. On Friday, a 61-year-old man from Salt Lake City suffered an angulated ankle fracture while in the upper reaches of the Left Fork of North Creek, an area popularly known as “The Subway.” He was short-hauled out, transferred to an ambulance, and taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, with ranger/paramedic Rob Wissinger as his attendant during the operation. The second incident is also described in the previous abstract. To read more, click here.

Himalaya:

--Not many people visit the remote Garhwal region of the Indian Himalaya, but this Spring two Portuguese climbers, Raulo Roxo and Daniela Teixeira, made the journey to the region. They climbed new lines on Parvati Parvat (20,528') and Ekdant (20,013') as well as establishing the first ascent of an unmapped peak that they called Kartik (16,781'). To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

The Tetons

--On Wednesday, July 21st, lightning struck on the Grand in Grand Teton National Park, hitting seventeen people and killing one of them. The day after the strike, rangers recovered the body of a 21-year-old Iowa climber who was knocked off the 13,770-foot-high Grand Teton during a lightning storm. Park officials identified the victim as Brandon Oldenkamp, 21, of Sanborn, Iowa. Oldenkamp was in a climbing harness, tied to a rope and on belay when the lightning struck, park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said. His friends watched him disappear at a feature known as the Belly Roll on the Owen-Spalding route. To read more, click here and here and here.

--One climber has died and two others are injured after being struck by falling rocks in the southwest Colorado mountains. San Miguel County authorities say 59-year-old Peter Topp of Colorado Springs died Monday before two helicopters could reach the climbers. He was one of five people traversing the ridge between Mount Wilson and El Diente in Dolores County. To read more, click here.

--Crews rescued a woman who suffered serious injuries in a fall while climbing in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday. The woman, thought to be in her early 20s, was about 30 feet up Beckey’s Wall when she fell at about 12:30 p.m., said Unified Fire Authority Capt. Clint Mecham. To read more, click here.

--Claws had been removed in the latest illegal killing of a grizzly bear in northwest Montana that's under investigation by state and federal wildlife law enforcement. "We are concerned about the claws entering the commercial market," said Kqyn Kuka, a Conrad-based game warden with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. To read more, click here.

--At least one bear rampaged through a campground Wednesday near Yellowstone National Park in the middle of the night, killing one person and injuring two others during a terrifying attack that forced people to hide in their cars as the animal tore through tents. Three separate attacks left a male dead and a female and another male injured at the Soda Butte campground. The female suffered severe lacerations from bites on her arms, and the surviving male was bitten on his calf. Both were hospitalized in Cody, Wyoming. To read more, click here.

--There are a number of plans that have been proposed for the extension of the Appalachian Trail across international boarders. Extending the trail into Canada makes a lot of sense, but what about extending it along it's ancient historic geographical line through Europe and Africa? That's what one group is currently proposing. To read more, click here.

--Last week the Public Lands Service Corps Act (HR 1612) was passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This important piece of legislation, which already has passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 20, 2010, would dramatically expand opportunities for young people to serve on public lands through conservation corps’ programs. To read more, click here.

--Kelly Cordes writes a great article -- after an injury of course -- about why you should wear your helmet! To read it, click here.

Conditions Report - July 28, 2010

NORTHWEST:

Photo Credit Andrew Yasso.

--The lower Coleman icefall is free of snow and the seracs are growing. Check out this solo Baker trip report.

-- Anacortes Parks and Recreation (Mt. Erie) reports: It looks like the peregrines on Mt. Erie have successfully raised their three chicks this year. The chicks have fledged recently and been seen (heard) hunting with the parents in other areas. We will lift the voluntary closure on July 31st.

-- The Forest Service is closing Mountain Loop Highway (Forest Service road 20) to traffic through August at various locations to install culverts. Construction will close the road 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on the following dates and locations:

Aug. 2-3 at milepost 39.5.
Aug. 4-5 at milepost 37.8, 42.5, and 34.7.
Aug. 9-10 at milepost 35.2-36.85.
Aug. 11-12 at milepost 38.6.
Aug. 16-17 at milepost 39.7.
Aug. 18-19 at milepost 40.4.
Aug. 23-26 at milepost 38.25 - 38.00.
Aug. 30-Sept 1 at milepost 39.00.

-- A couple Mt. Adams reports can be found here and here. For the most part, stellar conditions.

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Sno-Park permits are available for purchase in Washington State. To purchase a permit and/or read more about them click here.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.-- Route and Conditions Report from Mt. Baker Rangers: Mount Baker Climbing Blog.

--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.

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

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

ALASKA RANGE:

-- For the most current updates on Alaska, please see our Dispatch Blog.

--Forecast for Denali.

SIERRA:

--Check out this Cathedral Peak trip report. They escaped from thunderstorms and just about dogged all the rain....

-- A Tioga road plowing report can be found here.

--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.


ALPS:

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

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

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 entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

JOSHUA TREE:

-- Some campgrounds will close for the summer season. See here for more info.

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

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

Jetboil vs. Whisperlite

For a very very long time, guides used MSR Whisperlites with near exclusivity. Why? Primarily because these stoves provided two large advantages:

1. They're easy to fix in the field. No matter how gummed up the stove is, it's possible to get it to work.
2. It's easy to check the level of fuel in the fuel bottle.

MSR Whisperlite

There are some disadvantages to a Whisperlite to:

1. Eventually they need to be cleaned and worked on at nearly every meal.
2. There are multiple parts that could potentially get lost.
3. If they are not running properly they will burn a lot more fuel.
4. Unless you have a platform for the Whisperlite, it will sink into the snow when it gets hot.
5. It doesn't necessarily boil water quickly.

These disadvantages brought most guides to a point where they became quite interested in alternatives. The first real alternative to make waves was the Jetboil. I remember my first encounter with this product...suprisingly, I wasn't impressed.

It took me a little while to warm up to this new system. I really liked the way that the whole system could be packed into the mug-shaped pot. It seemed convinent. But initially I wasn't impressed by the lack of a windscreen, the need for canister fuel, or the need to keep the canister off the snow in order to make it work well.

Jetboil Personal Cooking System

It was working with a guide who used the Jetboil constantly that turned me. He would climb an ice route and hang it at the top of a pitch, throw some ice chips in there and then have tea before continuing to climb. He was easily able to carry the stove around while it cooked food or boiled water...and speaking of boiling water, it was really fast. He could cook in the tent (not the vestibule) with the door open to vent fumes. And the pot itself was designed to double as a mug.

I became a big fan of the Jetboil shortly thereafter. I haven't gone back to the MSR Whisperlite simply because I have far too many bad memories of trying to get my stove to work in the cold or, honestly, trying to get it to work at all.

MSR Reactor

In all fairness, MSR has come out with its own answer to the Jetboil. Though I haven't used one yet, the MSR Reactor is considered to be a comparable product. Some say it's better. But I'm a bit stubborn. It takes a lot to get me to change. I will probably have to see a guide do something cooler with the Reactor than to simply hang it at the top of an ice pitch before I try it. I'll probably have to see it carry my pack or something.

Like I said, I'm a bit stubborn...

--Jason D. Martin

The Worst Climbing Movies Ever

For a non-climber, climbing is a foreign thing. All of the participants are adrenaline junkies looking for their next fix. This perception in conjunction with a serious lack of knowledge about climbing culture have come together over the years to provide us with some very bad climbing films.

You might think that there is little to no value in a poorly executed climbing film, but you would be horribly wrong. The value in these films is wholly unintentional. Most people can suspend their disbelief under certain circumstances. If there is something unrealistic here or there, we usually choose to ignore it. But in some films, it is utterly impossible to ignore the problems. They get it so wrong, yet play it so straight, that the films actually become quite comic.

The worst offenders take poor plot-lines, poor dialogue and incredibly ludicrous climbing scenarios and successfully -- though unintentionally -- weave them into a cinematic mess that is so unbelievable they seem surreal. Three films stand out as the worst of the worst. And indeed it is because these are the worst offenders that they are so fun to watch.

Cliffhanger (1993)

Synopsis: A high end climber and search and rescue expert -- who lost a friend in a tragic, but totally avoidable, climbing accident -- is forced to assist a group of gun-wielding thieves in their quest to find boxes of money scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains. Oh yeah, as this is a Sylvester Stallone movie, he does this mostly in the snow wearing a t-shirt. And sometimes he's even topless...

Cardboard characters, racial and ethnic stereotypes, and a script that is so unrealistic that there isn't a moment of the film where one doesn't laugh at the stupidity of the characters are all components of the vast majority of the Stallone films. This one certainly does not stand out as being different or of a higher quality.

Cliffhanger does have a few didactic moments for climbers. We learn that it is really not a good idea to shoot a machine gun at the cornice that you're standing beneath. We learn that we should be terrified if the stuffed animal in our backpack falls. And of course we learn that you shouldn't mess around with Rambo.

Suprisingly, the original storyline of this film was based on a true story. Climbing author, John Long, gets story credit for the film. In 1977, a plane filled with marijuana crashed in the Lower Merced Lake in Yosemite National Park. At the time it was winter and the lake was difficult to get to. Long lived in Yosemite when this happened and watched the incident unfold. It is likely that his original story pitch represented this true story, but was warped by Hollywood into a Sly Stallone vehicle which really is too bad.

Vertical Limit (2000)

Synopsis: A high end climber and photographer -- who lost his dad in a tragic, but totally avoidable, climbing accident -- must rescue his sister from a crevasse as well as from a crazed climber. Oh yeah, and he's supposed to do it with bottles of nitroglycerin. On K2.

A great deal has been said about this film in the climbing community. Indeed, it may be possible that this was the most talked about "bad" climbing film of all time. Why? It's just way over the top.

In the opening scene, somehow all kinds of cams and pins rip out of a desert tower leading to an incredibly unrealistic accident. Somehow they mixed up the party scene in Joshua Tree National Park with base camp on K2. And somehow, they thought that a mountain climbing rescue drama needed a few things to spice it up. It needed a villainous character who murders people high on the mountain. It needed characters wandering around on the glacier with full racks of shiny cams with no rock climbing in sight. And clearly to make any climbing movie realistic, you need to have unstable nitroglycerin.

A lot of people like to talk about leading man, Chris O'Donnell, and his radical running leap over a chasm high on K2. My question is, have you ever run in crampons? Have you ever run at altitude? Were that me, I would have probably tripped over my crampons while hyperventilating, thus falling down to the bottom of the bottomless chasm.

I know that I'm not the only one who noticed another problem with O'Donnell's portrayal of a world-class climber. Every time he talks to his sister (Robin Tunney) throughout the film it looks like he's trying to seduce her. It appears that O'Donnell only knows how to play one thing while working with a female counterpart on screen and in light of these two character's relationship, it's a little bit icky.

Vertical Limit was way over the top. Every scene was an excercise in excess. And every beat of the story seemed more unrealistic than the previous. It's likely that this was -- to some extent -- intentional. Film-makers often build action with sequences that are more and more dramatic throughout a movie. In Vertical Limit, this one-upmanship did not lead to an edge of your seat movie experience. Instead, it lead straight to serious unintentional comedy.

Take it to the Limit (2000)

Synopsis: A bad boy from the city -- who was in a tragic, but totally avoidable accident with a stolen car -- hangs out with a bunch of inept climbers who appear to have near-terminal cases of ADHD. Oh yeah, he does this to pick up a girl.


Famous B movie producer Roger Corman was behind this strange adventure. And ironically, even though it is a B movie, this film probably has the best script of the three. The problem is that with little to no knowledge of climbing culture or climbing itself, an okay script turns into an exercise in the ludicrous.

There are a few scenes that stick out as being over the top. There's the time when the hero and his girlfriend get stuck on a cliff approximately a hundred feet up a third class pitch with no way to get down. Then there's the time when they go "climbing" on a water tower; only to leave the hero stuck on top because he doesn't have climbing shoes. And then there's the time that they go toproping, but they give each other so many high fives when it's suggested that you literally wonder what they were smoking.

Perhaps the best part of the entire film is the rap. A rap, you say? Yes, a rap. Every time they go climbing the rap starts. It goes something like this:

• Take it to the limit, the limit, the limit
• Take it to the limit, the limit, the limit
• Take it to the limit, the limit, the limit
  

By no stretch of the imagination is this a difficult rap. No, it probably took about ten minutes to write. But if one thing is for sure, once you see Take it to the Limit, you won't be able to get the words Take it to the Limit, out of your head...

Ironically, outside the climbing world, these three movies no longer have a life of their own. Clearly, they weren't just bad climbing movies. They were just plain bad. For better or worse, we're responsible for keeping these movies alive. I suppose I can live with that...

Trailers for Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit may be seen below. Follow the link to watch the trailer for Take it to the Limit.

Take It to the Limit

--Jason D. Martin

July and August Climbing Events

-- July 31 - Aug 1 -- Golden, CO -- Managing Human Waste

-- Aug 6-7 --Utah -- Cedar Mountain Adventure Experience

-- Aug 7 -- Denali Park, AK -- Denali Education Center Auction

-- Aug 21 -- Moose, WY -- Grand Teton Climber's Ranch Anniversary

-- Aug 28 -- Truckee, CA -- Craggin' Classic

Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you stoked!

As the weather seems to stabilize, and the sun stays out for longer, certain climbing areas become more consistently enjoyable here in the Northwest. One of those areas is just across the border from us, in Squamish, BC. I really cannot do Squamish justice in one paragraph, nor does this video do it justice in four and a half minutes. However, just trust me when I say Canada really takes care of their parks, and Squamish rocks. Here is a clip put together from shots taken at last weekend's mountain festival.

Squamish in a Day....Eh!!! from Cedar Wright on Vimeo.

While we are talking about climbing in other countries, may as well stick with the theme and go with this hilarious video from Australia. Cedar Wright, the same guy who made the previous video, has a little too much time on his hands. However, he ends up making pretty solid videos, and it seems like he climbs pretty darn hard. If you can drone out the music, you'll notice some pretty stellar climbing going on, and may just be inspired to renew that passport.

Australia Climbing Adventure_THE MUSICAL_Total Eclipse from Cedar Wright on Vimeo.

Reflection on my first major expedition

As a program coordinator (and aspiring guide) at AAI, I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing climbers, guides, and teachers in the mountains. It seems to me that our staff members are all three at the same time, and I feel so fortunate to be learning and climbing with them. Additionally, I have been given the opportunity to experience things and climb in areas that have challenged me both physically and mentally, as well as broaden my climbing resume.

Most recently I just returned from an 18 day expedition on Denali's West Buttress. I participated in this trip as an "assistant guide," which means I couldn't quite lead a rope team, but I could cook! Essentially, I got a free trip up to Alaska to climb in a beautiful range, on a beautiful mountain, with some extremely experienced and quality guides. However for whatever reason, I wasn't as stoked before the trip as I should have been. I thought the West Buttress was just some three week slog up a wide snow slope with minimal to no technical climbing.

Base camp with Mt. Hunter in the background, looking stellar

In some way, that is exactly what it is. But while I was on the trip, my opinion started to change. It wasn't because the loads got lighter over time, or that the altitude was messing with my head - it was the continual conversations I had with my team members and other climbers that changed my mind. I remember one specific conversation that went like this.

Me: "You know, my favorite type of climbing is when the climb lasts no more than two days. I can fit all my gear in a 30L pack and go work myself over the course of a few days to get up something truly exciting. I like it to be steep, and full of exposure, and be logistically pretty simply."

Climber: "Yeah, that does sound fun. I do enjoy ice climbing, and technical rock is great, but my most favorite type of climbing, what I really yearn to do, is steep snow. That's why I love climbs like the West Buttress"

A steep snow slope... at the top of Motorcycle Hill on Denali

Steep snow!? Really dude? My initial thought was, man that is the one type of "climbing" that I could do without! I see steep snow as an inevitable object in the way of more exciting climbing. It is in no means an "end" in and of itself. However seeing this climber's passion for the route, and for the location and views it exposed him too, I started to gain an appreciation for it.

Sure I wasn't being challenged technically, but that meant I had the time to look around and to appreciate the clean mountain air I was breathing. More often than not I'm thinking about technical systems or how to manage rope drag, instead of how beautiful the ridge top looks when the sun is setting and the alpenglow starts to take form. Moving up the ridge between 16,000 and 17,000 feet I wasn't thinking about the level that I climb at, but simply where I was climbing and how stunning the Alaska range is.

A view of the stunning summit ridge

Furthermore, I found myself enjoying the social experience of Denali. I was rubbing shoulders with climbers from every country of the world, and heard more languages at 14,200 in Alaska than in most international airports. Where else can you share a shot of vodka with a Romanian climbing team, and then have some fish with a Japanese team that were drying it in the sun - hung between two trekking poles? While I'm usually not one to randomly engage people in "climber talk," I really appreciated the opportunity to meet people from other places and observe their climbing style and ethics.

Playing badminton at 14,200 feet

Overall, at the end of the trip, I found myself a little ashamed of my initial attitude towards the route and the style of climbing. I judged the climb and the type of people who do it before I even attempted it myself. Sure the physical challenge is there, and yes the mental obstacles are numerous, but I am truly looking forward to going back to Alaska and climbing that mountain again. If I stand on the summit again, I guess that's cool. But really I'm excited to simply be on the mountain, to see the views, the meet the people, and to experience the trip as a whole. I'm so thankful that my original view of the mountain was crushed, and that now I can really enjoy and appreciate expedition style climbing.

The author, thoroughly pleased to be on the ridge between 16,000 and 17,000 feet

If you've ever been too focused on "your style of climbing" and haven't given much credence to routes like the West Buttress, and haven't given it a try, then you are doing yourself a disservice. I highly recommend you challenge your prejudices, and yourself, by giving the climb a fair chance. If not, you are missing out.

Andrew Yasso - Program Coordinator
(All photos by the author)

Tumwater Bridge Repairs to Begin in North Cascades National Park

The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from North Cascades National Park.

The National Park Service will be conducting erosion control and abutment work on Tumwater Bridge along the Stehekin Valley Road in North Cascades National Park. The construction will temporarily close the Stehekin Valley Road to all vehicle traffic above Tumwater Campground on weekdays beginning Monday, July 26, 2010. The bridge will remain open to hikers, bicycles and stock and will open to vehicle traffic on Saturdays and Sundays. Work is expected to be ongoing through mid-August.

Tumwater Bridge endured flood damage and erosion during the 2003 flood. Subsequent floods and high water events have further eroded the bridge approaches and abutments. This work will stabilize the bridge approaches and ensure continued access to this portion of the Stehekin Valley. The total project cost is $319,000 with 46% of the work going to local businesses.

Tumwater Bridge is located 12.3 miles from the Stehekin Landing on the Stehekin Valley Road. This construction will not affect the Stehekin Shuttle service between Stehekin and High Bridge or the Old Wagon Trail (Pacific Crest Trail) trailhead at High Bridge. Tumwater Campground, located at 12.1 miles from the Landing, will remain open during the project.

Photos of the erosion on Tumwater Bridge can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/northcascadesnationalpark/4815774201/

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 7/22/10

Northwest:

--An autopsy is scheduled to determine the cause of death for a missing hiker whose body was found off a trail near Windy Pass in the Leavenworth area. Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum says the body of Mark Swenson was found by a hiker Saturday at the 7,000-foot level of a trail that leads to Mount Cashmere in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Harum told The Wenatchee World it appears he was cutting across country, rather than staying on the trail. There was no indication of a fall or other injury. To read more, click here.

--Late last week, the Access Fund announced that the Washington Climbers Coalition has paid back its loan to the Access Fund for the option agreement on Lower Index Town Wall. The loan was administered under the Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign. In the spring of 2009, the Access Fund loaned the WCC $15,000 to secure an 18-month option agreement to protect the Lower Index Town Wall and surrounding crags from a quarrying operation. The option agreement protected the area while the WCC worked to raise the $300,000 needed to purchase and steward the 20-acre tract of land. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--Alex Honnold and Sean Leary made a massive Yosemite link-up last week. The pair linked three Grade VI routes on Yosemite's El Capitan in a single day: The Nose, Salathe Wall and Lurking Fear. To read more, click here.


--Mark Huddon makes a plea for all big wall climbers in Yosemite to carry down not only their solid human waste, but their liquid waste as well. To read the post, click here.

--Yosemite National Park announces the first mobile application is available for visitors to use on their iPhone. The application will feature the hike to Lower Yosemite Fall, offering multiple locations in which visitors can stop and learn about the surrounding environment. The iPhone / iTouch application features a Global Positioning System (GPS) map which highlights the visitors' location as they walk to Lower Yosemite Fall. The application highlights 22 points of interest with stories of wildlife, the environment, John Muir, floods, fires, and forests. In addition, the application will allow visitors to easily locate the nearest restroom, visitor center, museum, and shuttle bus stops. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Curt Sauer has annnounced his retirement after 35 years of federal service. He’ll hang up his flat Thursday, Sept. 30. In his seven years in Joshua Tree, Sauer prioritized creating positive relationships and mutually beneficial partnerships with the park’s gateway communities, according to a park press release. During his park service career, Sauer served as chief ranger at Olympic National Park, manager for the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, which is part of North Cascades National Park, park ranger at Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain national parks, as well as seasonal positions with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. To read more, click here.

--A section of a Lake Elsinore road in California's Riverside County was closed for about 40 minutes Sunday after a hiker found a small destructive device in a wash below an overpass, said Sgt. John Kaiser. No one was injured during the incident. To read more, click here.

--An article on an Arizona television station website asks the question, "should there be a stupid hiker law?" While not heavily reported here, there have been a number of hiker rescues in the Southwest this summer. And we ask the same questions that we always ask... How would you apply such a law and who would oversee it? Unfortunately bureaucrats have little knowledge of outdoor travel and sports, so some groups (like climbers) would be unfairly discriminated against. To read the article click here.

Alaska:

--Wolves likely killed a teacher jogging alone along a rural Alaska village road, public safety officials said Thursday. The Alaska State Medical Examiner listed "multiple injuries due to animal mauling" as the cause of death for Candice Berner, 32, a special education teacher from Pennsylvania who began working in Alaska in August. Her body was found off the road a mile outside the village of Chignik Lake on the Alaska Peninsula, which is about 474 miles southwest of Anchorage. To read more, click here.

--Early this week we received an unusual call from a reporter at Reuters. It appears that the former Alaskan Governor and former Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin tweeted that she was going to climb Sweet Tooth on Denali in the Alaska Range. Of course, there is no Sweet Tooth. There is a Sugar Tooth, and on Sugar Tooth, there is a feature called the Sweet Tooth Gendarme, but the route is Grade V, 5.10+, A2. And the Sugar Tooth is not on Denali, it is in the Ruth Gorge. In any case, we have no idea what she was actually trying to climb. To see some comments about this, check out the supertopo thread, the rockclimbing.com thread or this article at The Mudflats.

--French climbers Sebastien Bohin, Sebastien Moatti, Emmanuel Pellissier, and Sebastien Ratel recently completed a new route on Augusta (14,071') on the Canadian side of the Saint Elias Range. The team's ascent on the mountain was the first recorded in two decades. To read more, click here.

Himalaya:

--Mountaineer Petar Unzhiev from Bulgaria has passed away at camp 2 while attempting the second highest mountain in the world, K2. According to The Sofia Echo Petar Unzhiev was climbing with Romanian climber, George Dijmarescu. They reached Camp 2 on the mountain at 6700 metres, where they spent the night in a tent. The following morning the Romanian had descended to Base Camp as part of an acclimatisation routine, but the Bulgarian had remained high in Camp Two, and is thought to have passed away from altitude sickness. To read more, click here.


--Bonita Norris, who recently became the youngest British woman to climb Everest, launched the new Nissan Juke this morning. Juke rolls off the production line at the Sunderland factory in September and is set to safeguard over British 1,000 jobs. With three months still remaining, Juke has already received over 15,000 pre-orders across Europe exceeding Nissan's expectations. To read more, click here. To watch a video about Bonita's work in the ad campaign, please click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Authorities have identified the New Jersey man who fell to his death Saturday afternoon while hiking on Mount Washington. Christopher Baillie, 24, of Forked River, N.J., was hiking with four friends on theTuckerman Ravine Trail when Baillie went off the trail to the top of a waterfall and then slipped on the rocks and was washed over the headwall, falling about 100 to 200 feet to his death. To read more, click here.

--A 17-year-old boy vacationing with his Pennsylvania family who fell to his death while hiking on the Coastal Trail near the Muir Beach Overlook Monday may have been distracted by his cell phone, according to a KTVU.com report. The boy fell 400 to 500 feet from the trail three-quarters of a mile south of Muir Beach around 1 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene about an hour later, Golden Gate National Recreation Area spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet said. According to authorities, there are indications the teen may have been either talking or texting on his cell phone and unwittingly walked over the edge of a cliff. To read more, click here.

--A 27-year-old man who seriously injured his ankles in a 20-foot fall on a technical climb on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park was identified Sunday as William Esposito, of Boulder, according to Kyle Patterson, park public information officer. The accident occurred at 2:23 p.m. Saturday on Stettner’s Ledges near Mills Glacier on the 14,259-foot peak, Patterson said in a news release. To read more, click here.

--After twenty years of being a workhorse in the climbing world, Petzl is releasing a new version of the GriGri: The GriGri 2! To read about it, click here. Check out the promo video below:

--An American heart transplant recipient who climbs mountains to demonstrate the power of organ donation has been turned back by frigid weather and loose rocks while attempting to summit Africa's second-highest peak. Kelly Perkins, 48, had hoped to climb Mt. Kenya's tallest peak — Batian, at 17,057 feet (5199 meters) — but the six-person team Perkins was climbing with turned back after passing 16,000 feet (4,877 meters). To read more, click here.

--Former President Bill Clinton has a few things he wants to do before he dies. "I'd like to climb Kilimanjaro before the snows melt, I'd like to run a marathon before I give out, there's lots of things I'd like to do," Mr. Clinton said Monday in Vienna, where he was speaking at the 18th International AIDS Conference. Clinton's own bucket list isn't only limited by his mortality: Studies suggest the snow will melt on Tanzania's Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, in the next two decades as a result of climate change.To read more, click here.

--A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to serve six months in jail for blowing up an outhouse at a federal recreation area north of Gillette, Wyoming. Friday’s sentence comes more than two months after David Everett Smith pleaded guilty to a felony charge of property destruction. Smith was one of four men charged with destroying an outhouse last summer in the Weston Hills recreation area about 25 miles north of Gillette. Prosecutors say the men used an oxygen tank, acetylene, fire extinguishers and several Molotov cocktails to cause the explosion. To read more, click here.

August Closures on Washington's Mountain Loop Highway

The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest:

Everett, Wash. July 21, 2010— The Forest Service is closing Mountain Loop Highway (Forest Service road 20) to traffic through August at various locations to install culverts. Construction will close the road 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on the following dates and locations:

Aug. 2-3 at milepost 39.5.
Aug. 4-5 at milepost 37.8, 42.5, and 34.7.
Aug. 9-10 at milepost 35.2-36.85.
Aug. 11-12 at milepost 38.6.
Aug. 16-17 at milepost 39.7.
Aug. 18-19 at milepost 40.4.
Aug. 23-26 at milepost 38.25 - 38.00.
Aug. 30-Sept 1 at milepost 39.00.

Call Darrington Ranger District for updates at 360-436-1155 or go to alerts and conditions on http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/.

Conditions Report - July 21 2010

NORTHWEST:

--Baker-Snoqualmie Forest Service Requires Visitors Possess New Map. This weekend visitors driving onto the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest will need a map showing what type of motor vehicles they can use and where they can use them. The maps are free at Forest Service offices and on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest website. Roads and trails will no longer be signed in the field as to permissible uses.

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Sno-Park permits are available for purchase in Washington State. To purchase a permit and/or read more about them click here.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.-- Route and Conditions Report from Mt. Baker Rangers: Mount Baker Climbing Blog.

--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.

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

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

ALASKA RANGE:

-- For the most current updates on Alaska, please see our Dispatch Blog.

--Forecast for Denali.

SIERRA:

--Crane Flat Campground is somewhat under construction. See this thread.

-- A Tioga road plowing report can be found here.

-- Mt. Whitney lottery info can be found here.

--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.


ALPS:

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

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

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 entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

JOSHUA TREE:

-- Some campgrounds will close for the summer season. See here for more info.

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

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

The Mount Baker Marathon

In the early nineteen-hundreds the first endurance and adventure race took place in the Pacific Northwest. A crew of hearty individuals raced from Bellingham to Glacier by whatever means necessary (car, train, motorcycle) and then began to run. They ran from Glacier to the summit of Mount Baker and back, before they could take their machines back down to Bellingham.

The first to arrive in Bellingham would win a purse of gold worth $100.

There were no rope teams and little additional safety if something went wrong. It was a dangerous race. But $100 was no joke in 1911. Indeed, some of the runners would even set-up camp at 4,500 feet and run to the summit and back twice a day to train.

A documentary film is currently being put together on the mountain runners and the American Alpine Institute was brought in to provide support, rigging, and a stunt man for some of the shots. As a result, Tom Kirby, Ross Buchanan (our intern) and I went up to the mountain with the film crew last week to help them create a seminal moment in the story of the runners.

Apparently one of the runners fell into a crevasse. He was ultimately rescued, but the crevasse fall was serious enough that they decided that they would no longer run the race.

Jason decked out in full costume.
Note the helmet hidden under the hat.

To create the crevasse fall scene, we realized that we needed two settings. First we needed the actual fall into the crevasse and second, we needed to see the bottom of the crevasse. Due to the geography of the mountain, it made more sense to shoot the scene at the bottom of the crevasse first.

The logging boots had studs on the bottom, but they definitely weren't mountain boots.

After some initial training, we worked our way up into the lower icefall on Mount Baker's Coleman Glacier. This is the same icefall that we regularly use for our ice courses and we knew that we would probably be able to find a good crevasse to work with somewhere.

A cameraman shooting the crevasse sequence.

After scouting a good portion of the icefall, we found a nice crevasse with a floor that didn't pinch off.

Running through the scenes at the bottom of the crevasse.

Obviously this wasn't the most stable crevasse in the world. There was a fair bit of debris on the floor which meant that things were occasionally calving off. None of the debris seemed to be recent, but we still elected to get the shots in a get-in-there-and-get-it and then get-outta-there fashion.

The film's director, Todd Warger, took a number of different shots of me lying on the bottom of the crevasse as well as running around and trying to find a way out. He wanted me to look cold and scared. Neither of these things were hard to do at the bottom of a drippy crevasse in cotton clothing.

When I finally got out I had to change my clothes completely. The cotton racer clothes were soaked by the time we were finished for the day and so were we.

Ice climbing in logging boots isn't terribly easy.

The next day we climbed up above the Hogsback to find a crevasse to do the second series of shots. Eventually we found something that would work, but it wasn't great. It would have been nice if the crevasse had been a bit wider.

Prepping for the crevasse fall. Note the rope coming
out of Jason's fly. He is wearing a harness under the pants.

I wore a harness beneath my pants for the shot. We buried and equalized three pickets and clipped the rope to them. The crux of the shot was that I would have to slide through the frame without the camera seeing the rope. To make this happen we stacked the rope next to the anchor and put it down the right-hand side of my body. When I slid, the cameras were on the left and I would have to roll to my right just before entering the crevasse to mask the rope.

Once everything was in place I did it. I slid towards the crevasse acting like I was trying to stop and screaming the whole way. My body launched out over the crevasse, cutting perfectly through the frame.

With all the calculations that we did to set-up the stunt, there was one problem that wasn't well anticipated: the other side of the crevasse. I thought that I would drop more than I did. Instead, I had enough velocity from the slide that I hit the other side of the crevasse and had the wind knocked out of me.

Even though I suffered a bit for the stunt, it appeared to be worth it. The footage of the crevasse fall was absolutely perfect. It's not easy to see the rope and on the first look at the fall, it looks like I took a completely out-of-control slide into the depths.

It was a lot of fun to be involved in a film shoot like this and I'm looking forward to the release of the documentary in 2011. Following is the shot of a "terrified" Jason Martin falling into the crevasse. You'd think with all the years that I spent in the theatre, my screams could have been more convincing:



To learn more about the film, please check out the Mountain Runners website. There is a tremendous amount of information about the real mountain runners there and quite a bit of information about the documentary as well.

--Jason D. Martin

Book Review: Climbing Self Rescue

Most climbers are concerned about what might happen if there were an accident high on a steep face. Most climbers play-out some kind of heroic scenario in their heads where they get out of said accident. But most climbers don't spend the time required to learn how to deal with a serious situation. In other words, the reality vs. what plays out in a climber's head could be quite different. As such, all climbers need to invest some time in learning about rock rescue.

The best way to acquire the skills required to deal with an accident in a multi-pitch setting is to take a class on it. But for those who don't have the time or the money, Andy Tyson and Molly Loomis have written an excellent textbook on the subject entitled, Climbing Self-Rescue: Improvising Solutions for Serious Situations.

Tyson and Loomis put together a book that starts with what one should do in the case of an accident and then goes into an overview of baseline knowledge. They discuss knots and hitches as well as ropes, webbing and carabiners. After this introduction, they present the alternatives available to a climber during a rescue. These are escaping the belay, rappelling, hauling and lowering. And though these sound like simple things, in reality they are quite difficult with a injured or unconscious patient. Each technique requires a series of steps that are outside the average climber's knowledge base.

The primary competitor to this book is A Falcon Guide: Self-Rescue by David J. Fasulo. While this book is also excellent and covers much of the same ground as Climbing Self-Rescue, Tyson and Loomis have one-upped the Fasulo book by adding a comprehensive series of scenarios at the end of their text which could be used in "practice rescues." The scenarios are complex and often require mastery of multiple rescue techniques in order for a climber to achieve success. And indeed, it is when one has mastery that one will actually be able to deal with a real situation. This element above all others makes Climbing Self-Rescue the better book.

Can you find the crossloaded carabiner in the photo
on the cover of this book?

There is no better way to learn any new technique than with a qualified guide, but for those looking for an introduction to self-rescue or for a supplement to their training, there is currently no better book on the market than Climbing Self-Rescue: Improvising Solutions for Serious Situations.

--Jason D. Martin

July and August Climbing Events

-- July 20 (Deadline) -- REEL ROCK Filmmaking Contest

-- July 31 - Aug 1 -- Golden, CO -- Managing Human Waste

-- Aug 6-7 --Utah -- Cedar Mountain Adventure Experience

-- Aug 7 -- Denali Park, AK -- Denali Education Center Auction

-- Aug 21 -- Moose, WY -- Grand Teton Climber's Ranch Anniversary

-- Aug 28 -- Truckee, CA -- Craggin' Classic

Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you stoked!

So, I just got back from a Denali trip in Alaska - what a trip! One thing is for sure, 18 days of beautiful weather, on a beautiful mountain, on a stellar route, in a beautiful range will spoil someone. Luckily it's the technical stuff that really attracts me, so I can't wait to go back to the Alaska Range and suffer a little more on something steep. Here is a great video from the late, great Jonny Copp about the beauty of Alpine climbing in remote areas.



After my 18 day trip, followed by a week in Talkeetna and then a Greyhound bus ride back to Bellingham, I had spent a considerable amount of time away from "the real world." It wasn't until I was sitting in a bus station somewhere randomly in Northern British Columbia that I found myself staring at moving pictures on a screen, and realized I hadn't seen TV (which is normal because I don't own one) or caught up with the world news in almost a month. I started to wonder, is the oil spill in the gulf still going on? Is the world's economy still depressed? Have people been big wall climbing in Borneo? It turns out the answer to these questions are Yes, Yes, and Yes!

Borneo Big Wall Expedition from camp4 collective on Vimeo.