AAI Guide Alasdair Turner just returned from an incredibly unusual trip. Alasdair was hired to do the rope work for a study on golden eagles. Following is a blog he originally posted on his personal blog last month... _________________________________________________
I just got back from a week of working with WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife. The work was some of the more interesting that I have done this summer. I spent the week collecting prey remains from from golden eagle nests in an attempt to identify what the eagles are eating. Eagles will put their nests on cliff faces often in caves to protect them from the weather. Getting to many of these nests was pretty challenging and each presented a unique problem. Some nests have no overhead anchors and very loose rock making for difficult climbing conditions. Once at each nest I would collect any pellets and any remains of prey that were in the nest.
Me sitting in a particularly challenging nest. I found all sorts of animal parts in the nests including deer faun legs, coyote skulls, lots of marmot skulls, game bird legs, raptor skull, and snake parts. From a non-biologist perspective it appears that eagles will eat anything available and are pretty good hunters.
One of the last nests we did still had a chick in it. Soon after this photo was shot the bird fledged and made a remarkably graceful first flight out of the nest and down to the valley below.
The bird was captured, banded and fitted with a GPS tracking device.
Banding the bird. This is the business end of an eagle. The talons are the main danger in dealing with eagles. Adding the band. The eagle with the GPS tracker. And a couple of eagle portraits. The eagle then had to be returned to the nest. This involved wading across a creek, hiking up a hill, climbing down to the nest and putting the bird in. In this photo I am standing in the nest so I can put the bird back. After grabbing the bird I put it in the nest and quickly climbed out. The bird stayed and we left. (WDFW photo) --Alasdair Turner, Instructor and Guide
When I first started mountaineering it became clear to me that there were two things I needed to be successful. And no, I'm not talking about a lighter ice axe or more breathable clothing.
Nope. What I need were legs and lungs.
I realized that I needed to be able to walk uphill forever. And I realized that I needed to be able to breathe while I walked uphill forever.
The problem is that nobody can really walk uphill forever. Going up into the sky on a snowy peak really works the quads. Tired quads, plus walking uphill early in the morning, plus altitude, equals tired lungs.
There is a simplistic trick that can help you to preserve both your legs and your lungs. The Mountaineer's Rest Step is a technique that slows you down a bit -- which helps you keep your breath -- and allows you a micro-rest on every step. In the simplest terms, all that you have to do is lock your knee on every step. Locking your knee allows your body to rest on your skeletal system instead of on your muscles.
The Rest Step definitely slows you down. Some might say that this is far from ideal when trying to cover a lot of ground, but the reality is that slow and steady wins the race. It's always better to go slower and take less breaks than to go fast and have to stop a lot.
The Rest Step is a key mountaineering technique. On long summit days it doesn't get any better than taking a mini-rest with every step.
The American Alpine Institute is currently looking for a photo to be featured on the cover of our upcoming 2011 catalog. We would like a photo that signifies what the American Alpine Institute is all about; namely working, teaching, and playing in the beautiful mountain ranges around the world. This is a chance for you to show off your artistic side and submit a few photos to be considered for our catalog cover. We are really leaving it up to you to decide what you would like to see on the cover! Runners up will be used on the inside.
What’s in it for you? Well, besides the opportunity for the fame and glory that comes with photo credit in a very public and widely distributed place, the winner will receive a $200 credit on any of our programs or on gear at the Equipment Shop at AAI. The top six shots for the inside will receive $25 credit each. Please submit your photos no later than September 10th.
Email your photos with your name and where the shot was taken to: andrew@aai.cc
Please submit photos that are no larger than 4mb, however if your photo is selected, we will need a full size copy that can be printed at 300 dpi. Essentially, the photo would need to be more than 8.2 Mega pixels (3350x2382) and could be printed at 300 dpi at a size of 8.5" x 11". Smaller sizes are OK for inside the catalog.
We look forward to seeing your stunning mountain photography soon. Best of luck!
--Search and Rescue crews have now covered the entire length of the Boise Creek Trail near Squamish, where missing hiker Tyler Wright was last seen, with no sign of him. It’s been 12 days since the 35-year-old Vancouver resident took off for a 50-kilometre hike starting 35 kilometres up the MacMillan Bloedel Forest Service Road on route to Pitt Lake, Coquitlam Lake or Indian Arm. To read more, click here and here.
--The Clackamas County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team will ascend Mount Hood in the near future to recover human remains that may be those of a Longview climber who died there in December. Clackamas County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Strovink said Monday the remains have not been positively identified, but the family of Anthony Vietti of Longview believes they could be his. Vietti, 25, climbed Mount Hood Dec. 11 with two friends, Katie Nolan and Luke Gulberg. They reached the summit but didn't return. Gulberg, 26, of Des Moines, Wash., was found dead of hypothermia the next day. No trace was found of Vietti or Nolan, 29, of Portland. To read more, click here and here.
--A husband and wife were rescued on Friday about 1,000 feet below the Mt. Adams summit, a point they reached only to get stuck late Thursday on their way down when terrain turned icy, authorities said. At about 10:42 p.m., crews were called on to rescue the husband and wife who were stranded by bad weather and dealing with medical complications, according to emergency police scanners monitored at The Columbian. A search and rescue official said Thursday night the twosome was poorly equipped, cold and likely dehydrated. To read more, click here.
President Obama Photo by Alasdair Turner
--AAI guide and photographer Alasdair Turner had an interesting assignment last week. Through a series of fortunate events, he was hired by the Washington State Democratic Party to photograph President Obama when he visited Seattle. To see a photo essay of Alasdair's work, click here.
Sierra:
--A hiker in the Horsehoe Lake are above Mammoth made a grim discovery over the weekend. The Mono Sheriff's Office reports that a hiker on the trail that circles around Horseshoe Lake came across the body of 78-year-old Real Balthazar of Mammoth Lakes. The Sheriff's Department said that the hiker found Mr. Balthazar lying in the middle of the trail. When Mr. Balthazar did not respond, the hhiker returned to his vehicle and called 911. The man also let Forest Service personnel in the area know of the incident. To read more, click here.
--The iconic Sierra climber Peter Croft and Matt Ciancio recently linked four major lines on the Incredible Hulk, a 1,200 foot granite peak in the Sierras, in a day. The speed of their ascent is amazing and is even more amazing when you consider that the approach takes a half a day. To read more, click here.
--From the Boston Globe to the New York Times, ABC, NBC, CBS and the Animal Planet - Steve Searles of Mammoth Lakes tops celebrity status with his unique brand of bear management. In his home town, it's not that simple. A recent Mammoth Wildlife Committee meeting once more revealed the schisms in agency perception of bear control. Mammoth Mayor Skip Harvey, who sits on the committee, has hope that all parties will find ways to work around each other's requirements. Mammoth politicians acknowledge Searles, who claims large popular support in town. At this week's Wildife Committee meeting, Fish and Game's Tim Taylor talked about bear population studies. Taylor did not give up information about Fish and Game's past destruction of bears, as requested. To read more, click here.
--Two rock climbers, trapped by the El Monte fire near El Capitan Reservoir east of Lakeside, California, were rescued by a helicopter that could not land at their location, but hovered close enough that the climbers could step into the helicopter. To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
--A tip from an observant forest ranger led to the arrest of an Arizona prison escapee and his alleged accomplice who had been on the run since last month, authorities said late Thursday. John McCluskey and Casslyn Mae Welch were arrested at a campground on the edge of Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests in Springerville, Arizona, according to U.S. Marshal David Gonzales. To read more, click here.
--Two people were hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday after an early-morning motorcycle crash in Joshua Tree National Park, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said. The crash on Keys View Road just north of Juniper Flats Road was reported to the highway patrol about 3:15 a.m., according to a CHP dispatch system. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--Colin Haily and Mike Schaefer recently completed an amazing Alaskan traverse. The pair linked every peak in the Devil's Thumb massif, including the summits of the Witches Tits, Cat's Ears Spires, and the Devil's Thumb itself. To read more, click here.
The Moose's Tooth Massif peaking through the Clouds Photo by Jason Martin
--In mid-May Renan Ozturk, Zack Smith and Freddie Wilkinson attempted to complete a traverse of the entire Moose's Tooth massif. They completed a new route on the south face of the Moose's Tooth, but ultimately failed in their traverse. To read more, click here.
Himalaya:
--On the soft snow above Everest Base Camp at 17,400 feet, Chad Kellogg is trudging uphill in trail-running shoes. Attempting to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain alone, without oxygen, and in record time, Kellogg is on a mission both physical and intensely personal. But it's not going well. Abnormally high temperatures this spring afternoon have turned the snow to slush, and for every step he takes forward, Kellogg is sliding half a step back. Most of the 140 climbers attempting the summit had left in the crisp early morning, wearing heavy plastic climbing boots with crampons. But if Kellogg was going to beat the speed record, he needed to avoid the crowds and go it alone. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--A man who was found dead this afternoon about a quarter-mile up Red Rock Trail at Settlers Park in west Boulder likely committed suicide, according to Boulder County sheriff's officials. Cmdr. Rick Brough said the man, 43, likely died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victim's name was not immediately released. Boulder County sheriff's deputies and Rocky Mountain Rescue volunteers were still at the scene about 5 p.m, and had closed the trail. To read more, click here.
--An experienced climber and Boulder water rights lawyer was seriously injured in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area west of Brainard Lake on Saturday morning and rescued via helicopter after a lengthy search of the area. Glenn Porzak, 64, was flown to St. Anthony's Central Hospital in Denver. He was in the surgical intensive care unit on Sunday, but the hospital would not provide information on his condition. To read more, click here.
--Rescuers last week brought a 17-year-old climber to safety off Huntington Ravine on New Hampshire's Mount Washington.Fish and Game Department officials said Sean McCarthy, of Exeter, N.H., was rock climbing in the Central Gulley of Huntington Ravine on Thursday morning when he fell. He came to rest about two-thirds of the way up the headwall and is believed to be seriously injured, officials said. To read more, click here.
--By this time, everybody and their grandmother knows the Aron Ralston story. That is the story of the young man who got his arm pinned behind a boulder in the Canyonlands and was forced to cut it off with a pocket knife. And perhaps some of you were aware that the academy award winning director Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire fame was directing actor James Franco in a screen version of it. But I bet you didn't know that James Franco made an appearance at AAI Guide Kurt Hick's wedding last week. Yup, the actor is going out with Kurt's wife's sister...so take that Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. In any case, the trailer to the new film can be viewed below:
--Chad Kellogg and Dylan Johnson recently abandoned plans to climb All Along the Watchtower, a famous Grade VI on the west face of North Howser Tower in the Bugaboos of British Columbia to pluck a new line out nearby. The Simulator (5.11 C2, 19 pitches, 3,000') climbs the Southwest face of the peak. To read more, click here.
--The national parks’ history is full of examples of misguided visitors feeding bears, putting children on buffalos for photos and dipping into geysers despite signs warning of scalding temperatures. But today, as an ever more wired and interconnected public visits the parks in rising numbers — July was a record month for visitors at Yellowstone — rangers say that technology often figures into such mishaps. People with cellphones call rangers from mountaintops to request refreshments or a guide; in Jackson Hole, Wyo., one lost hiker even asked for hot chocolate. A French teenager was injured after plunging 75 feet this month from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon when he backed up while taking pictures. And last fall, a group of hikers in the canyon called in rescue helicopters three times by pressing the emergency button on their satellite location device. When rangers arrived the second time, the hikers explained that their water supply “tasted salty.” To read more, click here.
The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Denali National Park:
At approximately 12:30 p.m. today, John MacGregor of Jasper, Georgia, the object of an intensive search effort, walked into the Toklat Road Camp with some hikers he had encountered earlier in the day. He was cold and tired, but uninjured. The road camp is located at Mile 53 on the Denali Park Road. It is a seasonal housing facility for approximately 40 people.
The employees at the camp will warm him up, get him something to eat, and then transport him to park headquarters. He is expected to arrive there by late afternoon. Rangers working on the search will interview MacGregor to find out what took place since he left the Eielson Visitor Center Sunday morning.
The National Park Service wishes to thank everyone who contributed their efforts to this search.
The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Denali National Park:
An aerial search of routes and trails in the vicinity of the Eielson Visitor Center is underway for missing day hiker John MacGregor, 54 of Jasper, Georgia. On Sunday, August 22, MacGregor took a parkconcessioner-operated shuttle bus that departed the Wilderness Access Center at 6:15 a.m., bound for the Eielson Visitor Center, which is located at Mile 66 on the park road. He was seen at the Visitor Center that morning, heading north up the Alpine trail towards the Thorofare Ridge.
The Alaska State Troopers notified the National Park Service on Monday, August 23 that MacGregor had not arrived at a Fairbanks hotel on Sunday as he had planned and had not appeared for a meeting on Monday. His car was located in the Wilderness Access Center parking lot, and an investigation is ongoing.
John McGregor
The air search will continue until dark today. Plans are being made to dispatch ground teams to search trails and likely routes near the point last seen.
MacGregor is in good health, and an experienced hiker. He weights 150 pounds, has brown hair, and brown eyes. Anyone who may have seen him in the park is asked to call the National Park Service emergency dispatch center at (907) 683-9555.
--It's not often we see TR's for this route. You probably won't see one for three years so better read it now. Check out this trip report for the Price Glacier on Shuksan. Another TR for Shuksan can be found here, via the Sulphide Glacier.
--A Bugaboos report from Public Mountain Conditions Report:Getting into East Creek from the Pigeon Howser Col is still pretty straight forward with mostly snow on the upper half and quite a bit of exposed ice on the lower half of the glacier. We managed to get around without crampons but only because we were not experiencing strong overnight freezes due to the thick smoke and warm temperatures. There has been quite a bit of recent ice and rock-fall from the South Howser Tower on the skiers right side of the glacier as you get closer to the Minaret and East Creek camp. If you are heading to the west face of the North Howser Tower, the glacier below the rappels from the Howser Bivy Boulder is still mostly snow covered and easier travel than it often is this time of year. It is still a very steep slope that is very exposed to rock-fall from the glacier below the Central Howser and can be difficult to manage if frozen. --Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.
--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.
SIERRA:
-- Here is a report from AAI Lead Guide Ian McEleney for Venusian Blind:
Photo Credit Ian McEleney.
"Cynthia and I met up and did a quick gear check in Bishop before driving down to the trailhead outside Big Pine. We've climbed together before, so Cynthia had all of her gear and food and gear check went quickly. The first part of the hike in to Second Lake is pretty sunny, but there was a nice breeze to keep us cool. After a mile and a half the trail starts following a creek and we saw lots of great wildflowers, including Leopard Lily and Monkshood. We arrived at Second Lake with time to enjoy the views of the arete, the surrounding peaks, and the lovely lake itself.
The next morning we woke early and made quick work of the talus approach to the route. The first few hundred feet of the route take one up mixed third and fourth class terrain and into the sun. At a suitable ledge we roped up and started pitching out the 5th class climbing. Almost every pitch has some cool 5.6 to 5.7 climbing. The movement is varied with excellent crack, face, and friction climbing. The exposure is ever present but not overwhelming. The first 3/4 of the route are relatively straightforward. Near the top the route gets horizontal and passes through some towers and notches. This terrain is complicated, but Cynthia's climbing experience let us keep our momentum to the top.
The descent is scrambling with one rappel. After the rappel, the standard Sierra talus hike took us back to camp, where we could soak our tired feet in the lake."
--A great Whitney report can be found here, Mountaineers Route beta solo. Remember sox and your car keys!
--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.
--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.
We don't really use pitons very much anymore. Some climbers will use them on mixed mountain routes and other will use them for high end aid climbing, but even in these venues pins are certainly less used than in the past.
Why?
There are two reasons. First, modern clean climbing equipment like nuts and cams have replaced the widespread need for pins. And second, modern pitons tend to damage the rock. Every pin placement subtly changes things until you have very well-defined pin scars.
The Canadian guide Mike Barter has put together a very nice video on pitons and piton placement. Check it out below:
There are two notes that I'd like to make about Mike's cleaning method.
First, some climbers will use a "cleaner carabiner" that they clip to the pin while pounding on it. This is then attached to the climber. This is so that the pin is not dropped while taking it out. The cleaner carabiner is commonly a very old and very beat-up carabiner. It's important that it is not a carabiner that you will be climbing on, as it will likely be struck by the hammer when the pin is being cleaned.
And second, Mike clips two quick draws together to pull the pin out. While this is fine for an occasional pin, climbers on big walls that require a lot of hammering will use a funkness device to pull out pitons. This is essentially a metal cable that has been designed specifically for this purpose. To see a funkness device, please click here.
Practicing with pitons is a tricky thing. The fact that they damage the rock makes them heavily frowned upon. I would strongly suggest that ground-school with this kind of hardware should take place primarily in areas where there is little to no climbing, otherwise someone may get very upset at you...
It's summer in the Cascades, which means that it's bug season. Sometimes it comes a little before July, sometimes a little after, but this year it came right smack dab in the middle. And it's still here. Racking up at the Blue Lake Trailhead parking lot for a climb in Washington Pass is near suicidal this time of year, as the bugs can seriously ravage you in minutes if you don't start hiking as soon as you step out of the car. You can however, take some preventative measures. Sure you can cover as much skin as possible by wearing pants, long socks and long sleeves, but it sure is hot out and your face, neck, and hands are still exposed. The next thought is, bug spray.
There are many repellent options out there, some which are just down right ridiculous (ultrasound based electronics) and others which may spark arguments among friends. Personally, I find it is an argument (or at least a discussion) starter when I whip out the 100% DEET. Personally, I have found nothing that works more effectively and universally than DEET 100%. Some may recommend that you try products such as Deep Woods OFF which is made up of a mixture of 25% DEET and 75% who knows what. What I find people generally do, is use these compressed aerosol can mixtures and spray copious amounts of repellent all over themselves. The result of this is that they get the same, if not more DEET on them than if they used a more concentrated version sparingly, as well as 75% more of whatever else was in the can.
I choose to use the 100% DEET version and place perhaps one spray pumps worth, or a couple of drops, on my hands and rub the chemical on my exposed skin. Most companies say 100% DEET will last around 10 hours, and I think that's about right, but it doesn't matter because you will know when its effectiveness stops (it's rather dramatic). There are arguments against DEET, such as it discolors skin, decomposes synthetic fabrics and can cause seizures. There have even been four deaths which the EPA says DEET may have played a part in. However the number of reported cases lead the EPA to say that the likely seizure rate is only one in one million users, and I feel like my chance of contracting West Nile Virus, Malaria, Lyme disease, or the bubonic plague is much greater than one in one million. Not to mention the complications of those diseases are generally much worse than seizures.
There are other options besides DEET however, and I suppose I should mention those at least briefly. Avon Products produces a "Skin So Soft" line that contains the chemical IR3535 and some tests have shown that it is just as effective as DEET (if not better), at least when it comes to repelling mosquitoes. I think that this is probably the next best option and what I would try if I took the time to shop around for this product.
"Avon Skin So Soft Bug Gaurd Plus IR3535 Gentle Breeze SPF 30 Sunscreen with Aloe and Vitaman E." Man, I just want to keep the bugs away... not moisturize.
And then there are natural options, which honestly I'm not going to bother discussing. I have never used a single natural product that did anything more than make me smell delicious to koalas. You are more than welcome to experiment with these options, however I encourage you to have some anti-itch cream on hand as well.
If you are anything like me, you find yourself saying at times, "man, that person would make a great climber!" I always wonder what sports would lend themselves well to making good climbers, and vice versa. Well, I stumbled across this video of some pretty impressive dudes, who I think would make some amazing climbers. Look out Sharma, your biggest competition is coming out of India.
And then, there are guys working out on kid's playgrounds that could just crush you so hard. Turn off the sound on this one if you are offended by explicit lyrics. But keep your eyes open to witness the demolition.
As stated in the past, we love Mike Barter's videos. The Canadian guide is currently doing perhaps the best job at creating instructional videos for climbing...and usually their pretty funny too!
Recently Mike posted a video on ratchets for rescue. One major component of any hauling system in a crevasse or rock rescue scenario is the ratchet. This is essentially the element of the system that allows the rescuer to retain any advantage that he has gained in the rescue.
Mike's video discusses four different types of ratchets:
1) Autoblocking Device:
Examples of autoblocking devices include the Petzel Reverso, the Black Diamond Guide ATC, the Trango GiGi and the B52. Each of these devices allows one to pull rope up through the device, but won't allow the load line to release without a few shenanigans...more on the shenanigans in a different post.
2) Garda Hitch
Also known as the alpine clutch, this quick system is very effective. However, it is extremely important to check that the hitch has been tied properly before using it in a rescue scenario.
3) Self-Minding Prussik
If you have taken a basic course from the American Alpine Institute, you know that we don't usually teach a means to create a self-minding prussik hitch. In the system that we teach, we leave the prussik cord a bit longer so that the rescuer can mind it himself. This is not quite as effective as either having a pulley that is designed to mind the prussik or a tube-style belay device that will operate the same way.
In the video, Mike also quickly demonstrates a way to make this prussik load-releasable by adding a munter-mule into the shelf. A load-releasable system is desirable in all rescue applications.
4) GriGri
The Petzl GriGri and the Trango Cinch are both highly underutilized tools for rescue. In part, it's because they are heavy, so a lot of climbers don't take them on long routes or into the alpine, but they are very effective. They work as both a pulley and a ratchet simultaneously and are -- by their very nature -- load releasable.
It is imperative that anyone going into the mountains has a rudimentary understanding of ratcheting in rescue. If you haven't had the opportunity to take a class, it might be very valuable to watch this video a few times over and to practice each of the skills shown...
--A 47-year-old man from Western Washington was killed after falling about 15 feet into a waterfall on Asgaard Pass, between the Enchantments and Colchuck Lake on Friday, authorities said. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office will release the man’s name and hometown after family members are notified, said Sgt. Chris Foreman. To read more, click here.
--A 55-year-old man suffering from possible heat-related injuries at the base of Mount St. Helens on Monday was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter dispatched from Oregon. The man’s name was not released. A HH-60J Jayhawk from Air Station Astoria was dispatched Monday at 7:30 p.m. by 911 operators in Cowlitz County to retrieve the man from the Toutle River area at the mountain’s base, according to a bulletin issued by the Coast Guard. To read more, click here.
--Congratulations to AAI Guide Kurt Hicks. Kurt tied the knot over the weekend and is now happily married!
--Drug officers have removed about 1,300 marijuana plants found in an outdoor grow operation in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest of southwest Washington. Spokesman Mike Cooke of the Clark-Skamania Drug Task Force says the street value of the plants in a cultivated state is estimated at $1.5 million. The plants were removed last Wednesday. To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
--Joshua Tree National Park is in the process of updating the park's General Management Plan. At this point, they are looking for public input on how the park should be managed and/or run for the next 15-20 years. To read more, click here.
Himalaya:
--It's one of mountaineering's most fiercely debated claims; that Geroge Mallory and Andrew Irvine were the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest. But new research suggests the pair could never have conquered the world’s highest mountain but were instead killed by a “perfect storm”. Experts claim that weather data collected at the time of the 1924 ascent shows the two Englishmen were enveloped in a blizzard which saw oxygen plunge to fatally low levels. The findings appear to confirm that New Zealander Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay were the first climbers to scale the 29,035ft peak, 29 years later. The conundrum can apparently be laid to rest following examination for the first time of meteorological measurements from the expedition. To read more, click here.
--Since the runaway success of Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" in 1999, books about mountaineering have become their own subgenre of adventure lit. "The Last Man on the Mountain" focuses on an expedition that tried to be the first to climb K2 in 1939. Author Jennifer Jordan was at the base of the mountain in 2002 when she stumbled upon a grisly discovery: "There, laid out on the rocks and ice, was the very recognizable skeleton of a human being: the pelvis, two femurs, and scattered ribs." Jordan prefaces the book with that moment, then backtracks to tell the story from start to finish about how a wealthy American named Dudley Wolfe died alone in a tent 24,700 feet above sea level. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--A 20-year-old climber is dead after tumbling about 600 feet into a canyon near Aspen. Authorities identified the victims in Saturday’s accident as Spencer James Nelson, a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a member of its nationally-ranked ski team. Had had summited one of the 14,000-foot Maroon Peaks and was headed back down with seven other people, including his father, when he was hit by a rock from above and fell from the mountainside. To read more, click here.
-- A Lake Placid man fell to his death in a rock-climbing accident Monday evening. Dennis Murphy, 35, had reached the top of a climbing route on Upper Washbowl Cliffs in Keene Valley at about 6:10 p.m. when he lost his footing and fell more than 100 feet. To read more, click here.
--A three-day race to the top in a perfect weather window recently resulted in the first winter ascent of Torre Egger (8,809'). Swiss climbers Stephan Siegrist and Dani Arnold along with the German Thomas Senf completed the ascent earlier this month. To read more, click here.
--It appears that Gleb Sokolov and Alexander Kirikov, two strong Russian climbers, completed a new route on Khan Tengri on August 8th. The pair climbed the the second highest peak in the Tien Shan region of China in six days. To read more, click here.
Mount Kilimanjaro Photo by Shawn Olson
--Three American veterans from three different wars had only one good leg among them. But that didn't stop them from climbing Africa's highest mountain. The three soldiers — veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam — scrambled, clawed and plodded to the top of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, hiking on one human leg and five prosthetics made of titanium and carbon fiber. To read more, click here.
--Swedish historian and sport climber Cordelia Hess discovered that several of the names used for the crag in Gåseborg bore names with a Nazi theme such as "3rd Reich", "Swastika" and "Himmler", according to a report in the Dagens Nyheter daily. "I was there with my friends and doing a bit of climbing, and I thought it felt rather unpleasant to climb through the 'Crematorium' or say that 'now I am going to do Kristallnacht'," Hess told "The Local" newspaper. To read more, click here and here.
--The New York Times recently ran an interesting article on how the brain gets to "rest" in the wilderness. In other words, there are no text messages, tweets, or cell phones. Psychologists are studying how the brain changes between the world of computers and Blackberrys and the world of nature and silence. To read more, click here.
--CRAG-VT is thrilled to announce the acquisition of one of Vermont’s best sport climbing cliffs: the Carcass Crag! This winter, CRAG-VT signed a purchase and sale agreement to annex the cliff through a boundary line adjustment on their Bolton Quarry climbing area. With the support of the Access Fund and local climbers, CRAG-VT completed the land purchase in early July. This acquisition adds three additional acres of rock to the Bolton Quarry property and permanently secures public access the cliff. It is the fourth property that CRAG-VT has acquired to ensure public access to climbing and the preservation of the natural environment. To read more, click here.
Please click on this map to view a large version. This is an accurate hiking map.
--The comedy website, CollegeHumor.com recently posted a series of accurate maps about hiking trails and campsites. The legend includes thinks like, "Sections that seem like you'll be done when you get to the top of it," and "Firepit for cooking food, melting random objects and seeing how big a fire you can make." To see the post, click here.
--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.
A few years ago I was guiding a multi-pitch line in Red Rock Canyon. Before we launched off the ground, I showed the climbers that I was working with how to wrap up a cordellete.
Their response?
"Oh, it's a Codyball."
"A what?" I responded.
"A Codyball," one of the climbers said. "When we were in the Gunks, we had a guide named Cody who showed us this technique. We didn't know what to call it, so we started to call it a Codyball."
So Cody, wherever you are...thank-you. For I too have started to call this technique of wrapping up a cordellete a Codyball.
Before launching into how to tie a Codyball, I'd like to point out that there are many ways to stow a cordellete. The two most popular ways are 1) to simply triple up the cordellete and then tie an eight into it and 2) to tie a Codyball.
It is easier, albeit sloppier to simply tie the cordellete into an eight. In addition to this, it is quite long. A long cordellete -- or anything long hanging off your harness -- can be dangerous when you are mountaineering or ice climbing. Things can get stuck in your crampons when you are not paying attention.
A cordellete tied as an eight.
A Codyball is a little bit harder to make. It requires you to spend a bit of time wrapping up the cord and it can also hang down too far if you are not careful. If you're wearing crampons, always be very careful about how far down things hang.
To make a Codyball:
1) Start with the end of the cordellete in your hand.
2) Wrap the cord around your hand until there is only about two feet left.
3) Take your hand out of the wrap and squeeze that section of cord together.
4) Wrap the remaining cord around the squeezed section. Be sure to capture the strand coming out of the squeezed section so that it all doesn't come unraveled.
5) Once there is almost no additional cord left, take the remaining line and push it through the eye of the Codyball.
A finished Codyball.
6) When the Codyball is finished, you may clip it to your harness. If it hangs down too much, simply add a couple more twists with the cord around the ball until the tail is at the desired length.
Codyballs provide a great way to stow your cordellete, but like everything else in this blog, they take some practice. When you're sitting around watching movies on your laptop, keep a cordellete in your hand. It will probably only take one or two viewings of The Eiger Sanction before you'll have it completely dialed.
Standard snow anchors are comprised of pickets, flukes, bollards and deadmen. As stated in previous blogs, sometimes people overlook items that might be used as deadmen such as packs, crampons, ice axes, skis, trekking poles, and stuff sacks filled with snow.
Quick snow anchors can be devised from just about anything...including your body. Most of you are probably familiar with Simon Yates and his infamous snow seat in Touching the Void. To say the least, that was an unusual situation.
Photo by Jason Martin
To create a quick snow seat you must simply sit down in the snow, arc your legs, and stomp your heels into the snow. After you've achieved this position, you will be able to put a climber on belay. However, if the climber takes a fall with slack in the rope, it is possible that you may be pulled out of the snow seat. There are two ways to keep this from happening.
The first way to deal with a potential shock-load in a snow seat is to add a snow anchor to back it up. This could be anything, but many climbers will simply use their ice axe. The belayer must then clip the climbing rope (which is tied to the climbers harness) to the snow anchor. Most will just make a clove-hitch with the rope and then slide the shaft of the ice axe down through the hitch. If the belayer has elected to use a hip belay, the tie-in must come off the same side of the climber's body as rope running to the climber, otherwise the load will twist the belayer uncomfortably. The second way to deal with this is by using a dynamic belay. In other words, when the climber falls, allow the rope to run through the belay device for a short period of time, slowly breaking it and bringing it to a stop. This allows the snow seat -- and you -- a much smaller shock. There are clearly some problems with this technique and it cannot be used in every situation. The dynamic belay is only truly useful on steep snow climbs where there is little danger of a falling climber hitting something.
If we learned one thing from the Simon Yates in Touching the Void, it's that snow seats are an excellent option in terrain where you do not anticipate a need to escape the belay. If there is anything suspect going on, it's important to build a bombproof SERENE/ERNEST anchor.
When used properly, snow seats and dynamic belays can save a great deal of time...and as we all know, speed in the mountains is safety...
People may accuse us of being a little "Cascade-centric" at times, and I think that is completely fair. I really don't feel bad about loving the Cascades, because "there is no set of mountains, that prepare you better, for the world's great ranges." Here is one in a series of three videos about Colin Haley, arguable the most active alpine climber of our generation to come out of the Cascades.
Speaking of climbing and expeditions in the world's great ranges, here is a climb down in Patagonia that looks rather fantastic.
The plunge step is a simple technique for walking downhill in the snow. However, it is one of those techniques that seems relatively straight-forward in certain snow types, while difficult in others.
To do a standard plunge step, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and drop your rear end. As you step down the hill during your descent, be sure to lead with the heel of your foot. The heel of your boot should be like a dagger, the pointy section of the heel slicing into the snow first.
In soft snow, this technique is relatively easy to understand. On our courses, we will often play games of Red Light/Green Light with students racing down the hill. In soft snow, everybody tends to stay on their feet and in control when we say red light. Hard snow is a different story. It's not uncommon to see people slip and fall trying to plunge step in such conditions. And sometimes it can be quite amusing to play Red Light/Green Light in such conditions...
The main reason that plunge stepping becomes more difficult in firm snow conditions is because your heel doesn't penetrate the snow as easily. Indeed, you have to be incredibly aggressive to get your heel into the snow.
In hard conditions, it's not uncommon for people to become tentative in their steps. Such movement can cause an individual to be more likely to slip as opposed to less likely. Occasionally this develops into a dangerous and frustrating cycle. A climber slips once, becomes more tentative, slips again, and becomes even more tentative, creating yet even a higher likelihood of slipping. The only way to kill this potentially hazardous cycle is to become more aggressive, stabbing your foot deeply into the snow no matter how hard it is.
Moving effectively in the snow is one of the most important things that climbers do. And learning to employ a solid plunge step in all the different kinds of conditions that you might encounter can only help you to become a faster and more solid climber.
--Rescue crews have reached nine hikers that spent two nights stranded on Mount Index, just over the Snohomish/King County line off Highway 2. Detective Kathleen Decker with the King County Sheriff's Office says all of the hikers are stuck on a ledge and will have to rappel down to the trail. To read more, click here.
--A dog that fell over a cliff along the Pacific Crest Trail in Snoqualmie Thursday was rescued in an effort you normally think would be reserved for humans. But in fact, it's with humans in mind that the elaborate rescue took place. According to the Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART), a couple was hiking along the trail Thursday night. Their German Pointer, named Dosewallips, ran across an ice field and slid about 100 yards over the embankment. The 50-pound dog landed on a ledge below the trail. To read more, click here.
--A 14-year-old Nampa boy is home resting after falling around 200 feet off of a trail at Mount Borah - Idaho's tallest mountain. Colton Garner was hiking with his Boy Scout troop on Friday when he fell. He wasn't found until the next morning. To read more, click here. Sierra:
--Inyo Search and Rescue crews faced a roller coaster of calls since last Friday - with people in trouble from Mt. Whitney to the Palisades and Rock Creek. Several suffered from high altitude sickness. Corporal Terry Waterbury, Search and Rescue Coordinator for Inyo, said the team responded to five calls - one right after another. These included an altitude related fatality, an injured ankle, a stress fracture in a foot, a broken leg and another case of altitude sickness. On top of all that, rescuers were on the lookout for a man who claimed he was going to commit suicide in Death Valley. To read more, click here.
--The film crews, directors and producers stationed in Mammoth Lakes to shoot three new Bear Whisperer shows for Animal Planet have been treated to what some call magical wildlife footage. Steve Searles' work with bears in Mammoth Lakes attracted the film producers, LMNO, a couple of years ago. Their pilot show, "The Bear Whisperer" garnered a large audience. That success led to a deal to shoot and air three more shows. To read more, click here. Desert Southwest:
--A French tourist who slipped 75-feet off the South Rim of the Grand Canyon miraculously survived, according to the Associated Press. The 18-year-old man fell over the edge of the Mather Point while taking pictures, park rangers said. To read more, click here.
--A 58-year-old Salt Lake County man was reported to be in poor condition after falling 60-feet down a cliffside in American Fork Canyon. The man was rescued by a helicopter after tense hours of waiting in one the side of a mountain. Utah County Sheriff's deputies said two climbers were putting bolts into a rockface on a new route about 1 1/2 miles up the canyon, when one of those bolts broke free on some loose rock and caused the man to fall about 60-feet. To read more, click here. --Pinnacles National Monument, a 26,000-acre swath of spectacular volcanic rock formations outside Soledad, Calif., would be elevated to a National Park under legislation introduced Thursday by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) Pinnacles is a nesting place for the endangered California condor, North America's largest soaring bird, with wingspans up to 10 feet. And it is a global destination for naturalists and outdoor adventurers attracted by the park's scenic views and unique rock-climbing landscapes. Making Pinnacles a National Park, Boxer said, would "draw even more visitors to this spectacular piece of California's natural and cultural heritage." To read more, click here.
--A rock climber is hospitalized in stable condition at a Tuscson hospital after being stranded on Mount Lemmon for several hours Tuesday by a bee swarm. It's not clear how many times the man was stung. The Pima County Sheriff's Department says search and rescue crews were able to rescue the man after rappelling down to his location and getting him to safety. To read more, click here.
Himalaya:
--Ski mountaineer Fredrik Ericson was killed on Friday after sustaining a fall from K2's infamous Bottleneck. The skier fell over three thousand feet and his body was spotted approximately 12oo feet above and to the side of Camp 3 on the Cesen route. To read more, click here.
--Filmmaker Fredrik Strang, with his cameras rolling, was among a group of mountaineers that converged on K2 two summers ago during the timeframe that eleven climbers were killed. A television news show was able to obtain his exclusive footage as he documented the team's hazardous journey through the walls of ice and rock.Strang's videos show grim warnings of how vicious the mountain can be. Dozens of memorials dot the area around base camp. In places the mountain holds the remains of fallen climbers. To read more, click here.
Andrew Irvine and George Mallory can be seen in the back row. Irvine is on the left and Mallory is on the right.
--G.W. Kent Moore, a physicist at the University of Toronto in Canada, decided that he wanted to look at the climate history around the most infamous disappearance in mountaineering history. And when he started digging around, he had a "eureka" moment. The climate data showed that barometric pressure dropped precipitously in the days leading up to June 8, the day that Mallory and Irvine disappeared. To read more, click here.
--The renowned Giri-Giri Boys from Japan have met their match. Fumitaka Ichimura, Yusuke Sato and Katutaka Yokoyama were forced to turn around half-way up the North Ridge of Latok 1 (23,441'). This was the team's second defeat on the mountain. Earlier it was reported that they were forced to turn back on the mountain's North Face at about the same altitude. To read more, click here. Notes from All Over:
-- A former Santa Rosa man who made the world his home as he sought high-altitude adventure of all kinds died last weekend while guiding an expedition in Peru's Cordillera Blanca. Tyler Anderson, 37, was leading four clients toward the 17,745-foot summit of Yanapaccha when a snow bridge collapsed and dropped him into a deep crevasse, where he died. To read more, click here. For remembrances of Tyler, click here.
--Authorities in Kananaskis are trying to recover the body of a Calgary man swept away in an avalanche while climbing Mount Kidd over the weekend. The RCMP said the 39-year-old man and a companion were scrambling on the south peak of Mount Kidd on Saturday afternoon when he stepped out onto an outcrop of hardened snow to have his picture taken. The cornice gave way while the man was standing on it, resulting in an avalanche that carried him several hundred feet down the slope. To read more, click here.
Aiden on the top of Dogonomba (19,550') after the peak's solo first ascent
--Two years ago, AAI Guide Aiden Loehr made the first ascent of Dogonomba in China after completing an AAI expedition to the region. Two New Zealand climbers recently made the mountain's second ascent. To read more, click here.
--Quirkology teamed up with fitness expert Sam Murphy to explore the relationship between sport and attraction. Are men more impressed by women who play football or climb mountains? Do women go for body builders or yoga fanatics? The work involved over 6000 people indicating which sporting activities would make a member of the opposite sex more attractive. Results revealed that 57% of women found climbing attractive, making it the sexiest sport from a female perspective. This was closely followed by extreme sports (56%), football (52%), and hiking (51%). Bottom of their list came aerobics and golf, with just 9% and 13% of the vote respectively. To read more, click here and here.
--The widely respected qualification, Diploma in Mountain Medicine, was the focus of a joint meeting on August 8 of the UIAA Medical Commission, the International Society of Mountain Medicine (ISMM) and the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR). To read more, click here.
--Nicolas and Oliver Favresse, Sean Villanueva and Ben Ditto established the first ascent of The Devil's Brew, a 2,500-foot route on the Seagull Wall in mid-July. The wall is located on the west coast of Greenland and was originally scouted by Bob Shepton, a sailor who discovered the wall. To read more, click here.
--Visitors in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore may want to think twice before exploring isolated places within the park. The Glen Arbor Township Board voted unanimously last week to establish a fee schedule for rescue services provided to park visitors. The schedule is an amendment to the existing cost-recovery program that allows Glen Lake Fire & Rescue to charge for responding to downed power lines (assessed to utility companies) and non-residence personal injury accidents. To read more, click here.
Climbing, skiing and mountaineering are dangerous sports. When you undertake an outdoor, backcountry, or an alpine adventure without a guide, you assume total responsibility for your decisions and wellbeing. Conditions in the mountains are constantly changing, and no guidebook or computer web blog can take the place of solid training and experience. Though this site features descriptions of roads, trails, climbing routes, and other natural features, you cannot assume that because something is described here that it has not changed since last observed or that it will be safe for you or your party.
AAI assumes no responsibility or liability for your use of the information presented in this blog. With regard to all backcountry travel and climbing, you must make your own assessments and decisions, and you assume all risks in applying them.
