Sport Blog: June 2010

Conditions Report - June 30 2010

NORTHWEST:

-- Leavenworth report: The north end of Snow Creek Wall is closed.

-- Mt Erie: Anacortes Parks and Recreation reports:
"A climber called me yesterday from Snag Buttress to report that the falcons were agitated when she and her climbing partner made it to the top. She referred to this area call "on eagles' wings" as the spot where the falcons became most agitated."

-- Mark Klassen reports on the Public Mountain Conditions Report:"June 19: Sharkfin SE Ridge, Boston Basin, N Cascades National Park. Snow starts at 5000 ft and it is pretty punchy in this area above 6000 ft. Slow travel. Route has snow on the upper section which slows things down a bit. Major glide crack avalanches on steep rock slabs in this area.June 22: Tricouni Peak N Ridge, South Coast (near Squamish). One of the creeks has eroded the road at about 3500 ft. It was impassable for us in the Tacoma but a spade, pick axe and some imagination might get you through it. Snow starts just over 4000 ft. Good travel all day. The route is in winter shape with steep snow and glide cracks on the traverse from the col to the N ridge. The ridge is mostly snow free. The descent is a bit tricky to regain the S ridge after bypassing the steep section, again with steep snow, cornices and glide cracks to negotiate. Foggggy in there yesterday. "-- North Cascades NP update: Just a reminder that the Wilderness Information Center will go
to extended summer hours beginning Sunday, June 7. Hours will be DAILY: Fri- Sat 7 - 8, Sun - Thur 7 - 6. Also, starting this weekend June 25 there will be a Wilderness Ranger at the USFS ranger station in Winthrop, so that station will be able to be open DAILY as well.

Looking down at Iceberg Lake from East Buttress of Mount Whitney on June 26. Photo Credit Ian McEleney.

Mount Whitney with the Mountaineers Couloir on June 27. Photo Credit Ian McEleney.

AAI Guide Ian McEleney, Mt Whitney, earlier this month. Photo Credit Doug Grove.

-- AAI Guide Ian McEleney reports June 28th:

The North Fork trail is 99% snow free to Upper Boy Scout Lake. From there to Iceberg there is still a lot of snow cover but it's going fast. At Iceberg there are few melted out sites. The Mountaineers Couloir still has a lot of snow, an ice axe is recommended, crampons are recommended for early morning. Ice axe and crampons are not necessary for the final couloir. The Northwest Face variation still has a lot of snow.

--Looks like there is still snow and plenty of mosquitoes in the high country. A detailed report for Lyell Lake and Evelyn Lake area can be found here.

-- 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.

-- Joshua Tree Park Ranger Don Roberts reports: "...temporary closures known as Towers of Uncertainty, The Seitch and Rattlesnake Canyon have been rescinded by the Superintendent. Thank you for observing these closures as it is very important for the nesting of some of the park's wildlife. At this time, you are welcome to resume your activities in these areas."

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

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

Frostbite Symptoms and Treatment

When you start to get cold, it's not uncommon for it to feel like your face, your ears, your hands and your feet are affected first. This is a reaction that everybody is predisposed too. As you get cold, your blood vessels constrict in order to avoid heat loss and the possibility of hypothermia. This allows areas of your body which are already cold to get colder. Ultimately, frostbite will occur in these extremeties.

Frostbite is the result of frozen skin and/or other tissue under the skin that becomes frozen. Naturally, this causes cell damage.

Three types of frostbite have been identified by severity. Like burns, they are listed as first degree, second degree and third degree. The following breakdown is from outdoorplaces.com

First degree, also called frost nip: Most people who live in very cold climates or do a lot of outdoor activity in the winter have had first degree frostbite (just as most people have had a first degree burn when they get sunburn). Frost nip presents itself as numbed skin that has turned white in color. The skin may feel stiff to the touch, but the tissue under is still warm and soft. There is very little chance of blistering, infection or permanent scarring as long as it is treated properly.

Second degree, superficial frostbite: Superficial frostbite is a serious medical condition that needs to be treated by a trained medical professional. The skin will be white or blue and will feel hard and frozen. The tissue underneath is still undamaged. Blistering is likely which is why medical treatment should be sought out. Proper treatment is critical to prevent severe or permanent injuries.

Third degree, deep frostbite: The skin is white, blotchy and/or blue. The tissue underneath is hard and cold to the touch. This is a life threatening injury. Deep frostbite needs to be treated by a trained medical professional. The tissue underneath has been damaged, in severe cases amputation may be the final recourse to prevent severe infection. Blistering will happen. Proper medical treatment in a medical facility with personnel trained to deal with severe frostbite injuries is required to aid in the prevention of severe or permanent injury.

As first degree frostbite is common on expeditions or ice climbing trips, it is also common that it needs to be treated in the field. The most important thing with this mild frostbite is to rewarm the area. Rewarm the injured areas slowly and start working from the outside in. In other words, go toes to feet and fingers to hands. Extremities may be warmed under inside clothing or sleeping bags, arm pits or in the groin. Never rub or massage a frozen area. This merely rubs the ice crystals around on the delicate cell walls which causes additional injury and pain. Once it is rewarmed and thawed, it is very important that the area is not re-frozen. If the injury is re-frozen theseverity of the injury will increase.

Second Degree Frostbite
From wildernessutah.com

Unfortunately, treating second and third degree frostbite in the field is extremely difficult. Such cold injuries will require medical attention.

Second and third degree cold injuries are the types of injuries that people read about in the climbing literature. These are the injuries that result in blistered skin and blackened digits upon rewarming. The rule is never to walk on frozen feet unless you absolutely have to. Such use will increase the level of injury. But if you are in a situation where you will die of hypothermia if you don't walk on frozen feet, then you're going to have to walk on frozen feet. If they thaw and you are unable to walk on them, or you thaw them and they refreeze later, the situation could become significantly worse.

Third Degree Frostbite
From Land of 10,000 Perspectives

The reality of frostbite is that in most cases it's avoidable. Dressing right and paying attention to your body are two simple ways to avoid this debilitating and dangerous injury.

--Jason D. Martin

Top-Managed Belays

Most leaders will do one of two things at the top of a route. They'll either build an anchor and lower off or they'll bring up a second to clean the route. It makes a lot of sense to bring up a second if you're going to continue up a multi-pitch line or if it isn't possible to rappel off.

In essence the leader who is stationed above the climber is working at a top-managed site. He is belaying the climber from above and is not top-roping. Most people only belay from above after they have lead a climb, but there are a number of situations where it is advantageous to actually top-rope from the top of a climb.

A Climber Belays from the Top
Photo by Jason Martin

Acadia and Ouray are both popular places where many routes require top-managment, climbers literally have little to no choice in many parts of these parks. Acadia is a climbing area situated on a series of sea cliffs. One can only access the crags by lowering down or rappelling down. Ouray is an ice park in Colorado. All of the routes are accessed from the top and most people lower in and then climb back out on a top-rope.

Most places don't require a top-managed set-up like the preceding examples. But there are many advantages to managing a crag from the top.

Value of a Top-Managed Site:

There is no chance that rocks or other debris will strike a belayer or another climber below. This is particularly nice in ice climbing. In Ouray, it is common for climbers to lower one another into a canyon to climb back out. There are very few people at the base that might be hit by falling ice.
There is fifty percent less rope in the system. Less rope in the system allows for less elongation in a dynamic rope when a climber falls on a top-rope. This is a great advantage if there are a lot of ledges on a climb that someone might twist their ankle on if they take a short dynamic fall.
If a climb is over a half of a rope length, it is often easier to manage the route from the top than to deal with two ropes tied together.
This provides you with the ability to easily monitor the anchor system.
Smaller loads are placed on the anchor than in a traditional top-rope set-up. In a traditional set-up, the physics of the system make it so that both the climber and the belayer's weight are on the anchor whenever a climber falls or is lowered.
Occasionally, the bottom of the crag is dangerous. Perhaps you are working on sea cliffs or in another medium that makes the base of the climb hazardous. Numerous crags have parking lots above the routes. In many scenarios the bottom of the climbs are steep and vegetated. In some cases, they are simply hard to access via a trail.
If you know any quick hauling systems, it's nice to manage from the top because you can assist a person if they get stuck climbing.
If you want to get a lot of top-rope routes in without leading, it may be fastest to top-manage the climbing area.

A Climber Lowers his Partner from a Top-Managed Site
Photo by Jason Martin

Disadvantages to a Top-Managed Site:

It is difficult to see and to coach the climber that has been lowered down. Sometimes it is also difficult to hear.
The climber's rope is more likely to go over edges when managed from the top.
There may be more impact on a fragile cliff-top ecosystem.
If there are many climbers waiting to climb, it may be more dangerous to manage the route from the top. There is more exposure and more opportunities to make a mistake near a cliff-edge.
People are unused to it and often don't want to try something new.

The most common way to access climbs in a top-managed situation is for the climber to lower down and then climb back up. Occasionally, a climber will rappel to the bottom and then climb back up, but this is not quite as safe as lowering. Lowering is safer because the belayer can check the climber's knot before he leaves.

This blog isn't to say that top-management is better. While it may be better in some situations, this article was actually designed to give you a quick taste of an alternative to regular top-roping. The best way to understand the strengths and weaknesses of such a technique is to experiment. Try top-managing at a crag you are familiar with for a day. It will be a very educational experience and will definately put another tool into your climber's toolbox.

--Jason D. Martin

July and August Climbing Events

-- June 25-27 -- France -- Vibram Natural Games

-- June 25 -28 -- WA -- WTA Restoration Project

-- June 25 (Application Deadline) -- WA -- Mountain Stewards Project, Mt. Baker

-- July 7 -- Golden, CO -- Climbing in China

--July 14-18 -- Squamish, BC -- Squamish Mountain Festival

-- July 15-18 -- New River Gorge, WV -- HomoClimbtastic

-- 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 your Stoked.

One thing I love about climbing is that it takes you places. It takes you to new landscapes, new countries, new cultures....

(Turn the speakers up. The music is good.)

However, one should not forget their native homeland. For me, this is the Cascades. There is TOO MUCH good climbing here. As I transition from rock climbing into more snow and ice, Baker keeps staring me in the face. I feel like the worst Bellingham resident when I tell people I just haven't done it yet. The bottom line is that it needs to get done, soon. Good weather is here, and people are starting to summit Baker along with many other things in the Cascades. You should too.

These fine folks descend in style....

The Fabulous Baker Boyz from Kevin Ault on Vimeo.

Even more Baker action....Looks like this group hit that ONE good weather window in May.

Mount Baker May 2010 from AdrienHD on Vimeo.

-Dyan

How Good is that Bolt?

Leavenworth, Squamish, Joshua Tree, the Sierra, Red Rocks, Yosemite, and the Gunks are just a handful of places where climbing pioneers used fixed gear that was subpar a long time ago. Bolts used thirty or forty years ago still exist throughout the climbing world. And every year that they remain in the rock, their quality deteriorates more.

So what does a bad bolt look like? The following diagram shows a number of old bolt fixtures. It is unlikely that any of these ancient bolts or hangers would hold body weight...much less a fall.

The question then becomes, what should you do if you come upon an ancient bolt?

First, remember where you found it. Keep track of bad bolts and report them on you local climbing website. There are a few good Samaritans out there looking for bolts to replace.

Second, decide whether or not you need it. In some cases, there is good natural gear nearby. In others, you will have to commit to using the bolt. If you do have to use it, continue climbing and try to get something solid in as soon as possible. If it doesn't look like solid gear is a possibility and the terrain above the bolt is difficult, consider bailing.

If the bolt is part of an anchor system, you may be required to "beef-it-up." Some climbing instructors use a 12 point rating system to evaluate an anchor. Different pieces of gear are given a value of 0-12. Once you reach 12, your anchor is considered "bomb-proof." In other words, a good cam is worth 4 points, a good bolt is worth 6 points and a giant tree with a good root base is worth 12 points. Most of the time climbers have to equalize a number of different pieces in order to bring the value of their anchor up to 12.

Bolts like those in the diagram above should only be given a value of 1 or 2. Many people have been taught that an anchor is composed of two bolts or three pieces. The reality is that an anchor should include whatever you need in order to make it worth 12 points. If two bad bolts are equalized, the anchor would only have a value of 3 or 4. In such a case more pieces would have to be added to supplement the bolts.

What then, does a good bolt look like? The following diagram shows a series of bolts that will hold a substantial fall if they are placed correctly:

Don't get lulled into a sense of complacency by shiny new-looking bolts, a small percentage of these are bad too. Some bolters use substandard equipment because it's cheaper. Others may place a bolt incorrectly. These are hard things to evaluate on the sharp end of the rope when your forearms are completely pumped out and you're about to whip.

There are three ways to evaluate a route with new-looking bolts prior to climbing it. First, look through the guidebook and see how many routes the first ascentionists put up. The more routes they have to their names, the less likely it is that they made a mistake bolting. Second, the more popular the route is, the more likely it is that the bolts have been evaluated by people who have placed a lot of bolts. Indeed, on a popular route it is also more likely that the bolts have held falls. And third, question the locals. If there is something amiss on a route, local climbers are usually aware of it.

People laugh when I tell them that I trust traditional gear more than I trust bolts. The reality is that with trad climbing I can always assess my own placements and I can always adjust them until they're perfect. There is little that I can do with a bolt that was placed by a stranger. And even less that I can do if it's thirty years old. That's not to say that I don't trust new-looking bolts. I do...but I do so with reservations.

(Diagram Credits -- "Bolts: Bomber or Time Bombs" by Todd Vogel. Rock and Ice #62, July 1994 -- Reprinted at the American Safe Climbing Association website.)

--Jason D. Martin

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 6/24/10

Northwest:

--Crews got the break in the weather they had been waiting for and recovered a climber's body on Mt. Hood on Thursday. Crews were able to successfully recover the body of Canadian climber, Robert Dale Wiebe on Thursday. Robert Wiebe, 58, of Langley, British Columbia fell from about the 9,500-foot level, near Coe Glacier, on Tuesday afternoon, according to detective Matt English, a spokesman for the Hood River County Sheriff's Office. To read more, click here.

--An 18-year-old Portland hiker died Monday after he fell nearly 150 feet from a Columbia River Gorge trail. Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said search and rescue crews recovered the body of Victor Anthony Powell from an area near the Angel’s Rest viewpoint. To read more, click here.

--A Mount Rainier National Park spokesman says a woman was injured Friday evening near the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise when she fell through a snow crust onto the hard surface of an electrical transformer. The unidentified woman was first described as falling into a "sinkhole" in the snow. Spokesman Kevin Bacher says heat from the transformer buried under 20 feet of snow had melted a large cavern in the snow. The woman walking on the surface broke through the "ceiling" of that cavern and fell at least 10 feet onto the hard surface of the transformer, and from there onto the ground. To read more, click here.

--Adding to a tremendously busy couple of weeks on Mt. Shasta, a man from Tacoma, Washington was rescued by helicopter this afternoon after slipping on an ice field and sliding down the mountain. Oleg Maslov, who appears to be in his mid-20’s, was reportedly with several friends who are inexperienced climbers who had no climbing equipment and no helmets, said Susan Gravenkamp, spokesperson for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department. Maslov was wearing shorts and a t-shirt when he slipped in an ice field and slid down the mountain. It is not known at this time how far he may have fallen, Gravenkamp said. To read more, click here.

AAI Guides Forest McBrian and Erin Smart skied the South Couloir of
Colfax Peak late Last Week. The line they skied is in red.
Photo by Erin Smart

--AAI Guides Erin Smart and Forest McBrian skied the South Couloir of Colfax Peak late last week. The pair found firm conditions and terrain that was as steep as fifty-degrees. To read about the descent, click here. To see Erin's slideshow of the descent, click here.

--A bill to create a federally protected 331,000-acre wilderness in central Idaho's Boulder and White Cloud mountains got a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, has been working on this measure for a decade. The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources' subcommittee on public lands and forests discussed the bill, along with a separate wilderness measure for South Dakota and a mining-related bill for Nevada. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--In an amazing feat of stamina, Alex Honnold linked the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome (5.9, A1, VI) and the Nose on El Capitan (5.9, A2, VI) in just eight hours. To read more and to see pictures, click here.

--The thousands of mine shafts that pockmark the Sierra Nevada and testify to California's Gold Rush riches have also left a legacy of toxic contamination in some of the state's popular recreation areas, according to a new study. Soil tests on a handful of trails near mine mouths in the foothills have revealed extremely high levels of lead, arsenic and asbestos, said researchers at the Sierra Fund, a small environmental advocacy group. To read more, click here.

--With Mono County now paying a share, it appears that the Mammoth Yosemite Airport will now have true year-round air service. The return of commercial air service to the Mammoth Yosemite Airport started over two years ago, with service during the winter months. This year, Horizon Air provided air service to Mammoth during the summer, but there was a planned gap during the fall shoulder season before the winter ramps up. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--Crews battling a 10,000-acre fire that has threatened hundreds of homes were sending planes Tuesday to learn the full scope of the blaze, which choked the skies with rolling clouds of smoke and sent flames high into the air. About 10 percent of the wildfire outside Flagstaff was under control late Monday, as firefighters focused Monday on protecting endangered homes by digging trenches, clearing out dry brush and spraying them down. At the height of the fire, rolling clouds of black and gray smoke darkened the sky north of Flagstaff, and bright red and orange flames shot up more than 60 feet in the air. The smoke lingered over roadways, forcing drivers to use headlights in daylight hours. To read more, click here.

Alaska:

--AAI Denali Team Five will likely move up to the 17,200 foot camp today in order to prepare for their summit bid. To read the expedition dispatches, click here.

--After being repeatedly shut down, Ryan Hokanson and Sam Johnson climbed a two new routes in Alaska's Hayes Range. The first was a completely new line on Mt. Hayes (13,832') and the second was a route that fell 100 feet shy of Mt. Balchen's summit (11,142'). To read more, click here and here.

Notes from All Over:

-- Missoula investigators announced 37-year old Chris Spurgeon died from massive injuries after being caught in an avalanche. Detectives explained the snow hit him with the force of a speeding car. Search crews found Spurgeon's body Friday on Lolo Peak. Family reported him missing about 1 am Thursday. Friends describe him as an avid and well experienced back country skier. To read more, click here.

--In the first fatal mauling in 25-years, A man hiking near Yellowstone National Park on Thursday was killed by a grizzly bear. Erwin Frank Evert, 70, of Park Ridge, Ill., was reported missing by his wife, Yolanda, to a member of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, which had been conducting research in the Kitty Creek drainage, about seven miles east of Yellowstone. To read more, click here.

--There have been three climbing accidents this week at Eldorado Canyon in Colorado, the worst of which resulted in a fatality. On Tuesday morning, Joseph Miller Jr. was killed after sustaining a fall on the Yellow Spur (5.9, III). The preceding Wednesday, a climber fell on top of his belayer and on Thursday a woman was hit by a large rock. To read more, click here.

--A Colorado woman who took a day trip to the Rocky Mountains to clear her head ended up spending 11 days in the wilderness with no food, medicine or shoes. Kelly Guzman, 45, of Denver was expected to be released from a hospital today after treatment for frostbite and hypothermia. When found by searchers Sunday in the Arapahoe National Forest, she was barefoot and wearing only shorts and a fleece top. To read more, click here.

--On May 31, 2010, Vernon Tejas completed a new world speed record of the Seven Summits, summiting the highest mountain on each of the seven continents within a 134-day period. The previous record of 136 days was set in 2008 by Danish climber Henrik Kristiansen. Following the combined Bass and Messner lists of summits, which includes Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia, Tejas began his record attempt with Vinson Massif on January 18, 2010. After ascents on Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Kosciuszko, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus and Everest, Tejas reached the top of the last summit, Mt. McKinley on May 31, 2010. To read more, click here.

--It appears that Sunday was Nude Hiking Day. This day is typically observed on the first day of summer, which was June 21st. Ironically, this tends to be a big time for naked bicycling too. It's not really clear why. To read more, click here.

--Twenty-one professional climbers scaled Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on Wednesday, in the world's first climbing race on a building facade. The race was part of celebrations to mark the opening of Singapore's second integrated resort. Seven teams, with three members each, from over 10 countries will scale the walls of the three towers in the World Championship Climb to the Sands SkyPark. To read more, click here.

--Celebrated Himalayan alpinist Walter Bonatti recently celebrated his eightieth birthday with ubber Himalayan climber Reinhold Messner. To see photos of the pair, click here.

Conditions Report - June 23 2010

The Col from Applebee, Bugaboos. Photo Credit Jeff Volp.

NORTHWEST:

-- AAI Guide Lee Lazzara reports on Friday, the 18th: "There was some slab layering on the west side of Baker but it didn’t look bad. With cool temperatures, I wouldn’t be concerned about it. In some of the concavities on the Roman Wall, we could detect a surface wind slab like a foot deep here and there. From 8000 feet up, it’s a winter snow pack in transition to a summer pack. The heat last week help the transition begin. The regular route is in excellent shape. The pumice ridge is covered in snow and there are only a couple of crevasses open up high."

-- Whatcom County plans to open the newly rehabilitated Mosquito Lake Road bridge over the middle fork of the Nooksack River at 5 p.m. Friday, June 18, according to Public Works.The project included replacing approach spans, decking and structural components, installing new guardrails and repainting the bridge. It cost roughly $2.3 million, paid by the federal government.

-- Ranger Dave Oicles reports: Volunteer Rick Machin and I checked on the status of the falcon nesting ledge on Mt Erie this morning. There are 3 Peregrine Falcon chicks present, and looking very healthy. We witnessed the female falcon feed her young, with the male falcon arriving briefly to the nesting ledge. We gave our findings and observations to Biologist Jennifer Bohannon, and she estimates they are about 1 ∏ to 2 weeks old. Fledging of the nest roughly takes 40 days after hatching, which puts these chicks fledging around July 20th. Rick and I will continue to monitor them through fledging. (near Skyline Arête.)

--Bugaboos NP reports: "A quick report from the Bugaboos. As of June 19th there is about 1.5m of snow at Applebee Dome, half that at the Conrad Kain Hut. A few big trees across the trail, and lots of bear sign. The hut will be officially opened by the July 1st long weekend. "

--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:

--Forecast for Denali.

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

SIERRA:

--Tuolumne Meadows Store is now open. 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:

-- Joshua Tree Park Ranger Don Roberts reports: "...temporary closures known as Towers of Uncertainty, The Seitch and Rattlesnake Canyon have been rescinded by the Superintendent. Thank you for observing these closures as it is very important for the nesting of some of the park's wildlife. At this time, you are welcome to resume your activities in these areas."

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

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

The Munter-Mule

Since we covered the super-munter yesterday, I thought that it might be good to revive this old post about the munter-mule.

In the following clip, a climber demonstrates two things. First, he shows us how to tie a munter hitch on a carabiner clipped to a harness. And second, he shows us how to mule off a munter hitch that is clipped to a locker on a pre-equalized anchor.

The munter-mule is one of the most useful combination's that one can employ in any rock rescue scenario. It provides the basis for load transfers and for a number of other rescue techniques.

In the video, the climber refers to the mule knot as a slip knot...which it is, but the official name for what he is doing is the "mule."

It is important to watch how the climber releases the mule. He never takes his hand off the break strand. I believe that the most common mistake that people make in this particular setting is that they completely let go of the break strand as they jump their break hand up the strand and closer to the hitch. When you practice, be aware of this and be careful to avoid letting go of the break strand.

--Jason D. Martin

UIAA Responds to Everest Age Restrictions

The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from the UIAA:

The UIAA welcomes China’s decision to ban people under 18 years of age from climbing Mount Everest.

According to press reports and climbing and trekking agencies in Nepal, the decision was taken on June 10 by the Lhasa-based Chinese Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) - a branch of the Chinese Mountaineering Association, which is a UIAA Member.

The move was welcomed by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).

“While concerned about the restrictions on the freedom for exploration and human endeavour, the UIAA Access Commission applauds the actions of the CTMA and the NMA to protect minors by placing a lower age restriction on summiting Everest,” said commission president Clare Bond.

UIAA President, Mike Mortimer, also greeted the Chinese decision, saying young mountaineers lacked not only climbing “experience”, but also maturity.

However, Mortimer is critical of the maximum age of 60 set by the CTMA.

“The issue of an upper age limit would seem to be very arbitrary and should be of concern,” Mortimer said. “Many climbers over the age of 60 have safely climbed Everest and other high peaks. Although medical considerations might present problems, the older climber often has a wealth of experience missing from younger people.”

Climbing for all ages
For her part, Bond emphasises that the UIAA continues to “encourage the active participation of all ages and members of society in climbing and mountaineering and the freedom to participate in the sport and enjoy the mountains”.

President of the UIAA Youth Commission, Anne Arran, added: “Climbing Everest is a great challenge but not without risk and young climbers should not be pushed to undertake it.”

The UIAA co-ordinates around 10 youth events in the world’s mountains each year, and in 2011 plans to run a youth project in Nepal, which, according to Arran, will “focus on an exchange of mountain skills between countries and supporting environmental and sport development challenges relevant to youth in Nepal”.

China and CTMA
The CTMA is the official channel through which climbers must apply for permission to attempt peaks in Tibet.

According to Lindsay Griffin of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) writing on the BMC website, it is not yet unconfirmed if these age restrictions will also apply to other high peaks on the Himalayan divide.

Griffin says “the decision has been made in the aftermath of (May’s) Everest ascent by 13-year-old Jordan Romero”.

“Nine years ago Nepali schoolboy Temba Tshiri became the youngest Everest summiteer at the age of 16 (and 17 days) but lost several toes and fingers to frostbite. This put pressure on the Nepalese government to ban young climbers, and in 2003 it set a minimum age of 16. However, there is currently no upper limit,” Griffin added.

“There do seem to be loopholes in the Chinese regulations. In exceptional circumstances the CTMA may issue a permit to a mountaineer outside the declared age range. Applications will be considered from climbers outside this age span if they can provide a medical certificate showing they are fit enough to make the ascent, though it is believed that this is most likely aimed at climbers over 60.”

The Super-Munter

In a serious rescue situation, it might be possible that you would have to lower an extreme weight down a rock face. For example, there is the possibility that you might have to lower two climbers, one cradling another one, or you might have to lower a climber and a litter. There are many ways to do this, but there is one really smooth technique.

The super-munter is a variation on the munter-hitch. It creates a tremendous amount of friction and doesn't have one of the main problems of the munter-hitch, it doesn't tangle the rope. Indeed, the action of the rope as it goes through the super-munter twists the rope and then twists it back.

Following is a short video on how to make a super-munter:

The super-munter creates a great deal of friction. I have never used this for a rescue, but occasionally I have lowered two climbers together with this who didn't feel comfortable rappelling. I've always found it to provide more than enough friction to deal with 400+ lbs of dead weight.

While it is unlikely that you will use this particular hitch very often, it is a valuable rescue tool to have in your back-pocket.

--Jason D. Martin

June and July Climbing Events

Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you Stoked!

Last week, I made my first real climbing tick list. For those of you who follow this blog, you may have realized that my climbing background was fairly limited to bouldering and sport climbing (until I started working here, that is). The list is quite long and it's just for the Cascades.

The Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck first published in 1979. (If you've never heard of this, click here to see it.)

Mark and Janelle Smiley have a pretty big goal: To be the first people to climb all of the routes on that list. No married couple has attempted such an endeavor to climb over 164,000 vertical feet of technical terrain on a road trip that will cover over 25,000 miles.

Kudos to them for making it happen. I hope to do the same (but for my list.)

Fifty Classic Climbs of North America from Mark Smiley on Vimeo.

Smileys Project Committed: Castleton Tower (1 of 50) from Mark Smiley on Vimeo.

-Dyan Padagas, Program Coordinator

Film Review: Whiteout

There's a place where people party like it's 1999. There's a place where murderers use technical ice tools. And there's a place where people make really dumb mistakes in a really cold environment. And no, that place is not called Vertical Limit...but the ludicrocity certainly seems Vertical-Limit-like.

No, instead, it is film called Whiteout.

U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is an isolated law enforcement officer. She works at a U.S. base in Antarctica. And she is a mere three days away from retirement when everything goes awry. There is a murder, the first murder on the continent. There is a wacko who wields an ice tool. There is a doddery old doctor (Tom Skerritt) who is far too easy to peg as being involved. And then there's the weather, which performs as a character in and of itself.

The piece opens with a Soviet plane going down over the arctic. Somewhere on-board there is some kind of valuable cargo, cargo that someone from a U.S. Antarctic base would be willing to kill for fifty-years later. The rest of the movie is a somewhat fast-paced ride into the antarctic wilds as Carrie Steko peels back the layers in order to find the murderer.

Unfortunately, the first time we meet Beckinsale's Steko, she is stripping down to take a shower. Apparently the filmmakers believe that the best way for an audience to take a female protagonist seriously is to get her to show some skin first. The filmmakers are, of course, wrong. An introduction to a strong female character like this is completely undercut by sexualizing her before we really get to know her.

The film just goes downhill from there. We know who the killer is because there are so few characters. There are no real surprises throughout the entire piece.

The story, which was originally a graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, isn't too bad. Instead, it was the way that the story came together that made the entire experience bad. Brothers and writers Jon and Erich Hoeber and Chad and Carey W. Hayes, took the graphic novel and created clunky dialogue and completely ludicrous situations. Director Dominic Sena (Swordfish and Gone in Sixty Seconds) didn't help.

It would have been good if someone in that very large crew had gone outside into a cold environment at least once...

Most of the shots in the film are like this. They look like they are all inside a studio.

There was one wonderfully ludicrous sequence that took place as the arctic winds rose. The team engaged in a pitched battle with ice tools and handguns while clipped to fixed lines. The winds were so extreme that individuals not clipped to the lines would be blown out into the whiteout.

It was odd that so many of the characters were so versatile in the action sequence wearing all of their "extreme" gear -- which in Kate Beckinsale's case, included a stylish fur-lined hat. And while they weren't moving like martial artists in the climactic scene, they were moving a lot more effectively than most mountain guides.

If you're looking for a good film suspenseful film about the cold places in the world, this isn't it. If you want to watch Antarctic schlock, check-out John Carpenter's classic The Thing. If you're looking for a great film about life in Antarctica, then try Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World.

It might be best to just avoid Whiteout.

--Jason D. Martin

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 6/17/10

--The biggest news in the outdoor world this week was the terrible tragedy in Arkansas. At least twenty people were killed when a flood ravaged a campground in a remote part of the state. The flash flood hit the Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest just before dawn on Friday morning. To read more, click here and here. Following is a video that was made by a news team prior to the discovery of the twentieth body on Monday:

Northwest:

--Congratulations to John Jackson, Steve "Possum" Thompson and Tim Brockman. All three individualspassed their Single Pitch Instructor Exam this week that was administered at Mount Erie. The trio are now all American Mountain Guides Association Certified Single Pitch Instructors.

--There is a conversation going on about the addition of bolts to a somewhat old route on Supertopo.com. Tami Knight is looking for input on whether or not she should give the okay for additional bolts to be added to a traverse pitch on Milk Run (5.11d). To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--The bears in the Eastern Sierra have started to become active. Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles called the season the "longest winter in 35 years." The good news for Mammoth and its bears - plenty of natural food out there. Searles said that as the front country opens up, it provides lots of natural grasses for the bears to break their 6-month sleep. As the snow recedes, he said, the bears mow down the heavy grasses for about 8 weeks. Searles said there is huge potential for natural food for bears through the summer. To read more, click here.

Yosemite National Park

--In January the Access Fund asked for your help to write Yosemite National Park urging them to protect and enhance climbing opportunities in the latest Merced River Plan (MRP), which looked like it could limit public access to climbing and camping in Yosemite Valley depending on how the Park prepares its user capacity program. Climbs in the planning area include The Rostrum, Cookie Cliff, and Middle Cathedral Rock (everything ¼ mile on either side of the river). This plan will also affect all travel through the management area to locations just outside the river corridor, which brings into play all climbing in Yosemite Valley including El Capitan and even Half Dome. To read more, click here.

--Local off road enthusiasts are working on a plan that would help visitors enjoy the Owens Valley and surrounding areas by quad, rhino, or jeep. The plan is to map out routes that visitors can use to link campgrounds to dirt roads and trails into popular areas like Coyote Flat and the Alabama Hills. With a mapped out, interconnected system of routes, visitors could drive their quads from the south end of the Owens Valley to the Bishop area, taking a few days to camp, fish, and enjoy the scenery along the way. The idea is also to find a way to allow people on quads and rhinos to legally drive into the Owens Valley towns to get gas and food. The problem with this part of the plan is that it’s not currently legal to drive vehicles like quads and rhinos into towns. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--The National Park Service is currently planning on banning bolts and removing all fixed anchors from Christmas Tree Pass. We have reported on this issue in the past, but the implications of this move are starting to reverberate through the climbing community. To read more, click here.

--A group of rangers has been involved in an effort to reclaim dark skies in national parks, still some of the best star-gazing sites left in the country. They are using research-grade digital cameras to chronicle the loss of dark skies at the parks, which are affected by light from cities more than 200 miles away. Of 38 parks and monuments the group has surveyed, the light dome extending from Las Vegas alone reaches eight of them, including Joshua Tree, Death Valley and the Mojave National Preserve. It radiates as far as Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. To read more, click here.

Alaska:

--The acclaimed GiriGiri boys from Japan are at it again. Ryo Masumoto, Takaai Nagato and Kazuaki Amano had an excellent spring in the Ruth Gorge. The trio completed two new routes in the range and also repeated two additional hard lines. The new lines were respectively on Peak 7,400 and on Mount Church. To read more, click here and here.

Himalaya:

--Less than a month after American boy wonder Jordan Romero made mountaineering history by becoming the youngest climber in the world to summit Mt Everest, the highest point on earth, it is now certain that no one else will be able to beat the record with China announcing a curb on kid climbers from autumn. The China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA), the regulates climbing activities in Tibet – which shares Mt Everest with Nepal – issued new regulations Thursday, informing climbing agencies in Kathmandu that there will be an age bar on Mt Everest. In a surprising decision, CTMA said climbers applying for a permit to attempt the 29,028 foot peak – and any other Himalayan ranges from the north or Tibet — would have to be at least 18. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A Virginia woman who fell while rock climbing in the New River Gorge Saturday has died, authorities said. Karen Feher, 33, of Midlothian, Va., was taken to Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill, where she was pronounced dead, said Chuck Noll, acting chief ranger for the New River Gorge National River. To read more, click here.

--A woman running near the Glacier Creek Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park was attacked Saturday evening when she stopped to take a break. The attack happened about a half-mile from the popular Glacier Basin campground on the east side of the park.The 20-year-old woman told rangers she was attacked from behind by a white man wearing a black windbreaker. She said the man was 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 9 inches with a fit build.Park officials said the woman fought off the attacker, then ran down the trail to call for help. To read more, click here.

--Google Earth has recently released a version which they dub 5.2. It was designed specifically for outdoor enthusiasts and has a number of features that make it easier for people to map out their trips. To read more, click here.

Unusual Seismic Recordings from Mount Rainier Glaciers

This is Steve Malone with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network located at the University of Washington in Seattle. We operate seismographs throughout the Pacific Northwest and have three located high on Mount Rainier. We often record seismic events from all of our glacier-clad volcanoes that we associate with glacier motion, i.e. "ice-quakes." However, since about May 20, 2010 we have detected a strange set of these events coming from the upper Winthrop Glacier. We are calling these small events "clones" because the seismic waveforms from one event are near-duplicates of those from other events indicating a repeating source. They also seem to occur at very regular intervals.

The interval between events is often as short as every 3 minutes but changes from time to time and has been as much as 15 minutes between events. We think that their magnitude (on the Richter scale) is about M = -1 (i.e., 8 orders of magnitude smaller than the Nisqually earthquake of 2001).

So, what are these puppies? We think they represent small periodic slips at the bed of the glacier. Perhaps there is a large rock embedded in the bottom of the glacier and as the glacier moves it scrapes this rock along the bed, only a few mm in each slip. But why are they so regular in time? Maybe water pools up-hill of the rock until it slightly lifts the glacier allowing the rock to more easily slip and this then drains that small pool of water starting the process over. We think that water has an important influence on glacier sliding but don't understand the mechanism very well.

How can you help? Anyone climbing Rainier on the east side (upper Emmons or Winthrop Glacier routes) may see or hear things that would help us pin these suckers down. Please let me know of anything you think may be out of the ordinary (sounds, sights, feelings???). Particularly those of you who have been in this area before and can compare what may be different from previous climbs. Our best guess where these originate (based on stacking 4000 individual events to get the best relative seismic wave arrival times at six seismic stations and using a 1-D seismic velocity model with station elevation corrections, blah blah blah, other scientific mumbo-jumbo) puts the location at 46.85950 north 121.7610 west (i.e., 2.5 km WSW of Camp Schurman or 3.4 km NNW of Camp Muir or about 600 meters up from the top of Russell Cliffs).

To see these suckers yourself check out our "webicorders" at: http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/VOLC
and click on the date-time for one of the high Rainier stations (RCS, RCM, STAR). The small blips that have about the same size and shape are our "clones".

Send email to: steve@ess.washington.edu or give me a call (206-685-3811)

Steve Malone

Conditions Report - June 16 2010

NORTHWEST:

-- Usual by now, there is low avalanche danger...but this season has seen a great deal of late-season snow. Coupled with the sunny weekend forecast, we receveid thsi report on Friday June 11th: "Heavy late spring snowfall last week combined with expected sunshine and warm weather at high elevations will create the very dangerous conditions this weekend, especially in terrain above 8,000 feet on volcanoes. Hikers should particularly avoid Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Glacier Peak and Mt. Baker. “It is dangerous now, but we expect it to get worse this weekend with the warm temperatures and highest freezing levels since last summer,” said Kenny Kramer, avalanche meteorologist. Check out this report for a Coleman ski tour.

Photo Credit Jeremy Luscher

--That said, what a beautiful northwest weekend. You don't see many trip reports for such an obscure crag - Check out this report for Mt. Garfield climbing (especially if you've had thought about doing Infinite Bliss.)

Photo Credit "nutjob", Supertopo.com

--This is one of the best forums we've found for Sierra conditions - even Sierra gas prices. "The Tuolumne Meadows gas station is open. Last Friday its prices were better than those at the Lee Vining Mobile station."

-- The Yosemite Half Dome cables and Lakes Basin are set to open June 16th. Click here and here for more info.

-- 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:

-- Too hot to climb in Red Rock right now? See this thread.

-- The main campground is closed. Please see this article for more info.

--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:

-- Certain areas of J Tree are closed due to Raptor nesting season. Check out Friends of Joshua Tree for more information.

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

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

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