Angry Mountain

I was numb watching the mitten slide away down the steep coulior. "Please stop...come on stop...stop you piece of shit. Fuck you...fuck you fucking mountain from hell." I don't generally personify mountains because part of the reason I like them is due to their indifference, but whole trip had been a struggle from top to bottom and here I was less than five hundred feet from the top watching one

Washington Pass -- Still Open

AAI just received this email from the Washington DOT:

Dustin and I have been getting calls and e mails asking about the status of the North Cascades – It’s still open.

Before Thanksgiving, the tall (6 to 8,000 foot starting zone) avalanche chutes were about halfway to where they'd need to be to cause a threat and we haven't gotten much more snow (6 to 10,000 feet) over the last week. The forecast doesn't call for much more for the rest of the week, so until we get some "winter" it's going to continue as it has - crews plowing, etc. as needed. Our forecaster says Washington Pass ought to get another 2-3 inches between now and Thursday, which isn't real "threatening”. Here’s the most recent forecast from mid morning:

“Weather as of 1030 Tue was not looking too bad, with Washington pass area flurries and light snow showers. However, some concerns exist. New info suggesting a broken up array of scattered light and short term shower threats sweeping N to S through the area later today into early evening followed by N to S area clearing. A breezy N wind picks up overnight, but a light freeze will occur too. Basically, anything still damp by 9 p.m. is a black ice threat. Basically, if we get the evening showers, then the freeze will follow by midnight. Wed through Fri is dry, with cooler overnight temps and increasing frost.”

Remember that the traditional closure dates are between Thanksgiving week and the 2nd week of December. One substantial storm is really all that is needed to fill those chutes and cause the avalanches that will close it for the season - and it's very likely to happen over the next two or three weeks, but who knows? We have around 14" to 16" of snow on the ground at the summit. A General rule for avalanche danger that closes the highway is 24” to 36” of snow coupled with some additional trigger, i.e. rain or more snow or a big temperature change.

When the season closure comes, it usually happens fast, so if you’re planning a trip, check the pass report and the web page (www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades/) before you leave or call 5-1-1. Washington and Rainy are a thousand feet higher than Stevens and two thousand higher than Snoqualmie, so they often get snow when the others are getting rain.

I’ll send out one of these e mails when the closure comes or if there’s something going on up there that prompts one sooner than that.

Losing the LNT Battle

Sample #1:

A man stands three feet from a sign which says, "do not feed the squirrels" on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. Inevitably, he is feeding the squirrels. A hiker stops and chastises him for feeding the wildlife. The man ignores the hiker and continues to feed the squirrels.

Sample #2:

There is a near traffic-jam on the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive. Someone is feeding the wild burros. Nobody can get by. The burros are congregating on the road. When confronted, the individual snorts and continues to feed the animals.

Sample #3:

As the snowboarders clip their boards to the top of the car, a group of gray jays begin to dive bomb them. The birds stop doing this once they feed them. Suddenly, the birds are more than willing to sit on a person's finger for food. A skier tells them that this is bad for the birds, but they ignore him and continue to feed them.


Respect Wildlife

The concept of Leave No Trace includes seven principals for wilderness users. These have been designed so that visitors leave as little impact as possible on wilderness recreation areas. The sixth principal of Leave No Trace is "Respect Wildlife."

Many people interperet this to mean, don't throw rocks at the birds or harass the animals. But there is a lot more to it. Following is a breakdown of this principal from the LNT website:

• Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
• Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
• Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
• Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
• Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

Feeding the wildlife is very bad. It's bad for the animals. It's bad for the wilderness. And it's bad for the people feeding the animals.

There are two types of activities that lead to animal consumption of human food. The first is unintentional and the second is intentional.

We often feed the wildlife in an unintentional way. This primarily happens when one is camping or climbing and accidentally leaves micro-trash. This is primarily in the form of crumbs or other food scraps. It is very important that wilderness users do a thorough check of any area where they eat in order to avoid this.

A far more disturbing and disruptive practice is the intentional feeding of wildlife. This is significantly more destructive because the volume of food tends to be higher and in heavily used areas, so is the frequency of the feeding.

Most climbers and backcountry users understand this. The difficulty is not with them. Instead, it's with educating a general public that doesn't see a difference between feeding a wild animal and feeding a pet that's begging for food.

It's strange that even when a person has been told they're hurting an animal, they're still not willing to change their own behavior. It's likely that they simply don't believe or understand that they're actually hurting the animal. They see a hungry creature and feel entitled to feed it. This is an incredibly hard trend to curb.

The best way that we as climbers can help to change these perspectives is to model good behavior. It's best not to lecture people when they're engaged in this harmful activity, but instead to educate. The more you act like a know-it-all, the more likely it is that they will continue their activity. The more that you act like a knowledgeable wilderness user that is trying to impart information in a non-confrontational way, the more people will be receptive to it.

Sometimes it feels like we're losing the LNT battle with those that feed the wildlife. But we cannot give up. Education is the best way to bring about change.

--Jason D. Martin

December and January Climbing Events

--December 3-5 -- Seattle, WA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour

--December 4-6 -- Bozeman, MT -- Bozeman Ice Festival

--December 5 -- Ellensburg, WA -- The Fine Line

--December 9 -- Seattle, WA -- Siguniang First Ascent

--December 10 -- Bellingham, WA -- Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour

--December 11-13 -- Mora, MN -- Sandstone Ice Festival

--December 12-13 -- Mammoth, CA -- Sierra Avalanche Kickoff Party

--January 8-11 -- Ouray, CO -- Ouray Ice Festival

--January 21 -- Bellingham, WA -- Backcountry Skiing Pacific Northwest

--January 30-Feb 1 -- Munising, MI -- Michigan Ice Fest

Article Wrap-Up

The following instructional and informational articles have been published on the American Alpine Institute's blog. We strive to provide the best and most up to date information about climbing techniques in our courses as well as in our articles. On the first Monday of every month we post an up to date version of this list.

A Brief Discussion of Altitude Illness
Alpine Efficiency
Americans in the Outdoors
Anatomy and Strength of a Carabiner
Autoblocking Devices
Bang Bang go the Boots!
Belay Glove Confession
Belaying a Leader with a GriGri
Best Climber Eats!
Blister Prevention
Bolting: What's the Big Deal?
Changing My Story
Choosing a Solo Tent
Climbing and Failure
Climbing and Mountaineering in Space
Climbers are Funny
Climbing Class and Grade
Climbing Commands
Conserving Your Favorite Crag: What You Need to Know
Crevasse Rescue Review
Down Vs Synthetic
Expedition Sled Rigging
Finger Injuries in Climbing
Glove Systems
Guide's Olympics
How Good is that Bolt?
How to Fit a Backpack
Human Waste Disposal in the Alpine
Ice Climbing in Washington
Ice Tool Placement
Important Glacial Features
Jetboil vs. Whisperlite
Mount Baker by the Numbers
Non-Event Feedback Loops
Popular Anchor Antonyms
Raynaud's Disease
Reality TV and Mountain Guiding
Red Rock Geology
Rethinking the Camelbak
Route Profile: Epinephrine
Route Profile: Inspiration Peak's East Ridge
Route Profile: Mount Whitney's East Buttress
Route Profile: North Ridge of Mount Baker
Route Profile: South Arete of South Early Winter Spire
Rock Climbing Styles
Rope Flossing
Snake Bite -- First Aid and Prevention
Snow Anchor Options
Somethin' About Nothin': Kelly Cordes on Alpinism
Steve House Rupal Face Clothing System
Steve House Rupal Face Equipment
The Best Route on Forbidden?
The "Burrito" Hypothermia Wrap
The Cascade Bushwack Rating System
The Coolest Place You've Never Heard Of...
The Dangers of Glissading
The Figure-Eight Follow-Through
The Haunted Hut of Ecuador
The Importance of Being Prepared
The In-Between Time
The Murder of the Impossible
The Problem with Water
The Prusik Hitch
The Seasonality of Mountaineering
The Thankless Job of the Guidebook Author
The Worst Climbing Movies Ever
Toproping Sport Climbs
Travel Safety in a Developing Country
Understanding Fall Factors
Waterfall Ice Climbing: Cold and Scary or Quite the Contrary?
What's Up with Rock Shoes?