February 2015 Casaval Ridge Attempt, Mt. Shasta

February 2015 Casaval Ridge Attempt

My Friend Gergo and I decided to make a run up Casaval ridge right on the First week of February, and had a great time checking out a route that neither of us had been on before.  The weather was unseasonably hot and we ended up carrying way too much gear in retrospect.

We drove straight to the mountain on Friday after work, hiked in from bunny flat on snowshoes, and camped at the base of the ridge on Friday night just past Horse Camp.

Gergo and I modeling the Frontpoint Parka and Icefall Parka for Feathered Friends.  We are still awaiting our sponsorship applications to come through (badass outdoor athletes we are :)

Mt. Whitney Mountaineer's Route, November 2014

Having not climbed anything in half a year (longer for my buddy Anthony) we decided it was time to get out of town and into the mountains.  We originally were shooting for North Peak Couloir but when we found out that Tioga Pass was closed I knew immediately where we had to go--Mt. Whitney.

Mt. Whitney Massif from the Ranger Station parking lot

We had unfinished business on Mt. Whitney after our first trip last year ago ended up being a complete cluster*uck.  Unable to find the E-Ledges, we wound up bushwhacking up and to the left of the major drainage that take climbers to Upper Boyscout Lake (instead of the correct way toward the right) and when darkness set in we used pocket knives and ice hammers to chop down tree branches and make a bed on an exposed piece of granite with a nice view of the mountain we knew we had driven 6 hours for, and were determined to not reach.

To put the cherry on top, when we got back to the car the next day I found out I had left the headlights on in the Subaru, and we had to call a tow truck for a jump, and then buy a new car battery to the tune of $300.

This was me in full defeat mode circa 2013...

Mt. Whitney Mountaineers Route (as the sign says) is a very difficult route to follow.  There is not really an obvious trail.  The place is littered with cairns however.  Cairns are stacks of rocks that people make to indicate a route.  The trouble is you never know what they mean, who put them there, how long ago, or where do they lead to.  They were everywhere!

Mt. Dana via Dana Couloir Trip Report

On Saturday May 3rd I joined the Sierra Mountaineering Club on a day climb of Mt. Dana in Yosemite National Park.  

We got a 3am start Saturday morning from Folsom and drove through the night down HWY395 to Lee Vining, CA. With a great amount of luck Tioga Pass opened the same day we were planning our trip, so we were able to cut out a significant amount of the approach.  True to the weather forecast, it was a sunny but very windy day on the approach in to Dana Couloir (the Patagonia Houdini worth its minuscule weight in gold).

 After the approximately 4.5mi approach we stopped to put on harnesses/ crampons and some members roped up to practice hammering pickets.

Where Has the Snow Gone?

This is Mt. Shasta on Memorial Day.  Seriously.  Memorial Day 2010--the year of epic snowfall in the NorthWest. Tahoe got over 17 feet of snow.  It was the 12th largest snowfall year on the record books since they started keeping track in the late 1800's.

The past few years of trips to the Palisade glacier in the Sierra I have seen it recede in the pictures I have taken, but the most bleak conditions were this past winter 2013/2014.  Last year takes the cake as the post pathetically sad excuse of a climbing/ski season than I can remember.  Global Warming? Bad Luck? You be the judge. Either way I'm hoping we get a better winter this year.

A Tribute to the Feathered Friends Volant Down Jacket

I have frequently been asked by climbing partners what is my favorite piece of gear, and over the years my answer has never changed--My Feathered Friends Hooded Volant Down Jacket.

The Volant Jacket is filled with 11+ ounces of hot tub-warm 850+FP Goosedown.  The day after the picture of me above was taken on Mt. Rainier this jacket earned a permanent place in my gear closet.  It was so cold high on the mountain at 2am that I ended up wearing the jacket while climbing Disappointment Cleaver and the decent back down to Ingraham Flats.

There are tons of warm down jackets on the market from many different manufacturers and big box stores like REI and Backcountry, but there are several reasons why I would spend the extra money and buy from this small custom down manufacturer in Seattle.

Starting out in Mountaineering: Buying New Gear

I remember the day I decided to take the plunge and empty my bank account with the intent to equip myself for the journey into the world of mountaineering.  I had read Freedom of the Hills cover to cover, I had scoured the internet looking for deals, and the day was finally here.

After complaining for months about the prohibitive cost of entry, the UPS man started blowing up my doorbell.  One night after enjoying a few too many adult beverages with a buddy I set up a rappel off my door frame and he abseiled the staircase of my 2 bedroom apartment. (check out those vintage orange Koflachs)