Video!!

I was able to summit Rainier via the DC on 9/20/11!!! Great conditions...heres a link to the TR on cascadeclimbers.com

CC.com Rainier Trip Report

And here is a link to a video with a mix of pictures from my climbs in 2011!!

Climbing 2011 Video!!

Rainier, Baker, something else trip

I am planning to make my way back west in September to climb Rainier, Baker, and another alpine route hopefully.  I will be packing up my gear and may through in some gear reviews for you.  Stay tuned!

Troposcatter

Sorry I have been slacking lately, I have been busy learning about troposcatter and other crazy communications witchcraft.  Here is a picture of the day.

view of Lake Cushman on the approach to Olympic N'tl Forest

Finished Bouldering wall

Here is my finished project.

Now i just have to wait until its not 106 degrees outside. hahaha

Picture of the day

So its 7:30 am and I am getting ready to go to work.  Searching for some motivation, I decided to post a picture of one of my climbs (that I don't have a trip report to share, yet) for everyone else's viewing pleasure.  Enjoy!

View of Mt Washington from Mt Ellinor (Olympic National Forest, WA)

Bored, NEED CLIMBING FIX!

So what do I do?  Like every responsible climber in need of a quick climbing session and in a place where climbing crags are lacking (Augusta, GA) I decided it would be a good idea to build my own climbing wall.

Framing the wall, used 2x4s spaced them 16" on center just like a normal wall

setting up the uprights, used 2x6s going from the top to the bottom, then across the bottom

back side view, for the plywood I used 3/4 inch

the wood working finished

Now time for the fun!  Used metolius bouldering holds to set my first route named, Home Sweet Home probably about a V2.  I just received some new holds, i'll post another of the finished product.

Overall the climbing surface is 8' tall and about 6' wide.  Use a 3/8 drill bit to drill out holes for the bolt on holds, and then just hammer in the t-nuts.  Metolius probably has the best deal on holds packages, plus they come with all the hardware you need to attach the holds.

Climb on!

Family

I am trying to put up all my trip reports up on this blog but it may take a while.  In the meantime, this is what I love about climbing, sharing time with friends and family away from the distractions of "the real world"  Above is a pic of me and my dad at the gunks this summer.  We did an easy three (probably could have been done in two) pitch route on the trapps.

I can't remember the name of the route, but is about a 5.4-5.5.  I took a full rack up (mostly nuts and cams) but I only used my number 3 cam, and ended up slinging trees most of the way up.  I did use a few finger sized cams to build my last belay.

RMI Expedition Skills Seminar May 2011

So after a year of training, gearing up, and focusing on Mt. Rainier it was time to take a crack at the summit.  The only problem, I had never climbed on snow or glaciers before so it was time to get some hands on training.  I had read all the books, watched the videos, but it was the guides at RMI that actually taught me the most about climbing and provided a fun, safe learning environment (not to boost their ego).  We attempted the Ingraham Direct route, unfortunately some key snow bridges had collapsed and new snow and avy danger on the Disappoint Cleaver stopped us from the summit.  One caveat, the mountain is still there today! and so am I!  Of course we were bummed about not getting to the summit, but we got to enjoy several days of training on the mountain, one of the most spectacular places ever.

Casy Grom - Head guide - aka dragon soft shell guy haha

 First break on the way up to muir

view down from muir

the hut

 look down the glacier

 view of the tatoosh

 tent life

 looking over to cadaver gap

 view back to muir at cadaver gap

 ingraham glacier practicing crevasse rescue, little tahoma in the background masked by clouds

 early morning practice

 fixed rope training

 leading back to muir, no summit

all in all a great experience.  Met some great people, learned a lot.  I will be heading back to Rainier in September 2011 if anyone is interested :-)

Trip Report Exit 38 Jan 1

So January had some days that actually was warm and sunny for Washington standards. (like 50 degrees sun and no wind).  I was motivated to start climbing outside.  Most of my time was spent climbing with guides outside or climbing with my wife at the local climbing gym.  After taking a few lead climbing classes we decided it was time to go outside for our first sport lead at the exit 38 crag.  The route was called Smea, a 5.2 (i know, super hard haha) slab that was fairly straight forward and a confidence boost for moving to outside climbing.

Nevermind wall (i believe)

After i lead, i setup a top rope for the wife to climb.  It was a little bit wet, but dry enough to climb.

Getting ready to climb

Luckily we broke down our top rope setup and started moving back to the car right before it started to rain.  Good timing

Smea - 5.2 sport route.  Good first lead for anyone, check out the exit 38 guidebook, the approach is like 10 minutes from the car.  Need 3 draws for the lead.  A double length sling and a couple lockers for the top rope setup.

Trip Report Mount St. Helen Nov 2010

So there I was, bored of reading about climbing, I decided it was time to take a short training session down to MSH and attempt to climb to the top with my wife.  The weather was looking 'OK' at best so we got down there pretty early 0500 (army speak for 5 am) and attempted to climb the monitor ridge route.

Nearing monitor ridge

Permits yay!

Snow, wind, and gaining the ridge

The wife leading up

Decided to turn around at about 6500'.  It was already 3 PM (we had moved slowly, the wife likes to watch animals haha) But more importantly the wind started picking up and visibility started to go way down.  First rule of mountaineering I learned; the mountain will always be there, you can come back.  That is a vital lesson for all attempting the sport.

Goofy time

Gear we used - Crampons, Ice axe

It was a great outing learned a little bit.  Looking back at the experience, we probably could have gone a little bit faster, but still had a great time!

Holy crap thats awesome

So this is my first post, blogging about all things AlpineDave most likely something to do about climbing a super hard 5.11d, A6, V WI5, M10 alpine route in some of the most remote mountains of the world.  No I am not Ueli Steck, actually I am just beginning into the world of alpinism and my hardest accomplishment was probably my first send of a 5.11- at edgeworks gym in WA.  Being a beginner, I am constantly learning new things from my mistakes, reading every piece of climbing literature known to man, and most importantly getting out there and learning from other people who have a wealth of knowledge to share.  I figured, I should chronicle my adventures (mishaps) for others to read.  That and I am too lazy to post my trip reports' pictures on cascadeclimbers.com, so this blog will serve that purpose for me, ha!

For those who are seeking to get into climbing I do have some resources for you!

www.cascadeclimbers.com - forum to those dedicated to climbing in the great PNW
http://www.mountainguide.com/climbingtools/Mike_Barter_.html - great intro videos practicing some of the techniques you'll need for climbing (DISCLAIMER - If you don't know what your doing, don't just learn from a video, hire a guide! or go out and learn from someone with experience!)
www.supertopo.com - great gear reviews and guidebooks

READ!
Freedom of the Hills - it's the climbers bible, seriously
Alpine Climbing: Taking your skills higher - Part of the mountaineer series of books

HIRE A GUIDE!!

Seriously, I have found that the combination of reading and hiring a guide is probably the most effective way of learning.