Last Updated: Mar. 11, 2010
   |         |       |       |       |   



and welcome

...to my home on the web! Use links and shortcuts below or menu above to navigate this site.

Database:

Query my reports database, selecting from criteria which include peak names, location, climb type, season etc.

Quick Links:

Some essential links I can't do without:


Jump To:

Select from drop-down list below to jump to a specific area on this site.
Search:

Click here if you are interested in searching this site.


All photos and text for sverdina.com are Copyright © 2002-2010. Please ask before using any part of these pages. Terimah Kasih!



    


| Latest Posts |

Add to Google


Saturday, January 23, 2010

Dolomiti - Dec. 19 - Jan. 3

Marmolada's Punta Rocca from below the true summit.

Between the 12 hours stranded in Frankfurt on the way in and the two days stranded on the way back, you'll forgive my unembellished recount of the Italy trip this time around. The stunning gross incompetence exhibited by the Frankfurt airport and Lufthansa airline staff to effectively manage the several hundred poor souls hopelessly stuck at the mercy of German inefficiency and non-hospitality is NOT something I'm liable to forget anytime soon. And why our board bag arrived three days late in Verona and seven days after we returned to Seattle still baffles me. I suppose we should be happy we got the bag back at all. In any case, I could easily dedicate this entire report to how awful the trip to and from Italy was this year, but I won't. Suffice to say that I'll never set foot in that godforsaken shithole of an airport again!

more...

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Gray Falls (ice climbing) - Dec. 12

Being the non-ice climber that I am, I couldn't let the mid-December cold snap slip by without so much as a swing of an ice tool or two. Ok, all jokes aside, when the snow gets so bad for sliding then it must be great for climbing, right? With that in mind, I joined Tod and JB for a day out on ice of the vertical variety. Inspired by recent reports of a newly discovered 3-tier icefall tucked 5 or 6 miles up Ingall's Creek Valley, we decided to go have a look at the so called Gray Falls for ourselves.

Approaching the first tier ~WI2, with second tier visible behind. JB solo's the second tier while Tod follows close behind. Tod climbs a steeper portion of the second tier ~WI2 or 3?. Fat, plastic ice and facing the warming sun made for a very enjoyable day. JB makes his way up the third and final tier only to get treed like cat and having to wait for Tod and me to...um...er...rescue him.
Tod at far left comes to JB's aid and together we finish the route ~WI3 or 3+ for a couple moves. Looking up the rambly upper portion of the falls after the third tier.  We all solo'd this part then walked back down snow dusted slopes (lookers) right of the falls.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Crystal b/c - Nov. 7 & 14

Did a couple tours out in the Crystal b/c when the getting was good this past autumn. Combined with a few deep weekends at Whistler late in November, it seems conditions have either been warm and wet or cold and dry (and firm) ever since. Here's to wishing that punk El Nino leaves us alone for a few months...

Crystal - Cayuse Pass loop

Skinning up into Silver Basin. Tod and Kinley approach 3-Way Gap. After a short descent, than an ascent to Sourdough Gap(?) followed by another descent, we again make our way back uphill towards Sheep Gap(?) Eli skis slopes above Sheep Lake. Late afternoon ski down a chute on Pk. 6904 towards Crystal Lakes Basin.
Darkness and blowing snow on the long slog back to 3-Way Gap.  Back at the lot much later than expected ~ 7pm, all thanks to a pooped 70-lb dog and the owner having to carry her out in his backpack!

Union Creek/Bullion Basin

Skinning up slopes below Bullion Point. Agata nears our first drop-in point with view of Crown Point in background. Eric enjoys the light, dry powder on the descent into Union Creek. Agata cruises through the fog on the descent back into Bullion Basin.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Scary Canary - October 11

The temperature at our trailhead bivy the night prior to our Serpentene Arete attempt was well below freezing, and remained comfortably below the 20-degree mark all that next day thanks to the arctic air which was in place over much of the state that weekend. The prospect of enduring that kind of cold on a large north-facing wall where the sun now remains absent until Spring gnawed away at my motivation throughout the approach. Unable to feel my fingers and my toes and feeling wholly unsecure scrambling along the snow-dusted ledge low on the route, I eventually decided I'd had enough. We salvaged what was left of the short day climbing Canary on Castle Rock instead. Tod did a fine lead up the first 5.8 pitch with a stout finish onto Saber Ledge. The airy and classic step off the ledge at the start of p2 really gets the blood flowing and is easily the highlight of the route. Yes, a far cry from Serpentine Arete but at least now I have something to look forward to come spring or summer this year.

Dragontail and Colchuck as seen from the outlet of Colchuck Lake. Looking up first pitch of Canary.  The pitch ends at Saber Ledge just right of the prominent roof at right. Todd nears the top of Castle Rock.


*Earlier posts from July 2000 through September 2007 are viewable here.
*Master list of trip reports and photos here: climbing or snowboarding.

*To search this site, enter criteria in the text box below.
©2010 sverdina.com |    RSS feed