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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Forbidden Peak - East Ridge, July 10-11

I first climbed Forbidden Peak back in July 2002. At the time, completing the classic West Ridge was a milestone for me - it was one of my first technical alpine rock routes and ultimately paved the way for the countless other alpine rock climbs that followed. The route was also the first of the few Steck and Roper "50 Classics" that I have climbed. Boy, I thought I was in the big leagues after that! What's not to like? An airy ridge with excellent granite, awesome position and sublime vistas of glaciers, peaks and lush valleys, and all in the heart the North Cascades. Nowhere else in the range perhaps does one find such a combination at such a moderate grade. Sure, it's easy by technical standards, but that in my opinion does not detract from the aesthetics of the route. The climb is just plain fun, and has a lot of what one wants and little of what one doesn't. If only it was longer. Little wonder then that many return to repeat climbs on the peak.

Full report here.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Squamish, BC - July 5-7

With aspirations for alpine objectives in the area, uncooperative and slow-to-improve weather forced a change in vacation plans for us poor souls stuck in Squamish, BC. Tony and Dave had already high-tailed it back home to salvage what was left of their time off from work while Aaron and I shifted priorities and focused on the obvious. A seasoned Squamish climber; in my eyes anyway, Aaron gave me what amounted to a grand tour of greater Squamish over the course of several days. From dirt bag-style camping on the spit, breakfasts at Whitespot, 'reconnaissance' of the Squamish River cable tram (i.e. a doomed attempt on an East Ridge of Alpha) and of course rock climbing, I saw a side of Squamish that I'd otherwise never have had the opportunity to experience.

Full report here.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Mount Jefferson - Milk Creek West Ridge, June 28-29

Aaron and I paired-up for another go at an Oregon Volcano, this time Mt. Jefferson. I had wanted to revisit the Jefferson Park Glacier route, but given that Tom and I had essentially climbed the headwall above the glacier to the saddle on a previous attempt, I had a hankering to explore a different side of the peak and so we somehow convinced ourselves to give the Milk Creek West Ridge route a try instead.

Full report here.