The Fuhrer Finger it is.....

And then there were three... Flights are booked, Kyle and I land in Seattle on June 12th, And Patrick follows up on the 13th. Our route will be the Fuhrer finger, And I for one am coming back with a vengeance. The last attempt on this route ended shortly after it began bandaging a climbers arm after helping him out of an extremely large avalanche around 7800 feet on the Wilson Glacier. Just weeks prior the mountain had received 6 feet of new snow, followed by record high temps.
This year, conditions seem to be shaping up nicely. We will have the SPOT tracking device with us so you will be able to follow our every move from the comfort of your warm home... More details to come.

And also, Sad news from the Pyrenees. Two Climbers fell into a crevasse at around the 10,000 foot level and perished. A third climber who went for help has survived. RIP

Its Spring again...

The snow on the East Coast is melting and the Temps are rising... The Pacific Northwest and Rainier Online Forums are beginning to buzz with chat about gear advice, route beta, and the ever present "new guy" asking if he really needs crampons to summit the mountain. The snow that fell on the mountain throughout the past winter is beginning to consolidate, making it relatively "safer" for mountaineers from around the world to begin planning their routes, getting their affairs in order, and starting up the mountain. The same goes for our group of strong climbers from the East Coast. The emails have begun, and yet again the main focus is on Rainier. This year, much like the last, our focus seems to be on the 2000 foot long couloir on the eastern face of the Headwall at 10,000 feet, The Fuhrer Finger route.






In June of 2008, 4 of us made an unsuccessful attempt at the Finger, Being turned around by a massive wet slab avalanche caused by skiers on the Wilson Glacier shortly after coming up off the Nisqually. The enormous slide stopped about 20 feet from us as we literally ran for our lives away from thousands of tons of snow accelerating towards us. After bandaging up a snowboarder who was caught in the avalanche and spending a night at the base of the slide, it was agreed that it was not safe to ascend any further. We hesitantly descended the next day to Paradise and spent the next night or two at the beautiful Cougar Rock Campground. We did a little sight seeing, had an awesome lunch on the banks of the Nisqually River, and enjoyed some local beer next to warmth of the campfire.




Brian, Rebecca, and I decided to take what days we had left in the Park and make an unplanned jolt up the Disappointment Cleaver towards the summit. Summiting this route in 2007 during extremely high winds gusting to 100 MPH, I was confident I could lead Rebecca and Brian to the summit with ease via the cleaver, as an added bonus the weather report looked fair. We made the 7 hour trek to Camp Muir and spent the night in the Shelter at 10,500 feet. The next morning we made our way across the Cowlitz Glacier with the unstable Cathedral cliffs looming above. Two years prior I was running across the Cowlitz as the cliffs rained down watermelon sized boulders at me. With that event plus the recent avalanche on the Wilson days prior, My nerves were on edge. This time we made the Ingraham Glacier uneventfully, Revealing Little Tahoma and its mesmerizing colors of orange, green, and red Volcanic stone. We geared up and left the Ingraham that night around midnight under crystal clear skies and a bright full moon. That morning I kicked the first steps up the exposed Disappointment Cleaver, an awesome feeling. After making short work of 1,500 feet we stopped for a break as the Sun that was already shining on our families back home began coloring the black sky a fiery red and diminishing the stars.


We began climbing the upper mountain above the cleaver when something to the South caught my eye. The moon which was still casting its erie light on the upper mountain suddenly disappeared. The Mountain which was sitting pretty underneath clear skies hours before, was now encased in a tornado like lenticular cloud which was just spinning around the summit. As we climbed, The ambient light began shining through the clouds, and we found ourselves in a whiteout by 13,000 feet. Moving upward came to a crawl, as it was awfully difficult to see 10 feet in front of you. It was near impossible to judge the degree of the slope or where the snow ended and the sky began, everything was a pale white. We were covered in rime ice from head to toe, and the windchill dropped to around -14 degrees. At 13,500 feet we decided to take a break on a little ledge, and were shortly thereafter joined by a group of RMI clients. At that point we were roughly 910 feet from our goal of the summit at 14,410 feet according to my altimeter.


Once again however, Rainier had a different plan for us. Brian understandably didn't feel 100%, and I know Rebecca was probably as cold as I was. We couldn't move at a fast enough pace safely due to the near zero visibility and we just weren't building up enough heat to keep our bodies warm. It was decided at 13,500 feet that we should descend while it was still an option and while we were all still standing up. Coaxing an ill climber down at 13K is difficult enough in clear weather. Short roping a climber down 2500 feet to our high camp would be nearly impossible without a major rescue effort due to the weather and steep and exposed terrain of the Cleaver. While we all knew just how close we were, we began the extremely slow descent. Each step had to be 100%. Secure, Solid, and confident.



We broke through the lenticular as we reached the top of the Disappointment Cleaver. We took a short break to hydrate and continued down. The sun was now shining over us and offered a welcomed warmth. Unfortunately, That warmth had already penetrated the snowpack and each step down the cleaver was like sliding into home plate. The soft snow balled up underneath our crampons every step. During the warmth of the day, Ice, Rock, And snow become extremely unstable. This melt causes avalanches, rock fall, and massive seracs to tumble. We gained the nose of the cleaver and took 2 minutes. Once crossing the nose back towards the Ingraham, its all gas and no brake. It is well known that you do not stop for anything in this area as it is a bowling alley of rock and ice fall, especially in the warmth of mid day. This area claimed 11 lives in 1981 when a massive ice fall began on the upper Ingraham, and buried their bodies under the ice, never to be found. We successfully made it across and back down the Glacier to our tent. We packed up and made the 10 mile trek back out to Paradise where Becky was waiting with some gifts for all of us! Another successful trip in the books, no summit, but we were all back down safely.


You can see video which we filmed for http://www.visitrainier.com/ , along with pictures from the climb in our blog from Friday, January 9, 2009. Check it out.


In June of 2010 we will be back, Making another attempt at the Fuhrer Finger. Dates are to be determined, as is the final team (s). There could be as little as 3 of us....and it looks like there could be as many as 8 of us. Our blog will be updated as we get things in order and make some trips up to Mt. Washington to train, get some riding done in Tuckerman Ravine, and maybe some rock climbing in the Valley.



Till next time...

Some Easter ice and a dog rescue

This past Easter weekend we crossed our fingers and headed north to Mount Washington. Specifically Huntington Ravine. Recent reports had claimed that winter still had a firm grasp on the ravine and its ice was fat. We started up the Tuckerman trail under warm sunny skies threading our way through the swarms of skiers and snowboarders heading to Tuckermans Ravine for some spring skiing. Temps were warm and the snow was soft. A quick stop at Harvard Cabin to say hi to the caretaker confirmed the reports that Huntington was in fact back in and there was good climbing to be had. Our route of choice, Odell's Gully. A multi pitch WI2-3 grade climb. Starting up the fan revealed soft snow and our route was definitely in, as well as most other routes in the ravine. Some icefall was witnessed undoubtedly caused by the warm temps. Our first anchor was built with a picket and Brian started up the first pitch. The ice was soft to allow full depth sticks but still seemed to take screws well. The second pitch was a fun dehiedral with a left exit over a off balanced bulge which made for some fun moves. Above this was some soft low angle ice leading into the scree and brush above. Brian belayed me up and we scrambled up to the alpine garden when snow began to fall and the upper mountain became enveloped in the clouds. We began the slog down the Lions head winter route when we encountered a couple and their dog stuck just below tree line. The couple had made it up the route to the Alpine garden after having to lift the large dog up some of the vertical rock and snow sections. When the weather blew in, they made the wise decision to bail on their plans to tag the summit and descend via the auto road. This left them with only one choice, to descend via lions head, the easiest route up or down the east side of the mountain. When we first ran into them they were about 20 ft below treeline, seemingly unprepared with tennis shoes, improper clothing, and a lack of anything resembling crampons or an ice axe. Let alone having a dog weighing an estimated 75 lbs or more on a route involving vertical sections of rock and ice, scrambling, and avalanche terrain. The dog was extremely frightened. Not wanting to see the dog nor the owners getting hurt trying to coax the dog down the mountain, we offered assistance. The dog had a harness which simplified the rescue effort. I anchored to a small tree and dug my crampons into the snow. The rope was lowered to the dog and I instructed the owner to clip the carabiner to the back of the harness. The dog was put on belay and the owner began the slow process of coaxing (lifting) the dog down the near vertical slope when he slipped. He slid nearly 15 ft down before catching himself on a protruding root.

At that point the decision was made for Brian to attach himself to the rope, hold the shaking pup, and be lowered along with the dog. Directional anchors were placed around the small trees to try and control the descent line. At this point there was a "traffic jam" of roughly 10 climbers either watching the rescue or trying to descend around the rope. Some offered assistance by relaying messages back and forth to Brian and I. At this point we were well out of sight of each other and I had passed the half mark on my rope. Finally after roughly 45 minutes the "off belay" command was relayed up to me and the pup had been safely lowered approximately 150 feet down the route. Anchors were broken down and after a photo opportunity with "tucker" we continued down the Lions Head trail. The couple was extremely grateful offering us dinner and drinks in return and I hope that they learned an extremely valuble lesson. We were glad that the dog didn't suffer any injury due to their poor decisions. We reached the Tuckerman trail where the climbers who witnessed the rescue cheered and offered us chocolate and a sip of port. We continued down to Pinkham notch and made the 7 mile round trip in 7 hrs with roughly 5000 ft gain/loss (including the hour long canine rescue lol). We finished off a great day with chili and beer at "The Moat" in North Conway. The spot tracking beacon worked flawlessly. Tucker made it down the mtn, his owners didn't loose appendages to frostbite, and great climbing was had under sunner skies. All in all a wonderful day...till next time.

Memorial Ceremony for 10 Turkish mountaineers killed in avalanche

Ten mountain climbers were killed and several others were trapped under the snow on Sunday after they were caught in an avalanche on Mount Zigana in the province of Gümüşhane, near the Black Sea coast. They were part of a group of around 20 people hit by the slide and were members of a mountaineering club from the nearby province of Trabzon taking part in a snow festival held on the mountain over the weekend. Yesterday's ceremony was attended by State Minister Murat Başesgioğlu, Minister of Public Works and Housing Faruk Nafiz Özak, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Cevdet Selvi, Trabzon Gov. Nuri Okutan, Gümüşhane Gov. Enver Salihoğlu, Trabzon Mayor Volkan Canalioğlu, a number of deputies, army officers and bureaucrats and more than 3,000 local residents. The remains of the hikers were sent to their hometowns for burial.

Lincoln remains on the list, and Tragedy on Mt Hood

Well, Sat 1/17 we awoke to to -29 degree weather in Franconia NH. With a 5 MPH breeze it put the windchill down in the -50's. Warmed up the car and hit up the continental breakfast, passed through town for another cup of coffee, and off we went down 93 to the trail head. I quickly learned a half mile in that the SPOT tracking beacon works better when you don't loose it. Whoops. We dropped off the trail and bushwhacked through some THICK pines into the gully. Ankle deep powder quickly turned to knee deep and after a couple close calls falling through the ice we found ourselves sinking to our chests in powder. A few miles in, Lincoln won, and we backed off at 1:30 knowing that once the sun fell, the temps wouldn't be far behind. Not willing to risk someone falling into the river in -20 degree weather, we hiked down in the sun and called it a day with some pizza and beer. All in all it was a great hike on a beautiful sunny (although bitter cold) day. And one hell of a workout. We'll be back.

Yesterday (1/21/07) a two person team climbing Mount Hood was hit by ice fall near the "Hogsback" around 10,000 feet. 31 year old Brooke Colvin was struck by ice while climbing with her husband Stavn. Stavn watched her get thrown down the mountain after being struck. He was able to down climb to his wife, But she had been killed instantly. A Blackhawk was called in but later called off when the Rescue turned to a recovery. Crews were headed up the mountain Wed afternoon to recover Colvins Body. This is just days after a climber was struck by ice on the same area of Mt Hood. The 45 year old climber was airlifted off the mountain. RIP Brooke, and condolences to Stavn.

MLK weekend climbing & spot tracking

As a reminder, Here is the link you must follow to view our position and track via the Spot satellite locator. Check the link for updates this weekend (1/17-1/18) as we go up "Lincoln's Throat" on Mount Lincoln in Franconia, NH. Its sure to be an interesting climb with a pitch or two of vertical ice (WI2-3) at about 4000 feet, forecasted Artic temps, and possibly some snow. If all goes as planned we should top out at 5089 feet late Saturday afternoon and descend via the falling waters trail. Then to the "Flume" Sunday morning for some ice.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=02jKfbrqLJzkn2RgvnHuzfDzkOACI6EDP

Our 2008 Rainier climb for VisitRainier.com

Here is a link to photo's and video's which were used for the website www.visitrainier.com

A brief trip report can be found on the photo page.

Photo's:
http://www.visitrainier.com/index.php?&gigpag=gallery_sypniewski

Video's:
http://www.visitrainier.com/index.php?&gigpag=videos

(There are 3 video's. One promo, and parts I and II located in the second row of video's)

The new Spot Satellite Messenger

The company's moto is "Live to tell about it". Open the box, and you get the comforting (??) message, "Opening this box is this first step to making sure you don't come home in one." The Spot satellite messenger will give family and friends the ability to track our position using Google Maps. Using a combination of GPS satellites and Spot's own network, you will be able to see a preset "OK" message along with our latitude and longitude. By clicking terrain or satellite on Google Maps you will have a good idea of where exactly we are on the mountain or during our training climbs at any given time. This also provides the technology to alert 9-1-1 for any life-threatening emergencies in locations without cellular or wireless coverage.

I have begun testing the unit and will continue to use the tracking feature on upcoming trips. So far the unit has worked flawlessly. All "OK" and "HELP" messages have gone through very quickly. Obviously I hope to never find out if the 9-1-1 function works.

At any time, you can go to the following guest web address and view our most current locations and climbs. The link will be updated prior to our Attempt on Liberty ridge. Any question about the website, Send me an email.

Click the following link:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=02jKfbrqLJzkn2RgvnHuzfDzkOACI6EDP