Skills for Summits

I came to Alpine Ascents because I like to teach. I enjoy teaching the skills that enable people to make stand on their own feet in the mountains and make good decisions. Mother nature is often a useful assistant. If she brings nice weather, I can teach people how to get the summit. When she brings her fury people learn how to deal with some of the worst weather they have ever experienced. Though often this kind of weather does not come with the satisfaction of standing on a summit. It always teaches valuable lessons about being prepared about surviving, thriving, and, of course, humility. At the end of a trip like this I am left with a vastly greater for all the little things in life.

AAI Shuksan 6-Day

Skiing Mount Rainier

In backcountry skiing the learning curve isn't the only thing that is steep. Hannah, who has climbed Rainier almost forty times by 19 different routes suggested we climb the Nisqually Cleaver, a thousand foot band of rock that separates the Nisqually Ice Cliff from the Nisqually Icefall.

Routes near the Nisqually Ice Cliff seemed dubious, but on a recent ski trip I noticed a system of steep snow ramps that connected a fairly direct line to the top of the cleaver and on to the summit. In a month or so the route may not exist any more.

We skinned over to the base of the route moving quickly through the debris from the looming Nisqually Ice Cliff. When we were high on the route, as the sun came over the ridge behind us, the sound of massive seracs peeling off the nearby ice cliff thundered below us.

After a few thousand feet of horrendous trail breaking to the summit, Columbia Crest (the highest point on the crater rim at 14,410 ft.) we peeled our skins off our skis and skied the Ingraham Direct, the early season guiding route. Though the snow was terrible (except for the lucky orthopedic surgeon a skier might visit afterwards) almost the whole way to Paradise at 5420 ft, I was thrilled to have climbed an exciting route and to have skied my first Cascade Volcano.

See the full slide show below:

Climbing and Skiing Rainier

3 Days 15,200 ft of Skiing

Friday: After spending 3 days at Camp Muir setting up the Alpine Ascents facilities for the summer we skied down the skier's left side of the Muir Snow Field on incredible snow. On this descent I learned how rapid one's acceleration can become with a 5o lb. pack!

Saturday: We skinned to Camp Muir (4600 feet over roughly 5 miles) in 2 hours 30 mins. We skied the Cowlitz glacier to the Paradise glacier back to the car.

Sunday: due to a poor forecast for St. Helens we skinned up the turtle snowfield on Rainier to 11,200 feet and skied down.

My legs feel good but tired. Time for a rest day. Hopefully I can get some pictures up soon.

Climbing Rainier? Try this...

There are a million things to tell someone setting out to climb Mount Rainier. Often the basics of what to bring, how to dress, not to mention the physical challenge over whelm people. Details that make climbing Mount Rainier or any mountaineering more enjoyable are often learned through experience. Below are a few suggestions, details to make your trip more fun.

Food: Bring food you like. Anything over a night or two of freeze-dried food will be unpleasant. Indian meals in foil pouches are easily heatable and taste decent (tastybites brand or Trader Joes version) if you are a big eater mix this with cous cous. Macaroni and cheese is often a good idea. Consider bringing perishable food to eat the first night or two.

Coffee: If, like me you are a committed coffee drinker don’t settle for instant. A French press mug can work well. Starbucks Via instant coffee is actually decent but quite spendy. The best option I have tried is the MSR reusable coffee filter. It is light simple and easy to clean.

Snacks: Bring snacks you like. A few energy gels can be helpful but bring candy and salty snacks you will enjoy eating. Some candies are better than others. For example, Swedish Fish are hard to eat when they are cold, gummy bears are much easier. Often chocolate melts, M&Ms will be less messy when it is hot out. Salt is as important as sugar since sodium keeps you hydrated. If you don’t like to drink water, try some drink mix to keep you hydrated.

Migration

Well folks, it is time to hit the road again. In a couple of days I will point Kimchee, The Korean Express (my Hyundai) toward the Pacific North West. Twenty hours plus a visit to my good friends in Corvallis later I will arrive at the foot of Mount Rainier.

I am looking forward to the drive. The United States is a very automotive country and I think traveling our highways is a wonderful way to see the country, its people,and really feel the grandeur of its geography.

In my travels to through Europe, and to Ecuador, India, Nepal, Israel, Costa Rica, Belize, Thailand, etc. I have noticed that nowhere seems to have the grand endless expanses of landscape and variety of terrain that we have in the US. As I drive across this country, politics and ideology aside I renew my love of this land.

Texture

Out in the hills I am constantly blown away by the grandeur and vastness around me. I often come home with photos of stunning landscapes and distant horizons. These views inspire and motivate me to go higher and further.

But the mountains are filled with incredible minutiae as well. The textures of the rocks and ice, the detail with which a flower or a lizard is decorated are equally incredible.

In climbing terms the minute textures of the rock and the ice tell us where to put our feet for the best friction and where to swing an ice tools for that one-swing-stick. It is interesting, teaching people to climb, how much of this texture they tend to gloss over, to not even see though it is right before their eyes.

I think this is one of those times when climbing holds a life lesson. Our goals and ambitions, our vast landscapes are important, but equally important are those tiny details, the speckles on the newly blooming Indian paintbrush. These details are beauty and inspiration unto themselves as well as important footholds on the way to realizing those more lofty ambitions.

Training Questions Answered Part IV

Altitude throws a monkey wrench into the whole fitness game, but you can set yourself up for success. If you are headed to Rainier, Denali,or some other high-up place, you are probably wondering about altitude. First of all, it is important to know what is 'altitude' and what is out-of-shape. Altitude is considered around 7,000-8,000 ft. Full acclimatization takes a couple weeks of climbing high and sleeping low. So what to do?

Set your self up for success: At altitude, your body is hypoxic. It has to work over time for normal functioning. Staying well hydrated and eating enough calories are a huge help. If your body has to fight dehydration and hypoglycemia in addition to hypoxia you are not setting yourself up for success. This is not easy since a symptom of altitude sickness is loss of appetite and fatigue. That is, you might not want to eat. Do it anyway. Find food you like. Most people do not want to eat energy gels and bars at 13,000ft. I often find myself sharing my gummy bears though! Also, though I enjoy snacking on pepperoni and beef jerky at low altitudes, on the summit of Rainier, gummy bears and M&Ms are all I want.

Drugs, Tricks, and Snake Venom Potion: There are a number of drugs on the market that are supposed to help reduce the effects of altitude. I am not a doctor but I do see the effects of these drugs. Do your own research. Doctors (medical experts not mountain experts) tend to prescribe them like they would antibiotics for an infection, that is automatically.

Suggestions: 1)Bring food you like such as candy rather than energy goop.

2)Ear plugs will help you get a good nights rest even if it is stormy

3)Eat,drink,rest and repeat

4)Excedrine seems to work best for altitude headaches.