Central Oregon Backcountry Skiing- Early Season Conditions Update

We have had bountiful early season in the Central Oregon cascades. The snow has come early and has been fairly plentiful in the past month. Most of our regular haunts are ready to go.

The season began for me on November 15^th. Carlos, Iain and I were hoping to get on Ball Butte, but its high, windswept nature exposed quite a bit of rock. We opted for a slighter lower Moon Mountain and found great snow. The overcast skies kept things cool and we lapped it several times, marveling at the light dry snow.

On November 20, Iain and I got up for our ritual that we call “Dawn Patrol”. Up before the sun, skinning by headlamp and hitting the top near sunrise. We were greeted to great views of Broken Top. Of course, the snow was light and dry and the sun was shining. A magical morning! Below is a shot of Broken Top.

Our approach to the top:

Iain dropping in:

Last Sunday, December 5^th, Carlos, Chris, Jonny and I decided to head to Tam McArthur Rim to get the last of the snow before our current warming trend started. Although the visability wasn’t quite as good as we hoped, we were able to get some nice turns in!

The forecast this week calls for quite a bit of new snow. Things should cover up nicely and conditions will improve for powder skiing. Don’t hesitate to contact us if ski touring is on your agenda this season. Most of our ski guiding is on custom basis, but we do have scheduled courses throughout the winter.

International AMGA/IFMGA Annual Meeting, Boulder, Colorado

From November 12-16, I had the opportunity to attend the annual AMGA (American Mountain Guide Association) annual meeting in Boulder, Colorado. This gathering was also the annual meeting for the IFMGA (International Federation Mountain Guide Association) and it was the first time this international meeting was held on North American soil. There were delegates from over 20 member countries, and it was exciting to be part of such a great event, bringing together mountain guides from all over the world.

The main mission of the IFMGA is to maintain the technical standard of mountain guiding in its member countries as well as provide guides with an association to sustain their profession. The IFMGA has been very instrumental in making guiding a viable professional in many European Countries. 

The AMGA was accepted into the IFMGA in 1997, after international observers came to some of our guide’s exams and determined that our programs met the international standard. It is great to be part of such an international organization. After meeting so many guides from around the world, I now know that we have more in common than we have differences.

There were many events and meetings during the week including the Technical Commission meeting that determines adjustments to course curriculum, the IFMGA General Assembly where major decisions of the organization are voted upon, and the Main Event. The Main Event is culmination of the week, with awards given out and a more traditional ceremony where guides, past and present are honored by the membership of our organization.

There were two highlights of the meeting for me. The first was the Guide’s Parade on Pearl Street in Boulder. Marching along the street with a couple hundred guides from 20 different countries made me feel like was part of something greater. They even stopped traffic for us on Broadway, which is a major street in downtown Boulder! I’m sure this type of thing is commonplace in Switzerland, but it was a pretty novel event for us American guides.

I also had the great fortune of meeting Hermann Biner, the current president of the IFMGA. He is fifth generation mountain guide from Zermatt Switzerland. His family was the first to settle in the upper valley as year-round residents in 1667!  After meeting him, I realized that mountain guiding is truly in its infancy in America.

Alpine Rock Climbing at Washington Pass

Last week I had the good fortune of climbing with Jennifer and Heather at Washington Pass, in the eastern portion of the North Cascades. This area is known for granite climbing fairly close to the road. Due to its east side location, the area frequently gets better weather than the west side of the range. On this trip, the weather stayed just dry enough for us to squeak in two classic climbs of the area; the South Buttress of Cutthroat Peak and the South Arete of South Early Winter Spire.

Here is Heather and Jennifer gearing up at 6:30am for our Cutthroat Climb. Note the clouds building up the valley in the background.

The approach goes up a beautiful meadow on the way up to the peak. We had our raingear on to get through the woods and the creek, as the bushes were soaked.

As we got up higher, the weather got a bit better and we got a great view of the peak which is on the right in this photo.

Out of the first notch on the ridge, we had some great 5.7 climbing. Heather is busting the moves.

The route has some good wide sized cracks on it. Jennifer is loving it (even if she thinks she's not).

Coming to the summit, it began to rain. It was light at first, but then turned into gore-tex weather.

Jennifer and Heather on the summit of Cutthroat. Its getting wetter!

Rapping in the rain, but still smiling!

Day 2 had much better weather than Day 1, even the forecast was worse. Heather and Jennifer are all smiles on the approach even after a big day the day before.

 

Heather, so happy that we're climbing.

The South Arete has some nice granite climbing. This is pitch one.

The route follows several moderate chimneys. Jennifer is happy to have made it up this one!

The classic "au cheval" section of the route.

Again, the sun started coming out near the top of the route, and we enjoyed mostly dry rock.

Heather all smiles on the summit.

Jennifer looking satisfied after 2 days of great climbing at "the pass".

Thanks for a great trip ladies!

Pioneer Route- Monkey Face

Yesterday I climbed the Pioneer Route on the Monkey Face with Grant, Steve and Danny. We had a great day out in the park with cool, autumn temperatures and excellent climbing conditions. The route is very interesting with 3 plus pitches of free climbing from 5.5 to 5.7 as well one pitch of aid climbing that is horrendously steep and exciting. The aptly named "Panic Point" pitch above the Monkey's Mouth is one of the most exposed 5.7 pitches in the world!

This is Steve heading up to the belay on Pitch 1.

Grant and Steve in the Monkey's Mouth Cave, with Steve conducting his business on the the iPhone. If only his clients knew where he was!

Grant making it look easy on the aid climbing pitch. Below him in the background is the Crooked River.

The view of Smith Rock from the Monkey.

Danny enjoying the face climbing on the lower part of the route.

A happy team on the summit!

Women's Rock Climbing Seminar - Smith Rock State Park

Join Smith Rock Climbing School and special guest IFMGA guide Olivia Cussen for a 3 day women's specific climbing seminar. Olivia is the third women in the US to gain IFMGA certification and one of only about 50 fully certified guides, male or female, in the US.

This program is perfect for women in the sport of rock climbing looking to learn from one of the most talented female guides in the US as well as a great introduction to the sport for those that want to experience rock climbing for the first time.

Clinic and Instructional Topics to be included:
• Belaying and Rapelling Techniques
• Crack Climbing vs. Face Climbing
• Footwork and Efficient Climbing
• Chimney and Off width Climbing
• Belay Station Management
• Improvised Self-Rescue
• Anchors for Belaying and Top-roping

October at Smith Rock couldn't be a better time for climbing. Pleasant day time temperatures, cool starry nights, low humidity, and lots of sun make Smith a premier fall crag! Smith Rock is known by many around the world as the birth place of sport climbing in the US. This world class climbing venue offers climbs and adventure for any type of climber from perfect basalt hand jams, nubbins, to perfect edging and crimping on welded tuff. There's no wonder why climber's from across the globe make Smith Rock a must on their list of places to climb.

Here's what Olivia has to say regarding women specific climbing programs:

“I have often asked this question myself. My intention in running all women's programs is not to imply that women don't climb or learn well with men. In my experience, long expeditions involving both men and women tend to be more stable and enjoyable. I have seen plenty of all women's expeditions on big mountains like Denali actually degenerate into trips that probably would have benefited from less of the baggage that comes with all female trips. Rock climbing, however, is not expedition climbing and I have noticed over time that most women are introduced to rock climbing (and ice climbing) by men. Once experienced, I find that it does not really matter whether I climb with men or women, but is rather the individual that matters. At the very beginning, however, I think that men and women approach climbing from very different places. Early on, men tend to use their upper bodies more, and often "bulldog" their way up routes. Their strength, simply put, is there physical power. This generally does not work for female climbers, whose strengths generally include balance, thoughtfulness, and flexibility. It is really important that women not try to "climb like a man" as it generally leads to frustration and slows the learning process. My husband John and I climb at very similar grades, but we have found over time that his style and mine are very different. When focusing on developing new skills, it seems that for some women, these trips allow them to progress faster and learn more in the end.”

Offered: October 8 - 10, 2010
Cost: $500 per climber for a group of 2 or more

Register Here!

Scenes from Smith Rock State Park

Here are some photos from some recent days out at Smith Rock State Park. The primo fall climbing season is just around the corner! We have lots of rock and alpine rock programs.

Mount Rainier Climb, July 2010

We came, we saw, and .....we carried heavy packs! This year's annual Mt Rainier trip was a blast! Geoff, Joe, Jane, Dan and I had a great 4 days on the mountain. We had excellent conditions, with good freezes and firm snow conditions, the Emmons Glacier Route was is great condition for climbing. Below are some photo highlights of our trip.



Here is the team assembled at the trailhead, just about to put our packs on our back.


On the first day approach, the trail winds through Old Growth Forest and occasionally has great views of the mountain. Mount Rainier in this photo towering!



An evening view of the upper Emmons and Winthrop Glaciers. There is a lot of ice on this mountain.


Here are Jane and Dan on the lower part of the Emmons, on the way up to Camp Schurman.



High Camp at Emmons Flats. This elevation at about 9700 feet. We spent 2 nights on the glacier at this spot.



Here is Jane nearing the top of the "Corridor" on the Emmons Glacier at sunrise. This section allows a fairly reasonable passage up the glacier, with steeper icefalls on either side.



The penitente farm near the summit. Skiing anyone? I don't think so! These weird snow formations were difficult to walk through, and in some cases they were a couple of feet high. Luckily, we didn't have to travel through much of this type of terrain.



Jane and Dan on the summit at about 9am on July 29, 2010. It was cold and windy so we were only there for a few short minutes. We did see a Horizon Air plane fly by us on the same level on its approach or departure from Seattle. What a treat!


All in all, we gave the mountain all we had, and had a great time doing it. Thanks everyone for a great trip!

Sunny Days at Smith Rock State Park!

We've been having some very sunny days out at Smith Rock State Park. This hasn't stopped us from having great climbs as we search out the shade and avoid the crowds around the park. Central Oregon make s a great place to visit and play. Make a weekend out of it! Spend a day with us out climbing, enjoy some tasty food and beverages at the Terrebonne Depot and take in a concert at Les Scwab Amphitheater.
Here's some recent photos from around Smith Rock.

The Crooked River, Smith Rock State Park.

Jamming on Moscow, Red Wall.

Heading up Moscow on the Red Wall.

It's all smiles a couple pitches up!

Never Ending Skiing- Wow

Some things in life are still confusing. After a complete drought of a winter in Central Oregon, springtime came with a vegence. Dumping over 15 feet of new snow in late April through mid- June, spring storms pummeled our area almost continuously. While this weather was somewhat frustrating for mountaineering, it extended the ski season tremendously.

John R. came up from the heated south and was keen to do some spring skiing in our local peaks. On June 26, we has a great day out on North Sister.





This time of year, you do have to want it. We walked along way with our skis on our back. But hey- we are dedicated. The immpresive East Face of North had a humungous avalanche crown from a few weeks ago. Our goal was to climb the NE Ridge, which is the right-hand skyline in this photo.



















Here is John climbing up the spectacular NE Ridge with Jefferson and Mt Hood in the distance.














This is a photo of our most excellent line on the northern aspect of the NE Ridge of North Sister.





John dropping in on the line. What a great ski run this was!


Next up was Fernando from the Bay Area. A Shasta Veteran, and expert backcountry skier, Fernando and I had a great time on South Sister. This was on July 5! Look at all that skiable snow!






















These are our turns from the summit of South Sister on July 5! Wow- you can't beat this snow! I really should dust off my rock shoes, but the skiing remains good and its hard to switch modes. Somtime soon its got to melt out, but in the meantime, I am going to ski it for all its worth!