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!

Summer on Mt. Hood, finally!

June 24-27, 2010

We finally got a dose of the Oregon summer we have been waiting for. Clear skies and moderate temperatures make for great climbing conditions. Throw in a full moon and you've got a really special climb.

These shots are from this past weekend's climbs, both Friday and Sunday mornings. Friday we had some high clouds but Sunday was bluebird clear.

The climbers featured are participating in Reach the Summit, a fund raising climb supporting the American Lung Association.


Ascending under a full moon.


On the hogsback looking south to Mt. Jefferson at dawn on Friday.


The ladies of the Lunar-tics!


Shadow of the mountain + full moon = unbelievable!


TMG guide Ben heads up the Old Chute with his group.


Paula, Marty and Jennifer hanging out near the top of the Old Chute.


Barb on the last steps to the summit rim.


A spectacular day to be on the summit. We could even see Mt. Stuart, 150 miles to the north.


Basking in the sunlight at the summit.


Almost to the Hogsback on the descent down the Old Chute.

Juneuary with Timberline Mountain Guides

January in June? Juneuary!

We've been having fun with Juneuary here in the Oregon Cascades the past couple weeks. Mount Hood still looks like a winter wonderland with the upper portions still caked in rime ice. We have had some windows of good climbing and have made the most of the opportunities that we've had.

Practicing self-arrest in the soup.

One of the unique things about Oregon is that we have many different climates within a relatively short drive. That means that sometimes when it's full on conditions on Mount Hood it's shorts and t-shirt weather at Smith Rock.

Shorts and Tees at Smith Rock.

As we approach mid June it's looking as if we've turned a corner and we're hoping for clear sailing from here on out!

Rope team shadow on Mount Hood summit ridge.

Basking in the morning sun on Mount Hood.

Enjoying the summit!

We climb on other mountains too! While Hood was getting pounded with late season snow TMG had great trips in the Three Sisters area. Broken Top offers some steep climbing that rivals some of the "bigger" peaks in the range.

Steep snow climbing on Broken Tops Northwest Face.

Scenes from the 2010 Spring Season

 

Despite the fact that it has been a wet Spring in the Northwest, it has been a busy guiding season here in Oregon. And contrary to what NOAA has been predicting, we have seen occasional sunshine this Spring. The following post is a series of photos and trip reports from my last three weeks with Timberline Mountain Guides and Smith Rock Climbing School. I have been guiding mostly alpine climbing on Mt. Hood, but I did get the opportunity to dust off the skis this Memorial Day weekend for a day of ski touring in White Salmon Canyon on Mt. Hood. 

My first trip of the season was a two day climb on Mt. Hood. It was a chilly and windy morning but as we climbed up the Old Chute and reached the summit ridge, we got to bask in the early morning sunshine. 

Springtime here in Oregon is the prime season for rock climbing at Smith Rock State Park. While Smith gained international attention as a destination for elite sport climbing, it boasts a life-time of single pitch and multi-pitch moderate routes. Here is a shot of Todd climbing on Pack Animal, a lesser traveled 5.8 route.

And the view gets better the higher you get! 

In mid-May the whole TMG staff got together for four days of Guides' Training. One of the advantages of working for an AMGA Accredited Guide Service is the high quality Guides' Training provided each year. This year IFMGA guide Art Mooney came out from New Hampshire to team up with on-staff Certified Guides to provide 4 days of excellent rock training. One of the days was spent fine tuning the Tyrolean Traverse from the Diving Board to the Monkey Face. Here is a shot of Geoff going for it!

A silhouette of Tico crossing from the Diving Board to the mouth of the Monkey.

And I have even gotten some turns in this season. All this late season snow has led to some epic spring skiing conditions.

Nicole and Shane came back to Hood for a First Tracks ski touring program this Memorial Day Weekend. They had never been backcountry skiing before and were interested in learning some new skills on snow. We practiced beacons, learned skinning techniques, talked about route selection and the snowpack and of course got some turns in. It was a fun day in the White Salmon Canyon. 

Springtime in Oregon has something for everyone: alpine climbing in the Oregon Cascades, rock climbing at Smith Rock and even ski touring on Mt. Hood or in the Bend Area. Come visit and see why we believe this is the prime location for a springtime adventure in the mountains! 

John MacKinnon

Timberline Mountain Guides & Smith Rock Climbing School Guides Training 2010

"To be a professional guide, one must be committed to their own learning process- as well as their clients-through specialized training and personal experience. It is this dedication to professional training and raising the bar for mountain guiding standards in America that sets us apart from other guide services." - TMG/SRCS website

We are just concluding our in-house training here at Timberline Mountain Guides and Smith Rock Climbing School and central O dished out it's best weather for the crew. This season we were fortunate to have Art Mooney of Mooney Mountain Guides as our lead trainer. Art is based out of New Hampshire and is a International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA) certified guide as well as a course instructor and examiner for the rock and alpine disciplines with the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA).

Art covering the finer points of auto locking belay devices.

Over the four days of training we covered and revisited many technical aspects of guiding on both rock and steep snow. Along with technical skills it was also a great time for all the guides to share and swap techniques and hangout while enjoying some great climbing.

We all spent some time reviewing and polishing up on transitions in the rock environment. We also went over some pick-offs as well as belay escapes off a hip belay, plate devices off the harness, and off the anchor.

Art and Marc running through a pick-off.

Sheldon setting up for a lower.

The crew also headed out to Smith Rock State Park to cover rigging for our Monkey Face Tyrolean Traverse. The setup for the traverse is pretty involved and requires a lot of work and a lot of ropes!

Some of the crew rigging the traverse into the mouth of the Monkey.

Aiding up the bolt ladder on Monkey Face.

Pulling across the chasm.