I've been engaged in technical climbing since enrolling in the 1998
basic climbing course.
Mountaineers Climb Leader: since 2003
Climbing Preferences:
Varied. I love big alpine climbs that require a
variety of skills. One of the pictures in this profile is the North
Buttress on Mt. Fury. We hiked and scrambled for a couple of days just
to get to the foot of the climb, and then spent a full day climbing
mixed rock, snow and ice to reach the summit. The waterfall ice course
(2004 graduate) opened an entire new world of climbing to me, and I
love it as much as anything I've done. I have a bit of a
goal-oriented, list ticking tendency, so I also hit a lot of lower
elevation scrambles throughout the year. I'm still working my way
through the "Cascade Classics."
Preferred pace: Frantic (just kidding).
I like to move at a relatively
fast clip for extended periods. This is more a function of the kinds
of trips I prefer, which are long and deeply alpine. Generally, I try
to tune the pace to match the mileage that needs to be covered. I
shoot for hiking 45 to 90 minute long stretches with 5 to 10 minute
breaks. The first and last ones are always the worst! The weather
can have a huge impact on all of this.
Climbing style/Personal statement:
As I mentioned above, I like varied
alpine trips. The problem-solving aspects and adventure of climbing
are most appealing to me. As such, I like to know a lot about the area
I'm climbing in, but I don't like being married to an approach
description. Sometimes you can make improvements on a known route if
you keep your eyes open and constantly consider the options. This can
be difficult to evaluate, so it's good to build a rapport with your
companions to make these decisions in a timely fashion. I believe that
everyone in a party needs to contribute in order for a trip to be
successful. While turn-around times are important, I believe they're
only part of evaluating a more complicated equation: how efficiently
is the party moving towards the goal, what do we have in the way of
'reserves', and what are the risks of continuing vs. turning back?
I've turned around on gloriously sunny days early on the approach, and
I've pushed on to the summit in waning daylight. The former situation
is much harder to "lead" than the latter, but you have to keep the big
picture in mind. I always want to go home in one piece.
There are literally thousands of peaks in the North Cascades alone.
Because of that, I'm not a big fan of repeating climbs, which limits
the number of basic climbs I lead. I climb more for the "adventure"
than the exercise. Parties seem to 'jell' more on longer trips, which
I find personally rewarding. For the same (and other) reasons, I
prefer smaller parties of 4 to 6 people.
Favorite/Memorable Climbs:
North Buttress, Mt. Fury: 3 days approach, bivy on the summit,
awe-inspiring views all around, what more could you ask for? Bugs?
Lots of those!
Louise Falls: Climbing up through a dripping wet, icy chandelier! I
popped out on top with my helmet, glasses, jacket and gear glazed in a
quarter inch thick layer of ice. Tough screw placements!
West Ridge, Mt. Thompson: I was surprised by the quality of the rock -
much nicer than expected, and an enjoyable mid-5th class climbing line.
Dome Peak: ~16 miles to camp (what a long day!), the next morning we
headed up into a whiteout and within hours we were on the summit in a
gloriously clear sunny day! Only 18 miles left to go...
Mixup Peak: A nice, epic day. 5:00am: get up and drive to the pass.
7:00pm: reach summit. Sometime later: an overhanging double rappel at
night into a rockfall-plagued snow gully. 2:30am: bivy at trailside.
Sleep in until 9:00, then hike out and drive home. This was not
actually "The Plan."
Jack Mountain: I'm so glad I never have to go back there again.
Mountaineers Service:
- Basic Climbs subcommittee from 1999 - 2003
- Peak Pins and Summit registers from 2003 - present
- Naturalist Hike Leader from 2007
Web Site (very little climbing stuff): http://mysite.verizon.net/res1ej4d/id1.html
E-mail: firstname.lastname AT verizon.net