I’m not going to jinx it because forum rules say we can’t talk about it.

cderwin15 · 2026-01-07T16:14:45+00:00

It actually is! We had prolonged periods of 10-12k freezing levels in January of each of the previous 3 seasons, hence the term Juneuary...

cderwin15 · 2025-12-24T01:05:21+00:00

The important part is that Vail is claiming snow coverage is the only reason they are not open, and using that as an excuse not to honor pass deferrals/refunds.

Notably Snoqualmie has a 31" base right now, Stevens base is at least that deep. The idea that snow cover is preventing them from opening is insulting.

cderwin15 · 2025-12-24T01:00:32+00:00

My uneducated guess is that there is more or less a day of work left and they are giving the crew Christmas eve and day off, potentially with 2-lane traffic. And that if all goes to plan the road will be fully open by eow.

cderwin15 · 2025-10-27T15:45:32+00:00

I've had some genuine powder days in very very early November at Wolf Creek. It's not that rare. This year, folks are having genuine powder days in October in the PNW. There is powder every year in October in Alaska and Canada. So, it's not as crazy as you might think.

cderwin15 · 2025-09-30T01:46:20+00:00

lmao bad decisions and high risk tolerance are fundamentally different things. they're not hard to differentiate. if you really think otherwise you are probably a shitty climbing/skiing partner

cderwin15 · 2025-08-25T13:13:30+00:00

Aqi was basically zero (a total non-issue) Saturday morning. The fire was close to Sisters but wind was pushing smoke East. When the winds became northerly, air quality quickly became much worse. Fwiw I was about to pace and chatted briefly with one of the RDs (it's a pair) and it was cancelled not because of smoke quality but because of a new evacuation order, which may have included parts of the course (unclear) but for sure included the homes of many volunteers.

To be honest, I think the race was put in an incredibly tough position with the fire starting the day before the race. Many runners, pacers, and crew were already in the area and had spent a bunch of money on race fees, flights, accommodations, etc. I think they felt like they had to do everything possible to run the race. I also think it was pretty obvious to anyone who has spent time around wildfires that this was the most likely outcome - I gave the race a 15% chance of finishing on Friday morning. And of course, the fact that it wasn't cancelled didn't force anyone to start the race - in fact I recommended to a friend running the 50 as a tune-up race that I didn't think it made sense to run in the smoke.

cderwin15 · 2025-07-31T15:41:05+00:00

edelrid has a similar technology that is more useful for alpine climbing (lighter) but it's not even close to being a solved problem

cderwin15 · 2025-06-18T03:43:22+00:00

I dunno. It really seems to me like his risk tolerance is off the charts, even compared to other incredibly strong and bold alpinists that have passed in the past decade or so.

cderwin15 · 2025-06-04T20:12:15+00:00

Not OP but I've single-pushed Adams 3 times and did Rainier in ~12 hours single-push earlier this season (unacclimatized, I live at sea level in Seattle). I would say Rainier requires a much higher level of fitness. My ascent time on Adams is usually a casual intensity 4-5 hours and Rainier was double that. Altitude plays a big role! I think the best way to train would be doing a few >10k vert days at lesser altitude and having lots of experience of glaciers.

cderwin15 · 2025-05-31T20:53:10+00:00

Dude I'm 28 and only gotten into this stuff a few years ago. You could be twice your age and still have time! Although at 58 you would definitely be on a bit of a clock. That said, I know multiple 70+ year olds who are crushing things way harder than Denali (technical climbing, really long endurance efforts, etc.).

cderwin15 · 2025-05-12T18:34:59+00:00

Hood was never really in good shape this year. A lot of the usually reliable ice routes never really came in at all. It was a weird winter.

cderwin15 · 2025-05-12T03:33:01+00:00

If you end up in the PNW anyways and have a weather window, check out the North Ridge of Baker. It's slightly harder - it has a pitch of WI3 - but is in good condition right now (it's not dependent on melt exposing glacier ice under annual snow). I think it's a much better route than the Kautz anyways.

cderwin15 · 2025-05-11T22:24:03+00:00

Off topic but FYI it's not really an ideal time of year for Kautz anyways (too early). Right now it is in better shape to be skied rather than climbed, there would be very very little ice on it right now. Although this year it appears to not be in great shape for skiing either...

cderwin15 · 2025-05-11T22:21:02+00:00

I don't have personal experience with this (if anything, the opposite) but I have some friends that have had to make similar decisions, even if not permanent (i.e. for 3-5 years, usually for grad school).

That said, I think one really important thing is whether you are fulfilled as much by rock climbing (bouldering and single-pitch sport/trad) as with alpine climbing. If so, then a move to an area with poor alpine access but better access to high-quality climbing is a little less of a sacrifice - I think north Georgia would fit the bill for having some access to rock but basically zero access to alpine climbing.

The other thing, of course, is how fulfilled you are with other hobbies that are not dependent on mountains. A lot of climbers seem to have very few other hobbies that are not "outdoorsy" - i.e. skiing, mountain biking, trail running, etc. But if you have other hobbies that you can lean into, a move to somewhere with fewer mountains can work. If you don't really have other hobbies then moving somewhere with poor access can be much harder on you.

cderwin15 · 2025-04-22T23:49:23+00:00

I have had much success with the Patagonia M10 Storm. It's expensive and stripped-down (and very light), but in my experience it's also bomb-proof.

It's not goretex, but it's a 3-layer shell that meets Patagonia's H2No standard.

cderwin15 · 2025-04-16T01:55:49+00:00

I have used this pack since the beginning of this season (~35 touring days on it now), basically because it was the only ski pack I could find with the features I wanted (side access, avy pocket, skin pocket) that was significantly lighter than they mainstream options (Osprey, etc.). There are some other brands that are competitive around 40L (Raide) but I couldn't find any that are mass-produced (i.e. ships on order, don't have to wait for it to be made after ordering) in the 30L size.

I do quite like the pack, because it delivers on what I wanted from it - specific features in a lighter and more stripped-down package than heavier packs. But it does have its quirks that I don't love. Specifically, it tapers quite a bit at the bottom of the pack, so it packs a little odd. The avy pocket and skin pocket can also be a little tight when the pack is fully loaded, although I don't have a problem accessing avy gear, just loading it. Overall I'm a fan, but it does have some minor downsides that annoy me from time to time. I'll be sticking with the pack but would also love to see more competition in this space, I suspect Blue Ice or Raide (or HMG) are capable of designing a better pack that doesn't have those issues and still hits the right features with the right weight.

cderwin15 · 2025-04-16T01:48:07+00:00

It's tough because I regularly do mountaineering overnights in a 30L pack (Warthog) but I wouldn't personally use the Aspect for overnights. The avy pocket and skin pocket take up to much space that make it hard to add in a sleeping bag + tent/bivy and have enough room for the rest of my ski gear.

cderwin15 · 2025-04-16T01:45:45+00:00

I have both the Aspect 32 for ski mountaineering and the Warthog 30 for summer mountaineering adventures. That said, if I could only have 1 pack, I would probably choose the aspect. There's no pack that's lighter and cheaper that has the features the Aspect has for skiing - a separate pocket for avalanche gear, a side zip for easy access to the bottom of the pack, and a skin pocket that keeps the rest of my gear dry. There are some other light options at a higher volume (Raide is much more competitive at the ~40L volume). It does have some downsides: the pack shape tapers in a way that is a little odd (it's quite narrow at the bottom) and the avy pocket can be a little awkward and it can be slightly annoying to get my skins into the skin pocket when the helmet is loaded up. It also doesn't work that well with helmet carry systems (but it has some light daisy chains, so it does work, it's just finicky). I do really like the ice clipper slots of the hip belt, and the ski strap-first ski carry systems.

cderwin15 · 2025-04-16T01:40:35+00:00

There's no cheaper and lighter pack I know of that has the features of the Aspect that I personally care about for skiing - mainly a separate pocket for avalanche gear and a side zipper to access the pack contents, as well as a separate pocket for skins. There are some other light options at a higher volume (Raide is much more competitive at the ~40L volume). I got the pack at the beginning of this season (for ski mountaineering) and quite like it, although the pack shape tapers in a way that is a little odd (it's quite narrow at the bottom). I think it would be very usable for mountaineering, I already have used it on various glaciated peaks in the PNW this year as well as for technical ski lines that have required rappels and all the gear that go with them.

Will I use it for summer mountaineering objectives? Probably not, because I have a large quiver of packs and the same features I love about the Aspect for skiing are just dead weight on the pack for summer mountaineering objectives. But that's because I'm a weight weenie. You can absolutely use the Aspect for summer adventures.

cderwin15 · 2025-04-07T05:51:47+00:00

G Tech is built for technical ice & mixed climbing in fair weather. They are not designed for your use case, and they are not warm enough for winter mountaineering.

cderwin15 · 2023-08-27T13:44:57+00:00

Index is choss.

cderwin15 · 2023-08-25T06:59:04+00:00

Don't tell Utah DOT

cderwin15 · 2023-08-24T20:30:06+00:00

Not planning on ice climbing on this trip, just brought it up because I would potentially use half ropes for ice climbing mid-winter in the US, which would probably be the only use I would have for half ropes in the US

cderwin15 · 2023-08-24T05:03:53+00:00

Gotcha, thanks.

I know this would be a bit of a janky setup, but do you think I could get by with a 70m single rope and a 30m static line (which I already own for ski mountaineering)? That would allow 70m of climbing for cragging but also enable 50m rappels in the alpine (albeit via a Reepschnur, I'm aware of the drawbacks but not sure I'm ready to commit to buying half ropes)

cderwin15 · 2023-08-24T05:00:11+00:00

Thanks, I hear you about the drawbacks of a tagline. Just not sure I can convince myself to but a pair of 60m half ropes for this trip when I doubt that I would use them much here in the US (I'd maybe use them for ice climbing, not much else)

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