Climb of a Lifetime

RED ROCK CANYON:

-- Local guide Viren Perumal called in today reporting rain over the weekend. Check out this recent discussion on the local weather.

-- For those of you who can to avoid the Red Rock Rendezvous, Jason Martin has complied a list of crags that will be used for the event.

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

--There are plans to change the fee structure for camping and climbing in Red Rock Canyon. To learn more about the proposed changes and to find out how you can help keep the fees as they currently are, please click here.

JOSHUA TREE:

--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

NORTHWEST:

-- People weren't mucking about this weekend. Check out this FA on Assassin Spire, Mt Baker, last weekend. And another FA on Mount Hood, for another party. Nice work guys!


-- A good ski trip report for MRNP, Fuhrer Finger to Bridge can be found here.

-- A super resource for Skykomish Valley Climbing can be found here.

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Sno-Park permits are available for purchase in Washington State. To purchase a permit and/or read more about them click here.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

SIERRA:

-- Mt. Whitney lottery info can be found here.

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass.


ALPS:

--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

ALASKA RANGE:

--The American Alpine Institute is now accepting applications for the 2010 climbing season. Please call our office at 360-671-1505 for more information.

--Forecast for Denali.

For many, February is the heart of the ice climbing season. And indeed, it is about now that ice tools, crampons and ice screws start to get dull. As expected, the Canadian Guide, Mike Barter, has a great series of videos on the topic. He spends a good chunk of the first video talking about the history of ice screws, before he goes into how to sharpen them.

And of course, as with most of Mike's videos, he can't help throwing in something a little bit funny at the end of the second clip.





--Jason D. Martin

The Red Rock Rendezvous is nearly upon us. And once again, the American Alpine Institute will be working with Mountain Gear to make the event a success.

Along with all of the big name athletes that are brought in for the event, our guides will be running clinics throughout Rendezvous. Michael Powers, Dawn Glanc, Paul Ivaska, Aiden Loehr, Kurt Hicks, Richard Riquelme, Forest McBrian, Alasdair Turner, Viren Perumal, Angela Seidling, Ian McEleney, Kristen Looper, Scott Massey, Alaina robertson, Kevin Hogan, Cliff Palmer, Lyle Haugsven, Mark Grundon and yours truly, Jason Martin, will all be on hand assisting with the event and doing everything that we can to make it the best climbing festival of the year.


If you're already visiting Red Rock Rendezvous, don't forget that we have a lot going on in Las Vegas around that time. Following is a quick breakdown of everything that is happening:

• March 13-15 -- AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course
• March 13-16 -- Learn to Lead - Intro to Traditional Rock Leadership
• March 16-17 -- AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Exam
  
• March 18 -- Banff Mountain Film festival in Las Vegas.
• March 18 -- LVCLC/Beth Rodden Slideshow at Desert Rock Sports
  
• March 19-21 -- Red Rock Rendezvous
• March 23-26 -- Learn to Lead - Intro to Traditional Rock Leadership
  
• March 26-28 -- Local Climbing Organizations Spring Summit hosted by the Access Fund and the Las Vegas Climber's Liaison Council. Click here for contact information.

In addition to all of the events going on around Red Rock Rendezvous, don't forget that AAI will have all of our best guides available for private guiding and instruction in Red Rock Canyon. To learn more, send us an email at info@aai.cc or give us a call at 360-671-1505.

--Jason D. Martin

On Morning Edition today (yes, I listen to NPR) Joe Palca was discussing hibernation, and how not only Bears partake in the activity. Mosquitoes apparently join the act in their own form of "hibernation" - in which the females fatten up in the winter. A scientist he talked to led an expedition to Antarctica to explore the idea of arctic bugs, and how they survive. These bugs, or midges, implore amazing survival strategies, including the ability to freeze solid and almost completely dehydrate. I'm sure these climbers wish they had similar abilities...



A little more topical, I'm going to go rock climbing this weekend. The weather is looking to good not to take advantage of it. Index, Leavenworth - hmm not sure where I will head. I found this mash-up of climbs in Index and I really want to head that way, we will see. I hope you guys can take advantage of whatever weather is coming your way!

Bolivia's Pequeno Alpamayo is one of the prettiest little peaks in the Cordillera Real. The mountain looks a great deal like Peru's Alpamayo, but doesn't have the objective danger or the size of it's namesake. Instead, Pequeno Alpamayo is a striking and accessible peak that can easily be done in a day from the Condoriri basecamp.

There are two major routes on the mountain. The moderate Southwest Ridge and the more difficult Southeast Face. Both lines require four to five pitches of climbing. The Southwest Ridge is primarily forty to fifty degree snow and ice climbing, while the Southeast Face is a bit steeper with terrain that ranges from sixty to seventy degrees.

In 1990, an AAI team established the steeper of the two routes. During the 80s and 90s American Alpine Institute expeditions were responsible for dozens of new routes in the Cordillera Real.

The route selection on Pequeno Alpamayo often takes place based on how one feels. The mountain's summit rises to 17,618 feet above sea level, so the oxygen is a bit thin. Many who might see the Southeast Face as a quick jog will find it to be somewhat more difficult due to the altitude. Climbing steep terrain at 17,000 feet often requires one to take a bit more time on each pitch. This is primarily because climbers tend to take a few breaths between each tool placement.

Both routes are accessed by traversing an adjacent peak. Tarija is 16,601 feet and is often considered an objective in and of itself. This approach to the mountain provides for an excellent view of the potential routes. Many of the striking photos of Pequeno Alpamayo have been taken from Tarija's summit.

Following is a photo essay from a series of ascents of Pequeno Alpamayo:





To learn more about the American Alpine Institute's expeditions to Bolivia, click here.

--Jason D. Martin

The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest:

Weekday Access to Through Traffic Blocked

Everett, Wash. March 4, 2010— The Forest Service is closing Mountain Loop Highway 7 a.m. Monday through noon Friday beginning March 8 until the end of April. It will open on weekends. Workers will close various locations from mile post 42, south of White Chuck Bench Overlook, to mile post 35, south of Bedal Creek Bridge.

Closures next week on the north side of Mountain Loop Highway will block access from Darrington to forest road 49 and Sloan Creek Trailhead, which leads to Glacier Peak Wilderness. Hikers will need to come from Granite Falls to reach that trailhead.

The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is making road upgrades, including replacing older, deteriorating culverts and upsizing culverts to better accommodate the passage of fish and flood waters.

Call Darrington Ranger District for updates weekdays at 360-436-1155, or Verlot Public Service Center weekends at 360-691-7791. For updated information about trails and roads, go to alerts and conditions on http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/

Sierra:

--A professional free skier who competed in the Winter X Games died last week after crashing into a rock outcropping at California's Squaw Valley. C.R. Johnson was with a group of friends when he fell while trying to get through a narrow, rocky section. After falling face-first, Johnson spun and struck the back of his head on rocks. He was wearing a helmet, but the helmet took a serious blow. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--The death toll from snow avalanches in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region rose to seven last week as military helicopters rescue the trapped, local officials said in a statement. A total of seven deaths have been reported in northern Xinjiang's Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture and southern Xinjiang's Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, while hundreds of others are still trapped. To read more, click here.

--The massive earthquake that struck Chile over the weekend hit the Southern Andes during the height of the climbing season. Many climbers felt the tremors on the flanks of Aconcagua, but the impact was minimal and climbers reportedly summitted the same day as the quake. To read more, click here.

--Two backcountry skiers were partially buried in a rare avalanche in the Adirondacks over the weekend. They were in the same slide path as that which killed a skier in 2000. To read more, click here.
--This year's Piolet d'Or ceremony will recognize three significant climbs: the most technical, the most committing and the most exploratory ascents of 2009. The nominations have recently been paired down from 52 to 5. The final awards will be presented in Chamonix, France, and Courmayeur, Italy, from April 7-10. To read more, click here.

--Europeans are bringing expertise on avalanche safety to Utah. A Swiss engineer and leading avalanche-safety expert Manuel Genswein was at a Wasatch ski resort east of Salt Lake City this weekend to show off a device meant for surviving a deadly snow slide — a set of air bags designed into a backpack for floating atop avalanche debris. Skiers hit a rip cord to activate the air bags. Genswein said the $1,000 air bag system is making its introduction in North America after years of use around Europe, where he says it has proven 98 percent effective. To read more, click here.

--Spanish mountaineer Edurne Pasaban said Tuesday she hopes to meet South Korean rival Oh Eun-Sun on Annapurna this April for a race to become the first woman to scale the world's 14 highest peaks. Pasaban leaves yesterday on a trip to conquer both the Shisha Pangma and Annapurna mountains this spring, the last two peaks in her record-breaking bid. To read more, click here.

RED ROCK CANYON:


--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

--There are plans to change the fee structure for camping and climbing in Red Rock Canyon. To learn more about the proposed changes and to find out how you can help keep the fees as they currently are, please click here.

JOSHUA TREE:

--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

NORTHWEST:


-- AAI Guide Forest McBrian completed the Pickets Traverse on skis! Check out the trip report here.

-- Not a whole lot of trip reports this week. Ski conditions were somewhat sketchy. Check out this post - someone got a photo of a slab avalanche near Necklace Valley. "This last weekend (Feb 27-28), my friend Dave and I slogged up into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness to Tank Lakes. On the snowshoe in, an rather sizable avalanche occurred at the head of Necklace Valley."


-- However, this party headed to Icicle Ridge for the day for some snowshoeing. This group found some good ski conditions on Colchuck (after switching to a northern aspect). Mostly clear skies all around!


-- A super resource for Skykomish Valley Climbing can be found here.

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Sno-Park permits are available for purchase in Washington State. To purchase a permit and/or read more about them click here.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

SIERRA:

-- Mt. Whitney lottery info can be found here.

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass.


ALPS:

--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

ALASKA RANGE:

--The American Alpine Institute is now accepting applications for the 2010 climbing season. Please call our office at 360-671-1505 for more information.

--Forecast for Denali.