The North Face Snowman a few weeks later.

The North Face Team came and went. But when they left, the snowman was still standing century to time passing, snow falling and lines to be had.

Sunset Climb

The summer is flowing by like the Columbia. Portland town of two rivers is taking little crafts into her folds. Sailboats using the wind that comes out of the gorge, big ships loading up on supplies, all which sooth your eyes as a child's welcome. Portland, she smiles big for you then quickly runs off into her world, knowing you are looking on, proud. This is my home , she knows.

She knows you are back in town for a bit. To and from places of work. Flying in and out of PDX for a climb, driving up the Cascades to teach and down 84 for fun.

I just got back from work and had one of those awesome moments driving over the Columbia river through the East side and back to the krizzeling Sellwood neighborhood. I was stoked because I love this place.

I was also stoked because we climbed up to the summit of Rainier in the afternoon, in time for a Sunset Climb. It may have been one the sweetest guiding trips in while. The light was intense if soft, reflecting off the sound defining it past the layers of moisture, against the rain forest. We all made it. Looking out, dazed in the moment, time froze and hustled us back down.

Then the climb turned to darkness. First the shadow of the immense volcanic cone rose from her base, growing eastward as the sun set. It grew into infinity and suddenly was gone. The sun now behind the horizon glowing dusk around the steep icy slopes. We continued our descent while light faded away. The giant crevasses dimming from blue to gray, and for the last portion before we reached safety, the full darkness of a new moon enveloped us.
Only beams of light from our headlamps pierced the void until our shelters appeared. Had we waited one evening, the storm would have rolled in. You never know.

So thank you all, team VA, for being on this miniature expedition, for making the dynamic excellent. And a shout to my colleagues, Stuart, Lakpa and Victor.
Thank you Colombia river, Willamette river; PDX: wha's up? How have you been?

Mammut Gear Check

There are many miniature application out there! And I find alot of them clever, rarely using most and I certainly will not live without a rare few. But please don't interpret this post as a gear review. Because to me gear is just a bunch of stuff I love too much. Instead, indulge in my mentioning of this surprising product.
The Mammut Gear Check App is sweet! Especially for me, who has been known to omit an item or two from my pack. I am, also, too used to packing to actually make my own list. And, I'd forget sh*t on it anyway. So what I thought would be a gadget, is in fact a sweet "pilot's check list" for mountaineering!



The list is complete, thorough and accurate. You can customize it to your specific climb, and shave off what you beleive to be excessive. I have not tried the team sharing thing, but I can easily view what I don't have check and assign responsibility for various team gear.

The bottom line is that I am getting ready for another Denali expedition and have already countless Rainier Trips scheduled. With this awesome check-list, I will never again forget my floss or climbing boot :)

Full Moon over Camp Muir

click it to see more.

Mountain essence in simple words

It is a rare day between or above a weather system. A time at odds with data, confirming the reality of possibility. Today we are climbing, but unbeknownst to ourselves at the time we did not proceed to the summit, but instead we met an extraordinary character. Perched on a ledge he had an appointment with death. And death, this old man, dressed in different suits depending on the occasion, met us. He stayed a while bid us farewell and until next time. We all have an appointment. We want to forget, but it is good not to.

Words, simple shelter of the interfacing mind, go beyond meaning, words shift ideas into shapes,
Because reality is too difficult, too abstract for meaning. Pain is real, it makes beauty possible. Reality is a breath; in and out.

On mission to study Snow

Pumalogy concept is off to Mount Rainier for an Avalanche course and AVi 2 certification. Back into the mountains we go.

Massive Avalanche at Mount Hood Meadows

A massive event slide into Heather Canyon. It released on its own early in the morning of March 11th. It is hard to visualize the size of it from the crown, but the fact that it slid to bare ice over a half-mile wide swath gives you an indication of the amount of energy released.



The flow of powder and rock hard snow chunks slid right past Heather Canyon Lift.



The tongue of the avalanche went into the narrows filling the valley with at least 30 feet of snow.



When compared to a human the slide could be mistaken for a glacier.

Solo Mission Vision

Give the picture a click, to view it. Give the picture a thought, to understand yourself.

Solo Mission

Fire Totem

As you approach the Copper Spur you find yourself meandering through a burnt forest. Dead trees lurk from the ashes scattered on the snow, showing you the aftermath of the inferno. Here You may spot the greatest carver of the Northwest; Fire. And you may spot the Charcoal Totem.


North Face Of Mount Hood


Through the brunt forest she rises.

Taking Flight

Joe Riechart, my legendary Boss


Climbing is beyond boundaries

Who knows what tomorrow brings? And who knows if we will fly, but we may. Fingers crossed.

Denali Ranger Rescue Team

I am writing from the NPS warehouse. The time is now, 10 00am, and we are ready to fly. The enormous green truck is loaded with tons of food, points (skis) and gear. It will take it's diesel butt to the airport and if we are lucky dump us at the Kahiltna Airport (The glacier). I can't say I am not stoked. I am 32 and by far the youngest on the best climbing team I have ever been on. Ah being young is nice.
The NPS is where it is at. The gov has a wild amount of resources, we get our own truck for example. And the facilities are humble but complete. The chopper, a Eurocopter Astar 2 000 000$, then you add the pilot and mechanic. This piece of equipment is utilized daily between regular standby time due to constant weather. In other words the bird is part of the process, and lives on the logo which incidentally is on our issued jacket.
Because we are sweet clients our plan is to acclimate for 6 days as we head up to 14 000 camp, possibly hitting up the Kahiltna (BuilDE) Dome and crizzleing the lower Buttress and doing tons of crevasse rescue technique. Then we hit what the Euro's call Med camp, 14', where we will train, mission around and attempt to summit via different routes. In the past a whole team has been flown to different parts of the range and every thing has seemed to have happened up here.

Photos are no problems, and Aaron the physician and I stated our shooting agenda clearly. We will share pics and try to get published. Next year I am bringing the big dog. And I am glad to discreetly have the minimalist set up this year to scope and establish connections.

Our job is about to become real with extreme consequences both physically and mentally but we have all earned our position on Denali. We sit at the cutting edge of Expedition Medicine, with ongoing, on-site research and together can get people out of some of the most demanding location on earth.

I am super grateful for this opportunity and thank the Gods for the path and am staged as a sponge ready to learn and adsorb everything. Thing like this make everything make sense. Merci!!!

Let there be a weather window so that we can be dropped in. It's show time Party People.