Home Up October 2001 December 2001 January 2002 March 2002 April 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 December 2002 March 2003 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 Sept 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 June 2007 July 2007 October 2007 November 2007 March 2008 Newsletter Photos

 

Greetings from Oregon Peak Adventures

We have six inches of snow in Portland and our power was out for four hours! There's over 200 inches of snow in the Cascade Mountains. Winter is definitely here and we have been having fun playing in the snow. We've been out on several snowshoe trips and done a lot of cross-county skiing.

We didn't have enough clients to do our Tanzania 2002 trip, so we have reset for February 2003, and are looking forward to our trekking and climbing trip to Nepal this October-November. Please check the website at <http://www.oregonpeakadventures.com/internat.htm> for more information.

Since we aren't going to Tanzania, guide John Dean and I are going to Ecuador, January 29 to Feb 15. We plan to climb Cayambe (18,993'), Cotopaxi (19,347'), and Chimbrorazo (20,702'). We'll let you know how it goes. If it is as way cool as we expect, it might end up being an OPA trip sometime.

For the remainder of the Winter season, we'll be doing snowshoe trips every Saturday through the end of March. It's easy and great fun. For details on the Winter trips go to http://www.oregonpeakadventures.com/winter.htm.

We will be conducting an introduction to Alpine Mountaineering Seminar on Mt. Hood on Friday, 22 March. Then on 23-24 March, we'll cover glacier travel and crevasse rescue. We'll set up a snow camp on Saturday night. Depending on conditions this will be held at Mt. Hood, or, if it's a great weather window, we might go to St. Helens and maybe try to catch a summit as well. Price for the three days is $300.

Other outings for March include a snow camp 9-10, Columbia River Gorge Waterfall hikes on 7 and 21, and a Coast hike on the 28.

If you're interested in cross-country skiing, we have two introductory days on March 17 and 24. If you're on the OPA Newsletter list, we'll include your ski equipment at no extra charge. If you're an intermediate skier and would like to go out with us, we're on the trails March 1 and 15.

A really great opportunity for those of you who live in the Portland area is the Mazamas Mountaineering Club Basic Climbing Education Program. It starts with the first of six lectures on March 25 and concludes on April 29. It includes instruction in basic rock and snow climbing and outdoor skills. It is intense and requires a major commitment over the six weeks. If you are interested you can get more information and an application at <http://www.mazamas.org/education/bcep_info.php>. The price is $250 for non-Mazama members. Doug Wilson, one of our OPA guides, and I will be teaching a group in this year's course.

On a personal note, I taped an oral history interview with Mr. Harold Bangs, who joined the Mazamas in 1931. At the time I did the interview, he was 89 years old and the member with the longest tenure. He was a delightful man and had an interesting life including working on the Bonneville Dam, service in WW II, and a lot of climbing in the Pacific Northwest (over six hours of tape). Harold passed away last month while sitting in his easy chair just a few days after our last interview. We attended his Memorial Service yesterday in the snow. I encourage you to do oral history interviews with all the interesting elderly folks in your life. It's a great way to find out about them, and an opportunity to capture all those memories which might otherwise be lost. Do it now while you still have the opportunity.

We mostly have our climbs and other activities scheduled for the coming summer. Look after the Tips section to see the list. We'll get the website updated when we return from Ecuador, so here's your exclusive chance to sign-up before the rest of the world gets their shot at it. As an extra inducement, we'll give anyone on the list a 10% discount on trips after April if you sign-up and get your deposit to us before May 2002. This applies for a non-scheduled trip as well.

Tips Section:

FILM

The folks at the photography store I frequent told me that with increased security levels, many of the X-Ray/CAT Scan inspection machines have the potential to fry your undeveloped film. This is especially true for the checked luggage scanners. A suggested routine is to place your film canisters (which should be in clear plastic film cans) in a clear Ziploc bag and place it in the pocket change/keys tray as you go through the security portal. If the security folks insist on sending it through the carry-on scanner, well, they may be armed and it's probably OK since those are lower power.

CLOTHING

Gaiters are important all seasons. Clearly when you're out in the snow they keep your boots dry inside. But in dirt and rocks they also keep things out of your boots that would otherwise be very uncomfortable. I am partial to the OR Crocodiles for winter and the OR Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters for summer. You can see them at <http://www.orgear.com/>.

If you're in the market for a good parka at a great price, I just bought a Marmot XCR Gore-Tex, Lightweight Alpinist Jacket through The Sierra Trading Post. <http://www.sierratradingpost.com/> They're selling it for $260, a good discount from the hanger price of $400. It's actually pretty burly, so it should wear very well. And my wife lets me wear it when I go out with her in public. Something about my old parka being a bit faded. STP has a lot of really good gear at great prices.

ICE AX

We repeatedly have folks show up with ice axes that are too short for them. Except for very steep, sustained technical climbing, the spike of your ice ax should just touch the floor when you are holding it in your hand with your arm relaxed at your side. Remember to tape over the adze if you are practicing self arrest technique. A thin piece of ensolite foam taped over the head keeps your hand warmer and cushions your palm when you're self-belaying in firm snow. Finally, I like attaching my ax to me with a leash attached with a carabiner to my harness or pack belt. It allows you to switch hands without liberating your ax.

So stay safe, stay warm and go play in the snow!

Our Spring -Summer schedule follows. We hope you find something you would like to do. If you want to do something and you don't see it, or the scheduled date doesn't work for you, get in touch (877 965-5100) or email at infor@Oregonpeakadventures.com <mailto:infor@Oregonpeakadventures.com> and we'll see if we can work something out.

As always, if you don't want this news letter, please reply with Remove in the subject line and we'll cease and desist.

CLIMBS:

St. Helens: Swift Creek Route: April 5 & 12

Monitor Ridge Route: May 10 &24, June 7 & 21, July 10 & 30, August 13, September 5 & 20

Mt. Adams: South Side Route: July 23-24, August 1-2

Mazama Glacier Route: July 26-28, August 9-11

North Cleaver Route: August 21-23

BACKPACKS:

St. Helens Round-the Mountain: July 12-15, August 3-6

St. Helens Mt. Margaret Backcountry: September 9-12

Mt. Adams Round-the Mountain: July 18-22, August 15-19

Indian Heaven Wilderness: August 5-7

 

OUTDOOR SKILLS TRAINING

Alpine Mountaineering: June 15

Map & Compass: Class-June 17/Field-June22

GPS: Class-June 18/Field-June23

Wilderness Survival: Class-June 24/Field Overnight-June29-30

Class-September 11/Field Overnight-September 14-15

HIKES

St. Helens Hike the Blast (Hike across the Pumice Plain to Loowit Falls at crater)-September 7

Hikes at the Oregon Coast, Columbia River Gorge, and on St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and in the Portland area can be arranged at any time we have a guide available.