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Mediocre Mountaineering

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Welcome to my Mountaineering, Climbing, and Skiing Pages
 
Why the title, "Mediocre Mountaineering?"  Because these pages aren't about extreme, hardcore, or difficult climbing.  The focus of these pages is on moderate climbs by a mediocre climber.  

Although I really love climbing, I am a mediocre mountaineer at best.  The best evidence of this is that I've climbed for 20+ years, and I'm still not climbing anything truly difficult.  I have a desk job, where I mostly sit all day long.  If I'm lucky, I can get out and climb on the week-ends, and maybe take a multi-day trip every so often.  I'm not a guide, not an expert, and not a very good climber.  I'm just a guy who's been climbing for a while, who has figured out a few things that work, (and some that don't work) for the mediocre mountaineering that I do.  

This web site is for mediocre mountaineers like me; people who just like to get out and climb in the mountains every so often, and are looking for a few tips and (possibly) useful advice.  

Kuffner Ridge, Mount Maudit
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Climbing Trip Reports, Stories, Pictures, and Information:

These are personal stories and trip reports about my climbing experiences. These tend to be long on reminiscing and personal commentary, and short on practical information. Some of these trip reports (particularly my early Teton trips) constitute good case studies on how not to climb these routes, so they might be useful in learning what not to do. There is some practical information, such as which guidebooks to look at, but I haven't put together my own route topos. Most of them have pictures. If you are looking for detailed route information or other more practical information regarding any of these climbs, please contact me by e-mail, and I will tell you what I can remember.

Learning to ice climb: Utah Ice and my trip to Scotland's Ben Nevis

The (in)Direct Exum Ridge: My first (and almost last) alpine rock route

The Middle Teton Glacier Route Another Teton near-epic

The regular (upper) Exum Ridge Fun with lightning and other weather phenomena

Winter gully climbing on Mount Washington New Year's in New Hampshire

Bugaboo Spire, North East Ridge Beautiful route, beautiful location

Petit Grepon, Rocky Mountain National Park Another of the 50 classics

The Dream Weaver, Mount Meeker, Rocky Mountain National Park Summer Alpine Ice

The Notch Couloir, Long's Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park Fall Alpine Ice

Spearhead, North Ridge, Rocky Mountain National Park Alpine Rock

Chamonix Part I North Spur of Aiguille de Chardonnay; Arete des Cosmiques on the Aiguille du Midi

Chamonix Part II S.E. spur of Le Minarette; Chere Couloir, Triangle, Mont Blanc du Tacul; North Face, Tour Ronde; S. Face, Aiguille du Midi; Kuffner (frontier) Ridge, Mount Maudit (This is a Big file that may take a while to load)

Chamonix Part III North Face, Triangle, Mont Blanc du Tacul; Albinoni/Gabarrou Couloir, Mont Blanc du Tacul; Skiing Valle Blanche; Skiing Argentierre Glacier (This is a Big file that may take a while to load)

Rock and Ice (and rain) in the Canadian Rockies: Mount Louis; Gmoser route, Athabasca; North Face

Chamonix Part IV: Contamine Route on the South Face of the Aiguille du Midi; Carli-Chassagne Couloir on the N. Face of the Aiguille du Midi; Cragging in th Aiguille Rouges; Contamine Route on Pointe Lachenal; Swiss Route on the Grand Capucin. (This is a Big file that may take a while to load)

Shark's Tooth, North West Ridge, Rocky Mountain National Park Alpine Rock

Mount Athabasca, North Face, Columbia Icefields, Canada Alpine Ice

Lone Peak, The Open Book, Wasatch Range, Utah Alpine Rock

Mount Hood, Regular (Hog's Back) Route, Cascades, Oregon Alpine Snow Climb

Long's Peak, Keiner's (Mountaineer's) Route, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Alpine rock climb

Alpine Ice in Rocky Mountain National Park: Northeast Face of Notchtop; "All Mixed Up" on Thatchtop Mountain Alpine ice climbing

Mount Ypsilon, Y Couloir in Rocky Mountain National Park Alpine snow climbing

West Gully, above Black Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park Backcountry Ice Climbing

Everest Ridge, Mount Timpanogas, Utah Spring Snow Climb

Canadaian Rockies Alpine Climbing Alpine Ice and Mixed climbing:   Mount Assiniboine; Mount Andromeda

My Favorite Backpacking Trips:

These are brief descriptions of some of my favorite hiking/backpacking trips. These are not trip reports or stories, but are intended as helpful guides for folks who want to go on these hikes. In most instances, these pages contain pictures of the hikes. Also included are links to topographical maps of the areas.

Bomber Lake/Ross Lake loop; Wind River Mountains, Wyoming. (3-5 nights)

Holy Cross loop; Mount of the Holy Cross Wilderness; Rocky Mountains, Colorado (3-5 nights)

Battle Creek Canyon; Mount Timpanogas; Wasatch Range; Utah (day hike or overnight)

Pharaoh Lakes loop; Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness; Adirondacks; New York (3-4 nights)

Tour of the Aiguille Rouges; Mont Blanc Massif; Chamonix; France (2-3 nights)

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