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#68 (#1) Mt. Whitney 14,505'/4426m Highest in Continental US May 13-14 2013

05/19/2013 14:37:00

RETURN OF THE BIVYS PROJECT! SOS II : Sierra 14er Summits and Cascade Volcanoes

Post #68 (#1) Mt. Whitney 14,505'/4426m Highest in Continental US

May 13-14 2013

The time has finally come to begin the SEQUEL! In 2011, I became the first person to Camp Directly on the Summit of the 58 highest peaks in COLORADO, known as the 14ers, all over 14,000' in Elevation. I accomplished the feat in 95 days.

I am so thankful and grateful for the amazing support shown by people at my shows and for taking a look at that book called "Sleeping on the Summits: Colorado 14er High Bivys." which came out still less than a year ago.

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Mt. Whitney Sunrise 14,505' May 14 2013 6am Silver Oak Shout Out

Dr. Jon Kedrowski shows off the Views from the highest peak in the Lower 48 United States, Mt. Whitney in CA. Sunrise after spending the night on the summit on the inaugural peak of Sleeping on the Su...

On this blog, you can follow my adventures as I head out to California and take on the Sierra Nevada Summits. 14 14ers plus Mt. Shasta for a total of 15 California 14ers will be the first installment of this adventure. Installment two will come later this year as I also climb and ski 20 of the cascade volcanoes after spending the night on each of them. New peaks, new locations, and new weather systems to deal with with a Desert influence in CA and also the Pacific Ocean. I'm excited. Special thanks to my Title Sponsor, Silver Oak Winery out of Napa Valley CA for your support.

I'd be happy to pick up more support along the way, so if you're a company who would like to contribute and get great visibility from this project, please contact me!

Climbing solo most days, I will be carrying along my spot beacon and you can have access to my progress during my trips and while I am on these summits. Sometimes I will be joined by friends, which makes it even more fun! Here is the link to the maps and the live feed of my beacon:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0BUKpSr3v63z8pMNJUrbqgytYo9k4yfu0

Now come along and lets get started!

Last week I began my journey with a reconnaissance mission to the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range for a successful attempt on Mt. Whitney, 14,505'. The highest peak in the lower 48 United States rises 10,500' above the Owens Valley floor from the Lone Pine area to the East. The Whitney Portal Trailhead is the easiest way to access these high desert peaks, and I wanted to get a taste of camping on a summit again. It's been about a year since I would sleep at heights above 14,000'. (Last year at this time I was on Everest), so I was ready to breathe thin air and take in a spectacular sunset and sunrise from one of America's premiere perches.

After securing my overnight permit at the Lone Pine Ranger Station and Visitor Center, I drove to the Whitney Portal at 8,365'. The climb to the summit would be 6,100'.

It was a hot summer afternoon and clear skies as I hiked up the Whitney Trail. After the first half hour I would take a turn into the North Fork of the Lone Pine Creek and make a direct climb into the basin towards Whitney. I climbed through some spectacular Bristlecone Pine Forests....some trees are up to 3,000 years old.

My plan was to climb the Mountaineers route, a more direct and shorter but more rugged alternative route. Snow conditions were more like late July than like May. Originally I was going to be able to ski the Mountaineers colouir, but only the 2,000 vertical of the colouir held snow and I didn't want to have to pack my ski and boots with my overnight gear to only be able to ski a small part of the peak. Rest assured I will return next year and ski from the summit in March or something.

The afternoon was brilliantly warm, and by taking the non-standard route, I saw nobody as I headed into the upper reaches of the basin below the dramatic East Face of Whitney.

The Spires including Mt. Muir, and Keller Needle guard the summit well and are awesome to lay your eyes on.

By 5 pm taking my time I took a break at Upper Iceberg Lake. The lake was frozen solid. I was able to fill up my water bottles at the last stop at a snow melting waterfall at 12,000', then it was onward!

The Mountaineer's Route was first pioneered by John Muir, October 21, 1873. IT is a moderate now climb, the chute being about 45 degrees. I had carried my crampons with me, but I never used them. It was too warm of a day and I felt that the chute wasn't all that steep.

Once exiting the top of the chute at about 14,000', you have to climb a gully and a spine of a ridge to reach the gentle summit plateau of the peak. This was in the sun and was quite warm.

By 630pm I strolled to the summit and also saw the Mt. Whitney Shelter. The top of the Mountain is quite flat, but you are noticeably higher than any peaks around you. This is the RoofTop of America minus Mt. McKinley in Alaska!

I used the remaining sun to keep me warm and I quickly put the tent up on the highest sunset platform. Light winds greeted me all evening and I didn't bring a stove to save weight, but I had plenty of sandwiches, and other snacks for the night.

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Sunset on Mt. Whitney 14,505' May 13, 2013 Sleeping on the Sierra Summits

Dr. Jon Kedrowski shows off some views and a spectacular sunset on the summit of Mt Whitney.....and some tasty Alexander Valley Cabernet wine at 14,505', highest peak in the lower 48 U.S. May 13, 2013...

The sunset colors were awesome. Check out the video and the photos from that evening!

I was awake to high winds the morning of the 14th and it was pretty Chilly trying to get photos all morning, although I have definitely had much worse wind before.....

the morning Colors were even better than the evening.....what a great way to return to start this Sequel for Sleeping on the Summits.

After packing up I descended via the Standard route making this a clean circuit. The Main Descent of the Peak back to the Whitney portal is 10.7 miles, which is a long way, but the basin and the route down was very scenic. I departed the summit about 7am and was back to the car by 1030am.

Stay tuned as I'll be back in the Sierra's for a series of new 14er bivy starting May 23.

#67 Skiing off Mt. Buckskin May 10, 2013 13,865'

05/17/2013 11:01:00

Skiing the 13ers, Awesome Powder! Mt. Buckskin 13,865'

Wow, time flies in May and with my schedule being so outrageously busy, I am finally updating some recent adventures.

It was an honor to ski with the legendary Chris Davenport during his Ski the 13ers Project last week. I had some excellent photos of the NW face of Mt Buckskin and have climbed in the area on peaks nearby in the 10-mi Mosquito Range, so when I shared the infomation with Chris, he was stoked to try a new line on the face.

Dav was nice enough to let me tag along and the giant face of the peak didn't disappoint. We were also joined by Chris' good friend Matt Lanning.

Dav Skiing the Pure W facing Colouir.

The day was in and out of sun, and we climbed from Hwy 91 near CLimax and Freemont Pass, summitting in about 3.5 hrs from the trailhead. In the interest of time I will just post some photos below, and then also here is a link to Chris Davenport's Ski the 13ers website for the official trip report.

http://centennialskiers.com/23-mount-buckskin-13865-ft/

It was great skiing with Chris and Matt, and I hope to join them again this month for some skiing before I push into my upcoming Sleeping on the Summits II book project. Off to Mt. Whitney for the Inaugural peak for SOS II the Sequel!

Chris and Matt on the West Ridge.

Skis on the summit.

Torrey's Peak N Face SKI! 14,267' Sun April 28 2013

05/05/2013 20:04:00

AWESOME Spring Ski of Torrey's N Face April 28, 2013

I used a spectacular full moon morning on Sunday to skin/climb from Loveland Pass across Grizzly Peak all the way to the Summit of Torrey's Peak.

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Top of Torrey's Peak Skiing the N Face April 28 2013

Dr. Jon Kedrowski on the summit of 14,267' Torrey's Peak getting ready to ski off the N Face on a perfect spring day!

Winds were only gusting to 25 mph on the high ridges, otherwise the sun was great on a cold spring day.

My Ski Descent was the prominent Chute at the center of the face (Below).

I was on the summit around 9am and ready to drop off the North face on Skis!

The face was solid snow with a little bit of powder on top, but avalanche free...and it felt like it went on forever!

My tracks looking up the face.

..I skinned back up the basin towards Loveland Pass and was back to my car in time for lunch. Enjoy the photos and video.

More Skiing and Climbing to come this spring!

Post #65: Will we see an emergence of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) on Everest this 2013 Season?

04/11/2013 15:04:00

Post #65: Will we see an emergence of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) on Everest this season?

This commentary and response is to the recent article in Outside Magazine by Devin O’Neil titled “Climbing’s Little Helper”, which was was very well written and researched. After having just been to Everest last year, I couldn’t help but ponder many of the comments and topics within this article.

Coming from a competitive sports background (Basketball/running/skiing/football, etc) I can see how the use of performance enhancing drugs could be of great benefit to climbers on the biggest stage in the world: Mount Everest. Last season, prior to this article now coming out (And especially since the whole Lance Armstrong admission of doping), I always wondered if Mountaineers would get involved with using drugs to help them perform, to get some sort of edge on the highest mountains on earth. The single drug that is actually well documented and used as an acclimatization aid is known as Diamox (Acetazolamide) ,which is taken about as commonly as advil is for headaches. Diamox is considered relatively harmless with a few side affects such as diuresis and tingling in the extremities. I would hardly consider Diamox to be ‘performance enhancing’, at least not on the level of EPO or Dexamathazone.

The focus of the Outside article is the steroid called Dexamethazone, also known as Dex., which is an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat altitude conditions on Everest and other big peaks generally higher than 20,000’ . High altitude Cerebral Edema and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema are swelling ailments of the brain and the lungs, respectively. They happen when the symptoms of AMS, Acute Mountain Sickness, worsen and the amount of fluid on the lungs or on the brain becomes dangerous to the point of causing a climber’s body to shut down. In cases of extreme HAPE AND HACE at high altitudes above 25,000’, climbers will die in only a few hours if they aren’t evacuated to lower altitudes immediately. Lack of oxygen only causes further HAPE and HACE problems, and naturally, humans aren’t meant to survive for much longer than 24 hours above the high camp (26,000’) on Everest. Therefore it is in the best interest of all climbers to climb fast, efficiently and get up and down the mountain in 12-18 hours after starting a summit attempt at 8pm from the highest camp the night before making the top preferably by 5-8am.

On my climbing expeditions, I’ve always learned to carry and use Dex as a last resort to help get a person going in the case of complete emergency. A simple prescription from a doctor can suffice, although you can pretty much get Dex from any street corner in Kathmandu, Nepal. Emergencies usually come due to bad weather, delay, accident, or slow climbing above 26,000’. If a person is passed out, incapable of moving under their own power, and is barely responsive, they probably have HAPE Or HACE close to the point of no return. This is exactly what I encountered on Everest in the early morning hours of May 20, 2012. The steroid can be injected into the buttocks or thigh of the victim to help stimulate them to get up and move. “It brings life to a dead person”, as many climbers can attest that have used the drug on a fallen climbing partner or distressed mountaineer.

Now Devin O’Neil investigated the fact that climbers were actually using the Dex in other ways, and Dex comes in tablet form as well. The main way the drug has been used recently is to help with acclimatization, and as long as it isn’t taken excessively, some climbers claim that the side effects are minimal. Dex is a corticosteroid that supplies synthetic steroid to the body, suppresses inflammation, and actively works against fluid accumulation in tissue. In the brain especially, Dex can help by stabilizing call membranes, and prevents the fluids from leaking out of blood vessels and into tissues.

While I have never tried nor have been injected by these drugs in any of my 7 major expeditions I’ve been on, even in emergency cases, I also know that I will never use them in a performance enhancing way. In all my years as an athlete in all the sports I have done, I just don’t see the point. Maybe I am a purist, but I just think using drugs (Including oxygen) should not be done at high altitude. Even though I used Oxygen at a low flow rate on Everest, I will never climb on Oxygen again. Heck, on two separate occasions I climbed without oxygen or gave my oxygen away to help others at or above 26,000’, and I felt ok and was able to perform. Technically you can’t really consider oxygen a drug, though some would argue that as well.

In the Outside article by O.Neil, a majority of the popularized climbers on Everest (Ed Viesturs, Dave Hahn, Simone Moro, Uli Steck, Russell Brice) all agree with me, that there is no place for drugs in the sport as performance enhancers…….but, just like any sport, there are going to be people that quite frankly don’t care, and will want reach the summit at all costs.

“There is pressure to use PED's in mountain climbing. On dangerous, more technical peaks I believe it's as much of a competition as a friendly climb with others. For example, Colorado's Little Bear Peak. You don't want to get caught below other climbers in the Hourglass section leading to the summit. Rockfall is the big concern - it's a matter of life and death. There is pressure to beat other climbers up this section to avoid rockfall. Beating other climbers is the key concept here. Beating other climbers involves a number of variables - some known and some unknown. Using PED's changes the known variables allowing you to move faster at higher altitudes. Little Bear Peak is merely a metaphor for other similar peaks around the world.” -Chris Tomer

This point by my long time climbing partner Chris Tomer is a great metaphor for Bigger mountains such as Everest and K2. In Colorado, the effects of 14,000’ altitude are not high enough to warrant the use of dex. But the point Chris is making is precisely the reason why I summited on May 26 2012 at 330am. ( I fortunately was in no wind at all and waited an hour for the sun to come up on the summit, a real treat) I wanted to ‘beat’ the other climbers up to the top so that I could avoid problems like getting caught in queue lines on the Hillary step or getting stranded at high altitude due to someone else up there. Now did I use Dex up there? NO, but I did feel like I was competitive in order to make it up there first before the 40-50 other climbers that were ascending. My competitiveness was more out of fear and not wanting to get stuck behind other climbers. The pressure was off once I summited and then I still had to wait an hour and a half on the Hillary Step to let ascending climbers clear out of the way before I headed down.

I never let my guard down and was basically resting in fear waiting for the people to get out of the way (though the weather was good and it was still early). But once again training and working much harder off the mountain than anyone else up there was my recipe. Heck this was my formula as a college basketball player. My mantra that motivated me was ‘if you aren’t working hard, someone somewhere else is, and when you meet them they will win.”. I guess I have applied some of these principals as a professional mountaineer.

But I do agree with a comment that Ed Vieturs made in regards to PEDs and that is this:

There will never be someone from the Nepal Mountaineering Association or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) waiting in basecamp and making the returning Everest climbers that have just made the summit pee in a cup. Until mountaineering on Everest or any other mountain becomes an actual sanctioned race, then nobody cares. There is a certain stigma, however, to climbers that ARE using it. I am not going to name names, but I think that the climbers using Diamox (for acclimatizing on their treks)and Dexamethazone should stop for their own long term health, but if they want to use the drugs, go right ahead. We don’t know the long term effects of these drugs, there are no long term research studies out there on the impacts. I would rather not find out in my 70s that taking Dex was a bad idea….I would prefer to stay clean and live a healthy life now.

Given these thoughts, I would like to raise an even better debate, what about using bottled oxygen? In late February I was attending the 2013 annual dinner for the American Alpine Club and I sat in on a panel discussion with a loaded cast of famous mountaineers : Conrad Anker, David Breashears, Melissa Arnot, Dave Morton, And a few others, including the first American to Climb Gasherbrum I as a first Ascent, Andrew Kauffman.

When I posed the question of Oxygen being used as a performance enhancing drug, I got a good laugh from the audience, and an even more surprising set of comments from the climbers on the panel. Most of the climbers thought that oxygen should be allowed, and for basically a margin of safely in the mountains. But the reality is, if Oxygen were banned on Everest, most of the climbers on that panel would be out of a job. I think it’s really sad that climbing has come to this. I believe with excellent training, acclimatization, and luck with good weather, summitting Everest without oxygen can be done. I would like to give it a try sometime. I am not the type of climber to forbid anyone the chance to climb Everest, but people are dying every year, and that is the harsh reality of it. Training hard, acclimating properly and immersing yourself in the mountains by climbing lower peaks first then working your way up to Everest is the best way.

In the end, pure climbing is the only climbing I want to take part in, and it will be interesting to see how this new look at PEDs plays out on Everest this spring season, 2013 and on other 8000m peaks. I will be on the careful lookout for PEDs in my basecamp in Pakistan in July as I climb Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II, both over 8000m.

If travelling to international places interests you, then please look into two of my affordable offered trips and treks for 2014!

April 2014: Everest Basecamp (17 Day Trip)

Late June 2014: Kilimanjaro Africa Climb and Safari (17 Day trip)

Email dr.jonked@gmail.com for more information.

Post #64: A Return to Little Bear, Spectacular Snow Climb! March 29-30, 2013. (14,037')

04/02/2013 13:09:00

Post #64: Little Bear (14,037'). "Return to the Scene of the Crime"

March 29-30

I always tell people to climb Little Bear in Winter Conditions. Why? Because it is probably one of the Easiest 14ers in Winter as compared to summer. The gullies that are dangerous shooting galleries in the summer are reduced to delightful steep snow climbs with the potential for dramatic ski descents come late winter/early spring. Avalanche Danger was null and the conditions were almost perfect to climb one of Colorado's notoriously dangerous peaks.

If you are a competent climber with ice axes and crampons, then Little Bear is for you in March or April. I will never climb this peak again in the summer: too many people and too much rockfall!

Those of you who have read my book, "Sleeping on the Summits" It took me three attempts to spend the night on Little Bear in 2011. I've climbed the peak now 9 times, the first time being back in 1997.

But in 2011, I returned to my vehicle parked down in the basin, and it was broken into by a bear! Drool and bear poo all over the interior, and the bear even escaped with all of my peanut butter pretzels, gummy bears and whey protein! But I did return to spend the night on Little Bear's Summit in Early Sept. 2011 (Left, Photo by Chris Tomer)

But to honor those memories, Lynn decided to park his vehicle right at the same spot as where I had my Bear Break in!

The temps in the San Luis Valley on Friday were in the 60s and it was very warm for the first 1500' feet as we climbed the Como road up into the basin.

We knew This trip would be different, although there are plenty of critters including mountain lions roaming this basin on the approach, we saw some huge tracks as Lynn shows us his hands for comparison.

Chris Tomer caught up to Lynn Bailey and I at the small cabin at Lake Como at 11,000' later on Friday Afternoon.

When he arrived he helped us gather some wood and then we made an awesome fire and enjoyed a hearty dinner of BBQ chicken fajitas cooked over a flaming hot fire.

Our objective was Little Bear via the West Ridge, which includes 3,000 vertical feet of climbing from the lake basically up two separate colouirs.

Sunset light on the peak was awesome and we all drifted into a slumber that included visions of mountain lions walking through camp and summits. The stars and moon were out late in the eve and we woke to bright moonlight and a warm fire to prepare breakfast and then depart for the climb.

We left camp at about 630 am and were treated to a spectactular sunrise w colors over Ellingwood and Little Bear.

I broke trail the entire way and in some places the snow wasnt quite consolidated and I would sink up to my waist, but most of the time the snow was relatively firm and my tracks would only sink a few inches.

The first chute to gain the west ridge was cold, but the footing was reasonable. Near the top the powder made things difficult and the ski conditions were perfect.

We continued up the West ridge and as the sun rose the peak went in and out of Fog......we hoped for clearing so that we would get great views.

Lynn and Chris following me up to the base of the Hour-Glass.

Next it was time to ascend and traverse to the base of the infamous Hour-Glass Chute. In summer this was a dangerous place to be, but this time of year there was noone else and the chute was in ideal shape. There was a 300 foot line of snow at a 50-60 degree angle. The snow was consolidated but soft enough for me to kick easy steps on the way up for Lynn and Chris to follow.

Jon Leading, Lynn following, Chris taking these photos.

Above the main part of the chute, The snow gave way to some mixed rock and ice across some steep terrain and then the final 150 feet of the west face of the peak was in a shallow gully that ended on a raised cornice that we climbed steeply to reach the small summit around 1030am.

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Motivational: Little Bear 14,037' Winter Snow Climb March 30 2013

Winter Conditions for an early Spring Snow Climb of Little Bear Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Chris Tomer Joins Dr. Jon Kedrowski and Lynn Bailey on an ascent of one of Colorado's toughest 14er...

As a team we were thrilled. The softer snow slowed our ascent, as breaking trail was a great workout for me, but I was very proud of Lynn and Chris for battling all morning. Little Bear this time of year is such a great accomplishment and what we call "REAL Mountaineering"!

We were met near the top by a solo Climber Jeremy who came via the West ridge direct route, and he was nice enough to shoot some pics with my camera of Lynn, Chris and I. Jack the Rabbit Even Made an Appearance as well.

Winds were drifting from the NW at about 15-20mph at times, and the fog was lowering as we prepared to leave the summit.

It was actually relatively warm on the small summit and the views ended up being stellar! Blanca (Left) and Ellingwood (Right)

On our descent we retraced our steps down the upper reaches of the mountain and down the narrow sections of the hour-glass. In no time the lower coloiur was a quick powdery descent and by 1p we were back to the safety of our Camp at Lake Como.

The trip was very rewarding and in the Month of April be on the lookout as I will be out climbing and skiing some more peaks!

Also....when we returned to the Car....Lynn's vehicle was safe from any Bear Break ins!

Post #63 Mt. Princeton 14,197’ Windy and Brutal! March 18 2013.

03/21/2013 18:04:00

Post #63 Mt. Princeton 14,197’ Windy and Brutal! March 18, 2013.

On Monday March 18, I led a small team up Mt. Princeton for a end of the Winter Ascent of a well known peak in the Sawatch Range. My friends Anne Marie and her Brother David wanted a taste of their first winter climb of a 14,000’ peak, and they weren’t disappointed.

We started around 7am from the bottom of the Mt. Princeton Road, and made our way up slowly and steadily as the sun rose.

Once above the radio tower, the cloud-tops dropped and the winds began to pick up.

There was a bit of an unsettled weather pattern in the Sawatch for the day, so I knew it would be windy but that the snowfall would be light. The road was an easy snowshoe packed trail up to the tower around 11,000’.

Above that point I broke trail through powder snow drifts. Leaving the timber and comforts of the road I lead us into a flat area out of the wind, but as we got to the traverse of chutes on the north side of Tigger Peak, gusts would swirl and hit us from the right or the left at times.

Overall the winds weren't nearly as bad as I've ever experienced and the bowl of the east Face of Princeton and the north face of Tigger kind of helped to block the strongest winds which were westerly and northwesterly above 13,500'.

The snow up high was unstable across the chutes, but not wind loaded above us, so crossing them was safe.

The final ridge was quite windy, but I encouraged Anne Marie and David to be strong and we arrived on the summit just a bit before 1pm.

It was a long haul up, but for David’s first Colorado 14er, he did great! We tried to sit out of the wind, but the wind was intense…..we didn’t stay on the summit log, just long enough for a few photos and a video.

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Motivational! Mount Princeton Late Winter Ascent 14,197' Monday March 18th 2013

Dr. Jon Kedrowski leads two others to the summit of Mt. Princeton in Windy winter weather conditions with blowing snow and low visibility. Great training for other peaks on other Continents.

David and Anne Marie Thrilled to be on the Summit! (Maybe) :)

We took a break below the summit ridge where the winds were less of a danger.

Then the descent was fairly easy in 4-6” of fresh powder and windblown snow. We crossed the chutes again and made it back to the road.

Once on the road, most of our tracks were becoming buried by windblown snow, but it was fairly simple to follow the treads down that were partially covered. I had to be down fast in order to make it to Colorado Springs for a Book event at REI, so I ended up Jogging down from the Radio Tower to my Vehicle with Anne Marie and she would wait for David after getting her vehicle in BV. Fortunately I got down by 430 and made it to COS for my event by 630!

Stay tuned for more peaks in the coming weeks.....and I will be starting Sleeping on the Summits: the Sequel in April!

POST #62: Ski Ascent and Descent from Mt. Shasta CA Feb 25, 2013 14,162'

03/05/2013 11:30:00

Skiing 7300' Vertical from California's FInest Volcano at 14,162' Feb 25, 2013

My West Coast Book and Speaking Tour kicked off in Mid-February. If you have had a chance to catch one of my events, thank you very much! I did some events in Boulder and then flew out to California to speak at a pair of REIs, the Burlingame Country Club, and also was an Honorary guest at the American Alpine Clubs annual Dinner, celebrating 50 years of Americans on Mt. Everest

The trip continued with stops in the Seattle area and Ellensburg WA, then extended into March with stops at Portland REIs and the University of Oregon.

One of the highlights was representing Dick Pawnall at the annual AAC dinner, and I met some of the original members of the 1963 American Mt. Everest Expedition, including Tom Hornbein, who pioneered the West Ridge Route on Everest!

But after a few days of "Work" in California's Bay area, I had to get out....so I headed up to Northern California for a Date with Mt.Shasta, and a climb and ski descent.

I arrived in the small town of Shasta in the Evening and decided to hit the hay soon after sunset so that I could get up nice and early and climb to the summit for sunrise.

At 330am I parked at the Bunny Flat Trailhead and started the long skin up the lower slopes of Shasta at Timberline.

There was a fill moon out and light winds initially, so a Headlamp wasn't necessary.

I made good time in the dark to timberline, and then as I skinned above the trees, the roar of the winds could be heard. Fog moved in as I approached 10,000' on the south slopes and for awhile between 5 and 6am, I had to use my headlamp.

Just above Helen Lake (Which was a small glacial tarn frozen over and covered by snow, I took my skis off and put my crampons on). My skis were all iced up and crystallized from the freezing fog conditions.

With the rising sun it got light and the steepness of the Avalanche Gulch Chute was about 45 degrees and made for a fun and challenging snow climb on snow and ice that was gripped very easily with my crampons. The fog cleared slightly to get me onto the ridge, but then was socked in.

So that I would remember to descent this notch near the ridge on my ski descent, I left one of my ice axes in the snow on the ridge and continued to the left (North) and up the gradual hill from 12,800' to near the summit called 'Misery Hill'.

This turned out to be a long slog until I reached another steeper snow slope for about the final 250 vertical feet to the top. Arriving in the vicinity of the top in the fog, about 830am I shot a video and then finished on the true snowy summit. There were little rock pinnacles sticking out in a few places near the summit, but not much else to see.

It was quite windy so I didnt stay long and was excited to clip my skis on and ski down.

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Skiing Mount Shasta CA in the Fog 14,162' Feb 25 2013

Dr. Jon Kedrowski describing the winter conditions in the fog with zero visibility prior to his ski descent from near the summit of Shasta in California.

The first thousand feet was pretty icy, and I cautiously took my time in the fog back to my ice axe. Once I dropped back down avalanche gulch, the snow improved and the windblown powder made the turns easy to cut.

Back down in only about 25 minutes to 10,000' the fog started to break as i descended further, and it was so nice to be able to see! Unfortunately, the views were terrible that day.

By 10am I was already back to the Sierra Club Hut at 8,000' and took a short break before skiing back to my vehicle and a hot shower at my hotel in Shasta by 11am...aaaaaah success!!!

The adventure continues in Oregon and then Back to Colorado for some March Peaks in the Sawatch and Sangre De Cristos in the Coming weeks, so stay tuned!

POST #61 Castle Peak In Winter, Elk Range's Highest Ski(14,265') Feb 16-17

02/21/2013 00:28:00

Post #61 Castle Peak in Winter, Highest in the Elk Range (14,265’) Feb 16,17.

Awesome training for Pakistan! A Rare Winter ascent of the highest peak in my favorite mountain range was in the cards for the weekend of February 16-17. I was determined to take my skis, skin to the summit and then ski down!

Snow conditions were superb for mid February. Relatively stable for above timberline and even some fresh powder from a storm that came through Thursday and Friday.

I parked my vehicle by 2p at the packed Ashcroft trailhead on Saturday afternoon. TONS of weekenders were exploring the lower X country tracks and doing small hikes and snowshoes in 38 degree winter sunshine. But once I got 20 minutes up the Valley, I headed into lower Montezuma basin and away from the crowds, and had the basin all to myself.

It took two hours time to skin up to the timberline in the Montezuma basin. Originally I thought I would climb all the way to near the summit in the afternoon and spend the night above timberline. However, the trees in the lower basin at about 11,500’ provided a great place to establish a camp in the Snow and provide good shelter out of some of the winds up high and rest for an ascent first thing in the morning.

I stomped out a nice tent platform with my skis, unpacked my gear under a couple of nice spruce trees, put my tent up and then headed up part of the basin for some sunset photos and a powder ski while the tent platform froze up.

The evening was nice and calm, and temps probably fell to around zero overnight, but no wind and I was treated to a full moon.

On this trip I was able to test out some incredible Wigwam socks, given to me by a rep at the Winter mountain Games in Vail, her name is Margaret Chesebro. I tried out two pairs of socks, the first being the Wigwam Ultimax Snow Moto Pro, Merino Wool Lightweight.

These sleekly designed, thin lightweight orange, black and red socks (Ski, ride skate designed) fit very well on my feet. I actually started the day in them from the time I left my house, including the initial 2-3 hour skin to camp. No hot spots developed on my feet whatsoever, and when I took my boots off in the dark after dinner after having established camp, the socks could barely show signs of being wet and sweaty.

I actually took the socks off and changed out to my next pair of Wigwam socks, the Ultimax Hiking/Outdoor Pro Midweight socks (Green and Gray color).

When I hung up the snow moto pro pair to dry I usually frown upon being able to wear the socks again on the same trip, but in this case, those socks had little moisture in them, and so I wouldn’t be afraid to put them back on to ski the next day if this was a multi day trip. But by changing into the Ultimax Hiking/Outdoor Pro Mid-weight socks I guaranteed that my feet would be warm and very dry all night long.

The next day I would just leave these socks on and my feet were warm, comfortable and when I skied up to the summit and back down to my camp and then out to the car the next day, my feet felt only slightly sweaty when I removed my ski boots at the car. The lightweight grey and green hiker socks are winners in my book because on that summit day, (story continues below) it was very windy with up to 50 mpg gusts and temps around zero, and my feet stayed warm and dry!

Check out the summit video below to see how brutal it was up there! I do love Smartwool socks, but I was pleasantly surprised at the overall comfort, warmth and the Wigwams socks ability to wick the sweat. I admit, I liked these socks more than smartwool! …I hope to be able to take a few more pairs to my next expedition to Pakistan in July and would even love to endorse Wigwam for my next book project! I packed these socks for my west coast trip which begins this week end of Feb and will wear these socks on Mt Shasta and Mt Hood in the coming weeks! Thanks Margaret and Wigwam, you all rock!

That night after changing my socks, I feel asleep easily and woke to my alarm at 330am to light the stove. After some hot drinks I put on my ski boots and strapped on my skis in the darkness, departing camp at about 5am. Slowly but steadily I made fresh tracks up Montezuma Basin. Winds were no longer calm like they were all evening, so I knew I’d have to bundle up and move efficiently. At first light I was at the end of the summer road deep into the basin, with the summit of Castle to my left and Conundrum to my right.

Above 13,000' the sunrise was stunning, and you felt like you were climbing a remote peak on another continent.

The Northeast ridge was my goal, and I decided since I was solo that I would avoid the steep chute leading to the NW ridge of Castle. It looked solid and not too avalanche prone, but I decided I would climb the NE ridge. It was impossible to ski off the summit to any of the east facing aspects of the peak because the snow had been blown off the summit areas and high ridges. I left my skis and poles at 13,600’ and continued on to the summit.

Winds were whipping all over as I climbed the class 2-plus rocky ridge. I covered up and pushed up through a powder field on the steep final 150 years and got to the coveted summit just after 8am. I was elated!

Felt great to have the peak all to myself. Castle probably sees less than 10 people on the summit over an entire winter. Conundrum to my right to the North in the Photo above.

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Castle Peak 14,265'/4350m Rare Winter Summit! Colorado's Elk Range Feb 2013

Dr. Jon Kedrowski on a Rare Winter Ascent of Castle Peak, the highest in the Elk Range of Colorado, on February 17th, 2013. Jon also was able to ski from nearly the very top of the peak to get down e...

After some photo and a summit video, the 40-50 mph gusts told me to get outta there fast. It was by far the windiest Elk Range Summit I have ever experienced in all seasons. Skiing down was a real treat. After about a 20 minute descent on rocks down to my skis where the snow started, I jumped on my skis and was off and down the basin in a flash! It was a quick exit.

I arrived back in camp before 10am and couldn’t believe that my summit climb was done. In another hour I had eaten some food and took off with my gear packed and skied back to the car before lunch. What an incredible trip!

Follow me as I head to the West Coast for a trip to Speak at Venues in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Eugene OR just to name a few from now until March 7. The list can be found on my speaker tour dates page. I will be climbing some peaks along the west coast as well as I packed my skis too, so stay tuned for more exciting adventures!

Post #60 EB Winter Mountain Games -- Ult. Mtn Challenge! Feb 8-10

02/15/2013 14:32:00

Eddie Bauer Winter Mountain Games

February 8-10.

Ultimate Mountain Challenge.

Wow, Sometimes life gets just too busy!

Its already Mid-February, and we have been getting some snow. Needless to say, my training for climbing peaks has included doing some races and also taking a break from climbing peaks since January for just a bit. I would call it a healthy break. But also, time sure slips away and I needed to update my blog with an entry, so this one is about the races recently.

I participated in the Ultimate Mountain Challenge at the Eddie Bauer Winter Mountain Games in Vail just over a week ago. The races were so much fun, and a great way to train for a big expedition. With three races in three days I held my own in the disciplines if Nordic, Ski Mountaineering, and my favorite, the Vail Uphill climb, 2 miles and 2,500 vertical feet of Elevation Gain. In the Uphill I finished 29th overall with a 43min time, and 2nd in my division, with an earned Silver Medal podium stop! Check out the Photos and Videos below, I am even in the Video produced by Eddie Bauer and the Vail Valley Foundation:

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2013 Winter Mountain Games Ski Mountaineering Race

Highlights from the 2013 Winter Mountain Games presented by Eddie Bauer Ski Mountaineering race on Vail Mountain on February 8, 2013. The Winter Mountain Games is a project of the Vail Valley Foun...

It was kind of a blizzard as I looked behind me at the Checkpoint in Siberia Bowl during the skimo race.

I was happy to make it to the finish line with a nice 4th pace finish for my Division in 4hrs 12 mins in the Ski Mountaineering.

But the best Day was Sunday, as I toughed it out to get a Silver Medal in the Vail Uphill Climb!

Jeff having a little fun with me as we raced the Uphill together, but kudos to him doing it only a few days after a surgery on his left wrist (shhh....dont tell the docs!)

Now that February is here, I am about to wrap up the next few days in Colorado by Climbing and Skiing off some summits, and then I begin my 12 Stop West Coast Tour of San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland in the Pacific Northwest. I will be writing some blogs from the field as I will also get a chance to climb and ski off of Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, and some other destinations. Follow along as the adventure continues between now and early March!

Have fun out there!

Jon

Post #59 Longs Peak in Winter! North Face

01/25/2013 16:35:00

Post #59 WINDY on the LEDGES of Longs Peak Winter Ascent! January 23 2013

Chris and I teamed up for a fun and Challenging Winter Ascent of Longs Peak on Wednesday. It is alarming just how little snow we have right now in Rocky Mountain National Park. We got started from the Longs Peak lot at about 7am, and made our way up a very well packed trail.

It was so windy that when I came out of the Latrine at the Chasm Creek cut off, a gust of wind swept me clear onto my arse!

Even off the trail there is less than a foot of snow in most places. Once you get above timberline the snow is almost NON-Existent.

It was very windy all day with gusts of up to 60 mph and consistent sustained winds of 35 mph.

We casually strolled up to the boulder field by about 10am after a few stops to shoot photos and videos.

The boulder field is completely barren this time of year, only a little snow blown into the nooks between the rocks.

We headed up above the Boulder field from the campsites and soon began the moderately technical rock sections for the North Face, instead of taking the standard route.

Chris Led the first pitch and we swapped some leads on the way up, roping up on some parts.

Because it was so windy, the summit was not that fun, but the views were stunning. We retreated quickly in the frigid conditions.

But a bit more snow to the East for Sure!

The North and Northeast face was actually shielded from the wind, so climbing the face and then retreating via some rappels was out of the wind and much more pleasant. Here is the view down into Chasm lake...makes that stomach drop!!!

I got some sweet Shots of Tomer as he came down of a few of the sections.

By 2pm we were back down to the Boulder field and starting the long trek back to the Car, arriving at our vehicle at 4:06pm sharp.

As we move forward into February, hopefully we get some snow....and stay tuned, I will be camping on some more summits getting ready for my book sequel in the coming months! Check out my schedule as I have upcoming stops for Sleeping on the Summits and Mount Everest Ranging from Colorado to San Francisco, to Washington, Oregon, Kansas, and Indiana in the next 3 months.