The string of Shasta shenanigans continues.

The pair had left for Avalanche Gulch at 4 a.m. Monday and reached Red Banks around 5 p.m., five hours past the recommended turnaround time for climbing Mount Shasta, the sheriff’s office said.
By 5 a.m. Tuesday, they had reached Horse Camp but could not see the trail, authorities said.

They traveled northwest into Cascade Gulch, a steep, dry river canyon, and continued about 3 miles before becoming trapped between cliffs.

The sheriff’s office said the rescue was the third on the Avalanche Gulch route in a month.

Summitted Aiguilles Marbrée Nord (3,535m) today. Conditions were amazing; blue sky, very little wind. Pretty warm even wearing just a long-sleeved technical top and a wind-stopper soft shell.

The approach from the Courmayeur lift was straightforward (avoiding the crevasses!). Some scrambling especially towards the top. We down-climbed rather than rappelling down, but that would have been a fun option.

gift link:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/10/14/magazine/yosemite-climbing-dad-east-buttress.html?unlocked_article_code=1.I1E.vKoM.v6IU3vl_yOuI&smid=url-share

Hey, I was just wondering how would be the condition on Mt Temple be tomorrow? The only thing that I would worry is avalanche tbh. We are pretty experienced, just don’t have avalanche gears.

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to attempt summit, knowing that we’re still in mid october and that weather looks pretty good.

If not, is there any other similar exciting alpine hike that is pretty similar to that, but more safe?

Thank you!

Hello guys, like the title entails I am planning a winter expedition on mount katahdin in maine and I’m looking for advice.

I have been on katahdin solo this sumner already so I could get an idea of the place.

I understand that the road to roaring brook campground is not cleared out of snow in winter so that can be a whole day in and of itself in regards to movement.

I remember the trail from the campground to chimney pond not being very long, could this be done the same day as the movement from the road to the campground or those of you who have done it think its too much ?

The point would be to be set at chimney pond on day 2 so we have 2 possible summit days if we plan a 4 day exped.

Also, during my summer hike up knife edge and down the saddle, there where those big rocks in the saddle trail down the mountain that make it kind of a pain in the a** to follow the trail (if you’ve been you can’t miss em) are they snow covered in winter or do they stick out of the snow ? Because they would make a sled virtually impossible to use.

There is supposed to be 4 of us on this trip.

If you have any other advice they will be welcome.

Edit : added the rock questions

Hey all, Hoping to get some recommendations for a good 700 - 800 fill downjacket to go under a hardshell? Tried a few with similar fills locally and they are all quite puffy, Looking for a thinner one that does the job!

Hi all, I’m considering this hike in December this year. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but I’m extremely amateur and with only 2 months out is it realistic? Does anyone have any experience

Was thinking about summiting Mt Jefferson (Oregon) on Friday. The weather forecast is looking solid but I'm wondering how much snow is up there. Has any one been up there recently?

I recently replied to a post here about a rescue on Lenin Peak, sharing my perspective as someone who summited the mountain back in 2017.

That discussion prompted me to dig out my old expedition report and publish it on Substack. I also went through my old photos and videos and added quite a few to help illustrate what the mountain, the route, and life at high altitude are actually like.

The report covers everything from preparation, equipment, and acclimatisation to the logistics of getting there, conditions at the different camps, and the final summit push. It also includes some of the less glamorous aspects of spending more than three weeks on an expedition.

The original report helped a few teams prepare for their own attempts over the years, so I thought I'd share the English version here as well. Hopefully, someone considering Lenin Peak in the future will stumble upon it and find something useful.

The report was originally written in 2017, so some details, particularly prices, logistics, and records, may be outdated.

Full report: https://matejgjurkovic.substack.com/p/lenin-peak-7134-m-expedition-report

The Reddit discussion that prompted me to revisit it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mountaineering/s/YoUu2nrdVE

Happy to answer questions about the experience, although quite a few years have passed since my expedition!

Captured these shots on the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo (5,370m) in Bolivia, just as the sun was rising over the Andes.

I also captured some moving footage of this incredible moment. If you'd like to see what the mountain and sea of clouds looked like in motion, here's the video:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeW1QTIzrxr/

After months of travelling and climbing across South America, this turned out to be one of my favourite moments of the entire journey.

Standing on that narrow, snow-covered summit, surrounded by endless mountains and a sea of clouds glowing orange and gold, was something I'll never forget.

What made it even more special was how quiet the mountain was. Hardly another climber around, just the mountains and an incredible sunrise.

California’s Eastern Sierra

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I know the term is mostly used in rock climbing but come to think about it, has anyone really done most or all of the peaks without ascenders, fixed lines from other groups, or ladders ?

Hello,

I’m looking to book a Mt Toubkal trip for a private group of 3-4 people next February.

We aren’t looking for equipment hire or porters, just the two days and the night in the refuge.

Has anyone got any recommendations for guides?

Many thanks.

I was here last weekend in the Southern French Alps at 2700m. The hiking route showed a mountain pass on top of this slope at around 2800m, but I couldn't find anything that ressembled as a route. It was all crumbly small rocks and sand. The conditions were a bit wet(north facing slope)since it snowed a fine patch of fresh snow 2 days earlier, and the humid sand seemed a bit like clay. In this scenario I think if there ever was a hiking route it was covered by the constant downward drift of the debris.

I was only equipped with mountain trail shoes and hike batons so I could insert my feet properly into the crumbly rocks and sand to have enough adherence. If I fell, it wasn't very slippery and I could do a self arrest with the batons to not go all the way down. Still I think the slope was around 50-60°.

So I decided to turn back. But the question remains, how do you climb this ? I think proper alpinist shoes with a rigid sole to really kick into the surface and get enough grip. Or maybe even crampons and an ice axe ? Or is that a bit overkill ?

I recently finished painting this mountain lake, and I thought you guys might appreciate it! 🏔️

I swear, no matter how hard you try, it's almost impossible to capture just how breathtaking mountains are in real life. But I hope I managed to capture at least a little bit of that magic!

What do you think? Does it remind you of somewhere you've been?

Hello all,

Let me begin by saying that I'm an idiot and shouldn't have done what led to me asking this question.

I recently (October 5) did a summit and circumnavigation of Mount Septimus on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. I have extensive experience in trail running, navigating backcountry routes, and class 2/3 climbing. At one point in my route I was descending the Northern gully and was stopped by a pack of ice that blocked the entire gully. The walls of the gully were too steep for me to safely navigate around, I would not have been able to return the way I had come (I'd carefully slid down a patch of ice earlier in the route and was not equipped to climb back up the ice), and did not have the ability, equipment, or experience to traverse this patch of glacier.

So, what did I do? Whether it was a brush of luck or the Devil luring me, there was a glacial tunnel that cut through the glacier. It was about 25 feet wide and 10 feet high, with a smooth ceiling that was slick with water and dripping in scattered areas. I could see what I'd imagined to be an exit point about 100 feet down the gully. The gully was about 40 degrees steep. I entered the glacier and descended. There were several chunks of ice the size of large sofas scattered around, but the ground was otherwise completely exposed, with the exception of a small stream winding down along the rocks. There was not an exit where I'd hoped for one, and I continued deeper into the tunnel. After another 400 feet of descending the tunnel, I found an exit to the left that took me to exposed rock and navigable terrain. From where I exited, the tunnel seemed to extend at least another 300 feet, but my line of sight was blocked because of the steepness of the gully. All told, I was in the cave for about 3 minutes.

I know what I did was incredibly reckless. I did not treat the glacier with the respect it deserved and could have lost my life. I know I need to learn much, much more before returning anywhere near a glacier. Here are my questions:
- Just how reckless was this? Was this akin to pushing one's climbing ability beyond their ability and risking death, or was it near-suicide?
- How rare is an ice tunnel like this to encounter? I can't seem to find anything online that describes a tunnel like I went through.
- Where do you draw the line on calling Search & Rescue? It would have been a hit to my ego to call in SAR when I had not explored all my options, the final of which was choosing to enter the tunnel. But, a hurt ago is much more tolerable than not being alive.

Again, I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.