The Cascades of North America are a beautiful and diverse range of mountains.  These peaks, which range from sharp, granitic towers, to glaciated and crumbly volcanoes, extend all the way from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon - all the way to Northern California.  
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And if you live in the Portland, OR area - there’s one Cascade peak that dominates the horizon - Wy’East or Mount Hood as it’s commonly known.
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The mountain, which is a dormant volcano - is a literal playground for outdoor enthusiasts, from skiers, snowboarders, hikers - and of course, mountaineers.  
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Although Wy’East is climbed thousands of times every year up it’s easier routes, some lines offer a more challenging experience - like the Eliot Glacier, and Sandy Glacier headwalls.  But no technical route is more sought after, and perhaps feared, than the Yocum Ridge.

First climbed in 1959 by Fred Becky and co., The west-facing serrated, knife-edge ridge - which splits the Reid and Sandy Glaciers, is a route for experienced alpinists - as it requires glacier travel skills, in addition to advanced snow and ice climbing techniques.  The ridge is made up of 3 distinct gendarmes (or towers) composed of crumbly, volcanic rock.  The top of the route is blocked by a massive, rime coated headwall, which is often skirted to the right or left.  
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Of the unique conditions needed to climb the Yocum Ridge, Jeff Thomas, author of Oregen High: A climbing guide, writes, “Rotten rock towers guard it’s crest.  They cannot be climbed unless they are covered with a thick layer of rime ice.” He goes on to say, “Contrary to what common sense would dictate, rime ice is more solid than the rock on the Yocum Ridge.  The catch is that rime is often impossible to protect.  Take your ice tools, pickets, and other technology, but know that on this route the old advice still holds true; the leader must not fall.”
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So it was with this mindset, that pacific northwest based alpinists Nick Sweeney and Kyle Tarry, set off to climb the Yocum in early March of this year.  I recently got a chance to speak with Nick about the route - which turned out to be a significant, and once in a lifetime experience.
(Cover Photo: Kyle Tarry)
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Music by Evan Phillips
www.evanphillipsmusic.com
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Fast Times at Yocum Ridge

A check in with The Firn Line community during the Covid-19 pandemic.  These conversations and clips were gathered between March 22-28, 2020. 
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Stay safe and take care of each other.
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Music by Evan Phillips
www.evanphillipsmusic.com
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Links:
www.patreon.com/thefirnline
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Sponsors:
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In It Together

Last week I sat down for a remote chat with Valdez, Alaska-based ice climber, Ryan Sims.  Ryan is an Engineer with the Valdez Fire Department, but when he’s not putting out fires, both literally and figuratively, he’s part of a new generation of crushers in the ice mecca of Valdez and Thompson Pass, where some of the best ice climbing in North America exists.  
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But last month, Ryan teamed up with another Alaskan, the seasoned alpine zen-master, Sam Johnson, to do some exploratory first ascents far from Valdez.  Supported with grants from Xplore Alaska and Summit Sealants, the team started out in Sam’s hometown of Seward, Alaska - where they made the second ascent of Blood Moon, and the first ascent of Varcolaci - which are both technical 245 meter routes.
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From there, the duo flew down to Juneau, where they chartered a helicopter and flew into the Suicide Basin - a remote ice and mixed climbing arena on the Mendenhall Glacier.  It was there in February 2012, that Sam, Tim Banfield, and the late Ryan Johnson, established a classic grade V ice route called Bathtime For Toaster.   Sam and Johnson returned again in 2018, 6 weeks before Ryan’s passing, climbing a route called Path Of The Fallen - which turned out to be Ryan’s second to last first ascent.
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This time, Sam and Ryan Sims headed into the Suicide basin, to see if they could establish another new line.  Landing in the shady and bitterly cold amphitheater, the team quickly set up their basecamp, then headed for the rime-coated wall.  Here’s Ryan’s account of the route they climbed. A route they named Infinite Jester, in honor of Ryan Johnson.
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Music by Evan Phillips
www.evanphillipsmusic.com
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Links:
www.patreon.com/thefirnline
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Trip Report: Infinite Jester

A podcast about the lives of mountain climbers.

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