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A North Sister winter solo

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Images Copyright© 2002-2006 by Tom Michaelis.
All Rights Reserved.

 

Note:  All of the interesting images on this page were given to me by my friend Tom Michaelis. They were taken on film in February 2001 on one of his winter solo attempts on North Sister, the most difficult and dangerous of the Three Sisters Wilderness peaks, located very near Bend, Oregon. Tom used his snow machine to gain legal non-wilderness access to the North Ridge of the Peak, then made a light and fast snow shoe and crampon and ice axe ascent but was thwarted that day by fragile ice at the summit.

Although he loves to solo alpine peaks, Tom is one of my safest and most considerate climbing partners. Tom has solo summited Mount Jefferson more than a dozen times! --Webmeister

 

 

 

 

Read more . . .

  MOST RECENT ACCIDENTS
Three Finger Jack - OSU student falls on steep scree slope
Mount Huntington's West Face by Coley Gentzel ©2005 by AAI. All Rights Reserved
Solo climber falls from Cooper Spur on Mount Hood
Climber dies on the steep snow slopes of Mount McLaughlin
Warning!! **Climbers swept by avalanche while descending North Sister's Thayer Glacier Snowfield
Mt. Whitney's East Face Route is quicker!
Mt. Whitney's Mountaineer's Route requires skill and experience
Report: R.J. Secor seriously injured during a runaway glissade
    Mount Rainer . . . eventually, with R.J. Secor by Tracy Sutkin
Warning!! ** Belayer drops climber off the end of the top rope
Runaway glissade fatal for Mazama climber on Mt. Whitney
Sierra Club climb on Middle Palisade fatal for Brian Reynolds
Smith Rock - Fall on rock, protection pulled out
Mount Washington - Report to the American Alpine Club on a second accident in 2004
Mount Hood - Solo hiker drowns while crossing Mt. Hood's Sandy River
Mount Hood - Solo climber slides into the Bergschrund and is found the following day
Notable mountain climbing accidents analyzed 
Mount Washington - Report to the American Alpine Club on the recent fatal accident
Mount Washington - "Oregon tragedy claims two lives"
Mount Jefferson - two climbers rescued by military helicopter
North Sister - climbing with Allan Throop

  MOUNT HOOD
Mount Hood - Solo climber falls from Cooper Spur
Mount Hood - climbing accident claims three lives -Final Report and our Analysis 
Notable mountain climbing accidents Analyzed 
Mount Hood - Solo hiker drowns while crossing Mt. Hood's Sandy River
Mount Hood - Solo climber slides into the Bergschrund and is found the following day
Mount Hood - The Episcopal School Tragedy
Mount Hood - experienced climbers rescued from snow cave
Mount Hood - a personal description of the south side route
Mount Hood - fatal avalanche described by Climbing Ranger
Mount Hood - avalanche proves fatal for members of Mazamas climbing group
Mount Hood - snowboard rider dies on Cooper Spur
Mount Hood - fatal fall on snow, Cooper Spur Route
Mount Hood - fatal fall on snow from the summit
Mount Hood - climb shows the need for knowledge
Mount Hood - climb ends in tragedy
Mount Hood - rescue facilitated by use of a VHF radio

  THE THREE SISTERS MARATHON
The Five Sisters Marathon by Pat Creedican
North Sister and Middle Sister spring summits on telemark skis 
Middle Sister and North Sister exploratory

  BROKEN TOP
Solo backcountry ski to Broken Top Bowl and return
McArthur Rim - responsible climber slips on steep hard snow
A fine winter summit of Broken Top by Eric Seyler
Broken Top - climber disappears
Broken Top - climber slips on hard snow

  MIDDLE SISTER
Middle Sister - climb proves need for equipment and experience

  NORTH SISTER
Climbers swept by avalanche while descending North Sister's Thayer Glacier Snowfield
North Sister - climbing with Allan Throop
North Sister - accident report to the American Alpine Club
North Sister fatal accident news reports
North Sister and Middle Sister spring summits on telemark skis
North Sister, North Ridge by Sam Carpenter
North Sister, the Martina Testa Story, by Bob Speik
North Sister, SE Ridge solo by Sam Carpenter

  SMITH ROCK
Warning!! ** Belayer drops climber off the end of the top rope
Smith Rock - Fall on rock, protection pulled out
Smith Rock - WARNING - belayer drops climber off the end of the top rope
Smith Rock - inadequate top rope belay
Smith Rock - climber injured on the approach
Smith Rock - WARNING - belayer drops climber off the end of the top rope
Smith Rock - belay error - novice sport climber injured
Smith Rock - fall on rock, protection pulled out
Smith Rock - fall on rock - poor position, inadequate protection
Smith Rock - pulled rock off - fall on rock, failure to test holds, exceeding abilities
Smith Rock - belay error - fatal fall on rock

  MOUNT WASHINGTON
Mount Washington - Report to the American Alpine Club on a second accident in 2004
Mount Washington - Report to the American Alpine Club on the recent fatal accident
Mount Washington - Oregon tragedy claims two lives
Injured climber rescued from Mount Washington
Mount Washington - fall on rock, protection pulled out
Playing Icarus on Mount Washington, an epic by Eric Seyler

  THREE FINGER JACK
Three Finger Jack - OSU student falls on steep scree slope
Climbing Three Finger Jack, a deceptively dangerous fifth class summit
Three Finger Jack
Three Finger Jack experience by Ben Siebel
A violent fall on Three Finger Jack by Julie Zeidman
A violent fall in Spain on caught on video    mpeg file  - WARNING - This may be disturbing! The climbers did recover.
Three Finger Jack - fatal slip on snow patch

  MOUNT JEFFERSON
Mount Jefferson - two climbers rescued by military helicopter
Mount Jefferson - climbing accident recounted
Mount Jefferson - downclimb proves fatal to solo climber

  MOUNT ADAMS
A fine Mount Adams summit by Paul Chance
Mount Adams, a fine traditional alpine mountaineering summit

 

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