About

I've been drawn to the mountains for as long as I can remember. What started as weekend hikes in the Cascades gradually became summit attempts, then glacier routes, then longer objectives that required more planning, more gear, and more honest self-assessment at the base of the approach.

I'm not a professional guide or a sponsored athlete. I'm a person who finds something essential in the mountains — clarity of purpose, a fair and legible set of risks, the particular satisfaction of moving through difficult terrain with people you trust.

This site is a record of that. Trip reports written close to the experience, while the specific weight of the rope and the exact quality of the light are still fresh. I try to write about what actually happened rather than what should have happened, and to be honest about the moments where judgment was tested.

Where I climb

Most of my climbing happens in the Cascades — Mount Rainier, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the North Cascades. I've spent time in the Alaska Range and have ambitions further afield. The Cascades are a remarkable range: volcanic giants with serious glacial complexity, technical rock routes at elevation, and conditions that change fast enough to keep you honest.

What this site is

Long-form trip reports, organized by mountain and tagged by type and conditions. The goal is a record that's useful to other climbers planning routes, honest enough to be worth reading, and detailed enough that I can look back at it years from now and remember what it felt like.

There's a gear section with notes on what I've found works — not a buying guide, just observations from use. And an RSS feed if you'd like to follow along.

Contact

The best way to reach me is through the subscribe page. I'm occasionally on Instagram @elliottnash.