ONLINE MAPS &
COMMON SENSE
PROCEDURES
P assion for mountains
E nthusiasm for 5000 ft
A dventurous scrambling
K omradery for camping
S nacks to share



Come with the right equipment for the hike. E.g. back-packs have to have straps to carry snowshoes and ice axes as well. Learn how to put the snowshoes on your boots BEFORE the hike. Realize that you end up on a mountain and weather changes. Have hat and gloves etc with you!!!!

For recommended equipment, click "eSHOP" above. Thanks

Helpful Maps

1: TRY: Online Maps:

  • A great new tool is mapper.acme.com. You can see Topo-maps in detail and print them, as well as satellite pictures, so you can discover forest roads, clear cuts and how to mountain looks like before you go, and plan your route accordingly.

  • Another Bird's View and side View is at Bing's Maps.

  • Wikimapia is another great mapping service.


  • Some Recommened Procedures

    1: Before becoming lost, wet exhausted and tired: Bivouac!

    Stay dry in your bivi-bag, regain your strength and fight getting home another day!

    2: Stay together and insight!

  • Stay together, the slowest one setting the pace! The idea is to all get to the top.

  • This avoids getting split up and lost. Besides, it's no fun to hike alone.

  • If you friends don't wait for you, look for other friends!!
  • 3: Crossing Avalanche Slopes: DO NOT! IF YOU DO, take precautions

  • Wear a avalanche beacon ($200+) or drag a 50ft red Avalanche Cord ($4 at Lowe's)

  • Always SPACE OUT, so only ONE gets into an avalanche! Most common mistake is to bunch up. Spacing out is difficult in bad weather.

  • Open your waist strap of the back-pack. The last thing you want is having a heavy backpack to deal with.

  • Loosen your ski-pole straps to throw them away. Have warm cloth, hat and gloves on.

  • We sure you know how to open skis or snowshoes fast, they act like anchors and drag you down.

  • If an avalanche is coming, loose your pack and run downhill, 45% out of it's path.

  • If you are getting into an avalanche, get rid of your pack, skis and snowshoes.

  • If you are ON a slab avalanche try to get to THE TOP to jump off.

  • If you see a dust avalanche coming, fear the pressure more than the snow. Make a ball and cover your face, hold your nose and mouth shut.

  • If you are in a normal avalanche, swim for your life! Stay on top at all cost. If you do get dragged into it, put your elbows together and in front of you face to keep an air pocket.

  • Bystanders WATCH the person in the avalanche and mark the disappearance point with a reference point on the slope. So you later know the last spot you could see your friend.
  • 4: How to dress!

  • If you encounter snow, and/or want to slide down (which is faster and safer than walking if you know how to self-arrest with ski-poles or an ice-axe), or rain, and have to hike afterwards... please consider dressing with none-cotton cloth, plus have these available. (Newer folks regularily get wet, and it could stop a hike sooner or later...At the very least, it make you miserable.

  • Polypro Underwear, so you don't run around wet in sensitive areas.

  • Polypro/DuoFold-CoolMax up/down long underwear, or warmer long thermal wear with water repellent material.

  • Quick dry pants, preferably with detachable legs

  • Fleece pants with side zippers for extra warmth to put over your pants. The side-zippers are essential, so you don't have to take your shoes off in a snow storm!!! I sew mine myself, as I couldn't find them with side zippers.

  • Rain pants with side zippers for wind/rain/snow slide protection. The side-zippers are essential, so you don't have to take your shoes off in a snow storm!!!

  • Second long underwear/polypro/sweatshirt (out of polypro) is great for more warmth Any other warm cloth to keep you warm while walking slowly, or waiting for others to move on!

  • Fleece with a hood is great for upper body while resting and for a bivi.

  • Rain jacket.

  • SHOES: Unless they are plastic, they will all leak, sooner or later. There are some non-plastics that seem ok, and the heavier - they better in snow. They should be crampon ready, which light hiking shoes are not. (Marmot in Bellevue has used plastics, and new ones too, I have some too 37/38) For scrambling and off trail and snow, light ankle high hiking shoes really are not appropriate! If you do use them, have extra socks amd ziplock bags with you so you can change into dry socks, and keep them dry.

  • Good gaitors keep water out when it rains too! (Gaitors are inside the rain pants)

  • Anything packed in your back-pack has to be in plastic bags! No, you pack-pack isn't water tied either. Have etxra dry cloth always in your back-pack. IF you wear everything in the snow storm, you need more to change later, or bivi dry!!

  • I don't have the best raingear, but the rest is pretty good and light, and all have side zippers, happy to show you.
  • 5: Have a useable backpack (no kidding!)

  • It must hold all your equipment, extra cloth, ice-axe and snowshoes! Try it out at home, not at the trail head!

  • While my backpack is laughed at, it is fully customized with attached bungee cords, to hold any amount of gear strapped outside, and done very fast as well.