Winter's Fury! (note on avalache safety included)

I made an ascent of Iron Mountain yesterday. A very steep off-trail adventure that turned out to be more of a challenge than I expected for a 5-hour late afternoon romp. I was faced with some of the most brutal conditions I've experienced recently in the wilderness with lots of fresh snow, temps hovering between 0 and 10 degrees and the winds recorded over 40mph with my Bruton Atmospheric Data recorder (www.brunton.com). My face was a solid coat of ice the whole time I was up there. The windslabs were everywhere and avalanching constantly so I had to pick and choose my route carefully to avoid a longer plunge as one after another gave way. I had initially made the ascent to capture a beautiful sunset and fresh snow, but given the conditions I came away with some more violent dipictions of the weather and terrain. This is one of Iron Mountain's famous 'spikes', about 200 feet high and overhanging vertical. Iron mountain is the erroded central plug of one of the first Cascade's Volcanos.

Thanks for looking.

5D, 17-40 at 17mm, 1/250 sec. at F14. ISO 100.

This is about the most dramatic, bestest shot ever! I really love the action you captured.

wow.. I'm too much of a FWP...

I couldn't resist sharing this one also, from the summit ridge. Any preferences? This one 1/500 sec. at F/14, ISO 200.

both equally and uniquely presented.. leaning towards 2....

Ned. I'm an idiot FWP?

Fair weather photographer... that's me! Seriously good, shots though.. wish I was 20 years younger... Would you be interested in shooting some May waterfalls and streams with me this year?

Absolutely, Ned. I couldn't pass up shooting waterfalls with Ned 'falls' Fenimore.

The first one is a nice footnote but the second one is a real photograph, Marc. I know you are, but be careful out there.

I tend to agree with you, Mark. I processed the first image you see here before the second, thinking it was going to be the defining shot for that evening - probably because it had a big freaking spike in it. But the second one has grown on me. I liked the sweeping curves more than I did when I made the image up there, mostly because I was simutaneously concentrating on not being blown onto an avalanching cornice. Two steps to my right, and that's all she wrote I think the second is probably one of the most powerful and telling images I've managed to capture. All it needed was a second climber struggling up the ridge! I should have invited you, Mark.

Geesh dude! Both are so different. I cant pick one. Well, maybe I can...the second one has more of a view that I enjoy. The first one makes me feel like I am gonna get pelted with snow. Both would be wonderful in a book of mountainscapes.

oh yeah...your freakin nuts man. Being 100% Norwegian, I love the cold weather...but just cant do something like this ever. I'm just now building more courage so I can higher up mountains in the summertime. That day across from Rainier has me wanting to do more of that, but I know I was a bit of a wimp then.

Yeah, Marc, give me a call, I'd be up for some suffering.

The first shot - I was like ' holy god man, what an unforgiving place' - that lone spike depicts what it feels like to 'stand' in such conditions. Great shot

Was 18 degrees here in Olympia this am and Puget Sound had a sheet of ice on it. So I can relate.
Both are nice BW. I prefer POV of 2nd shot but they both covey winter wonderland.

Ya know, both of these are totally freaking awesome and really show the cold and brutal power of winter. There is no way to choose one as a favorite. They tell 2 different stories - they almost don't look like they came from the same outing. #1 has more sense of danger and raw power coming right at you. #2 is more the grand vista with serious weather happening around you. Both are awesome... B&W really adds punch to these... color wasn't happening at all ??

holy crap, that looks absolutely insane. Man, I can imagine the gear you have to have for that, how do you keep your camera operating in that stuff?

I must say #1 is my favorrite, the foreground is much more interesting I think, and the way the snow/clouds seem to be exploding towards one make it seem like some sort sci-fi novel illustration of an icy planet. You also have the contrasts of soft snow and the hard rocks.

That looks like some pretty serious crap, try not to die.

John, there was plenty of color happening later and I got some decent pictures of it, just not from here. These were my most powerful images from the evening. The sunset shots had to be above treeline due to furious winds and issues with tree movement/shutter speed.

Andy, keeping the camera operating wasn't too hard. It was so cold that everything was very dry. I would open up my camera case and have all my lenses covered with powder in a half-second, but it was easy to shake off, as it wasn't sticky. I can usually handle a camera with no filters with very thick gloves on, and fortunately, I never had to get GND's, polarizers or anything else on the lens. I wore several layers on the way up and once I reached the summit I put a huge parka over everything.

Marc, thanks for taking me to a place I could never go. These images are spectacular, particularly the ridge shot. I like how the snow draws your eye into the distance. And I get vertigo looking "over" the right edge. Great work, and incredible endurance. I don't know how you avoid frostbite.

Marc,

Sub-freezing cold and strong winds, I'll grant you. I'm all for braving some really unpleasant conditions in order to photograph (or even just experience) some wonderful area. And you do some amazing work in some lousy conditions.

Dodging avalanche slabs as they give way??? You're seriously out of your mind. If an artist's work jumps in value after his/her demise, your stuff sounds like a pretty good short-term investment. If I told you these shots suck (even though it'd be an obvious lie), would it help pursuade you not to kill yourself? At a certain point, you've gotta give Nature her due respect; I don't care how competent you are in the backcountry, sane people notice they're on or below an unstable slope and cautiously retreat. You obviously don't need me to tell you how to live your life, and please don't take offense, but you might want to think about professional help. Soon.

Whew! Sorry. Had to get that out of my system. Take the above for what it's worth.

To be honest, these shots are spectacular, especially the second. The lighting on the ridge is perfect (though I shudder to think how you made it down).

I'd like to see the first scene under more hospitable conditions. Is it reasonable to camp in the area in the summer?

-- Sean

Marc,
They are both retty dam awesome. Iagree with everything Sean says.

Sean, I think you misunderstood my above comments. "Wind slaps avalanching" is just a reference to a hard slap of wind-blown snow breaking off a firm layer below. This can happen anywhere. Had I been traversing an open bowl, I would have never considered it due to the danger of a larger avalanche. However, Iron Mountain - along my route - is mostly forested with only a few small clearings in the trees despite it's steep terrain. The heavily forested areas prevent larger avalanches from occuring - the kind that could kill you. Still, it was annoying to constantly have the snow I was standing on break away. I'm smart enough to not take chances with my life over a picture. On this evening there was almost as much danger being killed driving icy roads as there was on that mountain.

Marc, you are a good human for braving the elements for shots like these to bring home share as we view them from our warm houses!!!!!

Both Excellent shots.......and spring waterfalls sure sound good right now!!!