AJ

I've never climbed there, but Sandia Peak is visible from town (Albuquerque) and pretty accessible (you can even take "the world's longest aerial tram" to the top). There are quite a few climbs on that mountain and others in the area. I'm going to be there in early April for a conference. If I remember to ask around I'll post what I find.

I don't own the PMI Fusion 1/2 rope system, but I did do some checking on the numbers. I don't understand how their ropes rate so much higher that everyone else's 1/2 ropes. However, remember how they said they did their testing. The UIAA test for a 1/2 rope tests a single strand with a 55 kg (about 120 lb.) mass. However, the UIAA test for a single rope uses an 80 kg (about 180 lb.) mass. Both use a fall factor of 1.71 and test the rope in consecutive drops until failure occurs. All that said - 17 falls is still more than the competition is reporting, but it isn't going to sway me much. For what it is worth - the BlueWater 8.6 mm Excellence is reported at 47.7 g/m, with an impact force of 6.3 kN (using a single 55 kg mass) and is fall rated at "9-9-9" (not sure what BlueWater is trying to convey here). Oh, the BlueWater is a little less stretchy - only 7.6% static elongation vs. 9% for PMI. The PMI has less sheath slippage - 0mm vs. 4mm for the BlueWater. Sterling's 8.8mm half rope system is slightly heavier and has performance numbers slightly in between the BlueWater and PMI. I've had friends who owned PMI ropes and liked them. They seem to make a good product. If you really want doubles I'm sure you will be happy with their system.

The shop in Fremont is Dave Page, Cobbler. IMHO, he does good work.

I bought some DMM cams last year (by the way, they work great). The instructions that came packaged with them had some new CE warnings, etc. Anyway, from what I recall they recommended a useful life of 10 years maximum (depending on wear). It is probably a swag, but they seemed to be concerned that some damage will accumulate with use and you should eventually retire them. So, if your cams are old and you have "any" doubts - retire them. If your cams are in good shape, you feel comfortable climbing on them and you just want them re-slung I hear that OnSight in Squamish, BC does good work and pretty inexpensive. I recall a past partner getting them to do some custom work on the slings for a pretty reasonable cost.

Back to the original couple questions you asked, unless you have a stong reason to suspect that someone will be using your anchor right away - assume that you are the only one who will use it. With that said you can probably forgoe the rap ring or quick link (or old carabiner) if you feel like it. (Everyone else covered the question of what to do if you come across an existing anchor and the ethics of littering.) For what it is worth - if you have retired an old rope (ideally 8 to 9mm) you might want to cut it up for V-thread anchors. The beefiness should give you some sense of security and if someone else happens to use your anchor for any reason it is less likely to be damaged after you pull your line. Always, IMHO.

I've tried quite a few techniques, but the only one that ever seems to really work is taking some time off and then starting back slowly. Most of my shinsplints were caused by too many miles, too fast and running them too hard. RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) has produced good results. I've known people who taped or used ACE bandages on their calves/shins to get through shinsplints, but it never worked for me. I'm sure you already thought of this, but are your shoes breaking down or do you need a differnent model? Since I found a brand that fits well and figured out I needed more motion control than cushioning I've had a lot fewer running related injuries. If you don't find a good PT you might want to check out some of the "free" medical advice in "ontherun.com"

Did the West Face on 2/25/01. There are enough hardpack snowshoe trails in Commonwealth Basin that we never needed snowshoes. We took a direct line up the west side in pretty good snow. Firm crust with softer snow below. (Mostly stable now, but beware with any coming storms.) A few rocks showing. Mostly easy plunge stepping on the way back down. Definitely a fun day and a great vantage for views north and east.

I might have to give the Kong fifi another try - I used one once a couple years ago, but found that the cord kept getting twisted when I would take it in or let it out. It never seemed to lengthen easily. Maybe I had it rigged in a sub-optimal way. I'm not a big fan of aiding either - seems like a lot of work to move so slow, but my brother seems to like it and he is bugging me to do a bigger trip with him. Hence, my research into the most painless and quick ways to aid.

A couple partners of mine carry third tools for this kind of work. Sometimes you will even see them advertised as "children's" ice tools. The only complaint is that they tend to be too short for much ice climbing and the head weight is too light for more than the occasional hammer use. Advantages are light weight, shorter length (won't poke you as much in a holster), and lower cost than carrying a true ice tool. If you get one I'd suggest using a very simple leash since the dedicated ice tool leashes tend to get in the way (tool swing is very short). I believe Grivel makes a pretty good tool.

My experience with this device is limited to two days this winter, but I liked it. We were using single ropes and I was able to lower my partner 50 meters smoothly and without having to use an extra change in direction. The device also worked well when belaying a second up a pitch. I never got to belay a leader, but the device doesn't lock up when you are pulling in slack and shouldn't when you are feeding slack through either. I'm still going to use my Trango Pyramid until I have enough time to decide if I like the Omega more. (I prefer the Trango Pyramid to the ATC, but I can understand why a lot of people like the ATC.) For what it is worth - the Metolius BRD is a pain and I would not recommend it.

Sorry, no experience with these crampons. I didn't think that Simond was distributed in the United States anymore. Simond makes some nice stuff (a buddy of mine bought a cool light-weight glacier walking axe recently) but I heard their costs after importing were too high to be competitive.

I was curious if anyone has tried the Yates (or anyone else's) adjustable Daisy Chain for aid climbing. Basically it is what I would describe as a motorcycle tie-down with a nylon loop at one end and a SMC descending ring at the other. It would seem to be easier than getting a fifi hook into a traditional webbing daisy chain, but...Anyway, this seems to be aid specific and wondered if it was worth the $.

I've got some older Motorola TalkAbout+ radios that I've been using for 3 years now. They have been really handy - especially skiing. My only complaint isn't an issue with the newer models - they used to have the channel selector buttons raised so if you bumped them they would change. I've found the range to be pretty good up to 2 miles. No real test beyond that.

Mike "Gator" Gauthier gave them a plug at a recent slide show (at The North Face store). He mentioned using a super lightweight bag in Alaska. Apparently you can get custom stuff pretty easily.

I've been using a Marmot Trango sweater with Polarguard 3D insulation for a while and it seems to work for me. I initially bought it because it would zip into my Marmot parka, but I've used it by itself plenty of times. The fit is large enough that it layers over other clothing well and although it lacks a hood it has kept me pretty warm for NW stuff. The shell is a thin nylon and soaks up water, but it hasn't been a problem. Lowe Alpine and MEC make some pretty beefy and reasonably priced true belay parkas if you really need a hood or a more durable shell and want to stay synthetic.

Does anyone have experience with Yates' pickets? Apparently it is a design they picked up in New Zealand and is supposed to be more secure than my trusty old MSR Coyote pickets. Second, has anyone found (many) times where a 2' MSR picket was not sufficient?

I think it depends on what skills you are trying to work on. If it is the ability to hang on to a "looks too small to hold" crimper or a greasy sloper then by all means the added security of bolt nearby helps. However, even though I enjoy sport climbing it has never done much to teach me about rope management, efficient racking, watching the weather, or numerous other skills that are important on bigger/harder mountain-style climbs. If you are looking to climb .10 in the mountains you will usually need some crack climbing skills - which (still) usually means being able to do it with gear. I know I usually consider myself a grade or two weaker on pure cracks than on face or friction climbs. I've met people who could climb .10 cold, off the couch and with almost no instruction. (I'm not one of those people.) I haven't met many who could rig a safe anchor, know when to turn around, or follow a Beckey topo unless they had been around the block.

I bought my BD Ice Clippers for $5 a piece and think they work great. A number of people I climb with have switched from the Charlet Moser & Trango ice clip versions to the BD because it is just easier to use and has a more positive racking feel. (A number of people seem to be concerned they won't re-rack without dropping a screw with the Moser/Trango versions.)

Sorry - I only have a paper copy. This was presented at the International Technical Rescue Symposium in Tuscon, AZ last October. I tried to find it on the web but wasn't able. There is a post by Tom Moyer on Fish's web site that summarizes his report (and some other good stuff about water knots)... http://www.fishproducts.com/tech/webbing.html Hope that helps.

I know this is slightly off the topic, but I just came across a paper titled "Comparative Testing of High Strength Cord" by Tom Moyer and Chris Harmston. Chris is the QA manager at Black Diamond and Tom is an active climber and mechanical engineer from the Salt Lake City area. Basically they set about testing various cord and webbing materials for use as cord-o-lettes. Their results were pretty interesting. The tensile strength of BD Gemini2 (Technora) and Maxim Spectra A were very high in a slow pull tensile test without any knots/bends. However, once they put a figure 8 knot in the material they decreased quickly. In their testing the hightest strength was Mountain Tools ultratape and then Sterling 7 mm nylon (perlon). Essentially the very stiff cord materials did not perform very well when tied. BD Gemini had a 60% reduction in strength when tied in a figure 8, but 7 mm nylon only had an 8% reduction (so it was still stronger than the technora material). They went on to try double and triple fisherman's knots and found that 7 mm nylon still outperformed technora, spectra and vectran cords (barely outperformed spectra/kevlar -- the Maxim Spectra A). They also found that Double Fisherman's and triple fisherman's knots did very well in Mtn. Tools Ultratape and standard 1" tubular webbing. The testers noticed that kevlar and spectra type materials had a consistent failure mode when tied in a double fisherman's -- the sheath breaks at the knot and the slippery core unties and pulls through the sheath. This didn't happen with a triple fisherman's and the strength of the loop was higher when tied with the triple. Also, in their testing they found that Mtn. Tools Ultratape tied with a standard water knot held almost as much as tied with either a double or triple fisherman's knot which surprised them since they thought it was too slippery to hold knots (they did caution that more testing needs to be done with other brands of slippery webbing). When they tested cord-o-lette stength they concluded that in both static and dynamic (drop) testing that 1" tubular worked best followed by Maxim Spectra A and 7 mm nylon. Finally when they tested cyclical bending of the material they found that the stiffer cords saw significant weakening with increased cycles. 1" tubular, Mtn. Tools ultratape and 7 mm nylon saw almost no loss of strength over 1000 cycles. What Tom Moyer concluded is that stiff cord can make a good chock cord since you desire a stiff material, but they make poor cord-o-lettes since you are never sure how much strength you have lost. He liked using webbing for cord-o-lettes like the "webolette" from Mtn. Tools since it is more compact and performed well, but it wasn't quite as strong has he wanted. However, he seemed to have a stong endorsement for using 7 mm nylon or 1" tubular since they are inexpensive, strong and available almost anywhere. Something to think about next time you are selecting the material for a cord or webbing based system.