dan_e

AdrClark and I climbed 2.5 pitches of what's being called center Skookum yesterday (what Wayne1112 climbed) I would say overall rating was 4-. We climbed 55m for the first two pitches and 25m on the last pitch before we bailed. There was about 40-50m more to climb. The river crossing is fine, just look for the huge area of large downed trees. We did not see where the party fell in, but we were glad that we did not go for a swim. It was a fun route, interesting for sure and it did require delicate moves during much of the climb. The ice was heavily layered, hollow and detached from the rock in many places. There was also a good covering of snow on the ice, even on the steep sections. Belays were decent and as luck would have it there was solid ice for good anchors. You could here water running in many sections and I punched through in a few spots down low where the ice was clearly detached from the rock. I managed to get a few decent screws in, but most were crap. I wish we could have finished this route, but I don't regret backing off. This was good start to the season for me. Here's a pic of AdrCLark on a short, but exposed traverse at the end on P2. I ran this pitch out so it was either a full hanging belay or semi-hanging so I opted for the later.

I am up for some ice tomorrow, I sent you a PM.

Wayne I sent you a PM.

Looking to climb close by, Exit 38 or Alpental. Send PM if interested. I lead and have a rack/ropes.

The newest Cobras have 100% carbon fiber shafts and are quite strong. I am getting them next season to use mainly on alpine routes since the Nomics are a bit out of place in that world and they also don't no hammers.

Items has been sold.

This tent is still available to any who are interested. Sorry I did not respond earlier to those who were interested.

Brand new, never been used tent. This is the last of the production branded eVent tents. If you're not familiar with eVent do some research and you will learn that it's one of the best breathable fabrics ever created. Specs (weights are from my results, not the manufacturer). Total Weight: 6.43 lbs (includes stuff sack, poles, pole repair sleeve, 8 stakes, Guyout cord and condensation curtain) Minimum Weight: 5.48 lbs Tent Body: 4.38 Poles: 1.1 Stakes/Guyout Cord, Pole Repair Sleeve: .36 Stuff Sack: .37 Condensation Curtain: .22 Read a decent review here: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/nemo_tenshi_tent_review.html

I am glad you all seem to like it more than me, at least you are getting your moneys worth!

I bought this jacket back in late November and I've had it out in about every type of winter condition this season. Here's what I found: Waterproofness: Average to Poor (yes, I know this jacket is not designed for full on rain, still with Cloudveil making this claim: "Cloudveil's classic "do-anything" 9 days out of 10 mountain jacket". I have to say "Yeah right!" Apparently they have not tested it in the PNW!) Breathability: Average (This was a tough call, mainly because it seems like the jacket breaths fairly well, but pit zips would still be a good idea. Also, it feels clamy to me even with a thin poly top on, something that I do not feel with gore-tex, it almost feels like it's absorbing the moisture more than venting it. Durability: Good (So far nothing has torn, no stitching problems, ect.) Overall, I still like the jacket, but IMO this jacket and Schoeller material has a limited use to very dry days and with light layers underneath. I will not use this jacket on an ice climb unless I can see that it's not dripping wet. I wore it in the Rockies one day and the first pitch looked bone dry so I though I was good, until 1/2 way up the second pitch when the climb turned really wet and there was not a dry line to be found! I could have been screwed, but luckily it was -17 C that day so the water just froze to the outside of the jacket and I turned into a giant popscicle! If it had been warmer, I would have been soaked and hypothermic in a matter of minutes. I wore this jacket more than I had intended, because my old gore-tex jacket I used for ice was trashed and my other one is way too bulky. I plan to try the Arc'Teryx Beta SL jacket next season. I tried one on this year and I was amazed at how well it fits and it's super light! Dan E.

I finally switched over to all BD ice clippers this season from using the Trango's. The biggest problem with the Trango model is that slings, leashes, and just about anything else were getting clipped in to them! I have not had this problem with the BD model. Also, Grivel screws rack nicely on the BD clippers. I have three on my Blizzard harness and I do not rack more than four screws at a time. Sure you can always use a bent gate biner, but the BD unit stays put and works even better on the Blizzard harness which has a few spots just for the clipper. I think that I finally have a near perfect system for racking gear on my harness! Dan E.

Dru, Haven't heard that story, care to elaborate? Dan E.

Nope, I was there this morning and there were no tracks up to Chair Peak Basin, I was really surprised since there were tons of tracks obove Source Lake. Dan E.

"the pine candle sounds nice, or maybe a Gramicci Cotton t-shirt...hmmmm..maybe some Chukar Cherries, or a little something from the Art Wolfe store" That's a good one Allison! I used to be so anti-REI, until I gave in. Hey you can't really blame them, they are successful and there are people who want to buy that crap. We all know the sell some decent gear and hell you can't beat that return policy! I am happy to say I used my dividend to buy a pair of 5.10 Spire rock shoes and a spacious two-man, three season Mountain Hardware tent for car camping, ect. Long live the evil corporate giants of WA (REI, MICROSOFT and of course STARBUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!) Dan E.

"the pine candle sounds nice, or maybe a Gramicci Cotton t-shirt...hmmmm..maybe some Chukar Cherries, or a little something from the Art Wolfe store" That's a good one Allison! I used to be so anti-REI, until I gave in. Hey you can't really blame them, they are successful and there are people who want to buy that crap. We all know the sell some decent gear and hell you can't beat that return policy! I am happy to say I used my dividend to buy a pair of 5.10 Spire rock shoes and a spacious two-man, three season Mountain Hardware tent for car camping, ect. Long live the evil corporate giants of WA (REI, MICROSOFT and of course STARBUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!) Dan E.

I went up to Chair Peak Basin and made it to the ridge, but my attempts of soloing the N or NE Face were thwarted by very strong winds (20 to 30 mph with higher gusts) and blowing snow, this combined with a -25 or so windchill was enough to send my non-gore tex equipped ass back to the car! Two guys I know bailed as well (equipped in a similar fashion), but two other guys from Pro Mountain Sports may have given it a go. Snow conditions on the approach were okay, but snowshoes needed for sure. Some man-made slides from glissading. Hard to tell how the North Face looked, but the NE Face looks really nice, again hard to say what the snow of the face was like. it was fun just being up there today, it was pretty cold in the am and I got some nice shots alpenglow on the surrounding peaks. Check out my post in Spray named "Unthankful Backcountry Skier" some people, you will be amazed! Dan E.

While desending from the Chair Peak basin back to Source Lake a couple of guys I know were stopped by a skier who had dropped down one of the steep chutes up and to the left of Source Lake with his dog, the problem was the dog (the smart one) did not follow him down and was several hundred feet above the base of the chute. So he asked for help and one of the guys who graciously let the guy borrow his ice tools (one being a Cobra I might add) and crampons so he could get his dog. The chute had a small section of ice in the middle and the dog was about 100' or so above this section. So the guy manages to get past the ice to the dog (apparently he was not an ice climber, since he remarked earlier "Oh, you have those technical tools?!"). We missed it, but he either tossed the dog or the dog jumped past the steep section to land into soft powder, still a good distance to fall. The dog appeared unharmed (lucky for the guy) and shook itself off and started to wag its tail. So the guy downclimbs in a bumblie manner, but makes it down to his skis unscathed. He then skied down to us, tossed the bundle of tools and crampons at our feet and then mumbled some half-hearted thank you. I asked him what the hell he was doing bringing a dog into that type of terrain and he replied "I did not know what I was getting into" We were all a bit shocked and I was pissed, but I held back my true East Coast temper, since the guy was clearly brain dead anyway. I just wanted to share this story with the board and if the skier happens to be on this board and reads this message, I would like to add that we should have taken your dog from you since you clearly don't deserve having such a cool pet and the next time someone offers you help you might try being a bit more thankful and appreciative!

Of course I could have just looked on the web! Looks like a fish scale would work fine and they are a bit more modern (digital models) now.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap, fairly accurate scale for weighing gear? I would prefer something that I can hang gear on and I thought about using a fish scale, but I am not sure how accurate they are? Any advise would be much appreciated! Dan E.

I attempted Drury yesterday with J.P. yesterday. The upper falls looked good and fat from the road last week so I though it was worth a shot. Here's the brief story: My hopes of climbing Drury this season were abruptly crushed after toping out on the first pitch only to find the second pitch to be a running water waterfall! We were able to see that the upper pitches are formed, but super mushroomed (looks like much more technical climbing than last season). The finish looked nice on a steep column. I am not saying the route is unclimbable. I am not sure, but it may be possible to avoid the second pitch around to the right, up past that big tree near the rock face. We were climbing in less than ideal conditions, it was warm (38 deg.) and there was some minor icefall on nearby drips. Avi danger was minimal, but there were some small slides. The approach was difficult (deep post-holing) after caching the snowshoes and crossing the drainage. There were many open spots in the ice were water was running hard, including a spot on the bottom of the first pitch. All that being said we were still happy to have at least attempted it this season, we saw no evidence of recent river crossings and there were no tracks (human) heading up to the drainage. I think Drury will have to wait until next season, unless maybe we get another spell of cold weather. Dan E. Ice Addict at Large [ 02-18-2002: Message edited by: dan e ]

It's all been sold. Dan E.

All this talk of friction is getting me jazzed to climb at Static Point again this season! I don't know about all of these suggested techniques on friction falls, but when I climb friction I have the same mind set as when I climb ice and that is DON'T FALL! My only other suggestion is stick to bomber granite when climbing friction (areas like the Apron, Squamish, Static Point, and of course Whitehorse Slabs in New Hampshire). I've climbed at Peshastin and the rock is less than ideal, I don't have any desire to go back. I've seen people do 50' full body slides back east on granite (lots of friction) and it's not pretty, yes lots of skin loss. The worst feeling on friction is what I call the "dreaded crunchies", this is when you put your foot on a small crystal of rock that literally crumbles under your foot! Dan E.

I love these biners, but I was recently surprised to see the gates sticking on some of my Hotwires! You would think this would never happen to these biners, but it did. Of course they are going on five years now, so I guess some dirt/grime has worked its way into the hole where the wire is attached. To fix the problem I used my lube of choice (silicon spray) since it cleans and will not attract dirt like some others (WD-40 for example). The gates are now smooth as silk! Dan E.

Okay, check out my new low prices! Please help me get rid of this gear so I can eat this week Thanks, Dan E.

Okay, I am reducing the prices a bit to help this stuff sell, my loss is YOUR GAIN! Grivel Rambo Crampons in Dual Point configuration w/ front points. $60 (crampons and front points are in good shape, sharp, and not rusty. The monos are a bit more worn and are just an extra). (2) BD 10 cm Ice Screws (non-express style) $20 each. These screws have been used once or twice, but the teeth are in near perfect condition and no rust. (1) BD 22 cm Ice Screw (non-express style) $15A bit more use on this one, but teeth still in good shape and finish is still decent. Email or PM if interested. THese prices are non-negotiable and will not be reduced further. Dan E. [ 02-10-2002: Message edited by: dan e ]