freeclimb9

One of the first years I lived in Tucson, I was at a friends house helping to roast Farmer John chiles and can Jalapenos. I'd been handling a lot of the 'penos when the beer drinking caught up to me. I washed my hands with dish-soap first, but apparently didn't get all the hot-stuff off. A few minutes after peeing, a mild tingling sensation began. It soon grew to full-on burning, and had me running to the pool for some relief. I had welts on my pecker. Never a good sign.

quote: Originally posted by mattp: Lowell Skoog lists a 1980 descent as the first It was skied at least by 1971 by Doug Robinson et al.

The mylar ballons seem to have the most longevity --at least they're the easiest ones to spot on the hillside. I've found them while approaching climbs throughout the southwest and into northern Baja.

Fishing: A bimini twist and a Uni are all I really need. For light line, the Spider hitch and San Diego knots are preferred (<30#). The perfection comes in handy for heavy leader and the Allbright is important to know also. Climbing: figure 8, water knot, bowline, clove hitch, Munter hitch, prussik, and Hedden (or Klemhiest sp?). I've been using a variation of the bowline for attachment to my harness when freeclimbing, and it really is much easier to untie after being weighted.

Febreeze

quote: Originally posted by Lambone: I have climbed in Cody in late March, fat plastic ice, t-shirts, wet ropes, it was a blast and super safe. The north facing stuff stays in for a while out there, cold clear nights and all. Yea, it can be good into April in Cody (Jasper Hwy and environs in Canada can be great that time of year, too, and Valdez, AK, holds their festival then). I still hold that most (emphasis on most)ice-climbing areas in the lower 48 are sketchy in late March. And that the likelihood of ice in Lee Vining canyon (Zenolith's original question) is low --for most Springs, Lee Vining ice suffers meltout. I wouldn't plan a whole trip around that likelihood, but I would throw tools into the car if skiing in the area then. What other ice-climbing areas have reliable ice in late March?

While clothing and equipment companies may appear to run seamlessly to a retail buyer, the behind-the-scenes story may be far different. TNF has had several managerial changes over the years, and plenty of swings in success (they damn near went down a few years ago). This has affected their marketing (TNF at Kmart, for example). Wildthings --I'd really like to know the background story there; the founder, John Bouchard, is out --he lives in Oregon--, and it's now run by Marie (his ex-wife?). In my one personal contact with her, she blew me away with her crassness and foul mouth. I can just imagine the volatility. A whole quiver of other companies are coming on to displace the weakened giant: Jagged Edge, Cloudveil, etc.. And some other more mainstream companies are trying to get a more edgy look like Columbia and LLBean. A lot will get shaken up in the whole outdoor product industry over the next few years because the market is over-saturated with companies and gear, the market isn't growing fast enough to support them all, and only the most ruthless will survive. Companies I think will survive are TNF, Mtn. Hardwear and Arc'Teryx. I'm plugging for all of the little guys since it's their innovation that pushes the quality and functionality overall. Personally, I go for the KISS principle, and buy gear based on price. I refuse to throw down $300 or more for a parka that will get shredded in a few years. Mostly, I've got MEC clothing plus a couple things from LLBean, and I think the quality is better than most.

I suggest the same. Mirazyme is probably available at local scuba, or boat product stores.

Keep the can in your car for amusing road rage antics. It will put most over-heated, violence-tending rednecks on their knees.

Most of the established ice-climbing is near Bozeman (check out www.montanaice.com for pretty detailed information). One of the nice things about Bozeman is that it's fairly close to Cody, Wyoming, also (about 2 hours drive time). There are established routes in Glacier, but be aware of avalanche conditions (www.iceclimb.com/MT.html has some information gleaned from AAJ reports). Montana folk are close with their route information, so there's probably a lot more climbs that have been done. I haven't made the drive from Seattle.

redundancy elimination. Oops [ 01-16-2002: Message edited by: freeclimb9 ]

It would be unlikely to find good ice in Lee Vining canyon in late March. Actually, for most ice-climbing areas in the lower 48, late March is sketchy. And that time of year is also too early for the alpine ice routes (like U notch). It's a great time of year for J-Tree, though.

quote: Originally posted by Dru: "Steve Koch (who's on his way to completing his "Quest" to ride the seven summits) " ooh that 5m long strip of glacial ice on Carstenz Pyramid must have been a real blast. Or if this is the one he hasnt rid yet he better get there fast before it melts! Yea, it's a contrivance. But apparently marketable. He's just got Everest left to ride. Check his website for a Beastie Boy sample: www.stephenkoch.comHe's done some first descents in the Tetons that are amazing like the Black Ice couloir, not to mention the solo ascents there (like VisionQuest). Closer to the NW, he did the first descent of Mt. Hood's North Face.Pretty cool stuff, IMO.

the professional set-up, as described to me by pro-climber Steve Koch (who's on his way to completing his "Quest" to ride the seven summits) is Dynafit LTLAT boots with Burton step-in bindings (they're like crampon bindings) and board. However, the bindings are tough to find (I'm not sure Burton makes them anymore). An alternate binding is the plate binding made by Voile. Koch rides a solid deck. With regard to a split board, the Voile is said to be not as rigid as the Burton split board. But the Burton board doesn't have as durable construction. This set-up makes more sense to me than strap bindings because 1) weight and 2) bulkiness are minimized. They'd carry more easily on a pack than strap bindings, plus it's easier to kick steps with a hard boot. With regard to using mountaineering boots for boarding, it's fine in the powder. But for holding an edge on crust, there's just not the same ankle support, and it's tough on the lower leg muscles. I've used Makalus and Salomon M9guides on my board (after boot-packing a trail --I don't have a split board. Yet.), and it's doable. But I've been thinking hard about investing in the Dynafits and a split board. (I'd use the Dynafits for resort boarding too, if I got 'em). BTW, the Dynafit boots are crampon compatible, and climb ice well. Complaints about them are pretty much limited to the delicacy of the buckles. Dynafit boots: http://www.life-link.com/dynafit.htm Voile Plate bindings: http://www.voile-usa.com/snowboards/index.html#1120 There's heel throw and toe throw models. I hope this info helps. Anybody have other ideas, or suggestions?

Bozeman, MT Cody, WY Driggs, ID Kecthum, ID These towns aren't trendy, but they've got what you asked for. For rock-climbing, and nothing but, Tucson is a great place. Year-round climbing (just move up in elevation when it gets hot. Er, hotter).

The Yashica T4 is a 35mm in a small (cigarette-box sized) package with a top quality lens. The downside is that the lens is fixed --no zoom.

quote: Originally posted by AlpineK: You pay for what you get dude. Yea, that's profound. And true unless you're a thief. My personal hangup with the Silvretta bindings are that they're way overdesigned for use with mountaineering boots. Now, with a super-bitching AT boot that also climbs well like the Dynafit, they'd be super-sweet. And the ability to lock down the heel would be of great benefit to crank turns through any snow condition. But if a person just wanted something to tour with Civettas which are pretty low cut (at least compared to a ski boot), $400-500 is a lot of money to allow their attachment to a pair of skis. My $.02+.02 worth.have a great weekend.

AT bindings are often compatible with mountaineering boots, but they're expensive. I think the Silvrettas are top quality, but they're pricey. Back on the market this year from Voile is a plate telemark binding that is often mountaineering-boot compatible, and the suggested retail (as quoted in Outdoor Retailer magazine) is $140. Check out http://www.voile-usa.com/bindings/vpii.htmlI'm intrigued by the Sweeper ski and binding setup from Karhu, but at $300 for the setup, I'll wait for a review before I splurge.Here's a picture of the Sweeper:http://www.karhu.com/images/sweeper_back.jpg [ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: freeclimb9 ]

check out Stephenson tents. They are the lightest yet are well regarded for their strength. Breathability? They use coated nylon which has a similar water-vapor transfer rate as Gore-tex, or Todd-tex, but is much more affordable. And the naked people in their old catalogs were a lot of fun (does anybody remember the centerfolds they had?) www.warmlite.com

I've written an article on ice that may help ice-climbers know their chosen medium better. Why this article has been denied publication in both Rock&Ice and Climbing is a mystery to me; Something about "editorial format"? I think it's good information even if the article isn't written in a compelling way. Maybe this'll be of interest to some of you: www.iceclimb.com/science.html

The temporary existence of ice and its propensity to fail are the real dangers of ice-climbing, not funky equipment. Ice deforms under its own weight, and the rate of deformation accelerates with time; the stuff is coming down always. Knowing when an ice-climb has gone, or is about to go, nuclear is the best way to avoid the chop, though it's tough to quell the psych and walk away. When ice is good, or bad, it's easy to make the decision to climb, or not. The toughest calls are when conditions are marginal. It also bugs me somewhat when authors make references to ice-climbing being so much safer than it used to be since the quality of protection --though much easier to place and able to hold better due to thread re-designs-- is still totally dependent on ice quality. Bad ice=Bad pro. BTW, the most gnarly accident I read about was a drowning. The leader fell through the ice shell into the cascade underneath when near the top of a climb. He was hauled out hours later.

that was a Ross Rebagliati reference

Most of those Canadians weren't climbers; they were snowboarders from Whistler.

I'm not a woman, but I have heard of 'em using the cut-off top from a dishsoap bottle for a pee funnel.

last year at this time, I was smarter, better looking, and more clever. What the fuck happened?