Jedi

Barry Manalow, Pet Shop Boys, Vanilla Ice Greatest Hit, Bee Gees, Ohhh iI forget the rest of the good stuff. "I write the songs that make the whole world sing, I write...." la la la.........

That would be my only complaint against the Altimax (and I assume the Vector as well). The alarm is too quiet, but at least there are three that you can set in series. I contacted Polar about it and due to their response, it is going back. That watch is so big, it made my Suunto look like a kids watch. weighed over 3oz. I was looking at the Suunto Advisor (most of the same features). Is the alarm really hard to hear also? Jedi

I just got a Polar AXN 700 which has a HR monitor, compass, altimeter, barometer, etc... I was able to get it for $300 but they list for $430 or $450. It's got more features than I will ever use and it is the biggest watch I have ever seen. I am going to get the lanyard/carabiner & elastic wrist band that is avavilable. The one thing that sucks about this watch is the alarm. It is so quite that it's a joke and pointless. I had a Suunto X3hr. It worked for a year before it died. For $150, you should get more than a year out of a watch. The $12 watch I wear everyday has held up better and I work construction.

I've climbed with two guys that work at the American Alpine Institute (non guided climbing) and they are GREAT guys. Sorry about spreading positive, 1st hand, rumors. Jedi

I'm glad to see this post. I have never owned a digital camera and thought I would get the Panasonic DMC TZ3 when it comes out in a couple months. That was just from reading about it on their website. Now you guys have me doing a little research. Leica D Lux3 is one sexy camera but no view finder. Panasonic DMC's have problem with "noise" that I think means the pictures are not as clear as they should be. No view finder either! The TZ3 is portly at 10oz with batt's The Cannon's have the viewfinder. The A710 take's AA's but has a 35mm lens. The SD800 IS is 6.9oz w/batt's, has viewfinder, 28-105 lens but has the Lith batt (not a show stopper). I read one review that a fella commented that the corners were blurry at 28mm. Anyone else had this issue with their SD 800? How do the extendable lenses do in COLD weather? I wanted to take this camera on my Denali trip but am unsure. The little video clips would be fun. I too, am tired of sending slides off and then having to get them scanned. I wonder if two batteries would last me a month? Solar charger an option? Thanks, Jedi

I love softshell (fabric that breathes but is not waterproof) materials. I have the Hondini jacket for running and cycling. My take: no pockets so it's not a great alpine jacket. The hood is not helmet compatible (dag!). When I cycle in temp's in the 20's, I feel the wind/air on my arms and chest at 15mph. As long as you are moving, ie... producing heat, you are fine. But with this in mind, if is substatially colder and more windy, you might want something in addition. I LOVE how small this thing is when the sun comes up and it's time to shed it. Fits in one of my jersey or running pant pocket and leaves room for other stuff. I wish they made a version that was helmet compatible (bigger hood). I wish someone did. The closest thing I have found is Wild Things Epic Jacket at 10oz. Thinking this might be the jacket for trip to AK this summer. The Patagonia MixMaster pant is my "do all" pant. Softshell that is insulated, breathes well, broad temperture range, dries very fast. I have a pair of Arc'teryx Gamma salopette bibs in a medium if anyone wants them. Nice softshell. I have too many. Jedi

Avy conditions above this point turned us back.

fun on the bear's tooth.

One thing I would like to add. I did a little testing this morning on my predawn, 25 degree run. I wore a BD Windstopper Tech glove on one hand and a fleece Patagonia liner glove on the other. The Patagonia glove was a little thicker. About 30 minutes into the run, the BD hand felt calmy and cold. The BD glove felt cold and damp to the touch (from inside the glove while wearing it). The fit of this glove is perfect, like it was made for my hand. The fleece, non-Windstopper glove felt dry and warmer. When I got home (60 minute run), the Windstopper "hand" was very cold. The "fleece" hand was warm. I got away from windstopper jackets a couple years ago. I think my windstopper gloves are history too. Good idea, William, about the oversized gloves. Jedi

I have the BD Zenix. I love it but I can't say it is reliable. I have an issue with one after a couple years. I sent it to BD and they were kind enough to send me a new one. The new one has cut out on me a couple times. Only taking the batteries out, slapping, cussing and general talking shit to it fixed it. Not what I like to do on a difficult aid pitch, in the dark or on my predawn bike ride. Jedi

Have you tried cycling lobster gloves? I know I have seen them in Performance bike catalogs.

gloves are like boots, it comes down to fit. Currently, some of the Black Diamond gloves fit me. OR changed the shape of their gloves a couple years ago and now fit a more slender hand, Same with Patagonia's Stretch Element glove. Most gloves have a thumb as long as the middle finger. That it too long for me and eliminates most gloves. I like a glove that has a removable liner so i can drythe liner and shell overnight. Windstopper liners are great because they have a grippy palm BUT dry slower. Fleece liners dry faster but never come with a grippy palm. I would like to know why?? Most have pittards waterproof palms. Yeah, waterproof if the leather is new and unused. Once used, they soak up water just fine and dry very slowly. Leave them outside your bag and they are frozen balls of useless crap in the morning. Sythetic palms are the best unless you will be rappeling, which melts the palm of some. I think OR has a better palm now. If not, you need a leather palm glove for rappeling. Big bulk gloves are nice and warm but you have to squeeze harder to hang on to tools or rock. This restricks blood flow and makes your hands colder. My combo is the old Stretch element glove with a BD winstopper liner. It freeezes and dries slow but no other combo allows for technical climbing with much dexterity (sp?). If it is really cold outside, I also bring a big pair of mitts. I also bring a couple extra pairs of liners so i can try to dry the damp liners around my neck. Just rotating the lot. You can take a pair of fleece liners you like and drizzle seam grip on the palm and fingers to make them grip better. Jedi

I' happy with my Spantiks so far. They are a toasty boot so it might not be perfect on summer climbs in the lower 48 but little chance of cold feet in colder temps. The fit is a little narrow. 6 lbs for a size 43.5, 1 lb lighter than the Nupste. They don't feel clunky, to me, like a double plastic. I like on WI 4 and WI 5 last weekend and I was surprised. Great climbing boot! The custom footbeds from Neptune Mountaineering increased the temp rating. The Nupste is a better approach boot. It hikes better than the Spantik but the Spantik is better on steeper terrain. As far are breathable liners. Very few are breathable. It is a vapor liner. Boreal makes the G1 which is a great hiker but probably climbs more like the Nuptse. It has a breathable liner boot but it has a leather shell. The liner takes a little geting use to since it is softer than the foam/leather liners in most boots. It's a heavier boot than the Spantik. I forget how much. Proabably close to the Nuptse. Nice thing about these three models is thatshimn bash was not an issue like in the double plastics I have been torutre with in the past. I will never go plastic again. The Vasque 9000 looks like a great boot and would be my next choice if the fit was there. Just my two cents Jedi

I had never heard that synthetic was less breathable. Cool info. That is true about cars. I use to out run the police in my 145 hp eagle Talon. it's all about the driver (back when I was still immature) hehehe ummm back to the topic.... I wish my SnowBunting had an Event or Epic shell instead of Dryloft. Yes, there seem to be little tradeoffs and you have to pick your poison. I have a Marmot Lithium bag that breaths quite well. It is nearly see-through. I can see some of the damp feathers stuck to the shell of the bag in the morning (no, I don't breath in my bag). One things about it, you can't beat the compressiblity and weight of down. One thing about a double bag is it is not as warm. Reason being is that you can't "seal" you bodies up in it like a classic mummy bag. The mummy is all about trapping your warm air around yourself. So, you do not develop the heat (outward force that drives moisture out of insulation). The same thing that makes breathable shell work, right? So would the down dry in a bag like this? If not, then not synthetic insulation either. So which one is better damp? If you are looking at using a double bag, it probably will not be used more than a couple nights in a row so down sounds a good way to go. Unless you get stuck in a snow cave. Diclaimer, I have not used a double bag. My ramblings, theories and jibberith come from experience with mummies. Hope to use a double bag made with down this weekend. Jedi owner of a few Feathered Friends products

I just got mine last week. I was kinda wondering the same thing. I would think that drilling the posterior side of point, below grip switch in fig 2, would be the place to put a loop of cord. One thing I noticed is that my gripswitch might take a little sanding. They fit fine, as shown in figure 1. But I have not mounted/installed them like pictured in figure 2. They will not slide up in there with having to "tap" them in there. If I do that, there will be no way to remove them. Taking them to Colorado this weekend. Hope to play with them then.

And Jedi, maybe I am old and tired but three days on a route? Are there more than one colin type out there? I wish I was Colin's age but I'm pretty slow/old (I'm 39 now). But I'm hoping we get a chance at the Cassin and can climb it in a "respectable time". Dag, if I was 21..........alas...........I might would be on Colin's heels (HA) or most likely, in his dust a little way back. hehehe Anyway........ I was comparing a route like the West Buttress vs something like the Infinite Spur when talking about synthetic & down insulation and more than 3 days on a route.

I problem I have found, with down bags in arctic conditions, is they work well if you have the opportunity to dry them out. On longer routes, you pack them 1st thing in the morning and usually unpack them and dive in at the end of the day. They do not get a chance to dry out and the loft is greatly reduced. As the down collects moisture, it gets heavier. So, the longer the route, the heavier it gets, at some point surpassing the weight of the synthetic bag. Isn't synthic insulation a little more hydrophobic? Sure, for an open bivy, Epic, Event and the like works great. But those material do not breathe as well as LESS waterproof materials. The more breathable shells are also lighter and compactable. The problem is moisture given off by your body that ends up in the insulation. From the inside out. So you want that moisture to pass as easily as possible, right? So your insulation gets more damp as the days go on. You are also getting higher where it is getting colder, as luck would have it. This is where your insulation needs to be working it's best and it's at it's worst. What unpacks worse, wet down or wet synthetic insulation? (I don't have experince with wet synthetic) If it is only a couple days (three at the most), I prefer down. Anything longer than that synthetic starts looking more attractive. UNLESS you have part of a day you can "dry" the bag out (in a sun warmed tent or on the tent). This option is route dependant and not really an option on a route you are carrying a double bag. This is why synthetic parkas are nice. It's your one piece you can pretty much count on. Whatever you end up doing, let us know. Sounds like someone needs to make a parka and double bag combination that zip together. Maybe the top of the bag zips to the shoulder hood area of the parka (horribly complex). Maybe a draw string system that you put your heads in and it snugs the top of the bag where the most heat loss is taking place. Jedi

I'm sure the french would have claims of the Americans doping, if they were even considered. They have a good system in place for taking care of the TDF now. Nice work fella's!

My partner is going to build one in a month or two. Probably looking at PG Delta insulation or PL. Design will be the same as Nunatak's Arc double bag... http://www.nunatakusa.com/Sleeping_Bag_Dual_Arc_Alpinists_Sleeping_Bag.htm He has made one before and said it worked quite well. This one will have more insulation. If it pretty cold, then a parka (syn fill) with a hood is important and synthetic fill pants help. The pad system is pretty important too. Rating......that's a tough one.

Regardless, he was climbing for 6 months. Sounds like "fun" to me. Kudo's! There are still plenty of other mountains out there to climb. Wish I had the time, money, conditioning and the ability to do it.

I am thinking about getting the AztarEX for my alpine tools and selling my CF BD Prophets. They are a little lighter than the Grivel Light Wings and cheaper (36oz @ $320 a pair). Anyone tried these tools? If you want something like the Bull Dog pictured above, I have a a similar axe you can have for $10 with a leash. Jedi

I thought retreating, as painful as it can be, is as natural (and can as difficult) as going up. I've had people (too many) look at me and say, "I'm not comfortable, I want to go down, I want to go home." Or just want to go climb something easier or shorter. The main objective, at that point, is getting everyone safe and sound. When you look at a route, you first look at the topo, read the description or scope out how to get up it. Then look at how you you get off it. Many routes, you can rap down it (it might even require it. You have to "retreat" from the summit, right? Anyway, I have to say retreating from Peak 11,520 (AAJ page 178) in 2005 was hard. I had hiked 4 miles up a crevassed glacier, soloed 2,100'+ of mostly ice with 200' of tatered rope, 2 screws and no bivy gear. spin drift, increasing clouds & snow as the day continued and glove shells frozen in the shape of my axe shafts. Questions running through my mind: When should I turn around? Am I in too deep? How many rappels to the shrund? What if a storm rolls in? If I fell, how many days would pass before anyone looked for me? If I fell, would I survive? When is the angle going to ease up? Have I gone too far? If this is a FA, what will I name it? I wondered if anyone has been to the summit? What am I doing up here alone? etc......yadd yadda.... It was amazing! Then, I had to talk myself down. "OK, I am starting to get tired. I need to save some juice for the downclimb." I was seeing less and less of the Tokositna. "Can I get back to Huntington in near white conditions?" I looked up one last time. I knew the terrain would ease up in 200'. I turned the show around. I rapped 90'. "Fuck this is going to slow!" I downclimbed several hundred feet of HARD blue ice. rapped 90' again. downclimbed to just above the mixed section above the shrund and rapped 90' over the shrund. Relief washed over me. I found my little cashe and made water and ate. 9 hours on the face. I knew time was wasting. I had to get the 4 miles back to camp. Losing 1100' in elevation and having to hike 1000' up to the tent. It was time to retreat again. The snow was falling harder and the clouds had rolled in. I knew which way to go. I just could not see it. I would stare at the white and my previous trail would appear. I would take off. It would nearly shut down and I would stand around waiting for the trail, which the new snow made harder to see, to appear. The crevasse field was the hardest to get through. I took a couple wrong turns will little visibilty. 15 hours after leaving the tent, I was back. We got 12" of new snow that night. Probably my least regretable retreat but most painful. Later I would see pictures of the summit ridge. There is a picture of snow covered crevasse (within 100' of the summit). I would not crossed it alone so I would not have made the summit if I had made it to the summit ridge. Jedi

I agree with you. The thing to rememeber is that there have been over 900 reports, written by scientist, that all say the same thing, there is global warming and it's not getting better. Many na sayers are the same people that would argue with you if you said water is wet. If one person says anything, of course their topic be considered slanted in one direction. Al Gore went to college and had a proffessor that was the 1st to recongize that there was an issue with ozone gases (in the movie). Al's no puppet in this movie. He knows the facts. It suprised me. The thing about the movie that makes it worth watching is a great deal of scientific data that is presented to you and it allows you to make an informed decision on how you might want to vote in the next election, what to ask your local politicians for and maybe what WE (as americans) can do for good ole mother earth. I would not consider this one of those Discovery Channel "what if an asteriod hits earth" shows. Makes me want to ride my bike to work more often and maybe move a little farther inland:O

Have you seen this movie? I rented it from my local movie store. Check out the trailer. The movie have some disturbing scientific data that is presented. http://www.climatecrisis.net/ I think this movie and Super Size Me should be shown in all schools and on regular tv. Jedi

I have a friend who is selling his Nallo 2 for a bigger Hilleberg tent. I sent his a link to this post so maybe he'll chime in. Jedi