fishstick

On a related note, in an effort to work with modified prototype tools, I found myself needing to drill holes in BD picks (circa 2003). I could drill a roughly 1/8 hole through Stinger picks with ease using a press with an $8.00 bit. I then destroyed two of the same bits in an effort to drill through an Alaska pick. I bumped up to a $45.00 tungsten carbide bit which still failed to go 1/3 through before it shattered. The Alaska picks were made of vastly harder metal. I'd broken the original Stinger so easily (deep, soft ice) that I figured that the added durability of the Alaska was the way to go. Has anyone broken a BD Alaska pick? GB

I went for years without breaking anything, then snapped perhaps 8 Simonds (Piranha and Naja) PRE-FORGING PROCESS. Usually in very cold weather or the day after climbing such, or once in very, very hard ice. All of these breakages occurred following a change in Simond's design. I've broken one BD pick in a short career of using such tools. Add two friends using the same - 10 picks broken in one season. Perhaps 2002? I've also badly bent the tips of two BDs (very thin ice, darkness, new route, soloing)(early 90s). I finished using old Simonds, munching and chipping chunks out of the tips, but the picks remained quite functional. Of the picks I've seen snap, all have gone at near placement depth, so about 2 inches. Of those I've snapped, I've been able to lead or solo to the top of the pitch or down-climb. The gorked pick has still seemed like a better option than using the relatively useless third tool that I carried until recently. I've been with people who've bent Grivel Evolution picks beyond functionality. Since I switched to tools using forged picks (2004)(Simonds), durability has been perfect with no breaking or bending. It's a real confidence booster when running it out or traveling alone. Cheers, GB

Both have their places. The primary function of over bags such as the MEC Penguins is to move the dew point beyond the outer shell of the primary bag. I think of the temperature gains of using an over bag as increasing over the duration of the trip, because otherwise the primary bag would be getting damper and damper. Highly water resistant shells such as DryLoft (now known as Windstopper) may appear to be dry, but often condensation builds on the inside of the shell in cool weather (out of sight, out of mind, or at least for a while). One of the more interesting experiences I've had with an over bag went as follows: I was testing a microfibre-shelled bag and was avoiding the use of the over bag because it would bias the test. At approximately 3:00am I woke up and the entire shell of the down bag was absolutely soaking wet. Facing another couple of weeks in cold conditions, I quickly pulled my basic (non-DryLoft) over bag over top. At 7:00am the primary down bag was bone dry and lofting fully. The synthetic over bag dried quickly in the sun. VBLs add more warmth per gram than overbags, or at least in the short term. They're well suited to trips where you might need something, but you really don't want to carry 700 or 800g of extra bag. One of the nicest thing about VBLs is that the sleeping bag system heats up much more quickly (it takes a while to warm up big winter bags). I find they seem much less bothersome if you start our by pulling it up only to your arm pits (keep your arms out). As the bag heats further, push it down to your waist and eventually to your feet. The downfall of VBLs is they encourage sleeping with only minimal clothing, which is less than convenient in very cold temperatures. A nice aspect is that should you get up at night to pee etc and return to the tent dusted with snow, the VBL will protect the inside of the bag. The primary use of VBLs of course is REALLY cold weather. I think they're also well suited (mandatory) for use in bivisacks in the winter (the VBL will help, but the bag will still die). For big, cold trips, I'd probably carry both an over bag and VBL. As an aside, if you're carrying the VBL just in case, use it as your pack liner. If you think you won't need it that night, put your entire pack in the VBL. Cheers, GB

I faced a similar problem with a set of Montrail crampons. I kept using them despite their recall with the thought that nothing else would work and nothing bad would happen if I kept an eye on them... I realized the error of that logic when I broke both vertical rails under the arch of my foot while soloing a straight-forward ice face in CO. It's actually pretty hard bunny-hop down-climbing 100+ m of late-fall ice. They sent me M10s the next week:) Cheers, GB

ID's bag ratings have nothing to do with Canada. ID rates their bags using their methods. Efforts at applying a uniform ASTM bag rating system in North America are extremely difficult until a certain large US manufacturer agrees to play in the sand box. Cheers, GB

I'm also old and fat... I've used a rock exotica microscender for TRing for years. No rope damage thanks to a very smooth cam. It'll slip if something huge happens. I guess they're now made by Petzl? GB

Sorry. Went in low where views of it are limited. Also no camera... GB

Boulder by far. An overlooked aspect of Boulder is the length the ice season. From mid October until the end of April, there's always something to scratch in RMNP (30 miles away). Boulder is also usually warm during daytime hours in the winter. We cragged Christmas day 2005 at 24C. It does lack alpine terrain, but the quality and nature of the rock makes up for it. And you can jump on something in the park during winter and experience that wind... Although not climbing, it also has the best road cycling (terrain and length of season) I know of. It isn't perfect, but damn I miss that place... GB

Trailhead is free of snow. 2cm of fresh snow at glacier. Recent cold temperatures on the glacier have significantly increased the hardness of the ice in areas in areas shaded all day. Features getting any amount sun are in good condition. Snow has drifted into many slots with coverage of several feet in tight ones - watch what you're walking on. All creek crossing very slick, as are sections of the upper trail. Ski poles are recommended. Anti-bottes too is you're exploring. Overall it's fantastic. Travel in the icefall is still pretty easy, just more serious than a couple of weeks ago. The snow makes everything feel real. Expect a few chunks in the face on the steep stuff.

They're expensive, but I find Gore-Tex socks worn over light wool socks to work quite well. They keep your feet much drier than neoprene booties, and unlike booties, provide easy access to velcro straps and buckles. Good luck! GB

I have used the summit gtx, but for primarily in summer and fall. Think of them as a jack-of-all-trades climbing boot. They don't stand out as unusually good on any particular terrain, but they don't suck on anything either. I day-tripped something like 6800ft out of the box and didn't even need to adust the laces. Fit is reasonably roomy but not excessively wide. Very, very durable (possibly the best I've encountered). Killer sole material is very durable yet grippy. Also very, very comfortable (cushioning) to walk long distances in. Huge welts will keep crampons in place even after much wear. Very good DWR. Somewhat flexible - the boots suit granite more than limestone. I've used them on ice but with M10s to stiffen the package and add punch. Bulky for precision rock work (Charmoz or Triolet nicer), but they still work well. I haven't used Alphas, but I don't think the Summit would be as warm. In fall I could feel cold through the soles on ice. Not as warm as Nepal Extremes. They might be a nice March option in the CDN rockies, but I'd want more thermo for colder stuff. Overall, the Summit is a boot I would recomend strongly to someone doing serious all-round mountaineering, guiding etc. Unusually high quality. Personally I don't personally see it as a good waterfall or ruth gorge option. GB

Great effort! In my limited experience, the morning view of Queen Bess from the Niut range is one of the best sights in the entire range. GB

The bigger the boot, the bigger the problem. Subtle work with a disc grinder on the side of the front welts might work, but there may be a secondary issue to consider. Sabretooth crampons are quite asymmetric (curved inwards) while Koflach shells are quite straight. The result is that the front points might stick wierdly inwards, which makes it hard to transmit power when you really need it. The only solution would seem to be non-asymm connector bars, but I don't know if BD makes them. That said, I think welt grinding is necessary from about size 9 and up. Cheers, GB

Scarpa Charmoz or Triolet. GB

I think threaten is the wrong way to go about it. Start by being reasonable (but firm) and ask for an explanation including if the work done was normal procedure on all 60,000k checks. Get that in writing. If they are unresponsive to your concerns (blow you off) and you you're certain you're being dicked around (get a second and possibly third opinion within the industry), write the Squamish Chamber of commerce and explain your position. They're all going to know one another and it's going to be a matter of embarrassment for the dealer. The line you want to take is you supported local business but they're failing to support you. Cc three of four members. If going to Ford of Canada, explain (politely) that you believe in supporting the North American industry, but you're questioning why. The most lethal weapon you have (to be used later) is the one you're already using - the net. By arranging your syntax on a site that links any web search for the dealer with your issue, you become a very large pain in the ass. It might not get you money, but it'll make them pretty unhappy. But I stress, make ABSOLUTELY SURE you are in fact being dicked around. I've seen a bunch of strange shit that most wouldn't believe.

From what I gather, the bridge crossing the Hurley (immediately after pulling off the main road) is out. Mtn bikes or walking is necessary. I'm unsure what the water level is like at that crossing... Given high levels of snow pack and temps of 36C in Pemberton, the Hurley might be running high. Check Matt Gunn's site and/or his scramble guide to SW BC. Cheers, GB

Could it be that you got some funky sunscreen in your eye? I had snow blindness in the past. Sticky, painful, open blisters formed on my eyeballs that stuck to my eyelids when my eyes were closed. With eyes open, even very slight amounts of light were like staring at the sun. It's incredibly painful and in my case, lasts a number of days. I hope your eye feels better soon. GB

MEC does medium and expedition weight underwear in zip crotch, plus the slipstream powerstretch pant (fleece with some of the qualities of softshell + warmth) and the Synergy (formerly Shield) gore bib. Zip crotch softshell bibs (composites and pamirs) were disc'ed due to lack of demand. The former was just killer for real conditions. That said, having owned 3 one piece suits, 3 sets of gore bibs and 2 softshell bibs with zip crothches, I avoid using the feature unless conditions are horrendous. Make sure your footing and aim are perfect; it's a very small gap and shit happens. GB

You're looking for self-vulcanizing rubber tape. You can buy it in various hardware stores, but it varies in quality quite a bit. I think this is exactly what is used on Nomics. In Canada, Canadian Tire sells a brand in yellow packaging that is good. Like almost all self-vulcanizing tapes, it has an obvious white backer that must be peeled off before applying. The tape itself is not sticky, but it bonds to shafts (and especially to itself) when stretched. I had trouble getting quality stuff in the US (at least in Boulder). Several people suggested Silicone "Fusion Tape", but the stuff begins to shred after a day of use. Perhaps it might be better suited for upper shaft use... Just don't get it near crampons. Regardless, look for RUBBER tape. Add a rap of electrical tape at the top and bottom of the covered area to keep things from trying to unwind. The directions may claim this isn't necessary, but they're wrong for this application. The tape will begin to break down after a season or two (it becomes very sticky and soft). Simply replace. Avoid hockey tape. GB

I haven't seen it this year, but to me Gibralter just isn't a March route. We "tried" the thing in the first week of March once and as we unloaded the truck, most of the right hand route fell off. It wasn't oddly warm or anything; we climbed everywhere else for another month. GB

I haven't used the explore, but own pure's and quite like them. Pros are light weight, compact size, compact brakes (they fold inwards) and ease of use. Cons are they're a bit hard to step into thanks to stiff brakes and they might take a bit less abuse (theory) crashing hard while in tour mode. Keep in mind when comparing weights and costs that Pures come with brakes. Also keep in mind the optional crampon is only 78mm wide. The pures took a little bit of getting used to, but now fritchi options seem HUGE (like un-aesthetic), as do 555s. When purchasing my pures, explores were my other option. If I had to do it again tomorrow, pures would win again. The thought regarding the binding "shrinking" in tour mode makes no sense. Cheers, GB

Look under product news at the site below. There are carbon versions of both Matrix tools, plus a carbon-esque competition tool based on the X monster. http://www.grivel.com/ GB

It would be interesting to know when the quote was made. In the old days (pre-able to hand place BD screws) the statement would seem bang-on. Twisting screws in with a tool just took way too much effort. To roughly quote a friend (who posts here) after I asked him how many screws he put into Carlsberg: "two, cuz I didn't have the guns to place three." Personally, I think the most I've ever placed would be 10, but several of those were equalized due to concern about ice quality. GB

See Mountain project link below. Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder has pretty good beta. RMNP stuff in Loch Vale and Glacier gorge will be in, with exceptions of necro (early season) and womb with a view (late season). Routes below Broadway (diamond) will likely not be in (early season). Vail should be in but expect crowds. All of this is a guess based on two seasons in the area. http://www.mountainproject.com/scripts/W...amp;filter=COND Cheers, GB

I'm unsure who you spoke with at MEC, but it might be worth phoning them and asking to speak to Bryan about it. He knows the technology exceptionally well and has used it (heavily) in the BC since it appeared in North America. Expect a detailed, no shit, tell it like it is version of performance expectation and limitation. He knows binding technology better than most of us know our spouses. GB