fishstick

I did a quick afternoon session at Baker yesterday. The second to last creek is still running high. Take the trail that parallels next to the creek and follow it way up until it gets pinched off completely by an incut slope (creek is running a couple of feet from the slope at that point). Perhaps 6 feet above that the creek can be crossed sans gaiters, but ski poles are super-recomended. From there, aim for what looks like a marmot trail 50 feet higher on the opposite ridge (less than 100m away). That trail leads down to the surveyors rock area (upper approach) so you don't lose your hard-earned altitude dropping immediately back to the original trail. The creek problem adds about 10 to 15 minutes if done this way and using the upper approach. Conditions were pretty good given the warm temps. GB

There is certainly a lot of climbable ice at Baker, although it won't be in optimal condition. Generally at this time of year the ice is a bit soft for really hard pulling. Recent high temps compound that problem. The trick is to avoid problems that directly face the sun. The more shade the better and often the steeper the better. Steep at Baker is very steep in WI terms. Also, lines with a small amount of grit (rock/dirt/dust) in them, although unasthetic, will have the best climbing in these conditions. The ice will be harder and take bomber placements. That stuff is hard on screws. Total approach time is a bit over one hour depending upon the level of the second to last creek and your fitness. Conditions vary remarkably by aspect and weather. Get there early in the morning and stuff will be firmer. Rain sometimes improves conditions. Too much rain doesn't. Keep in mind that your shaded overhanging problem might have a sun-baked flakey exit move or two. Use your head and look around. The conditions might be much better only 10 feet away (really). Ponder not only the stability of your problem, but also the stability of everything around it. Think about how seemingly unrelated walls might fall and what will get swept. Bury any TR anchors under a pile of ice and/or a pack. Watch for ravens getting into your pack. They will open any visible zippers (take the lid off). That said, the area is 100% fun. GB

The accident mentioned above was on memorial crack. From what I gather one party was asked to move because they were having lunch within the perimeter where the team was working to lower and then transport the victim. The concern has been forwarded.

Given that several of those people live in Squamish and Squamish the home base of the team involved, where would you suggest that they practice multi-pitch rescue? Where do you think the odds are highest (around Squish) of needing a multi-pitch rescue? Assuming that most if not all of the team has jobs, perhaps scheduling on a weekend makes sense? Assuming that the practice was planned weeks or months in advance, perhaps excessive crowding (even by Apron standards) was unexpected (but the plans were made in advance). It is also ironic that from what I gather, the team involved got a call-out while doing their practice on the Apron. The accident was on…the Apron. Cheers,

I dropped down to 6mm for small ropes. In theory it's a bit weak, but 7 just slides. GB

I think you'll be OK. Parts of the road still had perhaps 6 inches of snow (it had been plowed with care using a cat), but a grader was due to clean things up early the next week. GB

I find the curved WCs easier to place and seemingly more stable than older style straight hexes. When used in snowy or icy cracks they can be seated amazingly well with a few taps of a hammer. At times I'd like a bit less end-taper, but the radius of the primary surfaces is perfect. Their light weight is pretty nice! I'd recommend them. You might also consider Lowe tricams. GB

The road was opened a couple of weeks ago (the Friday before or the Saturday of, the long weekend). Single lane traffic at the top of the pass due to 1.5m of snow. GB

The N. Arete of Wedge (it's in SW British Columbia) offers a safe approach and an easy but asthetic ice arete/easy ice face. Reverse the route to descend to avoid problems with crevasses. Wedge is near Whistler British Columbia. Weart can be done from the same approach. GB

Hi Chad, August can be killer good for alpine ice in the Coast Range (especially late August). Recomended areas include (but certainly aren't limited to) the Tchaikazan Valley, area East of Taseko Lake and potentially the Niut range. None of the areas have guide books, but all offer bomber terrain with some ice faces that seem really big by rockies standards. In all honesty, the central Coast just seems littered with big ice routes in way that would be impossible in the dry rockies. Alpine mixed might be more difficult, but the Wad (as suggested) is said to be world class. PM me for more beta, or talk to Don Serl. He is THE MAN to talk to though about alpine ice in the coast range. Cheers, GB

My guess is that ID probably quit making tents out of e-vent due to problems with FR (fire retardancy). A bivi sack is legally not a tent, so it does not have to meet the same standards. GB

Fern, It's happening soon... Which umbrella would you recomend for next ice season? GB

Re: DirtyHarry. That crash broke seven of the foam ribs in the helmet (but it stayed together). Had it needed to absorb that impact without my skull inside there would be foam covering much of the street. Re: Billcoe. I've heard the arguement against foam climbing helmets many times, but I used a Simond bumper (foam with thin shell) for about 5 years and took countless hits from dinner-plates without damage. Anything big enough to seriously damage that rig when it's worn on your head will snap/crush your neck. I also have a friend who took a 20 foot sideways groundfall impacting a bubble of ice just above his temple. His non-foam helmet either deformed or pushed upwards, in effect providing only minimal protection. He strongly argues that hardshells are great for rockfall, but near f'ing useless for the impacts associated with groundfalls. Owning both, I find hardshells are great because they take up less space in my pack and are cooler, but the foam unit would be my preferred choice for low percentage moves. GB

While I'm not a fan of REI or BD, I think the following points need to be considered. Helmets are engineered to be worn on the head. The structure of the human skull adds to the integrity of the design, in the same manner that the human foot stiffens an otherwise floppy rockshoe. One can easily destroy a foam bike helmet with one hard punch if it's sitting on a floor (sans skull), yet I've landed headfirst while wearing one at 40kph and it did its job nicely. Climbing helmets are also designed to take primnary impacts in a relatively vertical mode. They are less effective taking side impacts along the rim (the kind that can crack a helmet). Side impacts from falling debris or a falling climber affect only one side of the helmet. An easy slip while descending easy terrain with the helmet bouncing around on the back of the pack can crush the helmet sideways with forces acting from both sides (unlike a climbing situation). Snagging its underside on a branch while in clydesdale mode will probably do the same thing. Is it cool that the helmet cracked? No. Is it a surprise? Nope. The lesson: Slightly larger pack and French technology. GB

They have a natural turning radius of I think 7.8m. They turn VERY tight turns with ease. Problems start with jump turns because the tails are very short (and have twin tips) so you need to land in a very balanced or slightly forward position. They're pretty cool at times because you can ski steep trees lines on the north shore that make little sense with big skis. They're also a good training tool in the sense that they force you to think more about fore/aft balance. They don't replace big skis, but are a positive addition to the quiver. GB

I use 120cm Hagans. 130/90/120 with twin tips and Silvretta 500s. The modern version of the ski is only available in a 130cm. Skiing with climbing boots sucks, but it sucks less with these. Best suited for denser, coastal snow. Less suited for weak wind slab covering bottomless powder. Very good as skis go when they need to be packed through bush. I would strongly recomend a binding that has a 90+ mm crampon (not the 500s) because the skis have so much sidecut per length. This is problematic crossing steep, icy slopes. They aren't that light however... GB

It's simply THE SHRINE. GB

A simpler method... Buy copper tubing that is roughly 3/8 of an inch in diameter. Cut to length. Sounds obvious, but in this case length depends up cartridge SIZE and stove model. See more below. I pounded one set of exchangers with a hammer, but found squeezing the tubing in a vice did a much better job. I used 3 L shaped exchangers per cartridge (on a bluet turbo 270). I had an old OR water bottle parka sitting around, which made a superb insulator for the BIG bluet cartriges. I cut the parka in half along the zipper line, then split most of the stitching holding the end cap in place such that it would flap open. The parka is used INSIDE OUT, and the flapping end (can be closed with velcro is used hanging)(I just buried mine in the snow for stability) offers the ability to preheat the bottom of the cartridge directly with a lighter. Simply slide the L shaped copper exchangers between the insulated parka and the cartridge at roughly equal distances. They should be as deep as the cartridge used, and stick almost to the center of the burner head. Avoid putting an exchanger near the control knob. The entire system can be put together while wearing mitts. The exchangers will turn the outer fabric of the OR water bottle parka slightly brown, but won't melt it or the foam. The remaining half parka will work (not quite as well) for the smaller Bluet cartridges (extra (shorter) exchangers are needed). An average meal will generate enough extra warmth that the cartridge is still warm to the touch 25 minutes after turning the stove off (in the CDN rockies). Still, I used it at temps around +3C and nothing blew. I'm unsure if other cartridges will work with the OR parka. GB

In my own biased opinion, it's certainly one of the top two ice tools I've ever tried. I prefer the version with the mixte pick. It tends to be stickier than a Quark, but I found overall that it inspired more confidence (especially at first). It's very good in the sense that it can be run as leashless, but the hand thingy can be removed for mtn use. It has a bit of a burly feel. Negs are small hammer and so-so adze. Otherwise, the stick is nothing short of brilliant (even at full retail). GB

I believe that CAMP now owns Cassin. Try Camp USA... GB

Although not a course, I strongly recomend buying a copy of "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" by Bruce Temper. The book is very readable (unlike most material on the subject) and deals well with the reality of why we're out there. GB

A few things: Synthetic insulations vary by stated weight by about 20% (+ or -). The manufacturing process of what a friend refers to as the "white puke" isn't quite up to the rocket science standards we (or the marketing depts) dream of. It is possible that the factory made a mistake (or their website doesn't evolve as fast as design changes). Do you have something with 6oz (or even 5oz) PL1 with which you can compare? 6oz tends to be reasonably stiff, 3 oz drapes much easier. To me the bigger issue is that you are not satisfied with the product, and employees of the retailer you delt with noticed and agreed that it felt wrong. I would personally try to deal with that retailer in a friendly but firm manner (avoid the public sodomy session seen in multiple threads on this board today - people make mistakes - give them a chance to correct the issue off-line). Sales may be final, but they appear to have not delivered what you ordered. I would also contact the manufacturer and ask about potential insulation changes and explain your concerns regarding the bag. If the retailer still hasn't budged at that point, I would also mention concerns about the retailer as a suitable outlet for that product, and cc the retailer. Hopefully at that point the retailer will cease dicking you around (assuming they are)(I've seen some incredibly fucked up warranty claims). Good luck.

Without reading any of the links, I think this one has already been around the block a few years ago. The (original) writer issued a retraction because tests were not done on food grade product. The bigger issue might be the use of lexan for bottled mineral water. The material is of a lower quality (not meant to be re-used) and water may stay in such for months prior to consumption.

I own one. The pick is very short and lacks bite. I was carrying it on two occasions when I've snapped picks in one of my primaries (once soloing, once leading). In both situations I looked at the Compact and decided to go with the higher, more trustworthy performance of a stick with a broken pick. I think the Compact is better suited to rock climbs that involve a bit of firm snow/glacier, than an ice route or couloir. If you still want to go with a very, very light third, the Simond Superfox works much better on ice. It is however very short. But modular. Carrying two tools all over Europe sucks, but if you want to climb ice, take real ice gear (and less pro). It'll be faster and more fun. GB

Joe, Don, Both methods are good ideas. Thanks. They sure beat stuffing hopeful looking twigs into my pockets on the way to synchro. One more V-thread thing: If you encounter an old thread sticking out of ice that has thickened a great deal since the thread was made (can't see the holes), make VERY sure you're rapping on the primary loop and not off a big tail where the free end has also frozen into the ice. If making threads, don't leave big tails. The above sounds unlikely, but it has happened with sad consequences. GB