fishstick

Like a number of people who've contributed to this thread, I'm also pondering some new sticks this year. My tools work fine, but more shaft clearance would be nice. Cost is one of the big limiting factors of the potential upgrades. An unmentioned factor is the potential trend towards leashless climbing. Those pinky protectors on the Quark would seem to offer enough support for a few guys to climb 5+ "sans dragonnes" without resorting to the wierdness of the Ergo or the Scud. Late last winter there was an interesting e-mail debate based out of Canada, about the acceptability of leashless climbing. Among those who came out strongly in favour were Jack Roberts, Conrad Anker, Kim Csizmazia, Bruno Sourzac, Duncun Ferguson, Eric Dumerac and Sean Issac. The combined group has a pretty strong CV. I hope she doesn't mind, but I'm taking the privilege of quoting Csizmazia regarding the change: "I was around during the inception of leashless climbing. I resisted, as it was forced on me. Climbing only in North America for the last two seasons allowed me to stay in the hole. As great a hole as it is there is a whole new world out there. It is not changing. It has done gone and changed. Those of you who are reading this who have not witnessed it would not believe your eyes. Rest assured shit is different out there. More different than you will want to imagine. I know because I have had to struggle with my own resistence." Might be something to think about… GB, not climbing on leashless technoloy

Alpine Tom, My gut feeling is that you drove over the metal bridge that's normally gated (the usual parking spot) and continued up the road for an extra two or three miles. There is a quarry at that point, in the valley directly below the North face. GB

One jacket to do everything eh? In a perfect world it would take about three. For the purpose of ice and winter alpine climbing, as well as backcountry skiing at lower altitudes on the West Coast, I'd say skip down and go with primaloft and a DryLoft shell. Although not as warm as down per given amount of weight, the combination is just idiot proof when it comes to wetness. Ice tools do less damage too. At the risk of spewing party line, look at the MEC magma. For a down jacket for winter use, go with a laminate. It's just too damp around tree line much of the time for MFs. The real problem with down though, is the fact that often you put it on for only brief periods. For 15 minutes you'll blow all the moisture stuck in your outer layer into the down jacket, but then take it off and stuff it before anything comes out the other side. The cumulative effects of half a dozen stops like this are pretty noticeable. Laminates make it even worse, but all too often the falling snow around here turns to falling slush. Every MF I've tested then fails. For summer use, I'd go with MF because it's more comfortable and has a wider temperature range. Laminate would be too sweaty. For very cold weather, in theory MF is the answer due to superior breathability. Unfortunately sooner or later the weather will be warmer, or dampness will be encountered in a snowcave. At that point you'll wish you owned a laminate. Final point: If you own a laminate that's damp and the weather is clear, wear it inside out to dry it faster. GB

My memory seems to agree with Don on this one. You certainly go up a gully which at times might be described as compact and occassionally thought provoking. My biggest memory of our trip was a serac fall that covered everything within 50 feet of the lake with about 5 feet of debris. Just huge! GB

Which model? MEC in Vancouver has (or at least used to have) dozens of the them, but many were tube picks for I think, the Lifetime. There were some alpine and rock picks as well. Note that staff at the store (or in order sales) probably aren't going to know what they are, and that they aren't in the computer system. A visit might be in order, with your tools if you aren't very familiar with the bolt pattern. GB

Forrest, Try phoning Evans forest products in Golden and ask to speak to someone in their forestry department. They might not know the state of the spur roads however. If that fails, PM me and I might have a contact or two who should know. Cheers, GB

Serratus Aladdin 2. Bomber strong, climbs exceptionally well (good head tilt and brilliant balance), is actually comfortable, reasonable weight (1.8 kg with full frame) and most importantly, has a super low profile padded and stiffened hipbelt that stays out of the way. Owning both an Aladdin and a Nozone, the former is simply in another league. Oh, and reasonably cheap. GB

Ray, Nicely done. I've climbed/descended the South side gullies in May snow conditions. I suspect they might have provided you with a bit of entertaining looseness. Did you camp at the head of the valley next to the moraine? If so, pretty good views of the ice routes on the north face eh? GB

Relax. Most of us have some sort of unofficial benefit from our work. The employees of that specific park have been busting their asses off for years to keep it well maintained and in return, all with less than 13 years of seniority are being laid off. GB P.S. If you read the summit register on Sphinx you'd realize that the fishing must be good up there too.

The four person rule was dumped in I believe, 94. GB

Sorry, but I know very little about the medical side from a climbing perspective. I have heard however that some people have found high quality insulated aluminum travel mugs (with screw on lids) to be the perfect container for insulin. I'm unsure if they're protecting it from heat, cold or both. GB

The face, the style... Alex McIntyre

Dru, Gordie Smail? Roger Marshall? "Do or die..."Jeff Marshall describing soloing Polar Circus and Weeping Pillar in a day (in about 86). GB

Unsure about Nelly's... Who said "It was do or die and I did"? (hint, cdn) GB

Re: My feeling that G-14s might be the hard alpine crampon to own. Given that I haven't used G-14's yet, all of this is theoretical. I totally admit to personal bias but understand my opinions are mileage based, formed in no small part by the fact that I've had the privilege of owning or using many models, each over a wide variety of terrain. I'm not claiming to be an expert on the subject or a brilliant climber; I just keep the microprocessor receiving input when I grovel my way up a route. I like horizontal rails. The majority of units I've owned have had vertical rails, but apart from stiffening the structure, they create unwanted and useless height under the boot. It's like walking on small stilts. I can't move as confidently or as quickly on frenchable terrain, especially facing outwards down-climbing ice. The unwanted height associated with vertical rails also compromise the ability to get a stable french position when firing in gear. I like crampons with shortish points. Longer points create the stilt problem above, plus they tend to vibrate and flex more when used on ice. G-14's have mildly ribbed side points that seem to be stiffer (and shorter) than sabre tooths. For the majority of terrain, I prefer horizontal front points (which G-14's don't have). They work well in snow and seem more secure in unconsolidated ice. I think grade 2 through easy grade 4 favors vertical front points because the ice tends to be very consolidated, with little air, hence it's harder. Grade 5 and harder ice is often better textured and offers amazing platforms for horizontal points. Bulletproof alpine ice tends to be brutally hard, very consolidated, possibly with a bit of gravel mixed in, and lacks the texture of hard waterfalls. For pure drytooling I think horizontal or mono is best, but for pure mixed (thin ice, bonded snow or frost, frozen turf, unbonded snow-possibly while wearing a medium heavy pack) I think so much brutal scrapping and kicking the wrong medium goes on, that forged points look pretty good. The negative side of that argument is that I tend to break/wear the bottom of the frontpoint tip off on vertical points, creating a rounded edge that skates easily on rock. Still, there's a certain confidence in knowing forged points are brutally strong and replaceable. G-!4s have chiseled points under the arch. I hate filing those points and chiseling makes it easier. The downside of G-14s is that they're going to ball-up under the forefoot. In the past however, I've found Grivel anti-bots to be very, very durable. I haven't found that to be the case with the competition. So at this point somebody is probably asking why not Bionics? The front points look better on G-14s and Grivel doesn't have a history of crampon problems. The bottom line is that G-14's look dead simple but brutally strong and effective. The front points are closer together than rambos (good), they convert to monos (good), are compact to carry (good)… Pretty wordy eh? GB

Dru, It's a question of economics and taste. The Piranhas will remain my choice of all round sticks until somebody can do a better job. For pure water ice, I've decided shaft clearance is a good thing. Got some mileage on rages late season and liked them. I plan on trying Naja Cups, the Tech Wings and would like to get a solid handle on the Scuds to see how they all compare. Most interested in the Cups. Rages will probably win for waterfalls simply because they don't require further economic output. GB

I've fondled a pair of tech wings, but it'll be probably be a few weeks before I get to run'em outside. Very nice. They seem to be a large step forward beyond the machine, which in my mind felt contrived and sort of third world. The wings are better thought out and more conceptual designed. The wrist leash might just be the new industry standard. The bigger news regarding grivel products is the G14 crampon. Without a doubt the best designed hard alpine crampon I've ever seen. In regards to recalled Rages …Let's just say someone (BD knows who) deserves an incredibly swift kick in the nuts over that one. GB

Owning 50's and 60's, let's just say the 50's NEVER leave home. GB

Skyline ridge/divide trail near Mt. Baker. GB

Free hanging in a full body harness for a long period of time can cause suffocation. They tend to compress the diaphragm. GB

As I understand it, chest harnesses can cause spine damage by snapping the neck forward. They also have a tendency to accordion the spine between the waist and chest harness. A friend tried using a carabiner attached to the shoulder strap of her pack instead, but found that a) she was catapulted forward when her partner broke a snow bridge in a big way, and b) found the system very difficult to escape because it aligned her head first to the slot. GB

To me, the sense of accomplishment in climbing is usually a result of overcoming my own doubts, or especially fear. There's something special about getting to a mental state where you can lock out or step beyond anxiety, and achieve a serious objective seemingly in motor control with good style. I find it doesn't happen very often, but when it does, the sense of accomplishment lasts for years. GB

Whitesaddle is the absolute gold standard in regards to service, communication and area knowledge including terrain and weather patterns. If you look at the cost of maintaining and insuring a helicopter, and the risks of flying in that environment, it becomes obvious why the costs are so high. GB

Superb route! Hat's off to Kris for an exceptionally well thought out effort. GB

Yes. It's OK, but unlike plaquettes, gi-gi's and reversos, it fails to lock when seconding unless the rope is weighted. This eliminates multi-tasking ability when belaying seconds. It does however make lowering seconds possible without changing modes. Overall, when compared to the plauguettes and reversos, I see the tre as having no realistic advantages but the major shortcoming mentioned. GB