Freeman

Some will argue that a snowboard is the best tool for riding pow pow (and it certainly can be elegent) and maybe for mank, but there are three significant problems in the b.c. - Regardless of the uphill mode - snowshoe, split board, Verts - a boarder can not set a good uptrack that can be used by a skier - so they can't break trail for the others. In addition, walking in the skin track will destroy it for reuse if you want to yo yo a slope. - On flats, traverses, slight uphills, etc. the boarder has a very hard time "poling" or kicking and gliding. If the snow is at all deep he can't really remove one foot and push like in the area. Most b.c. skiing involves some flats on each run. - The turn around time with a split board is pretty long - by the time you do the split, bindings, skins, smoke, etc. the skiers are half way up or down the run. Changing to Verts or snowshoes is faster, but the skiers will always get first tracks (of course, they should). As I said earlier, some guides recognizing all this simply won't let snowboards on their tours.

Damn it, iain, that made me want to go skiing

OK, I'll chime in but you know what they say about opinions. I was an alpine skier for many years and starting telemarking in the late 70's - long poles, floppy boots, skinny skis. I have been exclusively tele skiing since then including at least one B.C. trip per year in Canada - usually the Selkirks. I consider myself a pretty fair tele skier - in and out of the area, mix t-turns and p-turns, have skied almost all the volcanoes, yadda yadda. That said, last year I converted to AT for the backcountry (I still tele in the area). The gear is so much more efficient and safer - the climbing hinge is better, you don't bend your toe (and force the ski into the snow) on every step, the climbing bails work better, the release is much better (I destroyed an ACL on tele's), and the boots hike and climb better. For a newbie there is a learning curve, altho not nearly as steep as before. A good tele skier can and does ski anything that an alpine skier can do. Last year I took both my phat tele's and my really phat AT's to the Selkirks and I skied on the tele's one day (mostly p-turns). After 7K my legs were screaming. I know they do go in the B.C. and might even be the best tool for pow, but I have never had a rider that could keep up with either good tele or average AT skiers. My current Selkirk guide doesn't allow them on his trips (altho others do). I did heli ski with two snowboarders from CA last year - they had their own guide because they were out of phase with the rest of the group. So, to make a short story long, this very dedicated tele skier has gone over to the dark side. Long live lock and load!

I've skied with a number of people who earn their living guiding in B.C. - almost without exception they use purple Ascensions (usually w/o tail fixes so they can take them off with removing their skis). In many cases they will loan a client who is having trouble with their brand X skins a spare pair of Ascensions. The next year that client will usually have a pair of purple Ascensions. Most of the guides don't trim their skins to fit shaped skis but it isn't that hard to do (BD includes a little knife). Both my wide (85 mm) and my really wide (95 mm) skis have straight skins that are 5 mm narrower and they work just fine. I like the Clipfix tail but I'm a clutz and have to remove my skis to take the skins off anyway. btw - I have several pair of Brand X skins in my basement that might fit your skis - I'll make you a heck of a deal since all I use anymore is the purple ones.

The instructions that come with g-fits say 150 degrees C, or 250 F, for 15 minutes. I've baked both g-fits and Intuitions for 10 or less and they come out just tasty. The proceedure has been discussed a bunch on this forum and others, but just a reminder to make a good toe cup out of an old pair of heavy socks. PM me if you want a repeat of the whole proceedure.

Make a toe cap out of an old pair of wool socks and wear a fairly light sock. Garmont says 120C (250F) for 15 minutes, I've found 10 minutes is enough. Remove the foot bed, put the liners in a preheated oven on a piece of foil. When the liners have softened put the foot bed in, put them in the shells, put your feet in and buckle snug but not too tight. Stand in a neutral skiing position (like you were in a lift line) for 10 minutes or so (your feet will get fairly warm). Go skiing

I have home cooked g-fits for my AT boots and Intuitions for my tele's - pretty simple process. Geartracker had g-fits for 90 bucks on evil-bay last week. You might check into the Intuitions from Vancouver B.C. - I believe they have models specific for climbing boots.

Great boot. My old Footfangs and my old feet both fit them fine.

Yea, I was the one last year on ttips. It was a huge project and really didn't come out that well (and I do work in a machine shop). As I recall the brake arms from the TriStep and TLT have the same bend radius and both attach under the heel plate with a little piece of plastic tubing - the TriStep has a one piece bracket that sort of pushes onto the heel piece while the TLT has two little brackets that screw onto the sides of the heel. I would suggest taking your brake arms to a shop and just comparing them. Should be obvious if it would work. Again, here are Dawson's comments on this subject "My skis are too wide for the TLT brake, can I swap on a brake from a Tri-Step, or mod the TLT brake? While the TLT brake can be bent outwards to fit wider skis, such bending quickly reaches its limit. To adapt the Tri-Step brake to the TLT would require using parts from both type of brakes, and doing a major tear-down rebuild of the brake. Not recommended. An easier way would be to cut and extend the TLT brake prongs so they fit over a wider ski. A competent metal craftsman would have no problem with this, though it could be expensive and time consuming" My feeling is that if you were going to weld an extension in you should consider having them replated afterwards. It is possible that the weld would end up in the location of the bracket holes which could cause some jamming. Thats why I chose to make new ones.

I made some wider ones to fit some MegaBangs. We turned some stainless rod down to the correct metric diameter, then bent it in an 80 ton brake press to the radius of the stock brakes. They aren't perfect but do work ok. btw - I think that straightening and rebending the stock ones would be very difficult (we built a jig for our new ones) and I have heard of folks cutting and welding an extension in to each side but I think that would be even worse (strenght and corrosion issues)

Assuming you have the tools (binding screw countersinks and taps) it isn't too difficult. Time consuming and a little figity. Lou Dawson's page has all the beta Lou Dawson's page

Bump just a reminder to be at the Pinnacles at 9:00 saturday

When I started climbing in 1970 the highest grade was 5.9. That was all I could climb. Thirty five years later the highest grade is 5.14 or something. I still climb 5.9

Middle of august Peshastin Fire

Following the recent Fisher Canyon fire which burned throught the Peshastin Pinnacles, Washington State Parks has closed the Park until next spring. Work is being done on the trail system this fall and winter for erosion control and to prepare the Park for replanting of natural vegitation. There will be a work party on Saturday, Oct 23, from 9:00 until noon. State Parks will provide the expertise but they need volunteers to dig water bars, move debris, and otherwise work under their direction. Rock will be moved from a quarry area to various locations on the trail network. If you would like to help please be at the Park at 9:00 on Saturday. Bring gloves, digging tools, lunch and water, and old packs for moving rock. You will be covered by Washington Department of Labor and Industries while working on this project. If you have any questions please PM or call me Freeman Keller 509.662.7077

Probably not, but if it is don't use it for a gripping knot like a prusik. Pick up a copy of Luebben's "Knots for Climber" or Fasulo's "Self-Rescue". And practice, practice, practice...

John, for what it is worth - a cordelette has all sorts of uses besides just equalizing anchors. Tie it off short to improvise a prusik to climb the rope (altho I usually carry a pair of Purcell Prusiks which I also use to clip anchors). By untying the grapevine knot you can use the cordelette to excape the belay with a munter mule and you can control an injured partner if you have to do a counterbalance rappel. I also carry a very short 5 mm prusik primarily for backing up my rap device but also for the waist loop prusik if I have to ascend the rope (of course you can do this with a slung nut or a sling). I've usually got the cordelette, two Purcell Prusiks, and the little prusik all hanging from my harness. And the cordelettes sometimes gets left behind on alpine rap anchors.

that's been discussed, as well as "in a moat" and several other possibilities. At least the search is narrowed now.

His camp was located 9/30 at the south end of Colchuck Lake at the base of Aasgard Pass. Tent, sleeping bag, food, clothing, packs. The search is concentrated in that area now.

We strolled up the PCT from Rainey Pass to Golden Horn this weekend - larches are about half turned and quite spectacular (along with the huckleberry). Seems about two weeks early.

No, Stuart Lake trailhead (Mountaineer Creek. Sorry

Hey, Bug, that would be great. I'll PM you the name and phone number of the Incident Commander for the sheriff - you can call him for details. I can also e-mail you a photo but simple description is 47 yo with trimmed greying beard. What I can tell you in general is that the entire Stuart and Colchuck basins were searched including Mountaineer Creek, Horseshoe Lake and up to Stuart and Goat pass. As far as I know they did not go into the Ingalls Lk side. In addition the Enchantment and Rat Lks, Edwards Mesa, Coney and Cannon Mountains, Hook, Rat and Toketie Creeks, Temple canyons have been checked out by ground and air. We believe that he was not a "climber" and did not have crampons or ice axe. It is unlikely that he would have gone up Colchuck or Snow Creek Glaciers but I think they were flown over. We think he is carrying a fairly large pack (he bought a gallon of white gas in 11'worth and it was not in his car) and no sign of any camp has been found. His car was at the Stuart trailhead and wallet was in the car. He had called his wife on the thursday he went in and said something about "Colchuck Ridge". Cell phone reception is spotty in all of that area - it is reasonable that he called her between Leavenworth and the trailhead (timing fits). If anyone sees anything that might be helpful please call the Chelan County Sheriff Office. And thanks to all the volunteers who have worked on this search. Freeman

I believe it is crossed arms overhead

Yea, three different incidents. The guys on Stuart may have been a day overdue, family went in to "help", mother had to be flow out of Stuart Lk, they walked out. The missing hiker went in to Lk Stuart or Colchuck on 9/9 to come out the 11th or 12th. Permit was for the lakes but he said he might go into the Enchantments. Search started on the 16th after he was reported overdue and has been ongoing since. A great deal of manpower and support on this one but no sign of him (including gear or camp). The entire Enchantment high country has been searched as well as Stuart and Colchuck high routes, obscure drainages, etc. Efforts are winding down. The hiker in the Sawtooths was on a solo backbacking trip. I don't know any more that what was in the paper - his body was discovered with his dog. Obviously the weather has been a little funky in the high country the past two weeks. Whether this has contributed to any of these is unknown right now.

An informal poll at the gym the other night indicated that not one climber could escape a loaded belay (one guy suggested putting a prusik on the rope and transfering the load to it, but couldn't figure out how to unload the prusik). Good thing they never go higher than half a rope length. The really unfortunate part is that the gym owner was giving a bunch of crap to the folks who were practicing it.