genepires

It is not too unreasonable to have never placed a picket. If the snow is strong enough to hold a picket, then it is strong enough to have solid steps, solid bridges, solid everything so that the running belays, and crevasse rescue needs for pickets would not be used. I bet he carries them for the usual reasons, just never had a need for them. I find myself using a picket and a ice axe for crevasse rescue. If we had 4 people on the trip, I would plan on using axes for all crevasse rescue anchors and not using any pickets for running pro if it wasn't needed, like the south side of baker. I admit I have never belayed across sketchy bridges. I usually crawl across the worst. Belaying would be a good idea but at least around here, the sketchy bridges are still pretty damn good. Also, if you climb with new climbers, running belays are a very good idea. If you climb with hardmen and hardwomen, you can have more confidence in there ability to not fall and hence the lack of running belays (pickets). so an equation could look like this (please excuse the geeky math dude stuff) solid partner + good cascade snow + good knowledge and/or experience + mellow route= null picket use or in danes or hard route case solid partner + good cascade snow + good knowledge and/or experience + gnar scary route = null picket use + rock and ice gear On a side note, I have rarely placed a picket as a deadman for running belays. If it is soft enough for trenching, I usually make big steps for myself and my partners hence the lack of need for running pro. Self arrest is easy also. If the snow is hard and the possibility of self arrest is small (therefore the need for running belay) the vertical placement is strong enough and quicker to place and remove. What is the sierra method of pickets? Never heard that term before.

they won't ship mec made products?

damn this thread gets spicy when i wasn't looking. When we were on it, I found a solid ice blob that was exactly 60m from the moat. (with others screws holes in it so others used it too) I found that pretty easy and much safer than any winter time picket. After that it was a couple OK screws to easy steep snow to tree belay. then tree pro to ice to tree belay. (with 10 feet of simu) We carried 2 pickets but never found a need for it. plus the snow wasn't too reassuring for strength. Now if I hadn't found that ice belay, I would have made something work but it would have been a backup to a seated stance hip belay for sure. I am used to placing pickets in summer rock solid snow that even a buried bic lighter or small rock would hold lots. I apologize if I came across all aggro. That was not my intention to diss anyone.

chances are you partner will have some stuff, so shooting for half of what Trog says for all of what Dane says seems right. I don't know where you would put a picket on chair right now. That thing is all sugary and wouldn't hold squat. There are good trees and ice to anchor to.

I am so lame for living in monroe and never getting up that route. it looks good!

uh huh huh...uh huh huh...he said "hard".

sweet!

you are shit out of luck. man up and use a ridgerest you american traitor! Doesn't everyone in utah use bouldering pads?

simple softshell pant with a thermal underneath for cold days. Cheap so you won't feel bad when you cut it up with crampons. Fit matters though. Don't buy cheap if it fits like a diaper. (which is how the rei pants) I bought a pair of OR pants that did me very well. the convertable pant doesn't do well for me either. Feels weird when the zipper rubs on the leg. Buy what works.

pm me if you lost a pair and a single glove.

I found a pair of glove liners below chair peak today. Shoot me a PM if you want them back. We were on chair N face today and had it all to ourselves. There was another team who got on while we were on the last pitch. We got up early. They got up late. It worked out well. Thanks for the boot trail! To the haters who claimed to be held up by the first party, chill out. It is only climbing. plus what others already said.

If you try on the boots in a store, you really should buy the boots there. If we as a community do that kind of thing (use their services but not support them with $$) then they will go out of business and we all will suffer when we need to buy boots. Luckily I already own too many boots so if you all screw it up..............

The different colors are different models of superfeet. I am not sure what the differences are but they tell me I need to have a pair for climbing boots, a pair for street shoes and a pair for my flip flops.

What is the metal made of? isn't it supposed to be a aermet kind of thing? Too bad I swing (and rarely) grivel and petzl tools. Maybe you could make some sweet grivel picks?

I suspect that you need a 1/2 size larger. It may seem fine while standing but after walking (especially downhill) for several miles, it will be worse. Plus feet tend to swell a little after walking around in the hills.

are you thinking of snow saw for snow pit avi eval or building snow walls in alaska?

I gotta find that video record. could you by chance show me the way to that? thanks

do what you like. like what you do. and I am Lance Groinhammer dammit. While I don't join in on the spray forum much (I can't keep up with the wit from Tvash) it seems entirely fucked up that people would get upset that their "identity" got exposed. What are they superheroes or something? This site is free. These complainers should either shut up or grow up and stop saying crap that will embarrass them.

??? they guy just wants to go to denali. why the hate?

Keep the ventilation good even if you are cooking in the vestibule. No matter how high you are and how cold it is. No matter the temptation. You and the stove need oxygen but the stove will win. A typical storm can seal up a tent real quick with snow. be careful and have fun.

looks like winter is still going on up there. nice.

Before there was tests which have shown that different diameter ropes were less than ideal for the overhand knot (thank god no one called it the euro death knot yet), we used to rap on a 11 mm / 7mm combo and we didn't die. Still not a good idea though just due to knot creep. But your 2mm difference between rope diameters is not much so hopefully knot creep won't be much of an issue. Your hesitancy to skinny static is a good one. If getting a rope stuck is a real possibility, I would want to have the thicker lead line pulled so I would have that to lead back and clear the stuck skinny rope.

when was that crashed plane photo taken? 2002? Is photo after the labeled cassin ridge photo a cassin ridge shot too? nice photos. thanks

the base looks like it hasn't seen a avi for at least a couple of recent snow storms. That line does look a lot like a crown though.

thanks! Would be sweet if it opened by mid march.