genepires

I had a very light double wall tent made by MEC, tarn 2 I believe. Put it through lots of hard weather, way more than a backpacking tent should have put up with. If the tent could talk, it would have bitched me out for tormenting it with snow loading, very hard above tree line winds, 4 day noah flooding rains. I believe it was sub 5 pounds and around couple hundred bucks, maybe less. I would say that this tent would do you well. DOn't know if a completely waterproof tent can really be any lighter. BTW, I would seam seal all seams on the fly, even if it is taped.

yup. what you mentioned sounds reasonable. If you are ok with a little suffering, the pack can be very light. And the suffering is not usually that bad when you consider how awesome the place is. The scenery overwelms any discomfort that a light pack and bivy gear will offer. Just remember that the lighter the bivy gear, the less of margin for error. So bailing is a greater possibility. Small issues become very large. I think twight made a good discussion to this in his extreme alpinism book. read it.

While it may be true that c4 may lose some strength by clipping into the main loop, (why?) it may not transfer that the older double axle camalots act the same way. You are getting the double axle type right? If it is the single axle old style, then you have no choice except to resling it, as a biner won't fit inside. Would be real interested to hear why it reduces the strength to clip into the loop directly instead of the sling.

yeah I suck but had a good time anyway. that is the great thing about being a so-so climber, you are always pleased with your progress.

Got a bibler which is very similar to the ID mk1. Fairly good in very wet conditions. Wouldn't want to cook inside when it is raining outside as it will condense inside and seem to leak.(much like the problems with goretex jackets) If it raining that bad, chances are you are bailing and going home anyway. If you are doing something in which bailing home is not an option, it is probably snowing anyway in which single wall tents shine. stability in wind- can be flappy but nothing some earplugs wouldn't fix. Stablity is a function of how good you stake it out really. Yours probably has at least 6 guye lines which should be plenty if anchored properly. (ie buried deadman types or big ass rocks or trees, ect)

I have used a down bag that was made to sleep two people from feathered friends, can't remember the model right now. It is a sort of rectangular bag that zips out to a fairly rectangular shape (zipper goes out all the way across foot section), with a nylon piece that zips into the bag to allow two to sleep under the single bag. There are sleeves for the pads to go in to keep you off the ground and also prevent one person from "stealing all the covers". I see you are asking about synthetic bags, but I bet you could find a synthetic bag to work with this feathered friends doubler for a lightweight sleeping system. They have two of this type, one is lighter than the other. Now finding a good cover (double bivy?) for this is a struggle.

I like leashes and could care less what euros or canucks or yanks think about them. Jesus could show up on the icefields parkway, wielding ergos, swearing we would burn in hell for using leashes and I wouldn't switch. thanks for your opinion though.

Trip: canadian rockies - mixed master (mixed weeinies attempt) Date: 1/1/2007 Trip Report: Just thought that somone might like some beta for mixed master if you are on your way to banff this season. Locals in front of us on route said that it doesn't form very often so people need to get on it if they have the ambition. We climbed it (all but last pitch) on a chilly but sunny day. guidebook roughly says 2 pitches up scottish gulley traverse R to tree or continue up ice slab to alcove belay 5.8 traverse and ramp pitch thin ice corner to tree belay. snow pitch steep ice pitch So the first 2 pitches can be combined with a 70m rope at a bolt belay. There is a bolt anchor 60m from ground but it is exposed in the narrow gulley and we got nailed a couple times with heavy spindrift sloughs. Not such a great place to belay. (maybe rappel,except there is a good bolt belay only 10 m above so why bother?) 30m above ground is a big ledge for a screw belay. Lots of rope drag if you combine pitches 1&2. pitch 3 traverses R across snow and scrappy rock to get to ice slab. expect rope drag here too. Belay off swiss cheese ice blob. There is dozens of old screw holes in this little blob of ice seepage. Strong enough though, just less reassuring. Maybe someone could bring up a squirt bottle and refill those holes? 5.8 traverse pitch is mostly low angle scrappy climbing. luckily it gets lots of sun, cause I used my hands more than tools. Tons of pro, like every 5 feet. Some stubby screws in seepage ice blobs and med nuts and cams from #0 tcu to #2 camalot. I wished I had 3 or 4 #3 tcu's. Seems like I needed that one more than others. A couple fixed pins at cruxes. I never saw any pin placements but I am probably not so piton savy. Seemed like plenty of gear anyway. Three spots where I sat for awhile figuring out the moves but I am a mixed climbing goober/newbie, something like a hour or more on this pitch. The snow covered ramp was the most mental challenging I thought. (god knows what I was hooking on) Various pins and old small bolt belay in alcove above snow gulley. Thin ice pitch above was sweet with good rock gear and stubby to a cool steep step to tree belay. We didn't go any higher cause we were running out of daylight and I was running out of courage. Locals in front of us (Danny the canmore framer and friend the mtn guide) did the last pitch too and said it was great with 3 fixed pins on lower part. descent From tree above thin corner pitch, 2 rope rappel gets you to top of 5.8 pitch. Another 2 rope rappel (down the snow gulley) gets you to the top of pitch 2. There is a bolt/pin ancor partway down the gulley, right above the drop off. From the top of pitch 2, rope rappel gets you to a ice ledge, then a rap off v thread to ground. A truely sweet route with lots of variety. My first "on purpose" mixed lead! Alright, could someone help me resize the tiny photos? Gear Notes: ice gear w/4 stubbies, maybe 10 screws total rock rack mentioned above 2 ropes nice, might be able to rap with 1 60m. Approach Notes: solid bootpack from road. 10 minutes. Gotta love the rockies.

peru?

Some down bags have a waterproof breathable outer shell already. This would be fine for inside a snowcave. There is some dripping but not so much that a bivy sack would be needed if your sack already has a good outer finish. (like water getting through the seams which are usually not taped on a sleeping bag) If your bag does not have any kind of good outside material (driloft, event, epic, ect), then any amount of dripping will saturate the bag and you will need some kind of bivy sack. Your bag will get a little damp anyway due to sweat. Just my opinion, but synthetic bags are crap. Never warm enough, always weigh too much and never compress enough for my too small pack. stay natural, exercise common sense with your gear and stay with down.

north to south some ideas baker hwy - go to ski area upper lot on snowshoe up to herman saddle, maybe summit mazama dome. (sounds big but it is a easy snowshoe day) hwy 20 - sauk mtn. will need to hike some loggin road then hike up R side of face, where summer trail is. mtn loop hwy - mt dickerman trail. A summer trail that gets to an actual summit. really nice views is the weather is good. Quite often a trail is beat in if the weather has been good for a couple days. hwy 2 - from stevens pass hwy, head up opposite ridge from ski area, very often a boot pack exists. hwy 90 - tromp around snoq pass either into source lake or commonwealth basin. Pick what looks good when you get there. Also usually a boot pack exists. Rainier area - not sure of status of road but around unicorn peak is sweet. With that, all these places could be considered safe and/or dangerous. Too many factors but if the weather is good and the avi hazard is low, then the above would be good options for a fit hiker with good common sense.

going up to banff area pretty soon and I was wodering if anyone has ever found a bed n reakfast or other lodging in the town of field? If so, could I please have their info and prices if you know? I have slept in my vehicle in field too many times to do that again. thanks in advance gene

duty dome area scw pearly gates east faces of liberty bell/winter spire area west faces of liberty bell/winter spire area three oclock rock exfoliation dome giant green buttress smoke bluffs (yeah in canada but within reasonable drive distance) apron, papoose, squaw, sheriff badge area, grand wall, lower coleman ice craggin amazonia my 10 is in base 16.

hydrophobia any of those big steep routes that hang underneath bigger seracs like the one on mt. quadra

seems like eave dearborn route would be the stumbling block for doing all of the 1st edition selected climbs. And didn't one of the dome peak area climbs get wiped out with rock fall?

grivel made a helmet with a full on face grill. no fog issues. full face protection from ice and tools. and as an added plus, you look like you belong on an "american gladiator". looks geeky but it will work.

old footfangs and new quarks! a marriage of ancient and youth.

dream climb - west face of mount huntington favorite climb? too many seperate types of climbing to come up with one that rules over all. Probably the climb that is having the most fun. Here is a feeble attempt. Ice - Polar circus is way up on the list. alpine ice - north face mt fay or north ridge of bakerhorn alpine rock - Slesse. galcier travel - Easton or the coleman/deming glacier on the mighty bakerhorn. cragging - any day spent in the city of rocks aid - spaceshot bouldering - too old for bouldering. v-0 in the gym.

hubbu whatever is in. two groups on today. fat for usual hubba conditions. I got a few pics but give me a day to get it downloaded. Seemed like everything else is trying to by in but not there yet for mortal types. I suppose things are "in" if you are a really really good ice climber.

summer between here and texas can be scorching hot. that limits lots of areas in a straight line but if you don't mind a little longer drive then how about city of rocks (could be hot could be perfect) then off to the sierras area (including lovers leap, toulumne and the valley, alpine rock routes, as well as tons of smaller crags that litter the state) then settle down for the hot drive to texas. can't say I woudl reccomend any gyms on your course cause it seems like there is so much better to do. think about idaho alpine rock, winds and tetons too, not so much crags as alpine goodness. City of rocks has got to be one of my favorite "cragging areas" going.

OK rbw, don't get your panties in a wad, these screamers are not on my rack anymore. Was just getting the winter rack ready and saw these two old screamers. Wasn't planning on using them but was seeing what others thought of older screamers. Maybe discussion on this would make others retire screamers. Good idea with asking yates. Anyone around here got a good testing machine and interested in a free sample?

So I got some old yates screamers that are maybe 8 years old that haven't been fallen on. They get about 2 weeks of use per year that consists of hanging on the harness or ice screws. Yeah I know that nylon degrades with time and so forth. Common sense says dump them. Someone will claim I should give it to them to "dump it for me". But I was just wondering if these screamers are as bad as I suspect they are. Seems like the 1" nylon would make them safe for much longer. Any opinions? Any actual experience on older screamers? Any intersting tests on older screamers? thanks, gene

lots of good advice here but i cringe at the idea that "And assuming you are doing the West Butt, it is nexto to impossible to get caught out in a serious storm without some warning,". Seems like one who is a newbie could walk away with a sense of casualness with denali. People die on the west buttress. Lots of people get frostbite. People get caught out in storms, usually trying to get back to camp or back down to less stormy campsites. Professionals get in trouble too. Denali doesn't care who you are. There are lots of people who climb denali with the expensive high altitude boots like millet. A common saying goes, they are expensive but they only cost $80/toe. Is one of your toes worth $80? With all the costs of getting up there, another $400 spent that will increase the chance of you getting up, is trivial. With that, I can good luck with the arctis expe with good supergators. But I don't wear them anywhere else also so I might as well have bought the overkill ones. Who wears arctis expe in the cascades?

just a little advice. highs are 70 degress this weekend. (in vegas!) But it could get cold real quick. Have a south facing rock list backup if this happens. Most of the canyons are shady for most of the day. Here is a little list of possible cold day climbs: most of the pullout areas olive oil if you start between 9am and 11am. shade follows up solar slab climbs cat n hat brass wall is a great cold weather area. dark rock absorbs light! and there are others that others will suggest. (Jason speak up!) but it seems like most people's tick list all contain shady climbs. just something to think about.

It is good that we make you laugh cause you sure make hundreds, if not thousands, laugh at you.