genepires

try feathered friends for a hood for your down jacket. I would add something like a precip full side zip pant. When the weather turns to shite (and it will), keeping dry will be very important. I would also take some kind of light nylon windbreaker which will be useful 80% of the time especially in nice yet blustery weather. Add a schoeller jacket and forget the windstopper jacket would be my choice as I am not fond of this material for jackets.

A little bit of motion in the belayer (getting pulled upwards) offers a form of a dynamic belay, which lessens the force on the top piece. (in a fall of the leader) Some sport climbers even jump a little right at the point when the rope goes taught to minimize forces on the leader and belayer for the same reason. So when would you not want this dynamic affect? Like Jason stated, you don't want to crash into a roof or if your anchor can not hold much of an upward pull. (slung horns are another case) But if there is a extreme difference in weight, you may want to hold that person down, even in simple top roping. Or you think your belayer might not have the skill to hold the brake while getting yarded upwards, then definately lock them down. Don't underestimate the forces involved as I have been pulled 6 feet up when catching a guy sport climbing before. The best way to answer your question is to imagine what would happen to your belayer if they got yarded upwards. Then decide if you need a piece to hold the belayer down. On a side note-If you are leading and your belayer chooses not to belay you at the base of the climb, then lock them down with anchors AND make that first piece of pro able to hold a outward force. This may involve a cam pointing outwards or two nuts in opposition. The horizontal vector for the force is very large and WILL slam them into the wall and they may realease the brake in a automatice self preservation move. I see this belay practice often and surprised more people don't bite it.

MEC has a couple packs that look good and are pretty inexpensive. Brio 40 and 50 liter for around $70 and $85 US. They have comparable weights to your packs mentioned. Stuff on sale usually means that either no one wants it for good reason or there is some major issue (like durablility) with it. You get what you pay for.

can't you run up to vancouver and get a much better pack at MEC for cheap? (serratus?)

terminator touching down?

Don't mean to dampen for upcoming trip but I was on muir thursday and there was very little new snow over hard ice on the upper half of the route. the lower half had lots of rocks poking through. Probably the worst ride down from muir ever for me. Was still a good day with great views and even pretty warm but I would have had as much fun simply walking up and down. If things don't change, you might want to forget the skiis and go for a nice walk.

Big 4 - nw ridge or other hardman descent routes. Lots of other peaks in the mtn loop highway as well. Delcampo, hall, ect. Prussik west ridge if we had a little warm spell to make it nice n toasty Sauk for an easy day climb pryamid, Bunyon stump, and pinnacle seem reasonable access tattosh range shuksan north face, white salmon glacier. there si big potential for mixed crazy lines between the hanging glacier and white salmon. Dallas Klokke had a winter alpne route guidebook out but may be out of print. These are small peaks that wouldn't see any action in the summer. But in the winter, they are very nice. If you can't find it, call dallas as he is very helpfull and may have a copy around.

I have one as well and have used it for planned light bivy and an unplanned bivy up high in the wind rivers. (COLD!) Really very nice piece. Just don't wear it thrashing up a chimney or it will get shredded as the mat'l is lightweight. Better yet, stay out of chimneys.

there was a pair of wings (one light one alp) at second ascent some 3 weeks ago. also, there was a pair on ebay but that is long gone. you might want to check that once a week.

DFA's post is kinda funny too. He seems to think that we are old school and anti-gri-gri. Who is "insisting on old school methods"? I never said that gri-gri's were a bad idea. I got one and use it all the time. I bought mine on a road trip because my belayer had a whopping 2 days experience. But dr crash, you brought up the fact that you were concerned about your KIDS dropping each other. If you want to see kids climbing, messing things up (with gri-gri also), and falling to the ground, go spend a day at merrymore park. Luckily they got rubber everywhere so only small bones break. You asked for opinions on the cinch which I don't have any. They look good. I assume you have taught your kids great belaying skills and determined focus. Relying completey on a gri-gri or cinch to keep them safe is as relyable as a CHAD ballot. If there is any question about their belay skills, then they need human backup. But they are your kids........and you gotta pay the hospital bills or worse.

nice teaser. Good music and shots. I like the guy falling, ripping gear out and falling onto the belayer on some indian creek looking area. Oh yeah, the hotty shakin her bootie is good too.

cascade crags ice fest this 6th. try out all kinds of tools for free! granted it is on foam ice but it is free. I bet they rent tools also. American alpine instit. rents them in bellingham.

????? Thanks for the heads up but we will see if anyone can remember this for next year.

best to stay with him and hold the brake line as a backup. Many people often use a prussik backup for their rappels. Maybe you should think about teaching your son to always put on a prussik to backup his brake hand and also anchor him down.

second ascent had a pair of alp wings for around $130 each. They also have other grivel straight shafted super couymeaur. (spelling way off) They also have tons of other tools pretty cheap there. You will find a good ice tool there. (I don't work there BTW)

Above is very good advice. As far as reliable, by nepal tops have withstood alot of abuse. Not so with rock shoes from them but thier boots seem very durable. Just a opinion,but I prefer leather over plastics for ice climbing. I can't keep my heel down in any plastic boot while ice climbing. Only leather boots have somekind of geometry that locks down my heels. I think that the laces don't wrap high enough on plastics. But my 2 cents.

So it looks like the cam has three stages and when the crack gets too small, then wider cam gets out of the way. There are three sections for different crack sizes. But it looks like the second "stage" is wider when folded out of the way than the narrowest section on the smallest range "stage". How could one use the smallest range if you can't jam it in very far due to larger second stage? Seems like a easy piece to get stuck due to that. At $90 a pop....ouch They are using the same arguement that BD uses for their camalots about needing to carry fewer pieces which has been debated alot. I wish them luck on their new cam and I hope that it fares better than the splitter cam which I though was a good idea too.

There is no one perfect way (or "system") to rack all the gear. Best to get used to many different ways, each appropriate for different situation. For multi-pitch were swapping leads, a gear sling is very handy to swapping gear and getting out of the belay quickly. Why waste time racking onto the harness at every belay? (and risk dropping gear) So I usually rack nuts to #2 camalot on gear sling and anything bigger on the back of the harness. Draws evenly distributed on both sides of harness. For craggin - all rock pro on front gear loop on both sides. small (front) to large (back). Passive and small cams on one side, large cams on the other. Draws on back on both sides. My own personal feeling is that I don't like that metolious multi-loop gear rack as I find it hard to see my feet. I have a hard time moving the whole mess to the side unlike the standard type gear sling. Maybe due to that I learned on the standard rack and therefore lack the skills. People who always had a multi loop type don't seem to have issues. enjoy the rock climbing were ever you can! seems wet everywhere. "I have the body of a god........buddha"

The grivel alp wings are fairly straight for alpine but a little curved for steep ice. Seems like a good compromise for alpine and moderate ice climbing. It has a little pinky rest that is removable for snow climbing too. With this pinky rest, it should be OK for drytooling, not that I know squat about drytooling. "if at first you don't succeed, blame someone else and seek counseling"

that is not in mt charleston but behind the ikea in renton. (hi Jason! you must be shy or out sending hard sandstone.) "constipated people don't give a crap"

Jason don't know anything about ice climbing! (hi Jason!)

It isn't always cold on thanksgiving in RR. So the north facing climbs can be pleasant. But if it is cold here is a list of some warmer stuff. group therapy- sun leaves the rock mid morning so get up early to stay in the light. hopefully it will be warmer by the time the sun goes away olive oil - ditto on the morning sun. If you get started by 10am, you will be in shade with the sun always a rope length away anything on solar slab area birdland - sun all day. Don't think it is in any guidebook yet but give Jason Martin a request for exact details. It is to the far left of the brass wall and is about 6 pitches high. 5.8 Black orpheus and eagles wall (with rainbow buttress) is in the sun but could be windy as they are up high in the canyons. All the pullouts for sporto stuff. climbing there all winter long. The places that dberdinka commented on are all very good. If it is warm - hit the black velvet for 4 days and don't leave till they drag you to the airport. Lotta balls area too. oh to be there now...drool...drool..........

I don't own a 4wd. Is it standard to put the chains on the front tires and not on all 4?

adams glacier anything on dragontail (backbone) anything on stuart (ice cliff and n ridge) something in darrington (dreamer or x dome) any route on shuksan (fischer is my fav) there is really too many great climb to list just 5.

Yeah D! monkey likes gloves....... Cloudviel ice floe glove (correct me if the name is wrong) BD drytool (yeah they wear through but it is good while they last)