genepires

is this an improvement? it sounds like an improvement in the condition. If I took my dogs and my 4 yo on a 2.5 mile walk, it would take 4 hours.

Wow, great idea Dan! Thanks, Dan, I sure thought so. Wow, great idea Dan! Thanks, Dan, I sure thought so.

gear critic = gear forum You are obviously missing the point of the previous conversation. I didn't criticize anyone for asking about backpacks in newbie forum. I was explaining why people where giving this guy advice about his possible poor gear choice instead of his desired original question. Posting in newbie assumes that the poster is a newbie and therefore people where trying to help out the newbie. He comes back with all the attitude about him not being a newbie and not wanting this kind of advice. Free yourself from your emotions, read it all again and you will see. Not sure why you are jumping my shite so much. I spent good time writing responses for you and I thought I gave you good advice on that topic. excuse me if I have an opinion about newbies soloing glaciers. I guess I am not allowed to speak at the risk of offending one in a million. If I am out of line, feel free to complain to a moderator and have me removed from here.

next generation of devices will be linked with a heart rate monitor and when the HR falls below some minimum, will auto send help message. Just making it up but it is possible.

photo?

why not just flood their FB page with comments about the crap? Give them carpal tunnel with the delete process. submitted my own already.

ice screws? where does that come from? So by your logic, the gear forum is for people who are not new to the gear and therefore should know everything about the gear before asking questions? Bistro, you are kinda snarky too. Ending now before this turns to spray. Good day!

read that also. Was thinking that PLB would be a good option as well. No annual fees but no "OK" function.

being somewhat south facing doesn't help

looks like a good time. what is the deal with the 6th photo?

I think this post in regards to informing and collection info on what areas are open and closed due to bird closures needs to be started over. this is turning away from the original rationale.

to be honest, questions of soloing glacier should never be on a newbie forum because newbies should never solo a glacier. In fact, if one has to ask questions about how to solo glaciers, they should not be soloing on a glacier. Once one has spent enough time on a glacier, they will know the answers. And before you give Tvash grief about the undies comment, he brings up a very good point in comedy that you missed entirely. What will you use to aid up with? Just carrying 2 screws is going to be completely useless without some minimal equipment to actually aid with. Heed the advice given by all the people who posted on this thread. I have never met you but your words sound kinda cocky.

side question. I got some skinny mammut slings that are 5 years old. No use other than 3 days cragging in wet WA. What is the retired life of these skinny slings? (I fully expect someone to say that I should toss them and that said someone will volunteer to dispose of them properly if I mail them to him...probably in portland)

Not meaning to speak for Kurt, but I think 6mm if plenty fine for alpine anchor making material. The high strength for anchor material is needed for the dreaded fall factor two onto the anchor. It is near impossible to attain a fall factor 2 in the alpine. (unless it is some uber hardman route that is 5.12 or something) The fall factors are based on the leader taking a free fall onto the piece of protection. In most of the alpine routes, there will be lots of bouncing off small and large ledges that will reduce the forces put onto the protection or onto the anchor if there is no protection yet. If there is no pro, the leader will most likely crash into the big ledge that the anchor is built from and possibly roll off which would yield a fall factor 1 at most. Fine for the anchor but sucks balls for the leader.

it doesn't get truly buried but snow does stick to the almost vertical parts. Sometimes the snow sticks and a new layer of ice will grow over that making for really bad ice screw placements. When avi conditions are bad in the BC, they can be bad above and below the falls too even though it is in the ski area. I can personally attest to the real avi probability on the slopes near the pan done falls.

what is so wrong with fortune cookies in linsanity fz yogurt? I suppose that soy sauce ice cream would be insulting too? I can see the comment "chink in the armor of ...." article last week as the term chink is derogatory. But fortune cookies?

All very good info y'all! thanks

It really comes down to wether or not the sun is gonna be enough to heat up the screw and melt out the ice. If it is warm and sunny and in the ice long enough (summer ice TR comes to mind) then you need to angle it back a bit to that even it it melts out, it will not "pop" out. If it is inside a crevasse that is cold, dark and only used for a brief period of time like for protection, then I usually drill in perpendicular to the ice.

I have heard that webbing is less likely to cut over edges, like the edges that may be present around horns or pinched blocks common to alpine rappel stations.

so I am looking into replacing my old slings and was wondering what people's opinions where about the different kinds of sling materials. Maybe between nylon, dynex (BD), dynema (mammut ones), titan/spectra. pros for nylon- lasts longer and more resistant to cutting? dynex and dyneema are obviously skinnier and lighter. titan/spectra seems like a average of the previous two. what about the cons for the different materials? What is the suggested life span of the dyneema stuff? I have heard some scary stuff about the short life span of these slings.

looks good. any chance of a seattle showing? (keeping all the goods in portland?)

PM sent for biners

agreed with the great article. Not sure if I like the recommendation about just rotating the used rappel cords some to spread out the rope burning damage. (instead of using rappel rings) I mean it makes sense but to recommend something like this (vs. just stating that one needs to place new every time) leaves me a bit nervous about liability. (both legally and morally)

that is probably because the second guy fell onto the first killing him or like on baker years ago, the first guy was "lowered down" due to the second guy trying to self arrest but still fell into the crevasse and dying in the fall. Either scenerio does not apply to a soloist. I have looked into many crevasses and not seen many that had ledge to land on and climb out. 99% of them squeeze down gradually or I couldn't see the bottom due to crazy depths. These are bad odds for anyone to fall into. You are posting this question in the newbie section which implies that you are new to this climbing game. Heed the words of advice when someone tells you that you are doing something unsafe. Now it is not a bad idea to carry one ice screw even for a roped climber. I knew a very experienced mtn guide who had to place a ice screw to take the weight off the surface members who was unable to build a anchor where they self arrested. If you really want to be able to aid out a crevasse, you will need some slings to be able to stand in (probabaly 4 shoulder length) about 4 carabiners, and some gear to get through the snowy parts. For that you will need a couple pickets to aid on and a small shovel to dig through the snow with. Really much easier to find a partner.

Good folks are trying to help and you get snarky. You'll fit right in with the spray folks. You are also asking a question in the newbie section. This implies you are new to the climbing (and long distance hiking) game. Expect advice that does not fit your original question if there are obvious ways for improvement. Really, these guys are way more experienced than you. Listen to what they are saying. If you are not a newbie, then this should be posted in the gear forum.