carolyn

didnt the guys ski on the wildflower today/night?

I would rather have a cold bud (which I do) than a cold guiness And dru-thanks.I found it awkward to belay off an anchor, but some of the reasoning did make sense (that would be taught by mr.parent)

alright, so I feel bad asking this question NOW , after I have already belayed many leads. However i would hate to have someone get hurt because I didnt ask. So.... The first time I was asked to belay a leader I was told to keep enough slack in the rope in order to not pull them off. The person leading, and those who I have belayed since then probly had falling furthest from their mind (as they were climbing something way below their level). Common sense says to brake if they fall. Well, reading johnny's post on mind control some people talked a little more about belaying. It made me wonder if I was missing some knowledge that would prevent the leader from further injury in the case of a fall. examples: quote: by chuck:did your belayer take in rope while you were falling? That can cause the falling climber to whip into the wall harder and quote: by allison:I will say that we were all new enough that we didnt have the 'dynamic catch' in our belaying repetoires at that point. I know how to do it now, tho... Also, it was mentioned a few times about falling and hitting your belayer. I was recently taught to belay (on ice and I imagine it could be useful for rock as well) off an anchor (tree, screws, etc) vs your harness. THe reasoning...if a large chunk of ice comes falling (or person ) you can still hold onto the rope and move far away. I really dont see that being much different than if you are belaying off your harness, tho. In addition, if you had to get help for some reason you would be able to get out of the system and lock your partner off. Not something you can do while belaying off your harness too easily. Just wondering what others think of this and pro's/con's Im missing before I make a decision to belay this way or not. Thanks! [ 02-13-2002: Message edited by: carolyn ]

You find them pretty slick, too?I thought it was just my klutzy ass! (then again, maybe it still is).Just last week as I went sliding down, preparing for the fall, I miraculously managed to stay on my feet. ALthough my helmet swung around my pack and smacked me in the eye And yes, I find I need to tighten them before I climb. If I do so too early it cuts off circulation and my feetzies get a bit chilled. Its actaully kind of a pain. Although sometimes I have found that fine line where they are just right. This was one of the reasons I considered having them stretched. Im holding off as long as possible and playing around with different ways of lacing.

I dont have much else to go off of because these are my first pair of boots. Ive found them to be pretty darn comfortable and light. APproaches to ice are pretty short around here, but havent experienced any problems walking in them. In fact, it seems the longer the day the more my foot seems to mold into them and feel comfy. As lambone pointed out the liners are not lace-up. I was having problems keeping my heel in place, so wound up buying a pair of inverno liners which work great for me. They also give you that added warmth which I imagine the original liners dont. The only real concern I have had over them is the fact that they seem to get punctured easily. While in canada a few wks back I met two guys who were quite shocked when they found a hole in their brand new alphas (it was the first time they had worn them)! At that point I had noticed a large, deep scratch in mine. Just this week I found two holes, one (small), which has gone all the way thru the plastic. I know its possible to put holes in plastic with your crampons. But this seems a little excessive. Overall, I do like them after making some adaptations to meet my needs. Good luck!

Quite the entertaining post! Lets make it simple...I bartend tonight.drinks are on the house.Your all on the guest list.See some live music.Do your little moondance till your hearts.And, climb all the ice ya want the next day. Now, you just have to get here

Welcome Home! Glad your back safe and sound! Hey, what happened to your toe warmers?!?!?!?! later, carolyn

First of all, thanks to those of you who offered feedback and suggestions. I made a decision yesterday and purchased my OWN pair of sabretooths. I kind of think I chickened out a bit by not getting some mono's. On the other hand i needed my own pair of crampons, Ive really liked using the sabretooths, and I know they will work well for me in many situations for years to come. I will probly try and borrow or demo some mono's thru the rest of this season. If ya have anymore input, feel free to share it, as Im still in the market for a pair at some point in the near future. Ibex-hope you got home safely. Thanks for scoping out that area w/me today. I will let ya know when we figure out the safest access to the top...or when I can sucker someone into leading it TG-if ya read this when you get back...DONT send the crampons...send more beer instead! Thanks again!carolyn

oops, your answer wasnt there before I started responding, todd. Now, let me re-read it and let it sink in a bit more.

Hey lambone-THANKS so much for the tip (no pun intended ) on filing the tools. I rounded the top of one before heading out this morning. Compared to the other one it was a 100% improvement! quote: Did you have to buy seperate Inverno liners as well? Sounds spendy... yes, the inverno liners were expensive. But I got a stellar prodeal on the boots. The overall cost for both was still cheaper than the boots alone if I didnt have to pd... And, it works! Todd-These are actually my first tools (and I stand by my decision! ). Im sure there are times I swing too hard (and too much ). As I mentioned above, rounding the top as lambone suggested helped tremendously. I will keep your suggestions in mind if it doesnt continue to work. Thanks! quote: however, if you choose to go with a mono, buy one that allows you to put the point under your big toe (the m10 gives you this option). Sorry, can someone explain the importance of this to me? quote: also, if youre considering the rambocomps, note that they are one of the best crampons out there, but only on really steep/technical stuff (6's, etc.). so basically, if youre not always climbing top-notch routes (if youre usually on 3's and 4's), the rambocomps will actually climb worse than almost any other crampon out there, as you can pretty much forget about french technique, low-angle descents, etc. go with the m10's. can you elaborate a bit more on why you think this is? Guess I have never heard that theory before. [ 02-01-2002: Message edited by: carolyn ]

Dru-I have a friend who swears by the M10's.My understanding is the M10's, bionic, terminator, rambo's, etc are basically the same. Im not deadset on one or the other to be quite honest. shawn-you coming out this weekend or what?!?!?! If so, mind if I try yours out? Lambone-Ive pretty much been using the sabretooths this season and I REALLY DO like them (a lot!)! Im am acquiring a long term rental of some rambo duals , so it doesnt make sense as of yet to get the sabretooths. Im sure I will purchase a pair in the near future, tho. I wound up with alpha's and use an inverno liner instead of the alpha liner. The lace up system in the inverno liner (a size smaller)helps prevent my heel from slipping and seems to give me enough room (for the most part) in the forefoot so I dont have to stretch them. I usually have to play around with the laces a bit on longer days. I also cant have too much bulk. As of right now a thin sock and a toasty toe warmer is just right. Overall Im pretty pleased with them. I will add, I somehow managed to put a fairly deep and large scratch in them already. Two guys I met up in canada put holes in theirs the first day out with 'em. Hmmmm?!?!?!?!? The rages are working alright, too. Only problem I have with them is that they seem to stick in the ice TOO much. I need to figure out a way to file some of the teeth down to prevent that, I think. Now, if I could only find a glove system which works! In time, I guess. Anyhooo....Its snowing and I have the day off...think Im gonna go out and boulder on some ice before it gets dark! Thanks for the thoughts thus far. [ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: carolyn ]

as I await for a pair of dual points to arrive at an undetermined date (could be late season) Ive decided I want to stop 'borrowing' crampons and just get a pair of my own (although I really like these sabretooths Ive been using lately ). I dont want to invest in another pair of duals, so Ive been considering biting the bullet and just purchasing some monopoints (been eyeing rambocomps for a while now). My concerns...although I know and understand the benefits of monos it still makes me quite nervous to only have one point in the ice. Ive just begun to really start trusting and using my feet. Seems like I would have to start all over with that. Just curious what others experienced when switching over. (and I know I can get conversion kits for some, however at this stage of the game I really dont think I would care to tinker around with that. I would just keep and use 'em as monos) Thanks, carolyn

Ya, so let the "newbie" shine in me during this post. I went up to Montreal River, Ontario (about 1.5hrs from Sault Ste Marie, MI) for about 5-6 days where I was promised ice. And ice I got! The weekend involved an "ice festival" where climbers, mainly from canada and Michigan gathered to climb. I was the lone Minnesota representative, but found it quite easy to find partners to climb with (thanks to a PNW'er, jay who was in the area visiting! if you read this... I have one of your quickdraws in case you would like it back!) We found an area with some wet, but fat ice - single pitch to start with on Saturday. Moved over to a chimney which was a bit more thin and wet. COming from someone who started on ice late in the season last year and only having the opportunity to climb maybe 30-40ft in height, this 70+ft WI4 climb (I think thats what everyone agreed upon) was definately a fun challenge for me! Another short climb awaited us on our way back to the road which was very thin, but fun. I bit the bullet and stayed past the festival for some classes. I learned a ton! I learned about leading (single and double ropes) and did a lot of following long, single pitches. I climbed on verglass ice, vertical, low angled, mixed, pillars. I received a great deal of info on safety (which is much desired after hearing about so many accidents as of late). I realized what type of clothing works best for me and what i need to change in order to spend hours, even days on the ice. Oh! And other than a little tweaking left to do, my my boots are working great! Thanks to those who offered suggestions in a past post! One day we rode by snowmowbile about ten miles, then snowshoed a ways in order to gain access to a new found area of cliffs overlooking lake superior. AMAZING! Walls and walls of climbs - single and multipitch, tons of variety. Never climbed. I made my first attempt at true winter camping, where I set my tent on the shores of lake superior for the duration of my stay. For the most part, it went well. However I did begin to feel a bit clausterphobic after a few nights in the tent(please tell me that passes w/time and experience) and woke up one morning not being able to feel my f'in toes! I know there are places with bigger/longer climbs, however I found a climb does not have to be BIG in order for it to be hard (even for those with years of experience and great skills). Guess the midwest isnt all that bad! I have a bunch of pics but dont know how to link them to the post, so feel free to pm me and I would be happy to send them your way.

I feel like such a sucker. Haireball, The bag is a TNF polargaurd 0degree (3d maybe?). And I only got it last March. Probly spent an average of 2-3nights/week in it until Sept, then the entire month of sept I was out using it. Whenever possible I would keep it laying out vs in the stuff sack. When i camped in Nov at a whoppin 35 degrees, I was pretty chilly and bummed because I hoped to use it on some trips later this winter when it would obviously be colder (or so I thought...as we are hitting record highs here in MN of nearly FIFTY DEGREES!). Why do I feel like such a sucker?First of all, this was the first time I was investing in a "real" bag. I researched and tried to decide what would be best for me. I THOUGHT I was making a good decision. The salesperson helped confirm the decision. They also suggested I store my bag in a compression sack while backpacking, which I have now learned is what probly helped ruined it. As I gain more knowledge and experience, i can look back and say that was NOT a wise purchase. Live and learn, expensively, I guess.*sigh* I will probly take it back and see if they will do anything for me. In the meantime, I guess I will be grateful I have the opportunity for prodeals right now and will start searching for another bag. carolyn [ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: carolyn ]

the tennis ball thing...thats what I was looking for. its not down, tho. I think I really should return it to REI anyway. I did get it there and its lost a tremenous amount of loft - even after taking care of it the way one's suppose to. Thanks, dru

The idea of superfeet are as others mentioned to help reduce elongation of your foot. Not everybody needs them. However, if you do they can help tremendously not only w/the way your shoe/boot fits, but also with alignment of your ankle, knees, and back while walking. If you go get your feet measured w/ a brannok device the sales person should be able to tell you if you NEED superfeet and/or if you need customized one's. Customized are more expensive (around 70-80 bucks). I just got some customized ones (because I have messed up feet). They really helped me in fitting for my ice boots. One last thing...if they dont help ya, you can return them. They are guaranteed. Good luck, carolyn

A little bird told me there was a post recently about some tricks to regain sleeping bag loft. I cant seem to find anything when I do a search. Anyone remember it? Thanks, carolyn

I know you are all over there and Im here, but I had to share my excitement! You will no longer hear my bitchin' and moanin' about no ice here in MN. Had a great day out at a local ice crag. Short climbs, lots of laps. It was soft and wet! Actually kind of nice to not hit one dinnerplate after another. Probly cause it was so soft, but I definately felt stronger in my technique. Look forward to getting my new boots and tools this week and heading back out there for some more laps in preparation for my trip to Agawa Canyon area in ontario.

Thanks for the topic! And thanks to those of you who are so honest. Often times, as someone new to climbing, it seems that those with experience know soooo much, have no fear, and can climb whatever they want. Its good for me to hear that even those of you w/different levels of experience have similar "limitations'. A big part of climbing to me is about learning. Learning about oneself, the environment, and those around you. I guess if I REALLY thought there was an end to the process I wouldnt continue pursuing it. The responses on this post have demonstrated, to me, that climbing IS a constant growing/learning experience. I guess my biggest limitation (other than location, finances, etc) would be my self confidence while climbing. Minus safety factors, I know there isnt any real "right" or "wrong" way to climb. You dont have to complete a climb. Its okay to slip and take a short fall. There will be times when you dont know and you have to use your own judgement, your gut feelings, and make a decision. These are all things I "know". I need to stop selling myself short. Another limitation would be that I need to stop being so damn analytical. I waste so much energy (emotionally and physically) thinking and planning rather than doing. If given the chance I could sit at a spot where I am struggling on a climb and analyze it all freakin day w/out making a move (ok, so maybe that is stretching the truth...not by much , tho ). If I just TRIED different things instead of thinkin about it so long I would probly get further than I could ever imagine. Finally, fear - which has been a common theme. I really dont have much physical fear (as of right now). And when I do experience it, Im very good at working thru it and moving on. My fear is centered more on my decisions as to whats really safe and whats not. My guess is, as I gain experience (and confidence) this fear will diminish somewhat. This past fall I had two wonderful experiences which helped me realize these limitations...One where I climbed all day w/out much analyzing. It was amazing! Like a dance! I strive to make every climb like that day.The other, my partner decided to start "yelling" at me whenever I would stop. Okay...HE put a bit of fear in me by yelling! But that fear pushed me to stop thinking about the next move and just go...and fall..and go...and fall. It was a great reminder that falling(literally and figuratively) is ok and can help you learn (usually faster) than analyzing. One more thought, and then I PROMISE I will stop my rambling . Often we look at our limitations or weaknesses and try to figure out how to get rid of them. I guess I like to challenge myself and would challenge the rest of you to look for a way to use them as strengths instead. Now, Im done. Thanks for hearing me out! carolyn

Richard, I appreciate your input and giving further information on what the G10's are for. Im not suggesting everyone go out and buy these. In fact I incl. in my response that they would not be the best thing for climbing.It was a 'thought' for someone looking to put a 7 yr old in some crampons. There arent many options when it comes to that. I was also including the cost as a general guideline. As we know kids grow. SOme people dont seem to mind constantly replacing new articles of clothing as a child grows. Other people prefer to go w/"hand me downs" or a cheaper version of something. I wasnt byany means trying to encourage buying a pair of crampons just because they are "cheap". Basically, my intentions were/are not to "sell". Rather, I was trying to "suggest" ideas, since that is what TG was asking for. I fully trust that he (or anyone else) will do his own research and come to his own conclusion as to what would the best all around choice. Im far from knowing what i need to know about gear (part of the reason I post on here is to learn). I would NEVER put myself in a situation at the store where I would try and sell a product to someone that i dont know about. Much better to grab anther person in the store who might know more, or refer the customer to a couple different resources to do some research on their own as well. Ive been sold too many things on "biased" or "uneducated" opinions, myself. This isnt to start a debate. Just to clarify WHY I posted the information. I would be curious what suggestions you have for kids crampons. I apologize for any misinformation I may have given. Well, it looks like its time for the midwest holiday festivities to begin.... Hope you all have/had a great one! carolyn [ 12-24-2001: Message edited by: carolyn ]

I was bored at work today and found myself staring at crampons when one of them caught my eye. dont know if we just got them in or if Ive overlooked them in the past. Anyway, grivel G10 newclassics are 10pts, claim to fit anysize shoe or boot, 4 diff. choices of binding systems, short non-aggressive points. The info sheet on them also says they work well for women and children. I got curious, so went into the ski area and picked up a size 3 boot (classic). They fit perfectly. Two problems, one is that the tip of the ski boot was a bit longer than the front points. Im not much of a skier, but I wonder if you could find some used backcountry ski boots that small? The tips might not protrude as far. On the otherhand if they fit any shoe or boot (as they claim) you could probly find something more suitable. The other problems is when you adjust them to such a small size the extra metal in the back (not sure what its called) sticks out a couple inches. You would maybe have to cut part of it. Might not be the greatest for vertical ice, but it would be something! We sell them for 99 bucks, which Im sure is standard all over.You can read more about them at:Grivel G10 newclassics Maybe you already found some...either way, this topic has come up before so maybe someone will find the info helpful. carolyn

alright!after some creative problem solving working w/what resources I have, Ive found something that works. Alpha boots and inverno liners a half size smaller. The inverno liners have a lacing system vs the alphas one velcro strap, helping keep my heel in place much better. This also allowed me to go up a half size bigger in the alpha's so its not so tight in the ball of the foot. Most likely we WONT have to stretch the plastic. Seems like a strange combo, but it worked really well. Thanks for all the thoughts and advice. carolyn ps...anyone want to buy some alpha liners?

ya know I fit a 7yr old (boy) w/crampons last month...I THINK they were sabertooths, but I will have to dbl check and get back to you on that. Awesome that you would even THINK about letting your little girl try it out! carolyn

marmots belay parka as jordo said. about 225 Good stuff! I hope to have one by mid Jan. We are carrying them in MN. I would think a store near you could at least special order it. If not, just order direct thru marmot. They have a decent sizing chart in their catalog, which might be online as well. [ 12-12-2001: Message edited by: carolyn ]

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