jhamaker

Do the aformentioned headlamps have a long enough cord to keep the batteries warm in your jacket? If the batteries are just stuck on your head, your are getting *much* less life out of your batteries. I would have to agree, 4.5V is a good compromise of life vs weight.

>>I'd strongly recomend you make a concerted effort to learn avalanche forecasting.<< Avy forcasting is a crap-shoot. Best just stay out from under avy chutes.

Sounds fun, and challengeing!

You are missing the point. These routes were developed w/o input from the managing agency, and the routes were widely publicized. If you are going to do some guerilla route developement, at least be a little circumspect.

>>>Ade noticed a few 1/4 inch buttonhead bolts to the right of Westward Ho. They are few and far between. There does seem to be more gear placement opportunities there than on Westward Ho, but still it is severely run out. I should think with some upgraded bolts it might be a worthwhile climb.<<< It goes at about 5.8. Belays are sound. Also the route is more out of the way of rockfall than either the W *Buttress*! or Wesward Ho. Upgrading bolts to 3/8 inch might be acceptable, but I volunteer to chop any new (extra) bolts. I see no reason to destroy one extablished climb and make annother in its place, just to bring a piece of rock down to ones comfort level. Anyone who denies that runout is part of the climbing experience is deluding themselves. There is nothing wrong w/ top-roping or or climbing on rappelle to cheque out a piece of rock, especialy if you gain potentialy life-saving info. Question: Is it, or is it not common practice to bring a few pieces when climbing, on-site, a challenging sport rt? W/ me it is SOP. Thanx you two for cleaning up after the ya hoos. That was probably the scariest piece of the trip!

Tough one. Versatility of a GPS vs the portability of an altimeter watch? I only use the altimeter durring the 4 months of winter and hope to do more icefield traverses, so I'm probably be going w/ the GPS - one w/ AA batteries I can swap between my avy beacon, headlamp, and GPS. Now, do I realy want to spend an extra $150 for a GPS w/ mapping function?

Actualy, if you want to climb Little (Goat) Horn, Big Goat Horn, and Little Big Horn and that other goat spire, you will want a rope. Pitches range in lenth from 10ft to 100ft. Have Fun!

>>Alpine Bod? have you taken a fall in it, and if so, did it kill you? << I've taken a few falls in the Alpine Bod, and I'm dead. For my body shape, you don't want to hang around for too long in the Alpine Bod. The Bibler harness is very light, and comfortable when adjusted correctly. It also packs down to less than any other harness I've seen. The Bibler and the Bod both have the advantage of being able to drop the leg loops for taking a dump.

Crampons balling up: 9 times out of 10, this is your to warning to take the succers off. The last time I had to hold a fall on snow was when an A.A.C. (Fairbanks) student slipped on balled up snow. Trust your axe, ditch the crampons on soft snow. Japanese on the rock. I don't suppose you got picks? Let's climb Sunshine and take annother look at it.

S route (Hogsback) yep, rockfall. Go durring a very cold night. You may have trouble w/ the bercherund that late. It is already 300 ft accross and 2-5 ft wide. No other routes are any better - most will be out of shape. You can always head over to St. Helens or Adams. Don't forget your wallet if you do.

Trees are part of the route. Getting through, over, around the suckers is often the most challenging part of the route.

Over 24 picket/fluke placements! Perfect conditions, great snow, no ice, some rock-fall. Continuous angle, I used my other hand for balance while kicking steps. This is an impressive rt. No falls allowed. Very little chance of self arrest. A popular place to die on Hood. I would not recomend roping yourself to a dead-weight climber unless you place good pro.

See you in June. My expediton name is 63 North, we will be w/ Cascade Cari and the Prussic Brothers (sp). Sorry about the spellings, I just planned this last month. Your expedition name?

Other than at the hard-ware store, where do I find spacers to convert my Rambo's into mono-points? I love the crampon leash, I move the suckers over to other crampons at every oportunity.

>>>Man I almost got gored by a buffallo in yellowstone when I was there skiing once.<<< Unlucky you. I was skating back to W Yellowstone after 3 days of the park to myself along the river (river on left, steep ridge on rt) when I skied up behind several buffalo. I hung back and followed them for ever untill we came to a "slow vehicle turnout". The buffalo pulled over to let me pass. I just think they have a thing for snow machines. I don't blame them.

Looks like I'll be free by mid-May. I'm in Fairbanks and want to climb something up here. I've 14yrs climbing experience and have been up to 20K ft on Denali. I'm up to most anything as it is all new territory to me up here. I would love to go somewhere remote/unfrequented for exploration. Best to rsvp me at jhamaker@operamail.com

The rock is choss. Good to stay on snow when you can. Be prepared for lots of micro navigation in white-out. If you want to lug in rope and tools there is a gully or two you cold use them on and you would not have to climb so much choss. Gullies though will collect rock-fall from above. Otherwise just scamble your way up and over and to the summit.

1cup (8oz)/person/day will get you less than 2 gallons of hot water w/ two boil-ups, but probably not boiling and definatley no hot water bottles for the feet at night or to sip durring the day. Make sure your stoves are interchangeable for parts and well protected when in use. A MSR heat exchanger and pressure cooker is rumored to save 30% in fuel consumption or more. Have fun!

Fury does not look that light to me. Beck et al - how does the betamid fair for wind and heavy snow? For below tree line yr-round, I love my Chouinard Pyramid. Simple to set up, handles heavy snow and moderatly strong winds, sleeps up to 4, weighs 2.5lbs.

These Hilleburg tents seem a bit pricy, but the weight is great. So how fast do they set up? Breathability? I love my 2.5 person double walled VauDe tent. Though it weighs in over 7lbs, it goes up very very fast w/ two poles. The inside wall hangs from the fly so it goes up in a storm w/ out fighting the fly or getting snow inside. It also is one of only 2 tents I've seen w/ a snow-skirt. The double wall + snowskirts keeps you pretty warm. I can also double up the poles for extra heavy snow-loads and extended base-camp stays.

I know the pk svc recomends 1 pt/person/day, but I think if all your food is instant (yuck), and if you conserve fuel, 10oz/person/day should do.

Unfortunately >>www.cascadeimages.com<< & >>a new guide book for the tieton<< are incompatible w/ >>has had very low human impact. . . keep a low profile.<< I would especialy like to see highly visable (climbers) adopt the Positive Impact ethic whereby you try to leave the area better than when you found it. Be extra carfule when pissing and shiting - or you will end up w/ a climb smelling like a urinal like the Jesus Saves/Feathers area at Vantage. Pick up all garbage you see. Think of it as adding to the karma bank for when that candy wraper blows off or when you drop some Aluminum. Respect the vegetation - it has a hard enough time competing w/ the exotic (non-native) vegetation you and your dog bring in on your socks/fur. Use earth tone hangers and webbing - or expect a fixed anchor ban to come to a crag near you.

Boeing surplus. 3/8" is depth is more than sufficiant. You should not need more than two 1 foot sections. Definatly use ridgid traces.

My 2 cents: Bring one pair of boots. Whatever bindings work w/ whatever boots you bring. You will live in those boots for a very long time. You will be weighted down, don't expect to be able to carve more than 3 turns on the trip. Bring skis you can lv behind. (rem skis make great tent anchors and can be used as pickets) Bring skiis up to 14,400 camp, you may have trail breaking in deep snow. You can always descend w/ skins on. Verify that your over-boots can be worn in w/ your skis and crampons. If June, bring cotton shirt and pants for lower gl, or travel at "night" No headlamp needed. Bring eye cover for sleeping. Practice up and down w/ sleds, ropes and skis. No excuses for fuck-ups or incompetance. If anyone on the team does not pack the sled right or gets tangled in the rope system, dump the sob in one of the 3000ft deep crevasses on the lower glacier. Rem, sleds can kill. Bring a group repair kit and extras like glacier glasses, pole repair . . . When do you lv Talkeetna?

I will be in Fairbanks, working in April and May. Should finnish before the end of May. I'm leaving soon. The Ruth Ampitheater sounds fun, though I'm not fast on ice.