JayB

Nice - here but for the grace of god goes Vantage... www.bouldernews.com/news/local/15aclmb.html

Man....gotta proof read these things before posting or stop trying to post on the fly at work..

Lambone: For what it's worth now that the conversation's in spray.... Crowds: They're here already, they'll probably get worse. This sucks but if you've taken up the sport within the past 10 years you are part of the trend yourself and not in any place to resent newcomers. Ice Conditions online: just about every ice-climbing area in the state has been subject to online updates for the past few years already and every one seems to be getting by just fine. I sure appreciate it when folks take the time to post the info online, especially for climbs in RMNP with brutal approaches. It's a bit of a stretch but the fact that people have become used to information on the climbs being relatively ubiquitous may have contributed to the almost complete lack of hostility and "This is MY ice" that I've encountered out here. In fact, there were about 25-30 people at the Mt. Lincoln ice-fall this Saturday, and area with 5-6 distinct lines right now. Despite the crowds what struck me was not how big the crowds but how cool everyone was. After a couple of trips out there in similar conditions, it seemed clear that patience and consideration are a much better, and more realistic way to cope with crowds than hostility and hoarding beta.

Hey Charlie: Send me a PM with your mailing address and I'll send you a check to cover the cost of one of the rap stations.

Word to Alpine K! Skiing with a bushel of hay strapped to your back word certainly be more difficult than descending the same line without the extra load, and one could certainly come up with some stylistic justifications for doing so, e.g. "If you've never known the bliss of descending a steep couloir with a bushel of hay atop your shoulders..." but doing so would hardly be an argument for the intrinsic superiority of the technique/equipment versus the alternatives. Seriously though, if tele skiing is what you dig, more power to you. In fact, the bad-ass tele-rippers that I see descending the steep-bump laden chutes under the Pali-chair at A-Basin are probably the most talented skiers on the mountain, given the instrinstic difficulty of the tele-turn vis-a-vis the alpine turn, especially in the bumps. The reason I've stuck with an alpine set-up for as long as I have is that it sets the fewest constraints upon my performance on the hill (when descending). The same would go for an AT-set up in the backcountry. I can descend steeper lines faster than I could ever dream of doing with free heels. Seems like if we're talking about speed on descents alpine/AT wins that contest hands down. However, if you are into tele, that's probably not what skiing is about for you. After two successive ligament tears in the past two years, that might not be what I dig most about skiing for two much longer. Just thought I'd have some fun and chime in....

Hey - thanks for the link. Very well put by Loren. Hopefully my letter will reinforce the point. I think that wether the industry likes it or not, the genie is out of the bottle here and it's time for them to modify their business model accordingly.

Man am I jealous! A foot of pow in the northback and none of the dreaded lifts in action back there yet. I've been missing that place ever since I moved to CO in '98, and ever since then I've been telling the folks here that skiing in the Cascades kicks CO's ass if you care about terrain and don't mind skiing when the snow is falling. If you want crowds, oceans of weak terrain, fleets of groomers on the prowl and lot's of folks from Kansas cruising around on 155cm parabolics and rear-entry boots in neon accented one-piece Euro suits, then CO wins every time. The only exception near the front range is A-Basin, which is small but has sweet terrain and locals (especially the tele guys) that rip big time. Just in case any one out there is thinking that the grass is greener over here. Also - I skiied 30 days for $300 on a season pass good for Breck, A-Basin, Keystone, Vail, and Beaver Creek due to the local price wars - that part was pretty sweet. Long Live Crystal!

Hey EPB, Thanks - we'll see what happens. Hopefully they'll reply. Did I say EMC? I meant to write MEC, or Mountain (or Mountaineering or something like that) Equipment Co-op, a sort Candadian Paleo-REI that I was pysched to order from when I heard about the deals, only to find out that they could no longer ship the merchandise I was looking for to us honorary hosers here in the US for reasons I alluded to in the letter !

Hey Fellas: Here's the full text of the letter I just sent to Black Diamond regarding their pricing. Sorry if it's a bit on the long side. I'll send along their response if I get one. Also - Gregm - I quoted you in the letter, hope that's okay. I characterized you comments, which I think are totally legit, as a "nasty rumor" in the letter to the folks at BD in the hopes that doing so would look kindly upon my tone and provide me with a response, and also to goad them into defending themselves just a bit. "Dear Black Diamond Staff: One of the most highly touted benefits of the Web for consumers has been the introduction of rapid price comparisons between competing retailers both domestically and abroad. Accordingly, it didn't take long for those of us who compare prices online to notice a vast discrepancy between the prices we were being charged domestically versus the prices being charged for the same goods overseas. As a consumer you naturally vote with your dollar and take your business to the retailer offering the goods you want for the lowest price. Case in point: I recently purchased a pair of boots for $177 online that retail for $399.50(!) in the US. Not Scarpa boots, but the point remains valid. I was especially surprised to learn that I could buy BD gear overseas and get it for far less than I can get it here. There are several reasons why this could be the case. Shipping (for European goods imported to the US)? Nope, cost me $20 to ship a single item, far more on a per-unit basis than one would pay to ship the goods in bulk like a retailer would. The exchange rate? Nope - Currently one Euro gets you 89.61 cents. If it took two Euro to get a single dollar maybe one could make a case here. Duty? No again - US customs assessed a 4% duty, which came to about $8.00 dollars US. So who is getting the pound of flesh out of the consumer here? The producer - seems unlikely as the cost to manufacture a given product is the same regardless of who the producer elects to sell it too, although volume pricing and the like make give the buyer a bit more pricing power in certain cases. Retailers? Seems like it would be to their advantage to give the consumer the best price upon which they can turn a profit in a competitive marketplace. Who is left? Wholesalers - or is the reason some sort of collusive price fixing amongst all of the parties named above? That's the unfortunate conclusion that many loyal gearheads are coming to with regards to high-end outdoor gear in general and BD products in particular. The only reason I'm bringing this up, and maybe you have had several letters like this before, is that I dig your stuff and consider myself a loyal customer. Just in the last year alone I've shelled out many a hard-won dollar for two sets of Camalots, a set of Prophets, Swithchblade Crampons, two sets of Stoppers, several Express ice screws and who knows how many 'biners. Not only have I purchased scads of your stuff myself, I've recommended you gear to just about anyone who has asked my opinion on the matter. Beyond the quality of the gear itself, I've always heard from others that you stand behind your products for the long term and take care of your customers in the event that the equipment is damaged (by repairing it for a fair price) or found defective. Such practices are consistent with a company that realizes that its most important relationship is with its customers, not retailers, wholesalers, or anyone else who stands between the two. Yeah - staying in business means staying on good terms with the middlemen, but not to the detriment of your customers if you are thinking long term. So here's the question. What's the deal? Why do we have to pay so much more to buy your gear domestically? What's with putting the royal kibosh on MEC shipping gear to the US if they can offer your customers a better price? Some nasty rumors have been springing up on the climbing related newsgroups lately, such as: "BD is also muscling Tele-Pyrannes. BD asked T-P to not show Scarpa tele boots on their webpage. They still carry them and T-P will still sell them to you at the way cheap price, you just have to know to ask them. Interestingly enough they still show Scarpa AT boots on the web catalogue. BD has already muscled Coulior Mag to stop printing ads for T-P. " (There's quite a bit more out there but hopefully you get the idea.) I just thought I would write you guys and provide you with the opportunity to set the record straight on this matter. With your permission I'll post your response on the newsgroups I frequent, as there's been quite a bit of discussion about this matter going on lately. Please respond to the hotmail address I have included above. Thanks in advance for your consideration and reply- Jay BrazierColorado Springs, Colorado

I bought a pair of boots from them not too long ago and was assessed a 4% duty on the "Mountain Goods" I had purchased through them. It came to about $8.50 on an order of roughly $200 (including shipping) plus a five dollar service fee. I got the boots (Asolo AFS 8000's) for $177 US, and they retail for $399.50US domestically. Bring on customs baby! On a related note, I'm going to send an e-mail to the folks at BD to inquire about their policies concerning MEC, Barrabes et al, and domestic prices for gear in general. I'll post the response to this forum if I get one.

Side Note - Did the new owners of Crystal go ahead and add chairlift access to the Northback terrain? I heard that that was on the menu when I left the state in '98, but I've been hoping that Forest Service regs or something of that sort would stymie the move and the area would retain it's hike-in only character. Just wondering...hopefully they're not grooming the place...

Just got tagged with a customs bill for my first order - bummer. The good news is that I could pay the duty 10x over and still end up paying less than if I had bought domestically.

TG: True indeed - actually, if you count swearing as whining she handled the situation better than I did, as I was pretty much cursing up a storm the whole way down.

Well, no epics per se, but I left the headlamp at home for the first time in years and paid for it. After finishing up a day of ice-climbing at Mt. Lincoln the girlfriend and I stumbled and fell down a hefty talus field (covered with verglas and 2" of new snow for extra credit)for an hour or so. That was pretty lame, but finding out that the girlfriend can handle situations like that with a smile on her face was pretty sweet. Enduring an-hour long whine-session during that descent and on the drive home would have made for an epic outing indeed.

Got the Ropes (two 8.5mm X 60M Edelweiss Calanques) last week and took them out for a test drive and thought I'd post my thoughts on the goods. As far as handling is concerned, the ropes were quite supple, with very good hand. All new dry ropes shed water pretty well, in my experience, but these stayed dry and ice free better than any ropes I've used, most recently the PMI 8.1's. The conditions on Mt. Lincoln were warm and fairly wet for most of the day, with a good inch or so of slop on top of very soft ice on the steeper bits and puddles of water on the flat parts. Anyhow, the ropes stayed ice-free even after wallowing in this slush all day, which was especially impressive when it cooled off and carabiners were freezing shut and runners turned into hula-hoops. I'd definitely recommend 'em if anyone's in the market.

Worked 12 hours Friday and Saturday painting someone else's house and installing a brick walkway at their pad to pay for a recent rope purchase. Way lame. Will hopefully redeem myself with multiple days out next weekend. Kudos to max for the multiple ascents of classic routes in RMNP. Way to go - let me know what All Mixed Up is looking like these days if you get the chance.

Hey - Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I think I'll go ahead and order them, but if anyone else has any input I'd love to hear it. When I head out to the PNW for Christmas maybe I'll get a chance to try it out on some local stuff. What are the odds of Banks Lake or Lilloet(sp?)being in in late December? And, yeah, having grown up in Washington, I know all to well that the weather in Colorado is nothing to complain about, but there's still been a lot of griping on this side of the Continental divide about the paucity of ice of late. There's some stuff in Rocky Mountain National Park, and we did have a pretty good outing on some mellow AI-2 stuff. Simul-climbed about 800 feet using a Ti-bloc every rope length or so - worked like a charm. Kudos whoever put that tech-tip in the last climbing mag. Anyhow, If anyone's curious, you can take a look at the only roadside ice in the state at: http://www.climbingboulder.com/ice/db/hoosier_pass_lincoln_fall/ I'm going to take my GF up there when she heads out here for Thanksgiving next week. Cheers,

Chriss: Any favorites in the area? I've got Burn's book but it's always nice to have additional info on what's out there. I lead in the WI II+/IV- range. Thanks

Anyone out there had any experience with Edelweiss ropes? I've heard good things about them, but they don't seem to have much of a distribution network in the US, so neither I nor anyone I know has actually climbed with them. This could also be due to the fact that their ropes are quite expensive. However, Barrabes has come to the rescue once again and you can get them for less than comparable ropes in the US. Specifically, I'm looking at picking up two 8.5mm x 60M ropes for ice, if it ever comes in. Still bone dry and warm here in the Rockies.

I've had good luck with Barrabes, but www.sportextreme.com is also worth a look. The selection isn't nearly as broad as Barrabes', but their prices are generally in the same ballpark, and even lower on a few items.

SC: I just bought a few screws and a new pair of boots from barrabes. Saved $215 on the boots alone. You pay by credit card, by means of a payment service administered by "Banco Espana" or something like that. Very efficient and secure. Both of my orders were on my doorstep within 5 days of the order. I think this has been addressed in another thread, but the fact they can sell gear for 50% less than US retail (even allowing for the favorable exchange conditions caused by the depressed Euro) makes me wonder why we have to pay so much for this stuff in the USA. Tariffs? Distributors with a monopoly on the goods? Anyway, for me it's all about Barrabes as long as they are allowed to ship their wares to the U.S. of A.

Just a note on Barrabes - I've ordered both a pair of boots and some ice gear from them, and on both occaisions I had the gear at my door in 5 days or less courtesy of DHL. I'd recommend them to anyone - Let's just hope that they continue shipping to the US!

The biggie will be the Notch Couloir (III AI3 5.5) on Long's Peak here in Colorado. Not one of the Peak's most challenging lines but a pretty stout outing for me. Other than that, it'll be more of the limestone at Shelf, maybe a trad day or two in the South Platte two when the sun is out, and some of the easier ice at Mt. Lincoln and Vail. I may also pay Banks Lake a visit when I come home for a couple weeks at Christmas.

Dane: After hearing my friend raving about her (Cloudveil) Serendipity Jacket for a couple of years and longing for my own for quite a while, I finally found one on sale at a local gear shop a couple of months ago. My friend has used hers on winter ascents of Long's as well as for ice climbing and loves it. After a couple of months of use in all conditions I'm becoming a big fan. I did the West Ridge of Quandary Peak yesterday (class 3 scrambling if it's dry) and it performed incredibly well. I put it on over a capilene silkweight t-shirt at the base (strong breeze, high 30's, 10,500ft)and never had to add a layer despite being hit with strong winds (30-40mph, 20ish degrees, 14,000ft)and a ton of Graupel on the long ridge leading to the summit. I stayed warm as long as I kept moving but definitely had to throw the down on as soon as we stopped. The nice thing was that when I did stop I was not drenched with sweat like I would have been in a hard shell. Verdict - the jacket rules but if you can find a cheaper model elsewhere I think you'll be happy with that as well, as I think that the fabric is what matters most.

Hey Plexus: I've never been up to Phoenix Mountain, but here's what I know from living here for three years or so. If it snows it will normally render just about everything unclimbable for about 2-3 days, after which you can normally get on rock with southerly exposure if it's warmed up a bit. After that, you'll find snow in shadowy or shaded aspects for an indeterminate amount of time. When I get hard up for some (trad) rock in the winter I usually head to the South Platte, which ranges between 7500 and 8500 feet for the most part, and find that the south facing rock is clear 3-4 days after a snow, if not sooner, while the rest of the place is coated. I suspect that unless we're in the midst of a prolonged cold snap/storm you should be able to get on the boulders at Phoenix mtn. Happy Bouldering. -Jay