JayB

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

Hey Crazy T: That was actually my first day at Eldo, despite having moved here three years ago. I'd always heard that the place was such a zoo that I stuck closer to home (Colorado Springs) and hit the South Platte. I figured I had a good feel for what a hard 5.9 trad lead could throw at you after frequenting Turkey Rocks, but spanked me nonetheless. I wish I had visited Eldo sooner, as there's enough climbing to keep everyone happy despite the crowds. Doing what was essentially face climbing with gear for pro on a number of the pitches was pretty cool as well. I'd like to get on the Yellow Spur before I move back to WA, but my time is short and the tick list is long so I may not get to it before I leave as I'll probably be focusing on getting the most out of the ice here in CO before I return. Is Banks Lake still in in February/early March?

Hello All: I guess I'll use this post to introduce myself to the group. I grew up in Washington but moved to Colorado shortly after finishing up at UW in 1998. Although I love it here, I'll be moving back to Seattle in February and will be glad to climb with anyone from this forum when I get there On Sunday I spent a beautiful day pulling on the south facing limestone of the Cactus Cliff at Shelf Road this weekend. Beautiful. Not only is the rock superb and the scene cool (lots of good will and encouragement and very little attitude) but the scenery is amazing too. Red-rock, pinyon and juniper in the foreground, the Sangre De Christos rising like a line of canines in the background, and a Valley worthy of the Jolly Green Giant in between. I thought I'd mention this cliff in particular because after being developed in the 1980's it was closed to climbing by the landowner's decree until 1999, when the Access Fund successfully negotiated the purchase of the cliffs and a sliver of adjacent land from a developer who had aquired the property shortly before. Who to thank? Well, everyone who contributed to the AF of course, but especially Jon Krakauer, of whom the author of the guidebook says "His strong support was THE crucial link in making the acquisition of these crags happen." I heard somewhere that the AF aquired the property for about $140,000, most of which came from Jon's pocket. Sorry to bring up the topic in an unrelated thread but it seemed like the right thing to do after the thrashing he's received on this site recently. I also hit Eldo the day before, and climbed the "Green Spur," "Green Slab Direct," and "Darkness 'Till Dawn," which incidently, turned out to be a less than prudent choice for someone(me)looking for a "mellow" 5.10 trad climb to break into the grade with. The thing treated me to my first bona fide whipper on gear and ultimately left me whimpering in a corner after throwing everything from off-tips laybacks to frantic chicken-wing inducing off-widths at me. Anyway - good to be here and I'll be happy to pass along any info I can on climbing in CO if anyone's interested. -Jay