Fromage

Jon, I haven't seen the ice map, and I haven't tried to match the route we found to the guidebook yet, but maybe with some of my info you can help figure it out. Our plan was to go climb Synchronicity, but we started heading uphill way too soon. We reckon we gained 1,500 feet or so. Crossed an old logging/mining road and wandered up a broad gully. We finally came to a wall on our right that had a few icicles hanging down, but nothing that a good swing wouldn't snap off. There was sort of a little alcove/amphitheater type area, to the right of which was a multipitch, thin, stepped flow. I do not believe it is visible from the road, but I could be wrong. We ended up hiking south a little ways, peeking into a couple gullies in hopes of finding ice, and finally bailed in two raps and some downclimbing. The point at which we descended was at the notch on the rightmost edge of the huge chossy rock face just downstream of Cayoosh from Synchronicity. Basically we were on the wrong side of that big rock face (too far north?), and the potential climb we spotted was way back in the gully. We noticed some blue tape tied to trees for a little ways. Given more precip and cold I think that route will form, but if you can't see it from the road it is kind of a gamble to bushwhack up there only to discover there isn't worth climbing. Mark had a camera and tried taking photos of it, but they were useless. Does this compare to anything on your map?

I climbed in Lillooet From Sunday 12/14 through Wednesday 12/17. Saw Jon at marble on Sunday with his buds, there is plenty of thin, wet, steep stuff to climb there. Monday I climbed at the Rambles with Mark Husbands. The center gully is in fine form, although the last step on the first pitch is a bit thin to protect. At the upper tiers the central column has not touched down, but there are at least 5 other distinct lines that are in. We climbed the squeeze to the left of the column and the long, grade 3 face a bit further left. Ice was soft, damp, but took decent pro. Tuesday we hiked around in the woods above Cayoosh Creek and found a route that we couldn't identify, but it wasn't in climbing condition. Synchronicity has not touched down yet, but it's close. Wednesday was more steep fun at Marble. Ryan has some info from his outings to other locales, but I can't speak for him. I'll post some photos of ice conditions if I can get them from Mark. It rained a lot on Tuesday.

Hopefully there will be no repeat of that epic by anyone.

Midweek ice, no crowds, should be good since things are cooling off. I can drive, I have room for 3, I have ropes, some screws, and am nearly out of Scotch so need to stop at dooty free on the way back. Return to Seattle by Dec 20 at the latest, although could come back earlier. PM me if you want to join me. Share gas and Mile-0.

I am thinking of going for a few days between the 16th - 20th. It is midweek. Does that timeframe work for you?

That must be it. There was a large dead tree leaning up against the wall on the right side. I find it difficult to keep Weeping Wall, Deeping Wall, Seeping Wall, Keeping Wall, Sleeping Wall, Beeping Wall, Leaping Wall, Heaping Wall, Jeeping Wall, Peeping Wall, and Reaping Wall straight. Thanks for the pointer.

I don't ski, but some friends of mine are trying to drag me up to Whistler anyway at some point this season. I have heard stories of water ice routes forming on Blackcomb Mountain. I would go to Whistler if I could spend a couple days ice climbing while my buds ski. Apparently you take a lift up and then ski over to the climbs. I think I could accomplish this, even if it means falling down the whole way. Anyway, I have seen photos of these climbs, and some look decent. References to ice climbing on guiding sites provide further circumstantial evidence. The problem is that I can't find a map for them. Basically I need to know which lift to take, where to get off, and where to go. Anyone know of such map? Does one exist? I have climbed at Weeping Wall south of Whistler, and I have done the approach to a climb that is north of Whistler near some lake, so I suppose those would be cheaper alternatives to the mountain, but since they are much lower in elevation they might not form as well.

Cautionary note for Bibler I-tent and TNF Mtn-25: they do not hold tall people. I lay down in an I-tent and my legs stuck out the door from mid-calf down. Even diagonally I do not fit in that thing (I am 196cm), so I bought a Garuda Kusala, which has three meters of interior length on one side, and still weighs under 5 pounds! No matter what tent you buy, lie down in it first if you can to see if you really fit.

Well Jon, there is always hope for Timmy's show next week. And lookout world, there may be a new route put up before the show. Just look for me hanging out near the Bibler at base camp. This is going to be a siege style ascent.

Gary, you can take a nap during the show. I bet you could bivy on the pile of t-shirts. Or you could just tie some crampons to your butt, points up, so you won't fall asleep in your chair.

I took a look at the Hyper Harpoon and the HH Guide. They look slick, simple, strong, a design influenced heavily by Rambocomps. They are cheap, too, about $50 less than most of the other rigid models you are considering. It might be worth seeing if you can mail order these from Europe, in which case they would be even cheaper! I climbed on Rambocomps most of last season and was pleased with the way they perform. A well-sharpened monopoint requires less effort to place than any double point configuration, and the huge secondary points of the Rambocomps made for very nice stable tripods.\ If you measure the distance from the tip of the frontpoint to the tip of the secondary point AND the angle that this line forms, you will find that crampons like the Rambocomp, Terminatory, and probably the Hyper Harpoon will create very stable tripods with less heel drop. Also compare the distance across the front of the crampon between the secondary points. The Rambocomps are flared, and the points are the widest-spaced of any I have seen. This makes for good edging on rock and added stability on ice. I still use my trusty old Footfangs for mixed routes, though, because I don't worry about trashing them. They still hold up surprisingly well on M7 . None of the crampons you listed are "bad," so you really can't go wrong with your choice, just some models might be slightly better suited for some styles of climbing than others. Ultimately, though, it is the skill of the climber that determines whether or not you get up. I believe the same relationship holds true with crampons that does with ice tools: the best ones are the ones you have.

You think you have problems? Try finding boots for size 15 feet. If I could attach an audio file you could listen to the sound of me ironically playing a violin in mimicked sympathy. Useless complaints are boring and accomplish nothing.

Hey, is there going to be afterwards? Where's the party at?

A better consensus rating scheme would be to hang a sheet of paper and pencil at the bottom of each route. Everyone who climbs it writes down what grade they think it is. Every route will then have a wider range of difficulty, but as you all know, the wider the confidence interval, the higher the probability that it contains the true mean.

I have spent enough time in Lander to know that it would be a decent place to live. There is a growing year-round climbing community there, spurred by the proximity of excellent rock in Sinks Canyon, a huge annual rock fest, and of course, the presence of NOLS (the largest employer in the county). The location is convenient for alpine climbing in the Winds, not too far from ice in Cody, and it has some great and and decent gear shops. Plus you can buy your expedition food from the Gourmet Gulch in NOLS, they have awesome sesame snacks. Not to mention the killer rodeo in July. Yee hah!

No shit, I had no idea the Matterhorn was unclimbed until 1985 . Just think how many new routes must still be waiting for first ascents in the Alps... And to think I wasted all my time in Chamonix on the "classics."

Lowe Alpine is making some slick midsized, midpriced packs these days. No, they aren't Archaeopteryx quality, but they are light, they have cool features, and they are relatively cheap. Check out the Alpine Attack 40/50- gear loops on waistbelt, removable bivy pad, 1.9kg The Ice Fang has a simple kind of panel attachment system on the back that allows the secure attachment of any kind of ice tool. Plus it's about $100 less than a Nozone. Ice Fang

Well no shit, if Bruce was heading the study what do you expect? "Shop smart. Shop S-Mart."

Approaching the E ridge up the Inspiration was easy. All crevasses were exposed and the snow bridges we crossed looked fairly solid when we saw them in daylight on the descent. A little weaving was required, but no great feat of navigation was necessary. On the N side of the E ridge it was the same story. There were some large exposed crevasses, but traversing out to the base of the face was straightforward. The headwall was fairly wide and offered a number of variations. You can make it as hard or as easy as you want. There was a schrund above the headwall where the face rejoins the ridge. On the eastern edge it is covered by a snow bridge, but the crack is obvious. The farther west you go the more ominous the schrund is, and if you go far enough west it is a giant overhang. We climbed the headwall just to the left of a freestanding pillar/icicle formation, where the ice was probably 70 degrees. Above the headwall the gradient eases off and you are soon back on 50 degree ice. We climbed the face in three pitches of varying length, making anchors where the ice looked best. Once we regained the ridge (about 150 feet below the summit?) we unroped and soloed the moderate snow to the top. I felt that objectively the route was safe under the conditions we had. Hope that helps.

Climbed said route with Onetoole on Th and Fr. Excellent conditions, cold and clear. Lots of ice had formed around 4,000 on the approach, creeks were iced over. The face was fun but a bit short, we only climbed 3 pitches of ice, ascendining the headwall just to the left of a free-hanging icicle/pillar. Mostly the snow was hard and crunchy, with some fluff blown over it near the summit. We thought about going and looking at the NW couloir but it was 10 degrees F in the morning and we didn't feel so motivated. Pressure was dropping and clouds moved in during the afternoon on Friday as we descended to the car.

The gym is on the ground floor of the IMA building, which is on the south side of Montlake east of the football stadium and basketball arena.

Yes, I believe it's an additional 40 bucks/term. Yeah, what's up with that? People who want to use a specialized facility actually have to pay for it? Where is the fairness in that? I, like so many of my fellow Washington voters, demand a high level of services but am unwilling to defray their cost by paying a small fee. In fact, I think I will call Tim Eyman to get him to sponsor an initiative to force the UW Board of Regents to roll back the $40 quarterly membership at the IMA rock gym. While I'm out collecting signatures you cranky complainers can go take a course in economics. I can recommend some profs at the UW for you.

So what? If you buy a pack or two of 100 you can plaster the side of Rainier from Cathedral Gap to the crater rim with wands. You won't even need to stop to place them, you can just toss them like confetti every fifty feet, and then use your machete to chop a bivy ledge in the whiteout.

The new wall at UW is opening Monday, and while it is pretty cool it is only going to be available for UW students, staff, faculty, etc. It is a great facility. The university spent over half a million dollars on the place, which strikes me as a bit odd since so many people are angry about rising tuition rates. The whole place was designed and made by EntrePrises, and the surfaces are really nice. There are tons of features and some good cracks, this is the closest thing to real rock I have ever seen in a gym. If you are a student or can somehow pass yourself off as a student, this place is worth checking out. The floor space is maybe half the size of the west room at Stone Gardens, but the walls are taller. Quarterly memberships are going to be around $40 ($4/week!) and day passes are $3. The director has some cool ideas for the place, so climbers at Western and other schools with climbing programs, keep your ears open!

Review of Feathered Friends Helios Vest I recently spent 28 days in the remote reaches of the Wind River Range in Wyoming instructing a NOLS mountaineering course. I took along said vest as insulation and offer my findings as to its performance in the field. Specs of vest tested: Microfiber ripstop shell fabric, upgraded 800-fill down, total weight about 11 ounces. The retail price of a vest with these features is $115. Trip conditions: For 20 of the 28 days we were between 10,000 and 13,800 feet, and spent four nights above 13,000 feet. Weather was mild and night time temperatures were in the upper twenties at higher elevations. Review On an extended backcountry mountaineering expedition such as NOLS offers, weight, space, and functionality are of paramount importance. As an instructor, my 7,000 cubic inch pack contained 85-100 pounds depending on the day. Since much of this was group gear and climbing gear, I had to keep the weight of personal gear I carried to a minimum. Following previous experiences of sustained early winter storms catching me under prepared during late summer in the Winds, I wanted to make sure I stayed warm this time around. The Helios vest was an excellent performer in terms of weight, packability, simplicity, and warmth. The Helios is a scant 11 ounces, and it provides an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio. When compared to my fleece jacket, it is less than half the weight and is much, much warmer. The vest is a lighter than other down vests I have worn, and about half the weight of most down jackets. The vest features sewn-through construction, and the fabric is mostly down-proof. The idea of using a vest as an outer layer is like wearing Gore-Tex shorts, so I went with the lighter nylon ripstop fabric and brought a hardshell for weather protection. If you are the kind of person who wears Gore-Tex shorts, then you will be pleased to know that the Helios also comes with several other fabric options that have varying degrees of water resistance and price. The range of colors and fabrics in which you can buy all Feathered Friends products is pretty extensive. In terms of space, the Helios is hard to beat. It could easily fit into a stuff sack smaller than the one provided, which is about the size of a one-liter Nalgene. The packability of this vest was one of my favorite things about it. If you smooth out the sharp edges, you could compress the vest into an empty Rainier can. The summer nights at altitude in the Winds were cool (upper twenties to low thirties), and the Helios kept me plenty warm. I would wear this vest into the teens, but much below that I would go for a full jacket. The hand warmer pockets are delightfully simple and cozy, and there is an inner zippered pocket as well. The lycra trim hugged my body well, allowed for good range of motion, and didn’t let in much cold air. As much as I liked the Helios, there are a couple improvements I would like to see made standard. The main zipper works very smoothly, but a second slider would allow unzipping from the bottom to create room around a belay device while climbing. Additionally, I would have liked a bit more fill in the collar and a more substantial draft flap behind the zipper. Overall I found the Helios to be an excellent performer in terms of weight, packability, and functionality. The Helios is also cheaper than many comparable vests made by other manufacturers, and has the respected reputation of Seattle-made quality. After a month of institutional abuse on a NOLS course my vest still looks new. Helios vest in action in the kitchen below Connie Glacier, Wind River Mountains, Wyoming.