Fromage

The CM Goulotte: 60cm shaft (rated T) forged steel head Used but in great shape new is $160 yours for $70 Excellent for mountaineering and alpine ice. I even did some waterfalls with this and it's not bad. picture: http://www.cctv.com/geography/lxzb/20010627/117.html email nbratton@u.washington.edu

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.

I have two pairs of unused Smith sunglasses. Both are too small for my bobble head so I don't use them. Both are in good condition, both have non-interchangeable glass lenses. $25 each or $40 if you buy the pair. Pair 1: Flipside, tortoise frame Pair 2: Clutch, seaweed frame (that would be the color, not the material) Flipside: http://www.peterglenn.com/pglenn/product.asp?s%5Fid=0&dept%5Fid=4330&pf%5Fid=smth%5Fglasses%5F37%2D899 Clutch: http://www.backcountrystore.com/store/SMI0067.html?CP=BizRate&CMP=KAC-BizRate&ATT=SMI0067-clutchsunglasses email me at nbratton@u.washington.edu if you are interested.

Will you trade for a Corsica Matrix? I'll throw in my Dagger Response, too, if you want to upgrade from the Overslow.

Clearly everyone would benefit if you found all this stuff new and on sale for about the same price and posted the source on this page so we could take advantage of it. Substantiated claims are the best kind. Until Toast can validate his claim, feel free to call Rory and make an offer. She may be willing to negotiate depending on how nice you ask.

My roommate is moving down to Hood River and wants to unload a bunch of her stuff. I have seen everything and can personally vouch that it is all in great condition (for whatever that's worth ) Here's what she has: Grivel Pamir ice axe, 60cm with leash $40 North Face VE-25 3-person 4-season tent, $300 Dana Designs Bomb Pack (made in Bozeman!) frame size S $130 Petzl Ecrin Roc, red, $30 Black Diamond Alpine Bod $15 Black Diamond Gore-Tex gaiters size M, brand new, $50 Sweetwater filter $25 Scarpa rock shoes of some sort, I couldn't identify them, but they are medium-stiff, slip lasted, lined, cambered toe with slingshot heel rand. Sort of Dominator-esque but stiffer. Size 41. $30 1.5 liter Camelbak $20 You can give Rory a call at 360-201-4513

Price is now $100

Attend un moment, dude. Moi, JE SUIS FROMAGE, mais je ne suis pas ton "fromage monkey." Et en plus, tres pres de tous les magasins 3S a Chamonix il y a des restos excellents avec la fondue a la raclette. As we say in American, "bitchin'!"

Mountain Hardwear Stratus 3-layer Gore-Tex pants Size XL Black full side zips articulated knees elastic cuffs with snap closure full FTX fabric construction (old style) with new FTX seat reinforcement- these pants are about as abrasion-resistant as they come, and fairly light, too. These make fantastic ski or ice or alpine climbing pants. rear zippered pocket excellent condition retail $240 $120 takes them home. email me: nick@adventure-pro.com

I need some dental floss. I'll take the 11mm.

Will you trade for my Eiger Sanction northwall hammer? The Smithsonian was going to give me $40 for it, $45 if I threw in some rusty ring pitons, but I figured it would be better to keep it in active duty.

Hey gang, can anyone point me to some definitive source that states who owns the land where Index Town Wall is located? I just read the WA State Parks page for Wallace Falls St. Park, and the wording suggested that the climbing area was part of the park. I was under the impression that the USFS owned the land. Any info?

Recently there was a deteriorating thread about Beacon Rock being closed for raptor nesting. Access issues aside, can folks please describe what the climbing is like on the rock? I have only walked up the gumby tourist trail to the summit. info I'm looking for is - number of routes - rock quality - difficulty of routes - degree of development (rap anchors/gardening/rockfall?) - types of routes (trad, sport, aid) - unusual features or hazards worth noting - is this area covered in a guidebook? Thanks Stilton

Hey sastrugi-head, I have a thermarest in my truck that wasn't there when we left for Muir. It is identical to yours but is full length. I think it was left by our unfortunate guest and she didn't take it with her when she left. If I can't get it back to her it will need a good home. And hey, chili dogs are Profigliano!

Wow, that was generous of them. Did you take your crampons off first? Too bad you missed the in the parking lot. Troubleski is on his way back to his new friend.

Ryland, I was with the guy and the super strong girl. Unless I am mistaken it was I who lent you/your buddy the tools to adjust his crampons.

Max, I might have something you would consider: Dana Designs Big Horn. This pack is 4,000 cubic inches and fits me comfortably (6'4"), in fact extremely comfortably. I have carried 50 pounds in this pack and, like all older Danas, performs remarkably well. I emphasize that this pack was from the last batch made in Bozeman, so the workmanship is flawless and other than some abrasions on the fabric it functions as well as the day I bought it. Features include -Hypalon crampon patch on lid -removable lid -Hypalon compression panel for snowboards/odd sized items you want to carry on the outside -dual daisy chains -dual zippers with dual sliders (YKK #10) for quick access -extendable bivy sleeve (works great, I slept in it once) -ice axe loops (2) -ski straps on sides The main drawback to the pack is weight, because (1) it has so many features they all add up to 5+ pounds, and (2) the fabrics, frame and suspension are so stout to carry hefty loads. The advantage from that, however, is the unrivalled carrying comfort and durability. This pack retailed for $280 but I would part with it for half that. It has seen some use but is well cared for and in pretty darn good shape. I'll throw in a couple Arc'teryx velcro ice-axe holders, too. Reply to post or PM me if you are interested. Cheers

They are good guys. I talked to several of them at Marble, a couple of them recognized me from the rescue last year at the Rambles. We were grateful for their help and on this meeting I was impressed by the group leaders who seemed pretty well-organized. My Rude Fucking Americans comment was a parody of my own party's behavior on the weekend of Jan 18-20 and some of the reactions to us written on this board. Excellent! You have the attitude necessary for success in Chamonix. Sorry, no other beta on other areas, but my uninformed conjecture is that if Marble was that wet, other, lower routes are beyond Hope (literally and figuratively). Cheers

Spurious condition reports be damned. Ignore uninformed speculation by people who sit in front of computers (myself included). There is lots of ice to climb in Lillooet. Over the course of two days my partner(s) or I climbed nearly every route that was climbable on the lower tier of Marble. Most lines are eminently climbable, some are wet, some are chandeliered, but many are plastic and healing quickly. The indefatigable Mr. B even climbed the M8 corner route, including a short fall on the fourth bolt and a couple aided moves through the overhung bit, but overall a lovely bit of work. If I could somehow affix my crampons to my kayak the second pitch of Icy BC might go, but right now it is a gushing tube. The third pitch was also a bit damp but featured three very graceful lines. The pencil route on the right by the pine tree on the ledge is coming in nicely, may be in good shape by the festival. Today there was also an interesting rescue involving a drunk ice fisherman, but maybe I'll go post about that on Spray. Unfortunately there were a bunch of Rude Fucking Americans there who were so loud, obnoxious, and incompetent that it made me embarrassed to live in the western hemisphere. They knocked off so much ice it was disgraceful, they could have found work for the Soviet navy as nuclear icebreakers on arctic voyages. Oh wait, that was January 18-20, sorry for the confusion. As it was, I brought my acetylene welding torch (alpine model, of course) to superheat my picks and crampons so they would melt into the ice with each placement, thus avoiding all fracturing, dinnerplating, shattering, and other icefall that is so insulting to the true elite of our civilized sport. An observant point by jja. I, too, noticed the colorful commentary in the Mile 0 guest log. I am duly thankful for the information contained therein. Were it not for the incontrovertible evidence in those pages, I would never have known the truth about certain CC members' sexual orientation or their apparent lack of respect for others. May good weather, good conditions, and safe climbing await you.

Oops, sorry, it's not Tenzing's grandson, it is "the grandson of the only surviving sherpa to accompany Hillary."

Check out this interesting article in today's New York Times. The grandson of Tenzing Norgay is bringing the internet to Mt. Everest. http://nytimes.com/2003/01/23/technology/circuits/23sher.html?8hpib

Bernard, that sounds pretty interesting. Do BC Parks consider the route farming an anthropogenic disruption tantamount to a dam or other construction? If the folks who created the diversion wanted to be "official" about it, would they have had to apply for a permit of some sort to alter the water flow? Did BC Parks only want to be asked nicely? I'd be grateful if you could furnish more details on the situation. Cheers- Stilton

so...about those Marble Canyon conditions... Sorry to detract from the engaging discussion of speeding tickets and long range avalanche assessment, but does anyone have any fresh info (more recent than Sunday)? On the ice conditions I mean, not the guys in red jackets and silly hats. See you at Marble bright and early on Sat.

you should advertise this on boatertalk.com as well. Some kayaker will probably want it.

Who makes the screws?