Fromage

Climbed the middle route of Hubba Hubba in Icicle Creek Canyon on Saturday (the first one right of the main line). It was thin but enjoyable. Our only pro was a couple of pitons, you may want to take some. Upper pitch rewarded creativity, there were a few drytooling moves and I got some nice sticks in frozen moss. This could be a new sport: Ice Gardening. Cheers- Monsieur le Fromage

favorite term: CHOP acronym for CHeapskate Objectivity Paralysis You suffer from CHOP if you are so concerned about leaving gear behind that you rappel off a #4 stopper/manky fixed piton/faded frayed webbing, etc.

I suppose you could use M10 for snow and alpine f you really wanted to, but they would not perform as well as, say, the CM S-12. M10 front points are vertical, and as such will not perform as well in alpine snow situations as horizontal front points. Also the crampons are fairly rigid, which could lead to problems (detachment, breaking) if you are using them with a more flexible mountaineering boot instead of a stiff ice boot. Bonne chance. F. Un crampon dans le cul n'est pas assez bien qu'un verre dans la main.

I have a doozie of a technical/mountaineering ice-axe, the Charlet Moser Goulotte. Designed for mountaineering and alpine ice, a stronger and more versatile tool was never made. It is 60cm, I have used it for a few seasons here and in the Alps so it has a few peaks under its teeth. I want to trade this for a more specialized axe, the Grivel AirTech Racing. The Goulotte kicks ass, but it is just too heavy for Cascade volcano climbing. I am looking for a 55cm-ish Grivel for trade or will sell this tool for $80 with leash. Email njbratton@hotmail.com. Cheers

Sorry if I missed an earlier thread, I have done a fair bit of web searching and can't find any info on what dates the Lillooet ice fest will be next January. None of the Seattle area shops seem to know, either. Thanks for any info.