PaulB

Too bad about your lungs..... it was indeed sick pow. Runs into Oboe Creek were especially fine.

Maybe not..... just noticed that Festiglace is Feb 18-20, so it'll be pretty busy at Pont Rouge.

Since you're talking about a US long weekend, Quebec would be a good choice. There will be some road trippers from New England, but things should will still be relatively crowd free. If you're based in Montreal it's only two hours to Quebec City, or even down to the 'Dacks. For what it's worth, central Canada has been having a stellar winter. Temps have been plenty cold, and I suspect that there is lots of ice in prime shape.

Didn't bother to look up Europe, but for the US: - In 2003, 21% of the total electricity generated was from nuclear reactors - As of August 2004, the average age of the 103 operating reactors was 24 years - Most nuclear plants were designed for an operational life of 30 years. Beyond this, hugely expensive overhauls/upgrades are required for continued safe and efficent operation. Some major decisions will have to be made in the very near future as to how that 21% of capacity is going to be replaced or how demand can be reduced by an equivalent amount. Reference: DOE Website

Keep in mind that custom orthotics and molded footbeds do different things. Orthotics correct bio-mechanical problems because they are built from a mold of your foot in a "perfectly neutral" position as determined by a podiatrist. By supporting your feet in a "perfect" position, your ankles, hips and lower back should all line up correctly, improving your overall posture. Many people who get orthotics for the first time find that their hips hurt at the end of the day because their legs are being forced into a position that they aren't used to. Molded footbeds mostly just fill the voids that regular insoles don't, which feels comfy, but doesn't necessarily eliminate the source of your discomfort. This is especially true of footbeds which are molded by standing on them, as any bio-mechanical problems (e.g. pronation), will be built right into the footbed. Some footbeds are molded without weighting your feet. This is similar to what is done for orthotics, but instead of a podiatrist, it's usually done by a high school kid. For the molded footbeds, try and find out if they are molded while weighted or unweighted. In short, orthotics are a good choice if you're worried about problems with your gait/stride during activities like running or hiking. Footbeds are good if you're mostly worried about comfort and control during activities like skiing or skating. As the comments above show, different things work for different people. Be prepared to try a bunch of different solutions, which means you'll likely end up spending some cash on a product that you might not end up using. Apologies for rambling, but I've been looking for the perfect insole/footbed/orthotic for a long time.

I have pretty messed up feet. I can stand a quarter on edge under my arches and I've got massive heel spurs. The last time i got fitted for orthotics the clinic took pictures for their "freaky feet" wall of fame. I've tried expensive prescription orthotics, cheaper "fitted" orthotics, custom footbeds and trim to fit green Superfeet. I've found that while the custom orthotics are good in my street shoes, the Superfeet have worked the best in my climbing and ski boots. I've been thinking about giving the custom fit Superfeet a try. So, in response to your question, I didn't find that the expensive orthotics felt better than the cheaper insoles in any given footwear in any given situation. What feels comfortable walking around town might not feel so good at the end of a 12 hour slog through the mountains. In terms of durability, I've got two pairs of Superfeet that I've been using for about 5 years, and they're still in good shape. The life of custom orthotics will depend on their exact construction, but I would expect at least 5 years, probably longer.

When I bought mine on Friday afternoon, the dude at the climbing counter had to go rummaging in the back room to find it. He told me that it was the second to last copy. The MEC in North Van had none when I walked over during lunch on Friday. I just realized that was the first time I've been in two different MEC's in the same day!!

I don't think so. My impression is that the AMC is mostly made up of hikers and backpackers. If you want a good look at the New England climbing scene, get a copy of the DVD "Uncommon Ground".

Based on this bulletin, I'd give them both a pass this weekend -------------------------------- South Coast Region Forecast of avalanche danger beginning Wednesday, January 12, 2005: Day:\Wed. p.m.\Thursday\Friday Alpine:\Considerable\Considerable\Considerable Treeline:\Considerable\Considerable\Moderate Below Treeline:\Moderate\Moderate\Moderate Travel Advisory: Avalanche danger on Thursday may be High in areas that received high snowfall accumulations, specifically near the Coquihalla Summit. Throughout the region winds concentrated the new snow into drifts and pillows in protected areas behind terrain features like ridges and ribs. Shifting wind directions formed these pillows on all aspects. Cold temperatures slow down the process of these drifts congealing into a slab; however, where cohesive slabs develop the avalanche danger will be highest. Whumpfs, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches are billboards advertising avalanche danger. Manage your risk by starting on small, gentle, and wind protected slopes; watch for avalanche signs, and listen to their message. Avalanches: Accidentally triggered avalanches were small slabs, but on slopes as gentle as 30 degrees. Avalanche size is expected to increase with Wednesday’s new snow. Snowpack: New snow amounts vary from 5 to 40 cm with highest amounts reported from inland areas near the Coquihalla. Hidden below the new snow is a weak upper snowpack. Above a crust from December 19th the snow is primarily weak sugary crystals, possibly capped by a harder layer of wind affected snow. Because the wind keeps shifting between the south (or west) and the north (or east), surface and hidden windslabs are possible on any aspect in alpine or open treeline areas. Cold temperatures continue to weaken the snowpack. Weather: Westerly winds delivered 10 – 15 cm of fresh snow along the outer coast, and a whole lot more in inland areas like Alison Pass and the Coquihalla where closer to 40 cm fell by Wednesday afternoon. Winds will shift again to north and east outflow and temperatures will fall as a new surge of cold dry air pushes in.

I thought some hot Hope chicks might come knocking on the door and ask what the full crotch zipper was all about. BTW, "Itzza Pizza" makes good ones, and the waitresses (who are sisters) are cute.

Climb: Hope-Cruel Pools Date of Climb: 1/9/2005 Trip Report: WCI1 describes Cruel Pools as a three pitch Grade 3. Turns out its a whole lot more! From the parking area, easy cramponing up the frozen drainage led to a couple short steps which were easily soloed to the base of a narrow, ice choked gully, where we broke out the ropes and started our adventure. Wes Maedel leading P1 Gary Shorthouse leading P2 Wes seconding P4 Jordop seconding P4 Rapelling from highpoint on P7 (could be P8, I lost track) I'd give this pitch a 3+/4-, but we didn't top out as the last 10 feet were a very thin shell of ice over a gushing torrent of water. My attempt to surpass this resulted in a gaping hole in the shell and I had no desire to take a bath so I threw in a belay and brought the others up. It looked like there might even be another pitch above this one. This is a fantastic moderate route with pretty much continuous climbing and only one "slog" pitch. All in all it made for a great outing. Four of us climbing in two teams were about 9 hours car-to-car. If we'd known it was going to be an all day affair we would have climbed the lower pitches faster, but we thought it was only going to take us a couple of hours. Gear Notes: Double ropes, slings/cord for rap anchors, headlamp Approach Notes: Follow WCI directions to parking area, start hiking up obvious drainage. The Swiss Chalet motel in Hope is our recommended accomodation!

If you're mostly going to be carving inbounds, go smaller to get the most control. If you'll mostly be touring for turns in the backcountry, go larger to get some comfort.

It's a nice day out in the summer if you want to stretch your legs and get up high without much effort. The summit provides great views across Garibaldi Park.

People who are good at making skis aren't necessarily good at running a business. You can read all about it here.

The skis are made at a factory in Tunisia owned buy a European ski company. There was a good discussion on TTips as to what company that was, but the name escapes me at the moment. TTips lost their entire message database a month or so ago so I can't look it up.

Did you follow the summer trail to the lake, or was there enough snow to head straight up from the parking area?

In the past, many so called tele skis were made in the same molds as alpine skis, but with a lay up that gave them a softer flex. This is probably still true for some skis (dunno which ones) but with tele skiers becoming much more agressive in recent years, the demand for soft skis has lessened. You'll see lots of tele skiers ripping it up on super stiff alpine boards. These days, I'd say the major difference between alpine and tele/rando skis for backcountry use is weight. As mentioned above, its also mostly marketing. Take the new G3 skis for example. G3 is mostly a tele-centric company, but it would have been a poor business decision for them to introduce "tele only" skis since the market is so small. Instead, they've marketed them as having been designed for both tele and randonee use, even though the primary designer (Paul Parker of Tua fame) is well known for his tele skis. The best advice I've heard is to mount whatever binding you like onto whatever ski you like, and just give 'er!

Feb. 11-13. Heard there might be clinics with Sean Isaac, but dunno if that's for sure or not. I've recently been informed that a "formal" (i.e. sponsored) ice fest isn't gonna happen this year, but that another "Gathering" may be in the cards.

I have a hardly used pair of the red/blue model that I'd be happy to sell. Probably size 9, would have to dig them out of the gear bin to check. If anyone's interested, PM me.

You can "camp" in the Singing Pass overnight parking area in Lot 4. As long as you're sleeping in your vehicle, I don't think anyone will bother you.

We were able to drive about 9km from the highway, leaving a 5km ski into the basin. Could probably have gone a bit farther if we had put chains on. The road bed was in good shape up to the switchback across the Sumallo, but beyond that it deteriorates and is getting overgrown.

Interesting....I had my liners molded at the Intuiton office and they didn't use any toe caps.

They fixed this..... by getting rid of the pockets.

A trip through any lift line at Whistler will confirm that observation. Dead birds all over the place!

This has been recently discussed here (scroll to the bottom) on Climb Eastern Canada by some folks who are planning a trip for next summer and have researched the access options.