PaulB

Was hoping to get tickets at the door, but an accident just south of Whistler closed the highway for a couple hours and we didn't get up there until 8:30. Figured there wasn't much point going to the show at that point, so headed to the pub instead.

Discussion on Telemarktips (scroll down past share redemption and mountain bike posts) that MEC is shutting down Serratus in January. If you've got a favourite pack, or had your eye on any of their stuff, better buy it soon, or take a chance that it will be discounted in the new year as they clear out stock.

As I understand it, he slipped while traversing an icy slope (he was wearing crampons) on the way to the climb, which caused him to slide off a 10m high cliff and into trees and a boulder field. A sad reminder that deadly accidents don't just happen on climbs.

Feb. 11-13. Heard there might be clinics with Sean Isaac, but dunno if that's for sure or not.

Anyone been up around Black Tusk or anywhere else high yet this year? Thinking that this weekend will be a quest for first turns of the season.

I tried these on at the ROI sale in Vancouver on Friday. For $50, I almost bought them for a joke. They were definitely comfortable, but not all that practical unless you're a comp climber or seriously into mixed. However, if your friend needs new crampons and new boots just for ice climbing, then these might be a good option, assuming that whoever is selling them doesn't crank the price up to near their retail value (guessing C$600-700).

Aside from the concerns mentioned above, I think it would be too hot for climbing in. I ski in a Giro Nine.9 and it's the warmest thing I've ever put on my head, and that's when going downhill with the wind in my face. Unless it was really, really cold, I think you'd rapidly overheat while climbing with that type of helmet on.

Sounds like someone bought them, and is now trying to re-sell them: Scarpa Phantoms

Recreation Outfitters in Vancouver is clearing out their stock of Scarpa boots: Cumbres, Freneys, Freney Lights, Cerro Torres and many others. Prices are approximately 50% off retail. e.g. Cumbres which sell for C$475 were going for C$250. They also have two pair of the funky mixed climbing boots (size 9ish I beleive) with the bolted on crampons. They're marked for $100, but I was told they'd sell them for $50 just to get rid of them. Apparently there only five or six pairs of these in Canada, and Will Gadd probably has most of them. Last day of the sale is tomorrow, Saturday November 20. Recreation Outfitters Inc. 3058 Beta Avenue Burnaby, B.C. Canada www.roirecreation.com

Ummm... no. Despite the fact that it is only 6 months shy of being 5 years old, I'll likely continue to use it for a couple more years of 4th classing and glacier travel.

I think I'll do just that, especially since I got my MEC share redemption cheque in the mail yesterday.

Came across a show called Ultimate Survival: Everest while channel surfing last night. Despite the cheesy title, it was interesting to watch. There's also a tie in with this board's favourite Everest personality, Annabelle Bond. More episodes for the next three nights. Don't think it's playing on the American Discovery Channel.

You want to start using half ropes. You already own a 8.5mm x 60m Mammut Genesis rope that is 4 years old. It has only been used for glacier travel and a few 4th class alpine climbs, and has never caught a fall.

Just back from a quick trip to the Rockies. As Don says, it's early season and the warm weather last weekend hurt things badly. However, we did find some ice lines in Haffner Creek on Thursday, and there are several mixed routes that were being climbed: King Creek is still pretty much as described above by Bogen, although a bit thinner than in his pics. Kidd Falls was completely gone on Friday when we drove by. The best value was to be found in the Bow Falls area. Bow Falls itself was open in the middle with running water, but looked like it would go on the right side. We opted to play around on Gorby Falls, (the flows to the right of the main falls) which offered a handfull of grade 2-3 pitches which were in great condition, and made for a fun day. Strangely enough, despite there being a half dozen cars in the parking lot there were only two other people up there on Saturday. Bow Falls Area: Bow Falls: The following pic shows what I think are Pointless & Aimless Gullies on the approach to Bow Falls. There was a party at the base of the flow on the left (Pointless?) when we hiked by in the morning: There's moderate ice to be had, and it can only get better as the days go by.

It depends on the binding you are using, and what your objectives are. Silvretta used to make some bindings (models 300 & 400 I think) that were great for approaching climbs, but you wouldn't be carving any real turns in them. I don't even think they released, and I'm not sure that the heel locked down either. Silvretta 404's were a beefier (i.e heavier) binding meant for going downhill, but they only had rear release. You'll still see a lot of people skiing these beacuse they fit virtually any boot that will accept clip on crampons. Good for people who only want to buy one ski setup that they can use with both mountaineering and ski boots. The newer model 500 is very similar, but uses carbon rails to lighten things up. Bindings like the various Fritschi Diamirs & Freerides, the Silvretta 555 and the Dynafits are more geared towards cranking turns, not approaching climbs. Some (most) of them are not compatible with mountaineering boots. So, while all of the above bindings can be categorized as randonee/alpine touring/ski mountaineering, some are better for downhill skiing, and some are better for touring and/or approaches. When I want to get turns, I use my tele gear. When I want to get to a climb, I have an old pair of Atomic Tourcaps mounted with Silvretta 404s.

Based on this, I would guess Euro before Canuck.

They refer to the language spoken by Quebecois as "Quebonics" That's because Quebecois French is rooted in the 1600's and has evolved differently than Parisien French over the years. For anglophones, it would be like hearing someone speaking Shakespearean English, with a bunch of regional slang thrown in. In my (and Sean Isaac's for you trivia buffs) home province of New Brunswick (the only officially bilingual province), Acadian French is dominant amongst the francophone population, and even the Quebecois can have trouble understanding it because of it's archaic form and the high speed at which it is spoken. To top it all off, many Acadians also speak a dialect called Chiac which mixes Acadian French and modern English simultaneously.

Has anyone ever done a roadtrip to the Rockies in mid November? Just wondering what conditions might be like for some of the stuff that mere mortals can climb. I'm thinking the Junkyards, Cascade, Haffner Creek, etc. for some easy early season mileage. Gadd's conditions website is great, but the fact that Terminator is "..in easy WI6 condition" doesn't help me much.

If you're gonna make the long drive north, head to the Mt. Washington valley in New Hampshire. Cranmore, Attitash & Wildcat are all close to each other, and Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine aren't too far away either. In the spring you can also make the pilgramage to Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt. Washington itself. If you're an ice climber, there's lots of that do in the same area as well, which makes for a nice dual purpose road trip.

It's great, except when people that have been epicing on the Weeping Wall crawl into the bunkhouse at 2AM and wake everyone up. But, that also contributes to it's charm.

My hernia was a bit above and to the left of the "jewels", and at first I thought it was just a pulled muscle and carried on with my usual activities. After a few weeks it worsened to the point that there was a visible protrusion through the hernia. Went to the doctor, who confirmed it was indeed a hernia, and within a few weeks had it repaired with a patch (wasn't kevlar, but some other exotic material). After about a month of downtime to let everything heal up, I was back out ripping it up on my tele boards. There's a lot of good info on the web about hernias. If you feel pain near your jewels, I would highly recommend getting it checked out ASAP. Do a Google search for "scrotal hernia" and you'll see why.

Lots of good beta on routes above. Here's the scoop on logistics: As usual in the east, be prepared for old school grading on some routes. When you top out on Cathedral, chat up the tourists and/or look pitiful, and if you're lucky, they'll give you a ride back down to the base while you thrill them with tales of the ascent. We used to camp for free (somewhat illegally) in the trees between Cathedral and Whitehorse. As long as you set up late, and left early, no one seemed to care, but that was a few years ago. There are lots of pay campsites in the nearby national forests which work on the honor system when the attendent isn't around. There are coin-op showers at the Pinkham Notch visitor's centre. The two climbing shops in North Conway are IME and EMS. IME has a used gear shop in the basement which is worth checking out. The lobby of EMS has the best public washroom in town. You can also visit the Wild Things factory store. My favourite climbing shop was Ragged Mountain Equipment, which is in Intervale, about 5 minutes north on HWY 302. They manufacture slings, clothes and various other items, and will usually re-sling cams overnight (sometimes while you wait). Lots of good eats around, but it can be expensive (for us Canadians, everything there was expensive!). Delaney's "Hole in the Wall" pub/restaurant is a good choice. Also, be aware that driving through North Conway on a busy weekend can take forever. The main street (HWY 302) gets totally backed up with tourists and outlet store shoppers. To avoid this, when you leave Cathedral, watch for West Side Road on your right, which runs parallel to 302 and takes you to HWY 16. Have fun, it's a great time of year to go. It is less crowded than the summer, the temps are better, and the view from the crags is amazing once the leaves change color.

I heard camp slime had been shut down. Too bad, it was a convenient place to crash.

Good job! After skiing in the area this spring, and scouting out the McParlon Creek road earlier in the summer, I've put an ascent of Thiassi on my "to do" list. Unlike Jordop, I waited until the end of a most excellent ski run down the glacier to take pictures. His legs must have been tired from the climb up. The trail (and some bushwacking) leads to the Pebble Creek cabin in Ash Pass. A great base for ski adventures, but not so convenient for ascents of Thiassi as you'd have to go up, over, and back down the significant ridge between the Pebble and McParlon glaciers. Easy and fun on skis, not so much on foot. Knowing that the hut was so close (and yet so far away) would make this even more miserable.

Also, when you come off the bridge and head west on Main St., you can't turn left to get into the store. You have to drive past, turn around at the next intersection and come back, or park in the mall across the street. On the plus side, after visting MEC you can walk across the street and patronize two other pillars of Canadian retail... Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons!