PaulB

I've never been in there at this time of year, but in general I prefer the Cerise Creek approach for everything other than routes on Slalok (Stonecrop Face or West Ridge).

This is exactly what we're planning to do. A 6:30 start sounds just about right. Stinkyclimber, here's a good link showing the alternate to the summer trail.

Thanks for the info everyone. Despite the crappy forecast, this Saturday is the day. Any suggestions for a start time from the Heliotrope trailhead?

I looked at those, but Valhalla's were a size too small and Coast's were a size too big. Otherwise I would have bought 'em.

Does anyone know if the Guide Tennies 5.10 brought back last year are any more durable than the Mt. Masters?

What is considered the "shortened" version? When they bypass Iago and go down into Fitzsimmons Creek? Going between the East Col and Singing Pass (via Iago) on each lap, with an exit down the Singing Pass trail or from the Blackcomb-Decker col would be impressive. I expect that you could count on one hand the number of people who've done the Spearhead without using the lifts in recent years.

That rumour was in this Ski Canada story a couple months ago. I'd guess it's Pehota, Chilton or Condon, but I don't know who the hot shots are these days.

Gripped is starting to slip as well.... the clothing/fashion article in the latest issue was lame.

If you ever plan to work in Canada or Europe, you're pretty much SOL without UIAGM certification.

I did the Neve Traverse on May 1. We had to hike for about 20 minutes (it's probably further now) from the Diamond Head parking lot to reach consistent snow on the road. Once we got on the snow, there was plenty of it all the way across the Neve.

Isn't there a short wall up at Cal-Chek (I forget the name, but I think you walk by it on the way to Penalty Box) that has some short & easy sport routes?

No, they do not. I had a pair of Intuition liners fitted for Alphas, but found they were too bulky around the ankle, which I didn't like. I returned the Alphas, and used the liners in my ski boots. I also found that "sizing down" didn't apply to Alphas, because they are already a very low volume boot compared to something like the Inverno.

I didn't say it saves time, I said it prevents elevation loss. I totally agree that going low is faster, especially if you cross Pattison to the north as well. I've had good conditions going over Decker in both directions, but I can imagine that if things were bad, that it could be nasty.

How long do you think they'll last? I'm planning to head down there at the end of the month, and was hoping I'd be able to ski up the same way you did.

A friend of mine got the Arc'Teryx bird tatooed on his ankle. He sent them a picture of it, and they sent him a free harness. Probably not the best way to get free swag.

I wish the Altimax alarm was louder. I usually have to set all three alarms (one minute apart) to make sure I hear the damn thing. Otherwise, its a great watch for skiing and climbing.

Sadly, this is no longer true. Crossing Garibaldi Lake yesterday was perhaps the most miserable 2 hours I've ever experienced with skis on my feet. Here's what we had to deal with, and this was a shallow spot: Otherwise, the Neve is still in great shape!

The Blowhole to Black's race was this week, except that it was actually done in reverse since Blackcomb is closed. I'm told that the winning time from Whistler Peak to Black's Pub was 5 hours, 9 minutes, and that it would have been faster if not for all the hiking to get down the lower part of Blackcomb.

Technically, the route you took is the shortest, but you lose a lot of elevation between Decker and Pattison. Going high over Decker and traversing below Trorey is longer, but sets you up nicely to cross south of Pattison with minimal elevation loss. What was the critical part, and what was your proposed fix? Just curious, 'cause I use Riva Z's on my touring setup. I think we left plenty plab for you guys! Sounds like you had a good adventure. A fine example of self sufficiency in the backcountry, with a little help from like minded souls.

Climbed a route on the Apron yesterday that isn't in the guidebook. It's about half way between Deidre and Bannana Peel, crosses over Sparrow. Fully bolted, pretty much a straight shot to Broadway... goes at 10 something. Nice route, although I didn't lead any of the pitches so I can't comment on the bolt placements. Anyone know the name and grade?

You must have been the group crossing below Decker when we were on the East Col. We only went as far as Decker where we spent the day doing laps. We did see a lone woman (Fern?) turn around and head towards Blackcomb. I was suprised there weren't more people out there. Did you run into a guy skinning uphill while wearing a huge yellow down jacket? He was one of the last two guys we saw heading off into the murk at the top of Decker. We couldn't understand how he wasn't just melting into the snow.

You should see my big toenail after our heinous ski-out... not pretty. I'm afraid to put my rock shoes on. But, back to the topic... I did the Spearhead Traverse a couple of weeks ago in twelve hours. For one of the guys with us, it was only his second day of backcountry skiing. He was fit, and an intermediate skier, but spent a lot of time screwing around with skins, bindings, etc. Even with that overhead, we still made good time, and were able to easily move at twice the speed of groups hauling overnight gear. To paraphrase Jim Bridwell (I think): If you bring overnight gear, you'll probably use it. If you don't, you're motivation to push through is pretty high.

Who needs lifts? If you're one of those rando racer types you can do 30k in a day of touring like that guy from Revelstoke

I'd like to ski up Mt. Baker in a day at the end of May. Obviously it will be snow condition dependent, but which route would be the best choice? - Coleman-Deming via the standard Heliotrope Ridge trail - Coleman-Deming via the Grouse Creek drainage - Easton Glacier I'm assuming that by the end of May the road will be open to the Heliotrope Ridge parking area and that the road on the Easton side will also be fully open.

This is funny, because the Glidelite skins were one of the products BD aquired when they bought Skye from Ted Ayliffe. As far as I know, the ClipFix system was BD's own in-house design. I'd buy BD's story if you were talking about the original O2 tele binding, but not for the ClipFix skins.