Stephen_Ramsey

Hello Catbird, As a long-time runner, I would recommend it (seeing a doctor). Especially if you can find a doctor who knows something about sports-related injuries, and who will not hesitate to refer you to a specialist if necessary. Hope your knee is feeling better soon. Cheers, Steve

Thanks Catbird! -Steve

Oops, I meant "one pair is straight-shaft, the other pair is bent-shaft".

Catbird, Is there enough space to bivy at the Yellow Shoulder? We are hoping to bivy somewhere near there. Thanks in advance, Steve

FWIW, this is what works for me (I only climb moderate ice routes, so I'm not sure how applicable this will be to your situation): For ice climbs, my partner and I carry two pairs of Shrikes. One pair is bent-shaft, and one pair is curved-shaft. The straight-shafted tools are better for all-around use (chopping bollards, clearing rotten ice for a screw placement, pounding in pickets, etc.), so most of the time the leader uses the straight-shafted tools. However, when we have to deal with a steep section of ice, we will switch so the leader can use the curved-shaft tools. For early-season snow/ice climbs that have some alpine ice, my preference is to carry one straight-shafted tool and one ultralight ice axe (e.g., BD Raven Pro, 60 cm). Being able to shaft both the tool and the axe in the snow is nice for those types of climbs. For waterfalls, I use the curved-shaft Shrikes, or (preferably) borrow a more waterfall-oriented tool like a Cobra.

I use the "Boreal Ballet Gold shoes". They are very nice. I've only used them on moderate alpine rock climbs (e.g., Ingalls East Ridge and Liberty Bell Southwest Face), so I can't comment on how they perform on steep technical rock. The sole is pretty stiff, which I find helpful when I'm climbing rock while wearing a pack (which is almost always).

She's one of a kind.

(1) Maude via Entiat Icefall (labor day weekend) (2) Colchuck via Northeast Couloir (in April) (3) Buckner via North Face (in July) all three with my wife.

Wife and I climbed the Entiat Icefall route over Labor Day weekend. Good times. Hiked in (and out) using the Entiat River Trail. Summit register canister is still damaged, and has no pencil.

JB, Thanks. Cheers, Steve

Bringing this up to the top once before I head off to the hills, risking spray and heckling in the hopes of a bit of recent beta.... Has anyone seen the NW face of the Forbidden N ridge recently? If so, is the snow bridge across the bergschrund still intact?

Nice trip report and climb!

I'm wondering about conditions on the northwest face of the north ridge of Forbidden Peak. From a photo, it looked like the snow bridge over the bergschrund was looking pretty thin three weeks ago. Anyone been on the Forbidden Glacier or North Ridge lately and can comment on whether the snow bridge is still there? [Yeah yeah, I know I can just go up there and see for myself. But before carrying ice gear and rock gear and bivy gear over Sharkfin Col and rapping down to the Boston Glacier, I figured it only made sense to fish for a little bit of beta.]

Huh? From the MSR web page... the minimum weight of the Simmerlite is 8.5 oz. The minimum weight of the Whisperlite Shaker is 11 oz. So the difference in weight between the two stoves is 2.5 oz. The difference in "packaged weight" (less relevant) between the stoves is even smaller, 2.3 oz. Even the fatty XGK is not 5-6 oz heaver than the Simmerlite. It is only 3.5 oz heavier (and for those extra ounces you get another 2000 BTU of heating over the simmerlite, at max efficiency). http://www.msrcorp.com

Rodchester, Thanks. I've got the XGK and the Pocket Rocket, and agree with your appraisal. Perhaps the Simmerlite is a good lightweight compromise between the two. Cheers, Steve

Rodchester, Did you end up getting a Simmerlite? I'm curious to know what people think of this stove, especially in comparison to the heavier XGK.

My wife and I were on Eldorado Peak yesterday, also. We wondered about all the helicopter activity and the smoke. We could smell smoke from our campsite at 6600', and we saw smoke in the vally to the east of Eldorado. Cheers, Steve

I lost 2 Black Diamond 22-cm Express ice screws (ooh the pain) on Eldorado Peak. Somewhere near the base of the northeast face on Eldorado Peak on August 17, two ice screws levered off my ice clipper and were lost. I finally noticed they were missing while at the base of the first pitch. They are marked with blue-and-white electrical tape. In the unlikely event someone finds them, I am offering a large quantity of good beer for their safe return. Please contact me via PM if you find them. Thanks, Steve

ctuller, Thanks. -Steve

TG, You mean, sort of like a "rewoven figure 8", only with the two strands going in opposing directions ? Just wanting to make sure I understand this. I'm clear on the point that you don't want to use a figure-8 on a bight to connect two ropes for a rappel. Just wondering how to tie the two ropes together correctly using a figure-8. (For now, I'll just use the EDK until I can get a clue on this figure-8 technique). Cheers, Steve

Ok, thanks for explaining. Makes sense. So, what if the knot gets jammed real good inside the rap ring, and you can't pull it out with the zip cord? Is that a concern at all? Thanks again for your time. Cheers, Steve

RBW, Can you clarify this for me? I'm a newbie and am struggling to understand this. Even googled on "zip cord" to try and figure this out, but couldn't find anything useful. OK, so I see how one could tie together a single rope and a thin cord (of the same length), to do a "double rope" rappel. Have done this before on several occasions. But I'm confused about how the 5mm "zip cord" can be used to retrieve your rope after a "single rope" rappel. Can you explain? Thanks. -Steve

www.usmga.net

Iain, Thanks!

Iain, OK, I'm a dummy. I haven't been able to figure it out. What's the scoop on how to do this? I even (uncharacteristically) read the instructions, but they are written in some insane cartoon language rather than plain English. Thanks, Steve