Mark_Husbands

i molded mine with nothing in there and its fine. the liner just fills the little gap.

mountain lion populations are increasing throughout most of its range, so relax.

i would go with the 1" shell fit.

as a beginner, the safest approach is to stay close behind your leader and plunge your shaft in her axe-hole.

yeah, those are better. but i paid 120 bucks for mine...

I like my MEC Alpinelite 30.

yeah, i bought mine second hand so i took what i found, but the verticals should have the same stiffness. with the custom liner (and I have a custome footbed) my foot feels very locked in; much better than any plastic i have used before. and my toes feel close to the front but never hit...there's just a bit more wiggle room created by a toe cover during the heating process.

I have started using a second hand Koflach Expe shell with an Intuition and I really like it. I sized the shell down a bit and have been very pleased. Wore them in Lee Vining weekend before last when it hit -10F at Mammoth the previous night and I was warm all day even with the standing around belaying.

i did it, but be sure to bend them back in. i have had a bail pop off on one occasion because it was too wide. some extra bending stopped this.

well, he openly diagreed with something i posted one time, although i can't remember what. suspect enough in my book!

there are climbs along an unplowed road, so people with snowmachines of whatever kind could probably get well beyond the area where most climbers go on foot. it is hard to imagine how technical ice skills would contribute to winter survival and combat skills.

they do pack out. i worry more about going too large. also if there is just one little spot you can get the plastic stretched at that spot at some ski shops. i've also heard of people using hair dryers to do it themselves. not sure about that. also, as mentioned, the intution liners can replace the stock liners later and you'll want the smaller shell for that. i have a custom footbed i switch from boot to boot and that also affects the fit, including the feel of volume.

i was thinking of the bulldog as a third tool.

a positive attitude is aid.

Nunatak has some pretty fancy ones. http://www.nunatakusa.com/Sleeping_Bag_Dual_Alpinists_Sleeping_Bag.htm seems like a pretty good hood on your parka would be important.

seriously, is that bulldog so bad it isn't even worthy as a back up? because 10 bucks is about what i want to spend.

its the only way you'll ever climb a 400 ft pitch.

i would get a pair of sportiva makalus or somehthing similar, strap on crampons, and a 70cm ice axe. Get someone to show you ice axe arrest technique and practice on a little slope. Then find some local climbs that are class 3 rock and/or 40 degree snow. bag some summits with good friends. then think about a longer/more serious snow climb like Mt. Shasta or maybe Hood where you can get a lot of mileage on crampons and the feel of a big mountain. at the same time, get some friends to take you out top-roping on a rock crag or even in a climbing gym. perhaps read about basic multi-pitch rock climbing progression. try a multi-pitch rock climb when you are ready. at some point the rock climbing and mountain climbing will intersect. decide now that you never want to climb a big wall or go on an alaskan expedition and then later, wonder why you didnt pay attention to yourself. have fun.

just as a suggestion, because there are better fall routes than the mtr.s route, and becasue permits are tough in Whitney area so you might want a backup plan... far to the north there is a solo option that is, in my experience, better than the Whitney route and can be done in a day. This is to link the main North Peak gully with the North Ridge of Mt. Conness (which is class 5 easy). i took 2 tools for the gully, then switched to rock shoes for the ridge (for my own comfort, not necessary if you are a confident big boot rockclimber). i also took a short piece of rope to rappel one little section that would otherwise be the trickiest rock moves on the route (5.6 down climb as I have read). the descent is by the trail off the east ridge so no tricky descending necessary. i'm not a big solo guy but this was a great day out for me (a person of modest ability).

by my recollection, you will find continuous snow and ice (mostly firn with some alpine ice maybe) at about 45 degrees to the top of the couloir on the mountain's shoulder, then you will traverse a snowfield, that can be icy, where people sometimes get into trouble. then you go up some rocky blocks onto the plateau. there would probably not be new snow, but maybe. i'm sure other folks have better recollections.

good. only a fool would sell the picks off his ice tools. but you're sure you don't have any laser picks for sale?

will you sell me the laser picks off the cobras?

I'm wondering if adding at least some external heat source might improve a setup like that. it would seem that with a heat exchanger, as the release of gas cools the cannister and weakens the heat ouput, the exchanger itself would become increasingly inefficient at rewarming the cannister.

Has anyone attempted to use a chemical handwarmer, possibly inside some kind of cannister "coozie", to keep a cannister going in the cold?

Same situation on both my big toes. Nerve damage. Tips go numb pretty easy, and if combined with hard-kicking the numbness can last for days or weeks. But they were never frostbitten. I assume some increased susceptibility in the future. Good boot fit (i.e. no toe bang) seems almost as important to prevention as warmth.