Dane

Ally's leashes not mine. BD's in fact with the original flat BD biners replaced. His biners connect to a rope loop tied to his Nomics which is a whole lot better than a spring gate biner to a solid tool clip in. Spring gate to solid tool attachemnt will eventually lead to loosing the attachent/tool from my (and everyone I know) experience. Some freakin cool hammers on those Nomics in Dave Searle's picture though. Be nice if you added the proper photo credit if you are going to snag obviously copy righted material.

"the BD leashes with the micro wire gates" Which have been known to and continue to unclip themselves even with the "newest" version. Grivel invented the commercial leash and left spring gates behind long before BD even thought about making their version. If you want to keep your tools attached there is a reason a non locking biner is a bad idea on a set of leashes.

Julain my point isn't that the lines were going to be the same. Although the bottom half would have been or close enough. For me anyway. It was the balls to go there and try something they had no idea could be done. The real point is the adventure. If you know you can take enough gear, time and men, you're likely to succeed. If not this year, then next. "Fun" outing and a great adventure but an advancement of climbing? Time has already made that call. More succinctly it is a method of climbing offering nothing to the future. Hard physically? Sure. An advance in climbing...no. Don't assume the world is so large. Most (all?) of the major players in this sport have each others emails and no one is shy about expressing their feelings. It is a small world and eventually everyone ends up meeting in person if they play similar games. Turner? Some how you forget he was by himself? The Russians had 4. You might want to ask yourself the difference between soloing a big wall and capsule style with 4, "in the exact same style". It aint just the numbers. Disingenuous indeed.

I have no doubt the Russian climb of Jannu was a harsh human endevor. The ability to suffer might make a climber worthy of praise. It doesn't have any relationship to how worthy the climb might actual be. That is laughable. There are enough guys on this thread alone that if given the $ for support and time have the skills to do any wall in the world. Your education is lacking. Style does matter. Which is why some (most) choose not to partake in what will eventually be "garbage climbs". No matter how hard or cold they happen to be. The Russian Wall project is a failure. Simply because we are having the conversation. Doesn't matter what they got up. The style they used was already obsolete several decades ago. Imagine going back and aiding Serenity crack on pins now? Same mentality. Climbers have had the ability to climb damn near anything for several decades and many generations. Again laughable. Shit doesn't get "washed off". It simply becomes unusable for the most part but certainly a part of the landscape. Bottom line? You either value the resources we do have and treat them accordingly or you do what ever the fuck you think is appropriate to get up it. Your reward..a nice "atta boy" and a month's vacation freezing your ass off. At the extreme, we call the same climbs failures. American's John Roskelley and Kim Schmitz failed to get established high on the wall let alone summit in the spring of 1978 on their two man attempt of the North face of Jannu. In 2004, 26 years later, it took 11 Russians to get up the wall. Climbs get done now solo, or in hrs that were once "impossible objectives". It takes a little man to think his personal objective is important enough to not see even one life time into the future and what the next generation might easily be capable of. Meastri on Cerro Terro in 1970 is a classic example of a garbage climb. If he had actually done what he had claimed in 1959 with Toni Egger the result would have not been noticable on the mtn today. But the style would have. Some still dream more about style than the climb, But then for most (of any generation) it has never been about the climb. Carlos Buhler (who has done as much with the Russians as anyone) sums up the differences of opinion nicely in his AAC artical on Changabang climbing with the Russians. and more here: http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/features/russianway242/index1.html

"Not mentioned in the article is that fact that your body is an important part of the boot system." It is actually a given when trying to make a reasonable comparison between boots. You have added a VBL and an extra pair of socks to your system that most won't use and are seldom need by most. Finally adding a pair of 40 below over boots might well add some warmth but don't really address good boot design. I simple pair of the Baruntse, Spantik or 6000s will do the same with a thin pair of socks from the get go and with the right pants be every bit as warm with way less hassle getting in and out of the boots and the crampons to stay on. You can make all sorts of combinations work. Just dpends on how much hassle you are willing to put up with. Generally I find simple systems the best way to adress your feet in cold temps, long term.

I've not used the Lowa Civetta Extremes but would expect similar performance from either of the Scarpa plastic boots.

"On a kinda related note I'm looking for a new ice climbing shell jacket. Things I want include a windproof, light, water resistant" might be worth looking at the Atom lt. I like it on top of an R1

awesome picture Kurt. Sent you a PM

Doug Klewin all kitted out in the Fast/Light and Black Spider hoody.

NWApine..Portland OR

I didn't have mine fixed. I just kept climbing on them. I suspect you'll just get a new pair. But only my guess. If any one wants more info on the tools and the difference in generations and the 3rd gen fix it is here: http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/10/nomics-1st-2nd-and-3rd-generation.html Kurt? I said I was THRILLED!

OK! I was so thrilled with Petzl and UPS today I have to post a picture. Thursday I dropped a pair of well used last year's Ergos off @ the Issaquah UPS store. Today, 6 days later and ground UPS both ways, look at what I have! Yahoo!

check the new Camp super light helmet...expensive and dorky looking but hey you'll look purty just the same. Seriously it looks to be a good rig

"Arcteryx Acto MX Hoody (or similar piece with a tight-weave non-membrane fabric). This looks to breathe amazingly, be quite wind resistant, repel some water and provide some warmth, while being lighter than a 'normal' softshell." Ya, having repeated Jason Kruk's comments on my blog and now having and ACTO in hand not all that impressed having used a previous Arc model a good bit. As Jason commented it would work well in soem situations. I found the material too limited in over all performance. More here: http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-arcteryx-soft-shell.html Gotta laugh, as all this is so condition dependant. BB is using a Atom Lt on a road side crag as a belay jacket in the first Fall colors. Where my friends and I use it as our main climbing layer and wind protection at 13K feet mid winter in the Alps or at -30c in the Ice Fields. As I said, what works for me my not work for you.

Let me add a couple of things and a correction. Every piece of clothing and how appropriate it is depends on the temps and conditions. Where I climb may not be where you climb. First there are two Atom jackets from Arcteyx. They are the Atom LT and the Atom SV. Totally different garments and intended use. The Atom Lt, which has vented sides and has been very well recieved in the alpine climbing world replacing a soft shell of any sort. But it is worn over a lwt base layer, generally a R1 style hoody and nothing more. Call the Atom a sweater weight piece as it is no belay jacket and with the vents makes a poor one used in that form. As a piece to climb or ski in while working hard in cold weather it is unlike most anything else available. Although Mtn hardware has something similar but no hood. The Nano Puffs don't have a vent. I'll stand by the opinion that the Atom LT is the best soft shell available for my own use....because it breathes better than any other current soft shell I have used to date for the warmth offered. But I have a few new ones here I have yet to use. But no, it won't survive a off width battle on limestone. Where a Gamma MX will everytime. Nor is it as warm as an MX, thankfully. The Atom SV is a totally different weight jacket (it is heavier and warmer than the LT) and layers perfectly over the Atom LT when used as a belay jacket. The SV works extremely well as a belay jacket in most temps well below 0. A thought on breathability. If you run hot, and sweat a lot I might suggest that you want the MOST breathable garments possible. To stay warm you want to stay dry. You've obviously figured it out and are looking for the best of the soft shells which will need to breath exceptionally well to keep you dry. The fishnet t shirt mentioned in my quote above is the extreme example. The EB Frontpoint is very breathable as a high bred jacket both soft and hard shell. So even though my fishnet was soaked the Frontpoint allowed me to dry the fishnet...not that hard right...before adding a light weight wool sweater. I was then working hard enough to soak out the wool sweater if the Frontpoint hadn't been able to breath well enough to keep the fishnet T and sweater dry while moving. I'll (as most experienced climbers will) often take a second garment to replace my wet one after the uphill or climb's approach so I am wearing a dry one on the down hill or the actual climb. I'll take breathable everytime over water resistant or added warmth. It is always a balance, that is why there are so many opinions. Use the wrong garment at the wrong place and time and now matter what you have, life will suck. Keep moving, stay dry and you'll stay warm generally. Stay dry and you'll stay warm everything else being equal. I had an interesting conversation with a clothing designer today. His unbiased opinion while working with all the cutting edge materials available today was..."the difference in fabric isn't nearly as important as the ability of the user to match the garment and its use, to the activity". Quick versions of that? Layer accordingly (fishnet T shirt if required) and then use the zippers and vents as required to stay dry. Nothing magic in the fabrics if you cna't do that.

Shipped mine on the 29th (Thursday) via Petzl's UPS ground tag, Seattle to SLC...new pair is on UPS today, Monday. Looks like a one day turn around at Petzl to me. Bravo!

Two volume set by Francois Damilano, "Snow Ice and Mixed" The guide to the Mont-Blanc Range. Available in English, French and Italian I believe. Publisher is JMEditions Great books!

Apoc is a great jacket. Neoshell is very good but so are the other new stretchy hard shells.

"I kinda figure they were a "sport climbing thing" as I generally walk to the rocks with a funky ruck, my sheet everywhere, impossible to find in 2 minutes and the rope gets immediately thrown in the dirt. That system has been tried and true for years. And it worked." http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/10/monkey-on-my-back.html

Graham try to keep up The video/climb is from Jan 10 2010. It is in the opening credits. Nothing to do with the date it was put online. 18 months ago now. No reason to doubt John's comments.

"All of this said there's no correct answer but I will say that the new (2011 and 2012) fabrics are a paradigm shift." I agree with that observation. But having samples of something like 90% of the newest fabrics here right now I don't see anything that I can't replace and do as well with from last year. But Polartec has some amazing new fabric technology spread across all the lines. I am still trying to figure out what fabric/fabrics work best for my own use.

Good info on the Monster, thanks. How are they to rap on? Also like the fact they are rated as a twin and a dbl, which I also did not know.

Neither hard or soft but the best I have seen to date and I have seen just about all of them... Atom Lt Hoody. The newest Patagonia Knifeblade is a decent soft shell if you can deal with a pull over. *Polartec Power Shield Pro* rocks which is what the Knifeblade is cut from. If I were to buy a soft shell no question it is the material I would want. Acto is an option as well. But having one in hand myself now it is not as "new" as this blog post would have you think. I'll correct that implication asap. http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-arcteryx-soft-shell.html

I am likely the only one still rocking the old school Darts around here. Me and the guy climbing in John's second hand pair now. And no G22s in my future. House...? 2011 maybe http://video.patagonia.com/video/Repentance-Remission-2 2010? Looks like he was rockin the Rambo to good effect. Jim had these at 40% off recently. Another awesome 'pon. Not like the actual crampons have ever placed much of a limit on any of us.

I like my G22s so hard to argue that. But the Dartwins fit all my boots better.