Dane

Back to the sock question. An interesting combo that I am using right now is the Lopren Trilay3r. They should last the summer.

I would agree with LightD and DPS, get good boots first. "Good" when it comes to AT boots will (should imo) likely include being Dynafit binding capable. AT stuff has quietly made some huge changes in just the last couple of seasons. Bigger than the leashed/leashless and huge clearence transition in ice tools. There are super lwt boots being used now on lwt fat skis or super lwt skinny ski that both walk and rip. Game changers in the industry and the sport. Tech bindings (read Dynafit/Plum/RT/La Sportiva here) have also risen to the challenge. Are you kidding me? 117g for a binding! Same stuff you won't easily find 2nd hand but it is possible. Much of what is currently being sold as "cutting edge" is now obviously dated. More and more new boots are ignoring the DIN toe and just going to a Dynafit capable toe. Shouldn't be a problem as most used boots will take both, If you are buying new I would be sure to ask. This thread needs some stoke http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/06/it-is-guy-having-most-fun.html http://www.powdermag.com/stories/40th-anniversary-bill-briggs-ski-descent-of-grand-teton/

try the free Picasa3 software.

Some nice turns...well done! Did Asgard soften up enough to ski down?

WELL DONE!

"It is of the Mt. Baker summit crater" Simply amazing photo..thanks for posting. Amazing photos by everyone really. Keep the eye candy coming!

kooooll...thanks.

Question? How do you get a bigger format than the standard photo gallery redo?

Scenic: for full effect. Scenic: Cosmic Arete on the Midi in Winter Ice: Rob on the crux pitch of Flow Reversal in thin condition Alpine: Winter alpine ice, Chamonix. Humor: Dave getting his Happy Face on! cragging: Doug on Goose Egg Rock. Skiing: Back country skiing on a new burn in the Monashees.

Having skied most of the winter in the Prime (a softer version of the Quadrant) I might disagree. TLT5 does have a great walk mode. BD isn't as comforatable. Better to believe the BD mantra of "its all about the down" if you are looking for someting easier to climb in. You'll drop a pound per boot as well and gve up little or nothing on the down.

Now I know someone has done it to ski boots. Thanks CF. Couldn't find any reference to climbing boots. "They Said It Couldn't Be Done Installing Dynafit Binding Fittings in Scarpa Denali Boot" http://www.wildsnow.com/articles/denali_dynafit_retrofit/denali_dynafit_retrofit.html http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=584144&sid=eb0560f16b6b4fc7271c2481adc66bae these are likely useful as well. http://www.splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=4709 http://www.123mountain.com/Slide-Dynafit-Adapter-Plate-Scarpa/en http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/63827-WTB-dynafit-boot-fittings http://www.splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4708&st=0&sk=t&sd=a http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/probe/index.php?PHPSESSID=42f7e8cb84aa91cf800a5d8733076c2b&topic=2202.0

This is the 2nd part of a 2 part review for the TLT boots. http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/06/part-2.html Krister Jonsson photo

No expert on the subject so just a guess here. I would think the boots would have to be made and more importantly designed to have the inserts built in. Pretty difficult add on I would think as no one has done it that I know of. As far as TLT and how warm they are? I think most are looking at the TLT as a ski boot and rightfully so. If that reference ethe TLT may not be as warm as some heavier ski boots. But then sitting on a chair lift half the day or more isn't climbing. In the context of climbing boots the TLT 5s with the foam liners TLT 5 Performance or TLT 5 Mountain TF (both with the same Palau foam liners) fit in nicely between the Batura/Guide and the dbl boots like the Spantik or 6000 for warmth in my opinion. Over the next year I suspect you'll see all sorts of mods being made to the TLT5 to make them easier to climb in. They certainly ski better than most expected.

miserable freak'in day yesterday....

Pretty funny because if I had read this review linked below and it was someone else writing it I'd question the comment and at the very least make an effort to check out the new material. This one took me by surprise. If nothing else it is very cool to see the new fabrics coming out and being used for our gear. Some amazing new technology available and more to come I suspect. The review in question is on the Marmot Hyper jacket. But it is the material they have used that I really find amazing. http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/06/marmot-hyper-jacketa-field-test-and.html

Pretty funny stuff John. Loved this: "A little over a year ago, I was rolling my bicycle into the Pacific Ocean after 3,000 miles of riding, from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida. One of the big questions of the ride for me, besides “Do I have a saddle sore?” was “Is my bike going to make it?” I had bought my Raleigh Team USA from some guy in Broomfield for $100 after seeing it in a Craigslist ad. The bike was 25 years old when we started our ride." Or as Twight wrote, "surrounded by 400# of the lightest gear known to man". In the mid 80s I climbed Furher Finger in two long days and skied down. Best gear available back then. Koflachs on my feet and 207 Rossi and my ski boots on my back. A couple of weeks we ago I did the same trip in a casual 7 hrs to the summit while climbing in comfort in my ski boots and just 6# of skis and bindings on my back. Those Rossi and boots weighed in at around 25# total, plus another 8# for the Plastics Koflachs and steel crampons. So 33#. Dynafit gear was 12# total and used about 25% of the time and effort involved originally. 25 year old steel Raleigh weighs in at around +30# @ $100 or less. A Cervello R3 around 15# and $4000 or more. Effort involved in pedalling one up hill? 1/2 or less. I'll ignore the fact the writer didn't even know what ocean he was in. "I was rolling my bicycle into the Pacific Ocean after 3,000 miles of riding, from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida" Knowledge is power. Use it, your cash and time wisely. Of course you can always walk instead of fly....... "Was the adventure way more memorable than the gear I bought for it? Absolutely." But no way in hell I would have carried 207s and boots back up Rainier either..

Easy...and better than walking down. You should do it. On a decent day you'll have a great time.

All three boots reviewed below will fit a narrow to medium foot easy enough. Sizing info is mentioned in each article. Kolflachs are not mentioned but generally fit well. Dated technology, having climbed a lot in them, I wouldn't buy a pair now. But still good boots. http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-back-scarpa-6000-dbl-boot-and-2.html http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2010/04/la-sportiva-spantik.html http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2010/04/la-sportiva-baruntse.html I doubt you will find all three and you'd be lucky to find just one in Seattle depending on your size. Likely the Spantik. Call around first and ask specifically for your sizes or something close. Easier to figure out your size and order (order in several sizes to be sure) from someone like Backcoutry.com or Zappos on line...as they do easy returns. Return what does not fit. But I would figure out the perfect fit and size and then shop price on line. The next step up is the full super gaiter style dbl boot so a triple really. La Sportiva Olympus Mons is a good example but there are others. These are the true "high altitude boots". The others will do most places up to 6000M, past that or in artic conditions the triples might be a better idea. It really depends on your objective.

Goats can be agressive. A man was gored and killed in 2010 by a goat in the Olympics during the fall rut. Best thing to do is leave the area if they seem agressive or overly interested. Only needs to happen once to you. http://hikinginthesmokys.blogspot.com/2010/11/fatal-goat-goring-investigation.html

I started asking here: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1013727/Questions_comments_or_thoughts#Post1013727 Not a lot of comments on using the TLT for climbing which is what I was really interested in. This is the 2nd part of a 2 part review for the TLT boots. http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/06/part-2.html Krister Jonsson photo

Cash, credit card, check or the gold standard...none of them will buy half that in sunny days in the west side of the state. Colorado or Chamonix. Nice little hospital in Cham as well

Hey Kevin, thanks for the feed back. I have been skiing the TlT 5s now since April as well. I am very impressed with all three boots, specially with the TLT 5 TF. Biggest ski I am using is a 105 underfoot and 188cm. Easily skied without the tongue in the Performance which I do 99.9% of the time. I generally use the tongue for the down in both the Mountain versions. I also like (really like) the Mountain TF (foam Palau liner) without the tongue on a pair of super light 165s with 80cm under foot. But easy to ski a soft boot there and I like soft boots generally these days. At 6# for both skis and bindings it is an easy rig for boot pack or skinning like your run from Muir to the bridge! Still working on the longest blog post I have ever done for the TLT 5 review. Most fun toys I have had in some time If they weren't so much fun no way in hell I would have skied them in some of the nasty conditions we have had since April! Like the foot of new we had a week ago.

I've had two pair, Kayland and Boreal. Still have a pair of the newest Ice Mutants by Boreal, which I really like on mixed. Gene is correct you have to use something else to get to the crag...note I say crag as most won't use them on anything more than a one pitch crag climb. Short routes because all the boots are cold...not enough insulation and they are made to fit tight. So not all that easy to walk in either. Think rock shoe (which is what they are) you bolt a crampon to. Older version of the Mutant But in the right place fruit boots can be amazing. Ueli Steck on the Secret...in custom made fruit boots that take clip on crampons. The Secret is a short two pitch crag climb. Hard mind you but short. cool video here: Really fruit boots are just any lwt boot with the crampons bolted to the boot or a smooth soled mixed specific boot like Steck's. I know a guy who soloed Polar Cirus in his Kylands early spring...with no socks. Also seen him risk frost bite using them in Hafner in cold conditions and happy to have Sorrels to slip into. Not a big advantage there imo, but they can be on hard mixed. How to make fruit boots? http://climbs2high.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-project-fruit-boots.html The soft ankle thing is something you get into anyway for difficult mixed. You learn to climb steep ice differently because of it. But not the obvious choice for steep ice only. Again think rock shoe for mixed. Not an ice boot per say. Very specialised and exceptionally fun to climb in if you have a mixed area near by to use them. There are less expensive options that climb nearly as well and are way more versital. Match them with a set of Ergos or Fusions and you are set. The tools aren't by any means but fruit boots are basically race gear only imo. The ones you pull out for the send on hard mixed For that I think they rock and my sends aren't hard by anyone else's standard!

Curious as to what dbl boot you are using on a likely early July summit?

Ah, but those hand cracks below it are worth every grunt Good stuff, thanks!