Dane

Guess you be first this year

Rain crust? from Barry's comments "Nov 4th we left the tent at 5am. The initial bergshrund had been scoured down to summer snow by avalanches. One hundred meters higher we entered the first pillow of storm snow, got out the shovel and dug a test pit. We found a moderate shovel compression test and two easy to moderate shovel shear tests. The failures were clean pops with the recent storm snow failing on the October surface that had been rained on, and then frozen (this surface had granted us fine climbing conditions on our ascent of the Robinson/Arbic route on Mt Cromwell on Oct 19th). It appears that the snows and, mostly, the winds of the last week have overloaded that interface." 8" of snow last weekend and wind since then. From 600 miles away looks like it might be a decent weekend.

Bump for a good educational experience!

Blanchard's report posted above from Nov 3/4 was pretty sketchy so they bailed. You did Shooting Gallery on the 4th? Any better out there now Grant? Any new snow since the 4th? Wind?

Couple of thoughts come to mind. Climbing in a wet snow storm all day will get you wet if you are dressed wrong. Or being over dressing for the conditions will get you wet from prespiration. I've used my synthetic parka to dry my soft shell out in wet snow conditons after I got chilled on a belay. I couldn't get myself dried while stopped without added insulation. I also have used a base layer to do the approach in, knowing I would soak it and then changed to dry clothing to do the climb. That is a lighter and much warmer tactic over all for me. The major issue of winter climbing is moisture management. Be it clothing or sleeping bags. The reason it is an issue from what I have seen is people over dress for the activity level, just as likely use the wrong piece of kit or simply don't pay attention to the details. Soft shell in a snow storm (done it myself) is not the smart option. Doesn't matter what it is made of wet gear is a poor insulator. You stay warm by staying dry and hydrated. There are climbs I wouldn't take a down bag on and climbs I wouldn't take anything but a down bag on. It depends on the amount of care I can/want to dedicate to the bag and amount of space in my pack. Some times a very light synthetic over bag is a good answer for keeping your down bag dry and being able to dry your gear at night. But climbing into a down bag with all your wet clothing on is a sure way to soak your down bag. Staying dry and warm is a thinking man's game.

My current winter alpine climbing pack is 18L total

Conditions from the last time the gully saw a few ascents.

Sun is coming out, ice is getting thick. Edit: Hook set. I'm good, thanks.

Mike try Wiley X

http://climbingconditions.com/mcr-rockies-mt-kitchener-grand-central-coulior/

100% agreement on both. NE coulior was fat when there was almost no (as in none) snow on the NW face.

Good info, Kevin, thanks.

I'll take the sarkens if Kletter doesn't.

is the gate still open down on the creek?

more gloves, all XLs. Switchback $30..lightly used (one pair) http://www.rei.com/product/757118 OR Extravert $50 a pair, new (2 pair) OR mitts, new $25 (one pair) $25 I'll pay shipping via priority mail in the US.

You did notice this is a climbing forum and not a hunting forum, right? Hunting in the rain is the norm. Climbing in the rain is not. Classically funny stories you posted though. "I had forgot my tent poles, burned my tent, my leg, sleeping bag and bivy sack. I blew up my heater. I am camped on a moving, shifting glacier that tried to eat my tent. I forgot my lighter and my matches don’t work. I have cracked my head open. My compass and GPS are not working. My headlamp is a no go. I am now stuck in the fog on the glacier. My tent is a self-bailing convertible and I am having moonlight visits by a love sick Yeti. Not a bad tally for one day." Then "It is still hard for me to admit this, but several times I actually gave up on even trying to get a fire going. The delirium of hypothermia danced at the edge of my consciousness. I pondered crawling into my sleeping bag and just trying to sleep until the shivering stopped. I felt weary. I left the shelter, I needed dry wood. I'd spent nearly two hours trying to light a fire and all I wanted was something to stop the shivering." Loosing a tent on Rainier or Denali in a storm is so common as to seldom elicit much of a comment. I can't count the times I have full on shivered through a long night in below zero temps. Not pleasant but seldom life changing either. The kinds of incidents you posted links to seldom have anything to do with the gear you bring...much more likely only 1/2 a brain was turned on at a crucial time when full brain was obviously required. Use 1/2 your brain very often climbing and you won't be climbing long.

Most who have some experience will have down and synthetic gear in their kit. Primaloft 1 being my current favorite as a synthetic. I've owned and used synthetic bags. Own one now. But I also own and use three different down bags. The oldest of them I still use and after being cleaned by Feathered Friends looks and lofts like new. That bag is 30+ years old. The newest a Feathered Friends Vireo only a couple of years old. No right or wrong answer on insulation just a wrong choice for your specific adventure or current skill set. If you talk with even the best boutique manufactures of high end down gear they will tell you that the majority of their sells go to people wanting a warm, light weight, jacket, not to someone who is actually going to use a down jacket in the back country.

Cell service at Lake Louise and south to Banff. Zip on the Parkway, which is worth knowing.

Good comments. A few additional thoughts. I always laugh at the time frames quoted from Vancouver BC for Seattle climbers. Like Vancouver is 10 minutes away? It is 140 miles, more from SeaTac, less from Bellingham. I still hear all the time it's faster. It's faster from Spokane too Hostels? Not many hotels close to the ice fields but when I lived in Canmore we just made day trips...long day trips. Lake Louise Hostel is more a modern hotel than a Hostel. Rampart Creek...fairly primative but warm. Hard to beat Eisenhauser Junction for the Stanley basin and Hafner, as they are 20min. way. Everything else an hr. plus. But no worries one trip and you'll figure it all out. Nice hotels in Banff with decent prices and good sushi with in walking distance. Forgot this one. Gas prices are bad in WA, great in Idaho, decent in Alberta and down right terrible in BC. Some BC stations will hit your credit card for a $500 authorization on a $75 purchase! I've had it alert my CC company and lock down cards 3 times in the last three years. Radium Hot Springs area is the most common offender. Prices can and generally do vary almost a full buck per gallon! I try to plan accoringly.

Calgary airport I guess? Banff area ice. But once you get to Banff anything on the Parkway is game if you have the time to drive. Gibralter Wall at Canal Flats but we generally climb it on the way home to break up the drive. Big rush to get there of course. Things seem warmer (you think) so Cascade gully isn't always a sure bet anymore but Loiuise Falls and everything at Field is. Stanley Basin is always good. I've flown in several times and think it sucks because you spend so much time on the road (in the airport) getting back to Banff and most everything is still an hr north of that. I tend to base at the hostels. Lake Louse, Eisenhowser junction or Rampart Creek pretty much covers everything I want to climb on the Parkway. Easy weekend from Spokane. A killer 3 day trip from Seattle. It is 600+ miles one way no matter how you pencil it from Issaquah. Way easier and faster than Ouray though. Not much shorter for us than a direct flight to Geneva and a 2 hr coach to Chamonix. Canadian Rockies ice climbing? Priceless.

I'll take the silverettas.

These are are Shoeller fabric, leather palmed mid weight gloves. Great leashless or leashed glove for our typical mid winter temps. New XL Mt Hardware Fulcrum, black, $50 each I have two pair (retail is $70) I'll pay the shipping in CONUS.

"and i'm starting to think i should go back to using the leashes" Not something any of us wants to hear. The leashless tool technology is just getting started I think. The problem with that is while we now have some amazing, specifically designed, leashless tools we also have all sorts of tools with half assed systems to make leashed tools leashless. Doesn't always work all that well from my experience. Fastest way to get bummed on leashless climbing is trying it on a half assed leashless tool and a bad umbilical hook up Hey most of us have already been there and tried that. Didn't work for us either. My answer is I use a fairly common tool with a straight shaft and a leash when appropriate and a set of high clearence leashless of tools for harder climbing. Some times that means I'll carry three tools (two Nomics and a short lwt axe) to cover the extremes of what I am trying to do...but it gives me a lot of options.

How about we stay on task.

Durability is a big deal. Needs to last the climb...hopefully a couple of seasons. Some of the factory ones won't. You can see how your effort might handle it. The idea behind good leashless tools is they are ergonmic...meaning they fit your body. Most manufactures have made an effort to design that way and come up with a cleaner ways to do things that last longer and more importantly fit your hand and support you better. I have lost count of the grip supports I have added to different tools. Some I even really liked. But hard to compare any of them with just the simple TRIGrest that Petzl now sells that is easy to bolt on. But good leashless tools aren't just one hand support but a tool designed around leashless climbing. If you want to climb leashless get a tool designed to do so...and save yourself a lot of effort. Which is the only reason to climb leashless in the first place.