Dane

12/2/09 30 days later, looking good....but still 6 weeks to go. The man is going to have some tender toes for a while yet

Some editing going on above....thought for a moment it was JK speed editing again. How about less of the typical CC.com spray and you just go climb the damn thing and worry about the rating later. Flow Reversal is simply one of the best ice routes in Wa. and well worth doing no matter what the rating. But FR is barely 100m of climbing generally and hardly worth a long conversation. Here is a good read on point: http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2010/01/conditions.html

For those interested I've started a blog for gear reviews and may be a few climbing notes thrown in as well. http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/

Thanks guys and a little more stokage for you The money is on the 2nd pitch. And every time I'm reminded that it is one of the most fun sections of steep ice I have done anywhere, ever! The 2nd pitch is just over 100' but always well worth the walk. The other two pitches are around 130' each and neither of them give aways. Roger Strong and Chad Kellogg on an early ascent. Shows much of pitch 1 & 2. Photo from a similar position on the snice yesterday conditions looking down from mid pitch 2 with better ice. And the third pitch in lean conditions mid February last year. And Pu high on the first pitch last year.

Trip: Source lake - Flow Reversal Date: 1/30/2010 Trip Report: Simply one of the best ice routes in Washington. And it seems to always come into shape....in one version or another. Flow Reversal, Feb. 15 '09 Flow Reversal Jan 30 '10 Rafael Haroutunian leading the crux after I drafted in his trail breaking all morning Ratings can be all over the map on this one, WI 5R, M5, 3 to 5 pitches can be had, or it can be WI6-R and no M rating or if you are lucky WI5-R and no rock. It is a water ice climb in an alpine environment so it is all about conditions. Today they were good. Gear Notes: Depends on the amount of ice. 3 raps to get off, one v thread and two trees. New tat and rings left today, Approach Notes: Get someone else to post hole up the hill for you...hopefull another climbing party going elsewhere on the buttress No one else showed today Rating drops two points if you have a boot track to the alcove.

Your top photo... FAT Not FAT '09 (2nd) corner pitch shown above This is the bottom 2 pitches of Flow Reversal in way, way fat and easy conditions. Two longer and more moderate lines on climbers right here as well. The "one pitch wonder" you guys climbed on climber's left of FR can be moderate mixed or solid WI 3 when lean. Love the last little shield of ice on this climb. This one is way fat as well right now and a great climb. We generally get a full 60m+ pitch out of this one. Nice work! FAT http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2588/210/0/1099338977/n1099338977_30396515_6295041.jpg' alt='n1099338977_30396515_6295041.jpg'> More climbing left and right of this line as well in these fat conditions. Here is what they looked like last year in mid February. http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=867796

From Scarpa's web site specs on the Phantom Lt single. I didn't get the specs on the 6000. or the prices. Upper: Cordura® and Elastan 10% (S-tech Fabric) Lining: Waterproof-OD/Primaloft Insole: Pro-Fiber Midsole: PU/TPU Sole: Vibram® TT3 Last: AG Sizes: 38 – 47, 48 (half sizes) Weight: 900g; 1lb 15.7oz Color: Orange I'll have more details on a size 45 once the boots start to ship, which is next month I hope. Worth mentioning that I stopped by the Scarpa booth at OR show intentionally wanting to look at the previous generation of the Phantom 6000. I was disapppointed seeing what I thought was only the new Phantom Guide on the booth wall. So I asked if the 6000 had been discontinued and the sales staff handed me the new Phantom 6000 shown here. It is such a low profile dbl boot that I had missed the 6000 thinking they had put out two pairs of the Phantom Guide for show. I was impressed with how light both boots were compared to my Sportiva Baturas and Baruntse I am currently climbing in.

I will be posting a review shortly of nine different belay jackets at http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/ . This is the intro: "Like much of the content on the Internet this review is written by an amateur. I am not a paid writer nor was I given these nine jackets for free as promotional material with the manufacturers seeking free advertizing. Only two of the jackets were loaned to me for this review, the Mammut and the MEC and like the rest they were returned after a detailed comparison was made and the pictures taken. Many thanks go to Marmot in Bellevue WA and Mountain Equipment Coop in Vancouver BC for supporting my project. The other seven jackets were paid for on my credit card. Most were returned, one I already owned, one I kept and one I am still thinking about. I'll tell you which jackets swayed me and why inside the review. Part Two will discuss a totally new collection of jackets more appropriate imo and more typically used for the Canadian Rockies/ North Cascade climbing enviroment. I personally picked these jackets out of the dozens available. I had a winter alpine climbing project in mind that I was going to spend at least one night on the climb and two full days of technical climbing plus a long decent in the dark again as the best case secenario and if everything goes perfectly. From past experience and nights out up high in the Canadian Rockies I went looking for the best jacket available for my own needs. So before you read further, a caveat. I am very specific on my likes and dislikes in gear. I have been climbing in the Canadian Rockies since the early '70s and this article is the result of my personal search for a new, extremely cold (-20C and below) weather "climbing/belay/bivy jacket" for my own needs. My likes my not be your likes. You may totally disagree with my conclusions and choices. My needs may not be your needs. What will work for me may not work for you. Use the info as you see "fit" ."

The Scarpas have an enviable reputation for durability on big alpine mixed routes. Sportiva's reputation for durability? Not so good. I went through 3 pairs of Spantiks in three trips breaking eyelets on a boot that has so few.

Interesting to count the parts in a typical wire gate and the number of parts in the new Petzl, single wire, "ANGEL". 6 (more or less?) verses 2. In an engineering sense I don't think that is any great achievement. Anyone notice the problem clipping back into the hangers on the display wall. I found the durability claim pretty far fetched as my solid gate biners go back decades as do some of my wire gates now. The wire gates of any vintage seem to have the strongest gate action. But suspect some of that is the fact they had the strongest gate action to start with as well. Anyway from my view durability doesn't seem to be an issue on the much simplier design of the typical, 2 part, wire gate biner. Or did I miss something recently? I like Petzl's slick nose profile and the gate lock as well but seems like a lot of trade offs from a manufacturing/price point standpoint. Just don't see the question these were suppose to answer. Most chilling to me was the suggested retail price which was on the + side of $10.

Pictures of a current Cobra shaft weigh is 154 grams. Or 158 g = 5.57328 oz! Bottom end top end

Cool technology. I have a set if you want to try them Bill. I'm still working ice for a few months yet hopefully.

Will Finley's page has Feezy Nut info and much more. http://www.peakaweek.com/index.cfm

Mark you should be beat'in to a bloody pulp I'll buy the beer next time we meet and you can share the story.

No worries on the tools, the wait was getting the parts from Mtn Tools. Thanks for the business! Yes I did get to look at the "trigrest" and yes it should be available as a add-on once available. They have a part number for it in the new catalog. It should work fine on your Aztars. But seriously, not every tool makes a good tool to match and climb leashless on. Your Aztars while better than most are at the bottom end of that scale. I'd suggest making a point of trying some other tools, Fusion and Nomic come to mind, before trying the add ons when they become available in the fall.

A short follow up on the Baruntse. With some snow slogging, a bit of grade 3 water ice and a few harder things, best case scenario is I can say is I never noticed the boot. That says a lot. Warm! Warmer than most will ever require and I think equally as warm as the Spantik but for me at least a much more technical boot, better fit, and much easier for me to tie with an easier to heat mold the inner boot. Comfy as well!

All the picks are T rated now as well. Ergo head with the new spacer. Nomic and Ergos new "spike" end and the place you can get a tiny tie off through for umbilicals. And the Grivel tools...may be the Ergo isn't so radical after all.

Last issue of R&I has a good write up by DR on the new Scarpa single boot, Phantom Guide. They look and feel even better in person. The newest Phantom 6000 dbl isn't on the web page last I checked. So thought some might want to see it as well. The two boots in the new Phantom series so far are REALLY low profile and lwt boots. Hopefully I'll be using a pair of the dbls shortly and can give more feedback and a detailed review and comparison to my Sportiva Baruntse (incredible boot btw) and the Spantik. My take from playing with them @ the OR show is they will be as big a jump in mtn boots technology as the Sportiva Batura and Spantik were a couple of years ago. Crampon fit might be a bit of an issue though with the extremely low profile toe and soles. But the same will make them climb really well I suspect. We'll have to wait and see. The boots should be out to retailers in a month or so. Check Amazon and Backcountry on delivery dates if you are interested. Plenty of time I am hoping for the spring Alaska season. Amazing just how good the gear is getting! The last generation Scarpa Phantom Lt had already won the enviable reputation of being a more durable boot than the Batura on the long Chamonix mixed routes. I am hoping they continue to live up to their reputation with the newest boots. Phantom Guide, single boot with attached super gaiter. New Phantom 6000, looks to be one of the lowest profile and lowest volume dbl boots on the market. I suspect it will be a big hit for some of us.. For my own use I have thought what was really needed was a bit less volume than the newest huge dbls and all the current technology to come up with a boot that was warm enough for most winter stuff and would still climb very well. I suspect the 6000 has answered some of that request.

Good comments......the "50 ice" especially so...it aint generally like any other 50 degree ice you'll ever climb. Think what it might be like to climb 50 degree concrete

So who is going to put in the boot tracks? I was up at Source Lake this afternoon. Lots of fat lines and they are building. I suspect the lines on Snoqulamie (Pineapple and NY) will be good as well. Used lwt 'pons to walk the ski track a few hundred yards past the lake this afternoon

First thing you'll want to do is get a pair of tools designed to stack and match on BTW yours shipped back yesterday. Next place to get a quick eduction is the alpine climb videos on tvmountain.com. A couple of really good one there that taught me a lot about stacking tools and using leashless tools in general. http://www.tvmountain.com/index.php/tvm/alpinisme?start=200

Shit...now that I think about it ...yes, they are hollow and pure carbon... but it isn't anything as thin as a bike frame. And I do remember seeing a sectioned Cobra shaft some where so my mistake, they are indeed hollow. I got inundated with BD info/history of tools/shafts and picks this week and can't be trusted unless i have a picture of it. I know it isn't the old technology of carbon wrapped over aluminum which could be a problem and don't survive the curb test for long. Cobra I am told goes till the guy's arms wear out. (edited to correct my stupidity)

Not like I dream this shit up. I asked those involved and repeated the info here. Why am I not surprised someone would get offended.

I'd like to clarify if I may? The newest Petzl tools will be available early Fall. Tools shown at OR were close but not production (there were no production tools being shown) and the newest tools haven't been around long...according to Peter Popall of Petzl and the guys out with Ueli Steck last week.

No worries...nothing compared to the curb test. Seriously I saw some of the curb test Cobras this week at the BD factory and You are good to go. It is only cosmetic and nothing to repair. I'll post a picture of one of their "test" tools when I get time later in the week. I ride Cervello and S works frames and the major differenece is you have a solid handled tool. It is not hollow. Bike frames would be toast if they looked like that.