Dane

You guys crack me up...3 hrs to the lower ramp isn't slow going. Gets even slower post holing past your belly button from the creek In and out on some of the shortest days of the year is a good effort! Last pitch pretty sun rotted?

Daniel (or anyone using a Reactor) are you doing anything special to up the efficiency of the Reactor? Still find it hard to believe there is no striker built in?

I have a Reactor. Been using it for winter climbing for 3 seasons now, generally in pretty cold conditions. So far I think it sucks. Going back to a pump and white gas.

Sorry no experience with the Mad Rock products. Internet reviews that I could find have not been very positive. Too bad as the price point sure was tempting

FYI Sportiva now includes info on how to heat fit the inner boots of the Baruntse. This is new as the Spantik is suppose to be heat formable but I've never seen the directions nor would Sportiva USA offer any advice on how to accomplish that. I use to do a lot of boot fitting working in ski shops and had training to do it right. So how hard could it be? Hard enough. Following the directions exactly.....I ended up with an inner boot at least TWO sizes two small!!! And trashed a new pair of Sportiva inner soles. Mildly pissed. Martin @ Sturdevants saved my inner boots and gave me a perfect fit. But I was a little annoyed and chagrin I couldn't do it at home even with the damn directions. YMMV Hey Mike...little late but the Omega is a great plastic boot. Plastic is out of fashion but still has it's place. Warm and dry feet area always a good thing

The Scarpa has a different last obviously. But it fits my feet well. The Batura has one of the widest toe boxes for it size in Sportiva. You'll find less support in the Batura ankle as well, but a bit more warmth in the boot. Better comparison would be the Scarpa Freney and the Nepal Evo.

Pulled the T rated picks and bolted the thinner Lazert picks on. Haven't done anything hard with them yet. Nice tools! Obvious advantage of a spike on the approach pitches.

East face of Snowshoe, N face of Stevens, any of the little N faces around the St Regis basin, north side of Roothann when you don't have to ski or walk 10 miles. N Face of Chair. Pleanty of stuff with in a short drive of Spokane. Stevens and the St Regis basin can be really fun this time of year for steep snow. Just don't get youself buried!

I "think" a couple of leavenworth Monkeys did it today.

I used the newest Atom Lt Hoody while out in the recent cold spell for aprts of 2 days. 1/2 the weight of my go to Gamma MX Hoody and a bit more warmth. As breathable as the softshell MX, may be even a bit more. I left the MX at home so I was committed to the AtomLt for my climbing shell. Not as stretchy or as abrasive resistant. As a lwt wind shell and insulation that you can use while really working hard it is a good outer shell. Very quick to cool if you aren't careful how you expose the under arm soft shell vents. A very specialised piece of clothing. But also layers under the lwt belay jackest like the MTN/H Compessor or DAS easily for a little more protection in cold weather climbing/bivy when a soft shell isn't quite enough. In the right conditionals (cold and windy and wanting to carry less weight) it might be a good answer instead of a soft shell. My suggestion is try it with your layering system before committing to a cold climb with a Atom as a primary piece.

Just used mine at 5/10F with a Mtn Hardware Compressor....while not what I would call toasty, I was able to just barely refrain from spooning my partner. I did get some sleep and didn't want to get out of the bag in the morning. What more can you ask? (and I wouldn't want to have to use it any colder than that!)

You've seen the video right? If not goggle, "death on aconcagua" 2nd video on my search was a death from last year. If a dozen rescuers didn't/couldn't help...

I had both and returned the Prime. One of the reasons was I liked the sticky sole which the Prime does not have. And it fit differently, wider than the Trangos. Wider than my Nepals. Also the Prime is harder to get in and out of by most everyone's accounts. I have a pair of the Ice that were converted to laces eyelets and they have the same problem. Easy to rip the gaiter out of the boot when getting them on in the morning. Not worth the hassle imo. Wish it were a different answer. Some type of liner in the Prime but No Goretex...which THE reason most have decided against it imo. If you have used any of the other Trango Series.....it is obvious they would be a much better boot if they were water proof. Goretex seems to be the best of the liners for waterproofness, warmth and durability. But yes, 20 hrs of hard use should be easy enough to get from any Sportiva I've had no complains. Any run down 4000' of Canadian scree is going to show up on a fabic boot I suspect.

The older Trango series have a super sticky and not very durable rubber sole. I like how sticky it it however and think it worth the trade. No fabirc boot is very durable...may be Sportiva even less so. The Prime has the same outer sole at the Batura which is less sticky and more durable than the Trango Ex Evo. Comfortable....?? I have yet to find any of the fabric boots "comfortable" in comparison to the Nepal Evo..which is mostly a leather boot.

Turns out this is more appropriate topic than I would like it to have been. One of our buddies severely froze some digits this week. After a trip to the ER and the Doc he is now bed ridden. Will be for at least several weeks and no climbing again for months. Not his but the injury is similar.. If anyone has any experience or info to add please do.

For a graphic view of immersion foot take a look under "immersion foot" in goggle images. "Immersion foot occurs when feet are cold and damp while wearing constricting footwear. Unlike frostbite, immersion foot does not require freezing temperatures and can occur in temperatures up to 60° Fahrenheit (about 16° Celsius). The condition can occur with as little as twelve hours' exposure." FWIW I suspect mild immersion foot injuries (the ones with no visual injury) are very common in the winter climbing community but unreported and generally unrecognised for what they really are. What is missed is immersion foot can easily lead to very serious reinjury and less resistance to cold injuries in general.

I am doing an article (to eventually be posted here) on cold injuries and frost bite. More specifically how hydration, fitness and footwear play a part in the equation. If you have had any type of cold injury, immersion foot, or frost bite I'd like to hear about it and be able to quote your circumstances as a reference. What you were wearing for boots and clothing, the kind of climb and temps when it happened and your level of physical well being all would be helpful. The idea is to help others avoid a similar circumstance. TIA If possible could you post your info here? http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/924966/Cold_injuries_frost_bite#Post924966

I am doing an article (to eventually be posted here) on cold injuries and frost bite. More specifically how hydration, fitness and footwear play a part in the equation. If you have had any type of cold injury, immersion foot, or frost bite I'd like to hear about it and be able to quote your circumstances as a reference. What you were wearing for boots and clothing, the kind of climb and temps when it happened and your level of physical well being all would be helpful. The idea is to help others avoid a similar circumstance. TIA

Spoiler here: Jens and Cole scratched their way up the Gerber/Sink yesterday. Hopefully they'll post some pictures and a TR. What stuck in our minds was Jens. "never swung a tool all day." Emphasis...no ice and all day! Nice work guys! 10 degrees F last night ( or a bit less) and for us International folk that is like -12 C...and pretty damn cold for 8.5 hrs of sunshine that didn't happen today. No inversion..cold up high, and cold in the valley...just a bit less cold. Nice moon though! Gravel for the first 2 miles or so of the road, maybe a bit less. Lots of snow from there. No rain event up high obviously. Just lots of powder snow on rock. Character building stuff...which I try to avoid Anyone been into Snoqualimie yet? Hopefully they did get some ice build up during the rain events in Nov.

Looking for an experienced partner for one day or multi day trips locally mid week. Mixed and ice in Enchantments, or the climbs on or around Snoqualimie come to mind. Direct line of NY Gully and the original Pineapple Express lines are on my immediate to do list as are several easier routes on Dragontail. I could be climbing tomorrow morning....hell I should be climbing now

Very nice Illumination Rock? Sportiva ad...from "Blue Moon" Snoqualmie

What a line, eh? Courtesy of: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0008/2132/files/MG_8991.jpg?1258837109

Blue light special top of Phantom slide this week.....you want some. I need a good track going in

Couple of observations...three retailers pop up on google for the Rebel. Only one sells replacement picks. Take a look at UKclimbing and see kind of responses (or lack of) there are on the Rebel. Rebel is made in the UK. http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=301 Cheap Cobra tools? Big difference and no comparison how they climb between a current production Cobra and the old c/f Cobra...imo $150 is no deal on the older version. Most any current production tool can be had on the Internet for around $200 these days. http://www.ems.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3739641

Saw the newest "light" version DAS parka over the weekend at the local Patagonia store. Not the old DAS! More than a few designers have realised a lwt jacket is a better option for most. From Parkin's web site. http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/ "Hi Andy, I was reading an old article in High where you suggested an optimum outfit for alpine winter was shelled microfleece (e.g. vapour-rise), shelled pile (e.g. buffalo) and a duvet on top (DAS or similar). At the time, the likes of the DAS Parka, Montane Bivvy, Lowe Alpine Heatseeker, etc. all had had 250-300g of their own-brand insulation. The latest version of the DAS though has 170g Primaloft insulation. (Similiar to a Haglofs Barrier Zone Hoody jacket I have with 170g insulation). Ignoring the hype, is Primaloft that good that it is just as warm with half the insulation? Or do we all not feel the cold as much?! 170g doesn’t seem to be very thick to be suitable as your stand-alone piece of insulation. So thought I’d ask how you find the latest jackets, with your experience. Cheers It’s true that the original synthetic belay jackets - like the Patagonia DAS parka - had a much heavier weight of insulation, and most modern designs feature a lighter weight, but I think in all but the most extreme of conditions this weight may be more appropriate, offering a better balance between weight, bulk and warmth. Worn over a standard layering system - especially the softshell system I described - these lighter parkers will still do their job of keeping you warm when static in normal climbing scenarios (belaying, abseling, biving). The heavier weight parkers worked better in more extreme situations, such as super cold (Alaskan winter or high altitude mountaineering), or for super extended belaying. I’ve used the old school DAS parker in the Ruth Gorge in Winter (temps reaching -50), and super long belays in frigid spots, while people like Steve House used his all the way to the top of Nanga Parbat. So what if you want a system that will do both duties, but will still offer the same degree of warmths and protection? If you have a specific need (big walling in Baffin for example), I’d recommend getting a bespoke belay jacket from someone like PHD, who could take their existing Zeta jacket and double up the insulation. A more flexible option would be to have a layered approach to your booster layer, perhaps layering up a hooded midweight synthetic hooded jacket with a micro loft down jacket (or gilet), perhaps even modifying both so they can be linked (velcro, poppers or toggles). With this you’d wear your basic outer belay jacket for rough and dirty action (wet snow, belaying etc), and save the down layer (stowed in a small drybag) for bivying, super long belays or extreme cold action."