Dane

CB you have no idea of what you are talking about.

Grivel slider is a no brainer on the Quark. Easy to fit.

You poor lads still loving the Cobras Just takes some time to get use to the Fusion/Nomic swing..when you do you'll find a most useful tool that takes very little effort to use..plugging it in or unplugging Saw Bob's comments useing the Fusion on lower angle ice. My experience with the Fusion and Nomic is either can be awesome and amazingly fast on moderate ice. But I never swing from the lower handle on moderate ice. Obviously YMMV as some have reported.

What G said and no stretch...makes a good ski jacket though because of the wind block.

That is the ...shit! Thanks

Don't give him any ideas......at least for 4 or 5 more weeks!

Hate to be a buzz kill. If you are asking which boot to use on Denali then you also need to take over boots. Climbing Denali without over boots depends on a couple of things, the boot (as you know) your own experience in cold weather and the weather on your trip. Kurt gave good advice based on experience.

Excellent comment. I'm not a reporter but I am married to one.... Same one who has picked me up at the hospital after decking out with Sobo and same one who buried a fiancee' after he fell in the Snake after his waders filled up. He made it out and died of ...you guested it hypothermia. If it were my friends still lost on Hood I'd be the first to advocate beacons. Thankfully it isn't. But seems like Hood gets an inordinate amount of "lost" climbers. I think it is a damn GOOD idea to require beacons on Hood. I once spent a really long night walking out to the road after skiing off Hood in a white out. Anyone want to tally of the number of bodies that we would have found if everyone, in every party, HAD been using a beacon? Not to sound too insensitive, saving lives is a good thing....but body recovery is as well. What is the big deal?

The Reactor is one of the better cartridge stoves around. IMO the Reactor is not a winter stove dispite MSR's claims. White gas and a pump still rule. Much to like about the Reactor and I do like it...but. Fact is all cartridge stoves are poor performers in cold weather...unless you set the cartridge upside down or can heat the cartridge. MSR's Iso/Pro, better than anything else, works to about 20 degrees. Most winter climbing is done well below those temps. I use almost a full can of fuel for two of us at every dinner meal/rehydration. More if we have to melt snow for everything. Anyone else using this much gas? 8oz of fuel in a 12oz can. 4 oz of wasted weight just in the can. MSR says 80 min. per can. Seems about right from my own use. Gas and pump stove would half that time cooking. From REI's comparison numbers: Reactor will boil 10 L of water on 100g (4.5 oz) of fuel...so I should get 20+ L from one cartridge. You don't get anywhere near that in cold temps or working from snow. Dragonfly will do 6.7L. Cold temps or hot. It is consistant. As we all know the paper story isn't the entire story. I've been using cartridge stoves for lots of years. (as well as white gas/pump stoves) Only way I've found to make a cartridge stove work well in cold weather is to play Russian roulette. You add a heat exchanger....and doing so is DANGERIOUS! I had hoped the Reactor might have solved the cold weather problem...but it has not. Daniel Harro's heat exchanger shown below. Photos posted with his permission. I've use'd something similar made from cooper wire pounded flat. Looks like Daniel's idea would be more effective. Trick is you never know just how hot the cartridge is with this method. Anything over 120 is not a good idea. Over heated cartridges can make a real mess of things. A heat exchanger and a insulated cover for cartridge and pot are what I would use in really cold weather. YMMV don't try this at home:) I like how small and easily carried the Reator is. Yes there are smaller stoves. But the big advantage for me of the Reactor is the size of the pot. It is all about hydration in winter. Not like anyone here has ever for got their lighter right? I like having a igniter on the stove...left unused till needed.

Good thing?...not my feet! Bad thing? 4 to 6 weeks, more likely 6 totally off his feet in a wheel chair. By six weeks the dead tissue will have hopefully detached itself or at least shown itself enough to be cut away. Then 6 months or more before you get back into climbing boots let alone rock shoes. Serious sheeeet.

24 hrs out climbing in the Enchantments...12/2/09

Nomic is gone

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?

Yes, I still have both.

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...