Dane

Maxine Turgeon in Sportiva's Batura and Rambo IVs at a belay a couple pitches below the top of the Walker Spur after climbing the McIntyre/Colton last winter...from Colin's web site. http://colinhaley.blogspot.com/2009/03/les-grandes-jorasses.html I've climbed in everything mentioned but the Camp. But one vertical front point crampon of similar design (Cyborg/Dartwin) doesn't climb much different than another of similar design if adjusted the same. You start looking at the benefits of the package...can it be made into a mono point? How are the Bots? How much support does the front point design offer? T cross section of knife blade? Over all weight? Can you easily buy replacement parts? How is the binding? Really hard to beat a true rigid of any sort on pure vertical ice. The solid and secure feeling of a rigid crampon on vertical ice is different and very satisfying. Nothing else like it. The Rambo is the latest generation of that design. Bit heavy but also comes with awesome snow botts and some funky front bails and safety leashes. With a good rigid boot sole and some ankle support I find the Grivel G12 or BD Sabretooth Pro climb as good as anything out there. Petzl Sarken is another I'd like to climb in along the same lines. Dual front points (vertical or horizontal) will seldom be a hinderance even on mixed. Unless you are doing a lot of hard modern bolted mixed, a mono point like the Dart is limiting imo on pure ice and most alpine. Because they lack the support of two front points they can shear out on less than stellar ice or with less than perfect technique. The Rambo offers a different version of the mono point and the stability on most ice of dual front points. It is a trick set up. Easy to see why Turgeon choose it on the M/C. But if I was limited to one pair of crampons the Rambo or Dart would not be that one pair. Baturas and G12s on some fun, local, mixed last winter.

Some funny shit on this thread. The yellow schlong got it right the first time. Pretty well established you don't need an adze or even a hammer for that matter.

Nice job! I was hopeng for a new BD tool But this will certainly work just as well. A few miinutes on a grinding wheel could take off the extra weight and make it even easierto use.

Same suggestion as Donnie...check your PM.

Awesome book, great read!

When guys like Twight, House and Gadd tell you in writing that horizontal front points are the best for use on pure ice and all around alpine terrain you could do worse for experienced advice. Very few things and places where a vertical front point is any advantage even less where it is a huge advantage. Stainless? Well, lets just be kind and say, "that we aren't looking at a technical advantage over chromoly". The Grivel link above covers it fairly well. From that link. "In all high strength steels, including both chromolly and stainless steels, toughness diminishes as the temperatures falls. So both steels behave in the same way." Well sorta......I have been involved in a business that has used stainless for years to replicate chromoly parts. And in fact at even the best duplication and at simialr RC hardness stainess doesn't "behave" like chromoly. For one it dulls faster. 90 degree corner or knife edge..it dulls faster. It is how ever slightly "stickier". One is a good thing the other not a good thing. from another thread... "BTW stainless steel rusts just like chromoly...it is just slower and doesn't show as easily. So take note that the newest stainless steel stuff still needs some attention and care. Stainless steel is also softer...better for mixed climbing, maybe a bit, but stainless will require more sharpening. So it will not last as long as a chromoly crampon." Rust doesn't wear out crampomns...using and then resharpening them does. Weight? Chromoly and stainless are going to weigh the same. A new design might well weigh less but it IS NOT the steel making the differenece. Even thought it is info from a Grivel web site (obvious BD competitor world wide) the interview with Prof. Emilio Ramous is very informative and matches my own experience. Important points on stainless stell IMO from that interview. "most stainless steels, created and used to solve corrosion problems and not material strength, have totally inadequate characteristics to be used in the manufacturing of tools like crampons. In particular, ferritic and austenitic stainless steels,the most resistant to corrosion, are soft materials and, at least the austenitics, very tough but easily deformable and therefore almost useless for this type of tools.The martensitics on the other hand could be suitable from a rigidity and toughness point of view even though there are steels with better mechanical characteristics. But the martensitics have an inferior resistance to corrosion and rust formation than the other stainless steels, so much so that some technical norms don’t even consider them to be stainless steels but only corrosion resistant steels. Basically martensitic stainless steels have a tendency to rust thereby lacking both the mechanical and aesthetic advantages." "It is claimed that stainless steels maintain a better and sharper edge for longer than chromolly steel – is this true? No, the ability to “maintain an edge” depends mainly on the hardness but this must be weighed up alongside the toughness, the resistance to fractures, which remains the most important feature. With a similar toughness chromolly steel is harder and therefore better preserves a sharper edge than the martensitic steel."

Damn, can't belive I am posting in Spray with the unwashed masses Working as a ski guide does not make you a climbing guide. I doubt any fully certified UIAA MTN guide made the original comments. So I'll call BS on the "I am a guide". But feel free to prove me wrong. It isn't about ethics or disagreements in style as some image. It is all about respect. You don't have to be outfitted in the best gear or know the latest techniques to be a good or a safe climber. A UIAA full guide knows that. How much damage can an old fart/ or young kid for that matter do in an afternoon pounding bongs? Ever pounded bongs? The answer is not much.... Lots of ways to approach people and make your own or the areas ethics known without unduly insulting another climber. Safety and age? I generally can trust the rational thought process of someone over 20/25/30. I may not like it but I can trust they are making a good decision from their own experience base. Someone under 18 maybe not so much...under 16 I know there are parts of the equation missing for the decision making. That is just life.

Don't know about Joe's stuff. But Bill helped me a bunch of times by letting me use his library for research before trips. I had thought much of it (Bill's) was actually the Spokane Mountaineer's library. If not, hopefully it was donated as such as the basis for a SML. Steve Reynolds would know I bet. At some point in the future I'll donate these as a collection. Doug Robinson and I have chatted about a "ice climbing project" just for that occasion and others like it.

RuMr I'm not advocating drilling, aiding or chopping rocks in a practise area. I am advocating a little respect and mutual understanding. Too easy to be a dick when someone isn't more like you

You think? First no one died. And no one got hurt. Some knicklehead starts threatening an old guy for nailing at a practice area? What is up with that?, Think about it for a minute these guys have been climbing longer than the igit posting has been alive. So far what they have been doing has kept them safe and sound. They are over 21 and still climbing.... We should be celebrating what they are doing instead of ragging their asses. Think about their experience that day and the "guide" who really made an impression. Ever seen Becky out? Take a look at the TR with Jim Langdon in the the Stuart range last week. And then we get to techniques....if you don't know how to do a hip belay or any belay that doesn't require a piece of gear to accomplish it you should be sticking to TRs and practice areas like our "guide".

Oh you explained it just fine....dumb ass.

People giving me shit about my harness again First, when has Exit 32 ever NOT not been a Circus? Might help you to remember that long before your mommy thought about giving you your wasted little life, there were actual guides succeeding with clients on real mountains with even less technical gear than the guys you are ragging on. Too bad you didn't open your mind a bit. You might have actually enjoyed yourself and may even learned something if you had bothered to talk with either of them. At least the old guys are still out doing it and dragging the kids along. As a "guide" your tirade is embrassing. The obvious list of what you don't know is astounding.

So how long has it been since RMI guides wore those nice Demetri Ski sweaters Like 30 years or more ?

10 hrs to go.....

Knew something wasn't right but the flipped image is it I think. I am pretty sure that is Hood. Herm? Sure, didn't know he was in Bishop but makes sense.

Hood and Adams in the back ground. I'd bet it is an RMI picture by the sweater and taken in the Nisqually Ice fall on the SE side of Rainier. More than likely someone here will know who the climber in the photo is, the photographer's name and when the picture was taken

still some good stuff left

No worries! I just bought what fit me. 45.5 bumped my toes on the Spantik SO i WENT TO THE 46. Bought the Intuitions later (size 12) and they fit the boots fine with a professional fit. Nice option for a simple inner boot with a little extra warmth.

Size 46 Inner boot is unused. I used a Intution liner in the boot, which I am keeping. Shell only used on snow and ice. Boot looks new but has been used a bit. $400...a screaming deal for an awesome winter technical boot. FWIW sizing: I wear a 45 in most of the Sportiva technical boots and a 44 in most rock shoes. My street shoe and running shoe size is typically a 11.5 but go from 11 to 12 depending on shoe. IMO the Spantik runs a little small for Sportiva, 1/2 size larger than normal is the general rule most people have used. 46 Spantik fits me well. 45.5 Spantik bumped my big toe. 45 Nepal Evo fits me well as does a 45 Batura.

almost, "like new"

Yep, it is the "It's FUCKING FINE" that should be the hint I have a special hearing aid that does translations.

craig's list... married and went climbing on the anni 'cuz it was "OK"....alzheimers or what? Mark, maybe it is time for a new helmet to avoid any more brain damage

Just updated. thanks!

Pope, it's all in good fun. If us old guys can't get along around here who can

Geeze Pope I fall out of bed. 5.6 is way beyond me these days. You guys are hilarious....