Sabertooth

Postcard home: Look at me mom, I'm sending the sick smearfest.

I have the #2 Big Bro, but I wouldn't recommend it. It protects 4" to 6" approx., but in my opinion larger cams are better for this range. The #3 Big Bro is a lot lighter and more compact than some huge cam. If you have to protect a 6" plus offwidth or a chimney without internal cracks, it would definately be the fast and light way to go. They are definately trickier to place. It is really critical that the end that takes the load (the end you tie your 5mm Titan Cord to) is set well so that a lot of the cylinder edge is touching rock. It takes practice to efficiently set it well with 1 hand.

Have you seen these pics on the web?

G12s are fine crampons, nothing special. There are better choices out there. The G14 for one is a much better crampon all around. On steep headwalls, the BD crampons will have 6 points of contact with that dual tip piece, most others will have 4. What do you think is the most stable? Something to think about.

I was there in 1997, and almost went 2 years ago. Try using http://www.Hotwire.com to book your flights. If you don't mind not picking the time, airline, or not getting any frequent flier miles, you can get some incredible deals there. You should prebook your bus ride up to Huaraz as well. That route can get pretty busy during the season.

1. FWA of the North Face of Hooknose 2. FWA of the West Face of Scotchman 3. A bunch of technical routes at Snoqaulmie Pass and on Mount Hood

1. Taking a crevasse fall while on a snowbridge of a huge crevasse on Rainier, and not falling through. 2. Only sustaining 2 minor injuries. 3. Summiting over 20 mountains.

2, 3, and 4 on your list are more entry level crampons. You might try the Grivel G14, Petzl M10, BD Bionics instead. You could get into some waterfall ice climbing with those. There would be room to grow, plus they would perform better on the steep stuff.

Anyone got a link to a Paradise cam? The Timberline cam shows lots of freshiez. http://www.kgw.com/live/livecams_external/timberline.jpg

Bouldering, Gym Climbing, that thing hanging above my doorframe at home, Yoga

Atleast Scott is contributing to the climbing community. Where is your beta at, Badassmofo.com?

Yeah, we had a couple screws but didn't use them. The snow at the bottom of the crevasse seemed like a nice boulder pad, and there was no exposure. 15 feet wasn't too bad. I'm just glad Craig didn't whack his face with the adze when his tool popped. I almost did that in Banff this past winter.

I agree with Craig on the Klickitat Icefalls. The north icefall that is just below the Castle structure had tons of crevasses on the approach and on the icefall portion itself. Some of the crevasses extended nearly the entire width of the icefall, and the route would require a lot of meandering this late in the season. It's too bad the Indians don't open up the Bird Creek Meadows approach any earlier. The Cold Springs approach is only a little longer, though. The south icefall was more of the same. I agree that the south icefall linked up with a finish on the Mazama Headwall including climbing out of that crevasse as shown in Craig's third picture would be a nice climb. I thought the South Klickitat Glacier Icefall route looked significantly easier than the north. Craig talked to a guy at the high camp that had climbed the North Icefall. He said the crux was a full pitch of dead vertical ice about half way up. It looked really interesting. You would have to belay off a 60 to 70 degree section of ice. Might be tough to get a really good anchor. The Klickitat Headwall, which goes up the center between the icefalls was completely melted out, as was the Castle. All 3 Klickitat routes appear to be early season climbs only. Both icefalls were VERY impressive looking. Makes the Adams Glacier look pretty wimpy by comparison. Add those to the tick list. The Mazama Headwall was a fun little climb. The 60+ section of snow as shown in Craig's first two pictures was great. Traversing the edge of that crevasse on a 40 degree slope with the headwall and the south icefall below you was interesting. Climbing out of that crevasse provided a satisfying conclusion, though the scree slog to the summit was pretty anticlimatic. Here is a pic of the side profile of the south icefall. It is hard to tell if you could avoid the nearly vertical sections. Here is a shot of the north icefall with the Castle just ot the right of it.

I prefer the term Weighalots. It's interesting to read that the same people that advocate fast and light are also advocating the heaviest cams.

The biner will fall more than 30 meters on a vertical rappel. It will fall past the rapel station you are pulling from. I've had it hit rocks after a 50 to 60 meter fall. You catch the biner all the time TG? Bullshit. I doubt you've even tried to.

Good points guys. It is a stretch for that comparison I guess. I personally have one biner that is labeled just for this purpose and I won't be changing my ways. I'm not interested in testing this argument with my life. Iain, I'd like to see that data as well.

It is true that there is little to no data or research on this in the climbing industry. However, if you have a backround in Aerospace and especially Materials, you know that microfracture problems are indeed a reality. Critical parts such as the turbopumps in the Space Shuttle's engines and fanblades in jet engines are regularly scanned for this. If they find them, they are retired. It's not a critical thing to catalog which biner has fallen from what height, but I do think it is good practice not to use a biner for lead climbing that has taken a 60 meter fall and slammed into a rock. Research on jet engine fan blade impacts suggests this is indeed a problem. I'll look for a online link.

It's slick until you whack yourself or your partner in the head or shoulder with the biner while pulling the ropes. Also remember to NEVER use that biner again for anything that will take a high fall factor. Tape and label it as a rap guide biner only. It will have microfractures in it and after it smacks into the rock.

Yes, I know what the Beckey guide says, but the easiest way up the first pitch is the far western crack system with the flakes going up to the east. It is not 20 feet from the notch, as described in the book.

Vantage is a cool place. Each wall has it's own character. If you dig granite only, you won't like it. Both Tieton and Vantage are Basalt Pillars. If you're making a road trip, stop by both. They are close to each other. Not too much overhanging stuff, but lots of dead vertical climbs at Vantage. About 800 or so routes now. Sunshine Wall is the best known. If you want to practice your trad leading on long sustained 5.10 to 5.12a hand and finger cracks, then you've come to the right place. The Feathers has a couple fun routes. Desert Shield, Satan's Wagan, and Hardening of the Arteries are all worth a stop by. It's hotter than hell out there during the summer, so wait a couple months. If you forget your helmet, go to the store and get another one, or turn around and go home.

North Face starts about 60 feet west of the high point of the notch, not right at the top. Look for the major crack system angling up and towards the east. No way is it loose. Not a detached piece on that route.

Do you have a pic from the North Face routes? How bare are they? I'm definately heading up there when it turns colder.

I thought the season on the Diamond was suppose to be really late this year, because of the high snowfall this spring. Has the wall seen any ascents yet this year?

Did you make it up that bad boy?

http://www.idahosummits.com/devils/devils.htm That website has some really good photos of the Seven Devils area. Check it out.