Ursa_Eagle

How long is everyone gonna be there for? I'm going to the ultra-light gear lecture at the Mazama Clubrooms tonight (7 pm), but I have a hard time saying no to some good for afterward. Also, how would a newcomer know how to find the group once inside Horsebrass? (I guess I could prolly look for six empty pints of TG and some vomit, but that would be too easy.)

I've seen a lot of people with the Salomon SM Lite's. SM Lite's at REI People seem to like them, they have a heel counter (not fully step-in compatible, but "Newmatic" compatible), and they're only $180. The most important thing, however, is whether or not they fit. If you're down near Portland, I think they have some good boot fitters at the Mountain Shop.

There've been times when I've been a lot more sore than I think I should be, and it's generally times when I don't drink enough (or have too much drink either before or after) I've also run into problems when I've had enough (water) to drink, but run down a few thousand feet. This past weekend, I was feeling sore after a hike, so I drank a lot of water and felt fine the next day for a good x-c ski trip.

Did anyone go up Hood yesterday? I'm curious as to what the conditions were like. I wanted to go, and the weather looked nice, but I figured I didn't want to take a vacation day to posthole my way up the south side, and I didn't feel like testing my avy rescue skills (or my partners) on any other routes.

I have the Patagonia Dimension which I got at the Patagonia sale a month ago for $120. I was doing some expedition training on Hood a few weeks ago, and it performed flawlessly. We made camp in a driving mix of snow/light rain, and my upper body stayed perfectly warm and dry, whereas my legs (on which I was wearing gore-tex) got soaked. The jacket is a lot more weather-resistant than my other soft shells (and the other soft shells I've looked at), and being able to retreat into a hood is something I wanted. My one complaint is that the front zipper doesn't work well, but that's a component issue and I will see what Patagonia can do for me about that. I love the material that it uses, it's far more breathable than any laminate could ever hope to be. It's a bit heavy, but it's not a jacket I would use when I'm trying to go fast and light. I love soft shells, I think they're a lot more versatile and comfortable than laminates. I'll still use gore-tex when the weather calls for it, but I'm trying to avoid that unless I have to.

I've had an Osprey Ceres 50 for about a month now, and it is everything I've wanted in a pack. It's really comfortable, 3000 in3, under 4 lbs, well built, and has lots of space for two tools, a shovel, pad, skis, snowshoes, etc. (you could take all at the same time if you really wanted to.) Check it out at: http://www.ospreypacks.com/ceres50.html

I find it hard to believe that plastic boots could be fixed to the point where they're as strong as they were before. If they broke, then either they're old enough that they're not worth replacing, or you may want to contact Koflach directly to have them replace it (assuming that the guy wasn't doing something overly stupid when they broke.) I've seen plastic boots break before, but they were really old, and gave out in the toe (I think the plastic was discolored too.)

I've used the standard Raven since last July, and it's great. I have a 75 cm, which is great for general mountaineering, but a little awkward when trying to swing it over my head. It's light, but not too light, and I had no problem getting purchase on Leuthold a few weeks back. It's also a lot more comfortable in the hand than any other axes I've tried. Even after I get a really light Al axe (Cassin Ghost?), I'll still use the Raven for the majority of my climbing. I really don't think I'd want to get a Raven Pro, simply because I feel that going lighter would be detrimental to the performance of a general mountain axe. If you want a strictly lightweight axe, there are much lighter options out there. I'd highly recommend the standard Raven.