chris

Since I moved here in 2000, I've gotten to live in Ashford, Seattle, Bellingham, and after a hiatus to California I'm back in Seattle. Index, Leavenworth, Mazama or North Bend would be my first choices, but finding work is hard. Mazama is also three times as hard to reach in the winter than in the summer, which can be a real problem if you need to leave town in order to make money. Still, it's on my short list for property. Bellingham is a great place to live, but equally hard to find work, and the mountains aren't as close as they seem (1:15 to Mt Baker, 1:30 to the ski area). Heading anywhere else requires driving south and making a 90 degree turn east - no cut-off routes. I either want to be in the city or in the country, not suburbia, so Bellevue's out. Seattle's centrally located with good access out of the city in all directions, and plenty of work opportunities.

Trip: Alpental Valley - East Chair Basin, Bryant Couloir Date: 4/6/2012 Trip Report: After yesterday's shut-down, I emailed Paul and Amir and reminded them, "bring your ski crampons." The climb up the Phantom had been bullet proof crust. I had a tour planned, but really didn't think I could make it happen in the condition we saw on Thursday. What a difference a day makes. It was snowing lightly in the parking lot, dusting the ground. At Source Lake, there was 2cm. But when we finally stopped climbing at 5450' in Chair Peak's East Basin, there was 20cm! It made for fantastic skiing back to Source Lake. From there, we headed up towards Pineapple Pass, turned right to climb over Bryant Shoulder to Bryant Col, but stopped at the final boot-pack. We waited about 30 minutes for the flat light scatter and definition to return, then skied down the gut of Bryant Couloir, and on out to the parking lot. 3700' gained in climbed and skied in a casual 7:30 hours. At the parking lot our cars were bare - beers down at the lodge before the drive back to town. Photos of the tour are on my blog.

Trip: Granite Mountain - South Slopes Date: 4/5/2012 Trip Report: I was last at Snoqualmie Pass two weeks ago, and at that time I thought Granite was looking good for a tour. So when a friend and I pulled together a Dawn Patrol, we agreed on going big and climbing and riding the main South Bowl by 10am. Rain showers as we left the Mercer Island Park and Ride dampened our enthusiasm, but by North Bend it was bone dry. No snow at the trail head, but we were ready for a bit of a hike and went for it, headlamps glowing. 30 minutes and 500 feet later, it was light enough to see and we had reached the lower end of the avalanche chute exiting the South Bowl. I have never made it this far on the trail for a winter ski tour. Normally I'd follow an indistinct up route between the SW shoulder and main avie path, but it was bare of snow and the Cascade under-story put a stop to any thoughts of pushing through. We attempted to follow the avie path for another 250 feet before we agreed that there was no way we'd make the speed we needed to reach any decent skiing - we could see at least 500 feet above us and the view was dirty and snow-free. What to do? If we drove home, we'd face the morning rush hour. So we bumped up to Alpental, climbed a quick 1500' on the Phantom Slide in firm crust conditions, and had an uneventful descent back to the car. Lesson: Granite Mountain's south slopes are snow free to approximately 3000 feet elevation. Better off going to the pass, or to McClellan Butte.

There was snow there as of yesterday evening.

I don't carry stakes summer or winter. I've added guy-lines to the vestibule and tail (back-vestibule) points - for my Firstlight, I've added them to the four corners. In the summer I use rocks or logs to tie down the tent. In the winter time, sectional ski poles, ice axes, snow pickets brought for crevasse rescue, skis, and snowshoes can all be used. Since the primary purpose is to hold down the tent, two or three lines can share an anchor. If I'm leaving the tent behind (like on summit day), I make sure the lines holding the vestibule and tail end are completely bomber, and leave at least central guy-line anchor point on each side. If I can't do that, I'll pull the poles out from the ends, let the tent collapse, and pile enough snow blocks on it that I'm confident it won't fly away. Setting it back up and re-establishing the anchor points is a quick exercise at the end of the day.

Arguably the most popular/ecumenical/universal/fitting mountaineering binding on the planet, a pair of Silveretta 404's are sitting upstairs at Backcountry Essentials in Bellingham. $99.99. I saw them today at about noon.

Its a factor of toe height and rocker - most randonee boots have a bit of rocker incorporated into the vibram sole, eliminated the effectiveness of alpine toe pieces to release. Often, this rocker gives the toe a higher or thicker dimension if measured from the top of the top welt to the ground, and many alpine bindings can't be adjusted enough to accomodate this height. Anecdotal-ly, a shop tech at my old ski area demonstrated all of this too me when I asked him to remount my new alpine boards for my randonee boots. He showed me how the toe piece wouldn't release because of the vibram sole friction, and I could visibly see my toe piece bend forward to try to accomodate the toe height. He said he had witnessed toe pieces breaking because of this kind of pressure. Visions of my bindings exploding mid-turn on the area's double-black terrain was enough for me - I went home, dug around the extra-ski-bits-box, and found the alpine boot soles that came with the boots. Problem solved.

Sorry cms, the avalung has likely sold and I have a waiting list 4 people long who're interested.

Ascension was bought up by Black Diamond years ago, but believe it or not this probe is still in production as the Super Tour 265. This probe still deploys easily thanks to a dirt-simple pull-cord to lock, and is my personally favorite length for normal backcountry ski packs. This probe is still in great condition, and has a centimeter-ruler decal applied to it. I wouldn't sell it if I didn't trust it myself, I just have too many of these to keep holding on to this one. Certainly some college student is trying to scratch up a backcountry ride and needs a reliable avie probe for cheap. The current BD Super Tour 265 retails for $49.95. For Sale for $20.00 + shipping As always, I'm happy to meet you at VW Seattle, SBP, or any coffee shop between West Seattle, Ballard, and Capital Hill to check this out before purchasing. Photo available upon request.

BCA SR3 Probe Three kinds of skiers carry 3-meter probes: guides, avalanche forecasters, and the guys who need to be the one with the fattest skis, the biggest pack, and the burliest rescue gear. You always want this last guy to be one your team - he also has extra water, food, and a spare pair of gloves when your's are soaked. Seriously, I think 3-meter probes are overkill unless you're into avie science (for work or for fun), or you just want to have the biggest possible stick. Either way, BCA probes are easy to deploy, easy to collapse, and simply bomber. This one comes with centimeter markings (like almost all do today), and has been well used for three seasons. Retails for $59.95. For Sale for $27.00 + shipping. Photo available on request. As always, I'm happy to meet at VW Seattle, SBP, or any coffee shop between West Seattle, Ballard, or Capital Hill so that you can look at this before buying.

BD Covert Ski Pack This blue, 30L pack is perfect for day trips and has everything I like in a ski pack: Sturdy cable diagonal ski-carry strap, tuck-away helmet sling, fleece-lined goggle pocket, dedicated avie/skins "wet" pocket. Anecdotal-ly it's also an inch longer in the back length, so if the Outlaw seemed to be too small this pack will be perfect. Its in like-new condition, worn for only one season. Photo available upon request. And, as always, I'm happy to meet you at VW Seattle, SBP, or any coffee shop between West Seattle, Ballard, or Capital Hill for you to look, try-on, and decide before you buy. Retails for $119.95 For Sale for $60.00 + shipping

BD Deploy 7 Shovel This nice piece of engineering collapses the handle into the shovel scoop, making the Deploy 7 easy to extend and easy to pack. This is an ideal shovel for someone who wants to go skiing, not dig pits to think about skiing. This shovel has never been used - I've kept it stowed in a quick-trip pack and never pulled it out. So it's in near-new condition. Photos to come later. Retails for $65.95. For Sale for $33 + shipping. As always, I'm happy to meet you at VW Seattle, SBP, or any coffee shop between West Seattle, Ballard, and Capital Hill to take a look at this before committing to the sale!

BD AvaLung II Sling Never used! Never tested! My gummy, germ filled mouth has never touched the pristine bite-piece on this life-saving device. I have never...quite...been able to justify putting this on. So it has sat in the ski-drawer. No more. Some people swear by these things, and ski every day, in bounds and out, with one on. Or maybe you're the type who'll only wear it when it dumps two feet overnight, a not-uncommon-event here. Either way, I'm sure someone would prefer to use it more than me. You're more than welcome to look at it before committing to purchase. I'm happy to meet you at VW Seattle, SBP, or any number of coffee joints between West Seattle, Ballard, and Capital Hill. Photos to come later. LINK to Black Diamond's website and page for the AvaLung II Sling. Retails for: $129.95 For Sale for: $65.00 + shipping (shipping waived if we meet in Seattle!)

Joseph v Kev & Steve...so much for a spray-free zone. This is my take on Joseph as well. The words he uses on cc.com and other web discussions are totally different than his behind the scenes actions. Which are now coming to light.

Rad, what did your research turn up? What did they quote you?

I just re-read my last post and realized how crazy it was to describe foot-traffic from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole as "normal".

I wanted to add that I don't carry quick links 90% of the time. On popular routes, I anticipate there being a lot of junk that I can scavenge and use. For me, quick links are useful when I anticipate needing to replace/beef up existing anchors.

Here's my take-away: Cordellettes: Blake finishes with, "If you expect having to build multiple belay stations, some 6mm or 7mm cord is a great choice, but as a must have item for all multi-pitch climbing, the cordellette doesn't fit the bill." (Emphasis mine) I'd add: especially on multi-pitch climbs with bolted anchors. I'll carry a single 5mm for ski mountaineering, glacier travel, and rescue/bail cord on multi-pitch bolt-anchored climbs; a 6mm for multi-pitch trad. I like using the rope/slings to build anchors, but since I lead more often in blocks or entirely, keeping the rope out of the anchor system is necessary. Rap Rings: Stopped carrying them when I decided that quick links were more versatile. Daisy Chains/PAS: I hate these. I can do everything these items accomplish with a rope and/or quickdraws, which I'm already carrying. They add clutter and confusion to my harness, and my partner's harness, and do not increase my security more than the techniques I use without them. Quicklinks: On multi-pitch routes, I typically carry my own nut tool and a headlamp tied off, each on its own leaver-biner. Both of these are currently wiregates that I found on other routes, so they're lite-weight as well. Since I didn't pay for them, I won't miss them. BUT, if I know that I'm going to be passing through a lot of established rappel stations I'll carry one, two, or even more quicklinks - its easier to thread than a rap ring. Almost every quick link on the NE Ridge of Triumph is from my 2006 ascent. I know this because I climbed the route again last summer. Bulk webbing: I think Blake is referring to the 1" webbing that many of use remember being the standard in 1990, and still found in various forms of organization on many climber's harness today. Sewn runners are cheap, pack and organize tighter, and are useful for other things, like climbing. Blake called it right - save this for the slack line in camp. Lockers: If you're belaying the second(s) off the anchor, you'll need three - one to anchor yourself in with, one to hang the belay device, and one to belay. Coincidentally, you'll also need three to do multiple rappels - one to anchor with, one to rappel with, and one for your autoblock back-up. Sometimes I'll bump it up to four for the leader - a quick anchor is two quickdraws with a locker as the anchor point. I prefer the biggest pearabiner for my belay device, and the smallest, lightest lockers for everything else (although that fourth biner is often something like an attache). The real take home lesson? Use your judgement. Look at the route description, the topo, whatever. Consider the descent - you often don't need extra gear for emergencies, since, being emergencies, you'll be willing to use/toss/destroy the gear you actually need for climbing to get the job done getting down.

Marmot Sharp Point Jacket Size L From Marmot's website: "The Sharp Point is the WINDSTOPPER® Softshell that defined the category. Professionals and dedicated enthusiasts choose it year after year for its impeccable fit, durability and weather-beating functionality." Again, its like-new. Another regular fit, and retails for $250.00 ($273.75 with tax). $55.00 - 80% below retail! OR BEST OFFER

2010 Black Diamond Guru Skis - Price Reduced! 176cm, 123/75/106, 2.6kg (5lb 12oz) LINK to BD Site. Still trying to sell these - I've used these skis one season, 10 days, in Antarctica. They are optimal ski mountaineering, big-tour boards, keeping the weight off of your feet and back during the uphill, but preforming awesome on steep slopes dor the down. They've been drilled once for a pair of Dynafit bindings, 310mm boot sole length (27-27.5 mondo, or 9.5-10.5 US men's). The weird pattern on the bases in the photo is the left-over wax from my summer storage tune. BD Guru skis retail for $529.00 $265 - Shipping Included - 70% below retail! OR BEST OFFER

Summit Extrem Ski Tour Pack 55L, Size M/L Part of a tip from a Korean ski client on Mt Vinson, this pack has seen one season of use – and that season was only 5 weeks long! It is lightweight, like-new, and has all the features you need for a technical ski mountaineering pack. This pack is similar in size to the Gregory Z65, but less is put into the suspension. Its a great pack, but redundant in my closet. I don't need it – someone else should have it! $25.00 - Including Shipping OR BEST OFFER

Sale Pending to Erik Gordon Gregory Z65 Pack 64L, Size M (18”-20” back) Still trying to move this - used for approximately 4 weeks. Fantastic for backpacking and mountaineering, good for climbing, great for rough trails or cross-country work. Simply bigger than anything I need. You can buy this pack for $228.95 new ($270.55 with tax). $60.00 - Including Shipping - 80% off retail! OR BEST OFFER

The best advice I heard for a new route setter was to map out their favorite outdoor climbs in a notebook, with move-to-move topo and beta, then try to transfer that climb - or the best part of it - directly to an indoor wall. Its a bit time consuming at first, but it helps maintain variety!

This year there was a motorized traverse from Hercules Inlet as well as the normal foot-traffic. The mechanized supply traverse from the South Pole to McMurdo has been long established, follows the most direct route, and is a logical route to follow.