randygoat

if the hammer and adze suck, and they are too light to place with one hit,what's good about them? I used to use CM Axars and retired them right after I tried the BD Rages. Similar design, but the CM would glance off the ice as much as it would stick. I like the heavier weight of the Rage,butthat is just preference. If you have the strength to heft a well balanced,heavier tool, you won't need to swing very hard at all. I feel like I use less energy with the Rage vs. the Axsar. Just my opinion Just like to add, a friend of mine was struggling to get good placements in something under 10 or more hits per stick. She was using some crappy light weight Simond tool[venoms?Viper?], I hooked her up with a set of Shrikes and they made a world of diference for her,now she is following me up 4s. As far as straight vs. bent shaft,preference rules. I learned on those old blue handled,straight shafted Chouinards, and resisted for a very long time switching over to bent shafts. Once I did I havn't turned back.However,if you haven't learned on straight shaft to start with ,you'll probably like the bent better. Enjoy

Hey yeah, the NorthEast has excellent ice for sure, the Catskills are a casual day trip and the 'Dacks are also a long day trip but tolerable. I usually get in atleast 50 days or more of ice climbing staying mostly local. I just would like to check out some other regions, like Cody and Banff. I am blessed to have half decent stuff only about 25 minutes away that I can hit after work allmost any day in season. yeah Ken, La Pomme d'Or is way impressive, and probably out of my leauge. The are some easier routes at Malbie though. I hit all the places you have mentioned often , except Baxter. That may happen this winter if I don't go out west. Cilley-Barber looks pretty nice.

What the F is a snaffle?

I've seen some of what they are protecting. Take my word and head for Canada, Montana, or Colorado. The ice here is elusive, and often snow-covered munge. Fat and blue is elsewhere... We have some reliable ice,though ussually too short , stuff real local to me that is pretty good,some great. Less than an hours drive for most of it. Then 2+ hours away it gets real good,just allways into checking out other areas if they are worthwhile. Never heard of the Northwest as an ice climbers destination area,figured there was a reason for it. Thanks for the info though.

seen upside down on a Jeep..... 'if you can read this ,please flip me over'

how fitting

Thanks Banff,Cody and Colorado are trips I was planning at somepoint. Particularly Cody/hyalite Canyon ,hopefully this winter. Alpine Dave and Speacialed, I hear you bastards on protecting to sanctity of local ice. Keeps the tourists at bay.

is this route ussually pretty crowded?

Climb: worth the trip?- Date of Climb: 7/22/2004 Trip Report: I'm sure it is worth while , but is the ice out in Washington reliable enough to be worth a visit from the East? Or is it one of those you just got to be around at just the right time thing? Havn't heard much about water ice climbing in the Northwest.Just as a guide line of if there are enough routes to be worthwhile,[?] I lead WI 4-4+.Thanks

Huh?

Sounds cool if you have the working space. I've only worked in 2 or 3 on a rope and have always been able to divide it up pretty evenly by yarding out rope at arms span, then doing the math to make it even, more less. Your way does sound good for 4 though.

IIB, still don't have a car? I may be looking for a partner for a day NEXT summer. Probably heading out with my son and friend. We'll be mostly mt.biking and probably climb/hike St.Helens , but I will probably have a day or so by myself ,possibly at Mt. Hood. I'll drop you a line then, good luck in the mean time.

Hey ,Thanks also. I probaly wouldn't consider unroping anyway up there. I've been climbing technical ice and rock for quite awhile now, but I,m too new to Cascades climbing.I've done a bit a glacier travel, but not enough to get cocky and let my gaurd down. I am interested in trying some slightly harder routes though.I just may have a trip next summer, and don't know if we are 2 or 3 yet. Just looking for beta and feed back and nurturing ideas.

Cool, thanks Alex. It is on the list of posibilities for next summer.

is the Kautz often done by 2 person teams. How heavily crevassed is it? It is a line I was thinking about doing.

Damn, so much for the pioneering spirit. Pretty self limiting philosophy isn't it?I say , If you don't know, go up and take a look, then run away .

Wow,nice pictures. Alot different than when I was there last august.

I did that route last August, and like you I was a little nervous about how I'd do. I've been climbing rock for about 18 years, and still suck at it. Much more comfortable on the snow and ice. Anyway, the climbing is pretty casual for it's grade, and probably equates to East coast 5.4 . There were a couple spots that were exposed but no really big deal. Just focus on your hands and feet. Once you step up you don't need to see anything below your heels, so don't look. Like someone else said , the hardest part of the route is the snow colouir ,tand the loose 4th [?]class pitch before the ridge. Don't know the conditions now, but we did it in August and the 'scrund was completly open. Had to make a wide step across a gap to a rock ledge, then walk down this a little and climb up the snow back up above the 'scrund.

That one makes me think of a night in a bar after many pints of guiness and shots of Jaegermeister , I anounced to my friends I was going to do the first naked ascent of Race Brook Falls , that is a 3 pitch water fall in Massachusetts. Not very hard , but long enough to have some serious "shrinkage" at least. Never did get around to that project, though I thought about it once when I was there by myself once.

What library subscribes to Alpinist? Ya could jest go over to Borders , get a cup of $2 coffee and read the mag there.Cheaper than buying the thing, and it gets imeadiatly recycled back on to the shelf.

Seems like screamer or no screamer, I have never clipped a screw in any ice and said" ah, f$&k it, I can take a fall if I want to, I gots pro now" I hold almost all screws as suspect once I'm a little ways over them. Here's to gettin' good tool placements and not having to question the pro

Overall I like the mag, like said before, great photos, etc... my only real complaint is there are way too many articles that I have allready read , either the actual text or atleast the same story, in other magazines years ago. It is cool to tell yarns of past exploits, but I would like to read of more new material. Seams like many of the photos have also been previously published in Schlock And Ice ,and Whining magazines. The running fiction piece was intersting for the first couple articles, now I just skip it.

A buddy of mine got those last year. It seamed like a good idea not to have to wrestle your hand out of the leash, and just unclip it. Whenever he would follow me it looked like the leash on his wrist was allways hanging in the way, interfereing with him removing screws or dealing with gear. Sort of like the old "cows tails" they never worked for me either,allways getting stepped on or snagged at the worst moments. The BD Lockdowns are nice, got a set of those last year and really like them. I ussually don't slide them open all the way, just make 'em loose enough to slide my hand out of the glove. The bare hand can get cold, but can give a better grip when handling the gear with less chance of dropping anything.Just my preference.

FWIW My buddy took a 25-30 footer onto me this past winter . A screw that he had just placed poped out without activating the screamer while the one ~15 feet below him held. It did not have a screamer, just a single length sling. Then again, if the ice quality is bad nothing might work. Can't see a screamer contributing to a placement failure, or as a guarantee either. Just might add enough assistence to help a questionable piece stay put. Your buddy all right?

hey Wormfighter, congrats. I've been down there before in Novemeber.Weather on Cotopaxi was horrendous, no body made it very far up while we were there. A Canadien team summited the day we got there, but they were the only ones for atleast the week.Weather on Chimbo was a little iffy also, but we had a window of dry enough weather, made it to 19,800 before being turned around by the time and some pretty bad altitude sickness.Want to go back and finish it.How did the Direct glacier route look, the big ice jumble strait up from the refuge?That would be my preference,then descend the standard route. I have read that the weather is generally pretty good in July, I just don't know what to expect. If it is mostly icey or good snow?In general. I'd rathger go in Decemeber January, but just trying to see if the summer is worth while or not.