kurthicks

thanks Nick. that's what I was hoping to see!

looks like i missed the boat.

I don't recall seeing this anywhere yet... Alan Watts has finally gotten the update printed! The release date is January 19. http://www.smithrock.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=782

20% off everything at EMS, including cams, ropes, tools, boots, etc.

Great post Dane. Although Grivel doesn't offer their spring leashes directly, they are available from Needle Sports in the UK. Needle obtains the supplies from Grivel and manufactures them according to Grivel specs. I got a double spring leash from them two years ago, long after Grivel officially stopped producing them. After shipping it cost about the same as if I had bought it off the shelf here in N. America. http://www.needlesports.com/acatalog/Mail_Order_Axes_33.html [img:center]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RUjVxScF49w/Rrde1CzeOcI/AAAAAAAAAB0/FPamRsF0oeQ/s640/P2030010.JPG[/img]

Here's a system that some of us use on Denali: http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2008/01/expedition-sled-rigging.html You can choose to clip the sled to your haul loop on the harness or onto the pack, depending on which is more comfortable. It seems that I see more folks using their pack than their harness. I find that the most important part is that the two leads coming from the sled are self equalizing (key for traverses). This doesn't mean that it has to use a pulley, but there should be no knot. It's also common to tie an end of your pull cord to each side of the sled in the front and clip the bight it makes into your backpack. (basically the inverse of what's diagrammed in the link above). There are some nuances about rigging the sled so that if you fall in A) the sled won't crush you and B)the sled won't flip you upside down. To keep the sled from crushing you, tie a clove hitch in the climbing rope and clip it to the rear of the sled/your duffel (note: this does nothing to protect the last person on the rope, but does prevent total loss of the sled if the pull cord breaks). unclip the sled on traverses, so you can keep the climbing rope tight. Keeping the sled from flipping you over is a whole different ball game, but I don't have the resources at hand to make it easy to understand. Perhaps some googling will help? [img:center]http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RUjVxScF49w/SFHkouugGCI/AAAAAAAAESE/xAsdaQUKVlk/s512/IMG_0720.JPG[/img] [img:center]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RUjVxScF49w/RrdolCzePKI/AAAAAAAAAJI/5XANl-ZX9Lw/s512/IMG_0045.JPG[/img]

It depends on what type of "climbing lifestyle" you're looking for. You say that you "can't stay where you are now," does that mean in Spokompton? or the perverbial I'm stuck in a rut? Spokan't isn't that bad of a place to be if you want to be climbing all the time, but it does mean some time on the road to get to destinations. I'd ask myself some questions: How much do I want to climb? a few days/week? weekends? every day? Can I do an extended dirtbagging roadtrip? what resources do I have? good car? savings? a partner? i'd sort that stuff out first. Then save as much as you can, and take a roadtrip until the money runs out. Alternately, find a telecommuting gig and work on the road. Craiglist ads for "gigs" often have single days of work doing manual labor and can pay well enough to extend a roadtrip.

I had, at one time, considered compiling beta for an online oregon ice guide. not worth it. there's not much to be had--given the temperate climate, access concerns, and private property. Farrgo is right and so is Shapp. Why not toss you a few ideas to get you started though: Wallowas - Lostine River Valley and Hurricane Drainage Elkhorns Mountains - "After Image" clocks in at WI5 and some other stuff Paulina Falls near Bend The stuff on Hood near the Eliot The Gorge on occasion when it freezes I've heard rumors of stuff near Burns, but know nothing more.

I've been working with the free blogging site Wordpress.com recently. It or blogger.com seem that they'd work well for you. Wordpress gives you a lot more configuration options (like pages) and tons more storage space (3 gigabytes). give it a look.

...and i though he'd taken another whipper!

I'm psyched to see the protos Dane. Are they going to be shaped like Lasers or Alaskan or Titan picks? I gather that they're going to be $100 each from you?

Officials: veteran climber Humar dies in Himalayas By ALI ZERDIN (AP) – 18 minutes ago LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Veteran Slovenian climber Tomaz Humar was found dead in the Himalayas on Saturday, days after he was injured and stranded on a 23,710-foot (7,227-meter) mountain, a mountain rescue company and a close friend said. Humar, who was married with two children, ascended hundreds of difficult alpine routes around the world, including some of the hardest climbs in the Himalayas. Viki Groselj, a fellow Slovenian mountaineer and a good friend, described Humar as a "mountaineering genius whose accomplishments have been admired by the whole world." "Above all, he was a supreme climber who moved the boundaries of possible," Groselj said. "He had an amazing gift and amazing strength." Gerold Biner, flight operations manager for the Swiss Air Zermatt company, said that Tomaz Humar's body was recovered early Saturday by a three-man rescue team. "They called me ... to tell me the rescue mission was over," Biner said. Humar, 40, last contacted his base on Monday to say that he was injured while climbing Langtang Lirung. Viki Groselj, a fellow Slovenian mountaineer and a good friend of Humar, told The Associated Press that Humar had broken his leg and become stranded. Rescuers in Katmandu said that Sherpa guides had trekked the snowy slopes where Humar was supposed to be but could not find him earlier in the week. Heavy snowfall on Wednesday and Thursday also forced climbers to postpone searches because of increased avalanche risk. Humar was climbing a difficult route up Langtang Lirung, which made rescue efforts even more difficult. Biner said the team "spotted him quite quickly" on Saturday. "He was lower than expected, at 5,600 meters not 6,300 meters," he added. Humar, who was married with two children, had climbed many mountains around the world. In 2005, he was trapped in the Himalayas on an icy ledge of Nanga Parbat mountain at about (19,685 feet) 6,000 meters during a solo climb. Two Pakistani army helicopter pilots eventually saved him and were later decorated with Slovenia's highest award for bravery. Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/Washington/washington.html

wanna post it up the scans? I lost my copy too.

Looks like fun Scott!

All of the books in the Mountaineer's Outdoor Expert Series.

how was the skiing?

Good try. The USFWS has grandfathered access and rights to rebuild the gravity fed system that already lies underneath this property. They are choosing not to exercise their legal easement and would rather construct a new project...

Alpine Club of Canada link to study

I've also left a car in Ritzville for 3 days near where OMB was. No problems. I think the key for parking in Ritzville is to be downtown as opposed to being near the freeway. You could also head the extra hour-ish to Spokane and leave it with someone you know there. Personally I do this since it feels safer since I know someone is watching it for me.

I've used the BD Guide gloves to the summit of Denali a few times with good results. With all expedition-weight gloves you lose dexterity compared to a thinner glove, but I find that overall I retain more dexterity in gloves than mittens--meaning I futz with gear less and move faster. I use Marmot Expedition Mitts for when it's super cold and I'm more concerned about warmth than dexterity. Some other things to consider that affect how cold your hands get are A) hydration and B)conductive heat loss (think holding an uninsulated ice axe).

Hey everyone, I thought I'd pass the word that the National Fish Hatchery in Leavenworth, via stimulus money ($18M of the estimated $60M cost) from the Bureau of Reclamation, is planning on building a dam on Icicle Creek starting next year. It is to be located behind the Sleeping Lady Resort. Public meetings will be held on December 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Alpine Room of the Enzian Hotel at 590 Highway 2 in Leavenworth. More info here: http://watchery.wordpress.com/

more ice in full swing: http://montanaice.com/node/1185

heard today that the second WI step isn't formed.