EastCoastBastard

I've made my new genie MUCH more functional by doing some minor mods - it was a good pack, now it's a great one 1)removing the foam panel that comes with it and cutting up some yellow hard-man foam - saves almost 100g with no noticeable performance difference 2)getting rid of the bungee in the front - too much of a clusterfuck with the main lid strap running down through it 3) adding bungee ice tool shaft holders 4) replacing the absurdly small and easily broken main buckle with a larger one 5) buying two more buckles and, using some accessory cord, turning the two whole-pack compression straps (which I found super annoying) into 4 separate, buckled straps. Much much more functional now. 6) getting rid of the waist belt 'cause I never use one I'll post a photo if anybody's interested

The old genie was about 26 liters (I've got one in front of me right now - standard size) and the new one (also got one of those in front of me too) is slightly bigger at 30L.

they work just fine - much better than the BD version actually.

Hurrah! Nice job guys, and a speedy recovery to the pup.

yes, have a look at Lou's website and then try and find those models on ebay or something. I've had excellent performance with Fritschi FT88's. a little heavier than the 404, but much more reliable.

Pete's climbing on Trango tools, headless Madame hooks? - helmet, fruit boots and tools put that video in the early 2000's like 2002 or so. Trango was pretty big into the leashless market then, and made some very nice tools, like the Mantis. I think the first ergo tool, designed specifically for leashless use was the Petzl/Charlet Moser Quark Ergo that came out around that time (early 2000's). I remember thinking they were the stupidest thing ever, and then bought a pair. Never looked back...

I'm just speculating here, but I know that the "seals" used to seal food items are rated for a certain number of years of sterility. The expiry date is usually a few years before the seal's eventual breakdown. I would imagine that any sort of energy gel would be an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria or fungus - carbs, minerals, vitamins.... I would also imagine that you'd know if there was some bacteria growing in your gu because they'd puff up

What's the model?

Someone just put a link up on NEice to a UA Fairbanks group of interviews with the likes of Jim Donini, Mark Twight, Brad Washburn, etc... Legends talking about climbing. They're about 10 years old, so maybe some of you have heard these before. But super interesting for those that haven't http://jukebox.uaf.edu/denali/html/people.htm] Enjoy!

I would bring your technical tools, and as other said, be ready/prepared to climb anything. However, I was just there in April (left the 28th) and all of the ice climbs were beat to hell, esp the chere couloir. 7 - 10 parties/day and above freezing temps will do that. I would go planning on doing some alpine rock. Also - are you familiar with the UKClimbing forum? If you aren't, I'd join and put up a looking for partners post - lots of people go there looking for partners - I met the best random partner I've had on there (to climb in Cham). And made arrangements with several more that fell through.

I flew into Paris and took the train - that was pretty straightforward - there is an Air France shuttle (whether you flew in on AirF or not) that takes you from the airport to the Gare de Lyon (main train station). I know of one person who took the metro from the airport to the train station, but that sounded like an epic with all the gear. Flying into Geneva and taking the bus to Cham seems like the easiest way to go, but for me it ended up being cheaper to fly into Paris by several hundred euros. Finding english speaking partners is not too bad, the OHM has a book for "partner finding" that you can sign in or get people's contact info. I've heard the library is quite good for that too. I was in Cham for all of April and things are looking very bare for the time of year. "Worst snow year in 50 years" I was told. It can only be looking worse. As far as Hostels go, we found the Chalet Ski Station to be pretty nice and cheap, the owner, Veronique is extremely nice and will let you store your stuff in the attic for free while you're away climbing. Showers are .75 euros, but other than that it's 14.50 euros/night. Pretty inexpensive, considering camping is around about 10 euros/night. Have fun and be safe

My first alpine-sized pack was a Gregory Alpinisto (circa 2000/2001). Very comfortable, well thought out pack for the most part. Until you got to the suspension - which was bolted to the pack itself. The back panel was foam, plastic and aluminum all bolted together. Almost impossible to remove without destroying the whole back of the pack. It also came with a "bivy pad", which had no structural or comfort role - it sloted into it's own pocket on the inside of the pack, doing nothing but taking up about 20% of the room inside the pack. Why they did this I do not know - took a good design and made it heavier, more complex and less functional. Probably more expensive to manufacture too.

I have a pair of the M11+'s and think they're a great boot. Very warm, way warmer than the Trango Extreme Evo's I've used in the Northeast for years. They have a fair bit of flex in the sole - a little more than the trangos, and are pretty comfortable to walk in, but plenty rigid for frontpointing.They climb well, reasonably light for their warmth, pretty supportive. Really nice footbeds. The little gaiter works pretty well. Sadly they are a little wide in the forefoot for me and too high volume, so I'm going to get rid of them (I didn't try them on before buying them either), but if you're already familier with Kayland, then you'll already know how they'll fit. Great boots, I'm sure you'll be pleased with them.

I've just gotten back from Cham a few weeks ago, and the range is at the end of "the worst snowpack in 50 years". Many of the mixed routes we did were not long for this world. I would probably leave the technical ice gear at home in favor of doing some alpine rock routes. The huts (some of them, like the Cosmiques) are really pricey, but you can camp just about anywhere. hope that helps Graham

Thanks Dane, but it's not. Got a lens knocked out by a piece of ice on Fil a Plomb in mid April, been dealing with customer "service" since the day after I lost the lens. I'm not trying to get it for free, just pay good money to have them send me some new lenses for Silencers. Not even something dodgey like an international address. They changed the lens attachment system slightly last year so the lens kit's not on the list. Gotta deal with CS to get them. It's retarded. Takes them a week to respond to an email and they don't return phone calls. Some emails they don't respond to at all. Unless something miraculous happens asap, I won't be buying Native ever again. Which is too bad because I really like my sunglasses.

Company I'm currently having the most frustrating time ever with is Native Sunglasses. So fcuking difficult to simply purchase new lenses for my sunglasses (that have removable lenses). Its been over a month of trying to get in contact with the right people and just getting the run-around. Extraordinarily frustrating. Best customer service? BD. Cold Cold world, Kayland, OR. REI, EMS, MEC of course.

I've got both the MEC travel light as a leader's pack and multiple generations of the genie for a daypack/light climbing pack. Both work well, are reasonably durable for what they are and are relatively inexpensive. pretty pleased with both.

I've also climbed mixed (but no ice) with the force carbons - actually the same force carbon's as MattK - and I think they're the best dry-tooling tool I've ever used. Great geometery, very comfortable to hang onto in different hand positions, and very stable when moving to different positions on the shaft. I don't think I'd really enjoy them on ice - the pick is very beefy. The other tools in the line seem better suited for more all-around climbing, but the force carbon seems like a pretty dedicated dry-tooling instrument. As matt says, the little metal tab at the top gets bashed up fast.

the NW ridge of aspiring is mostly a ridge walk, much of it rock. What time of year are you going? Yes, it's about a 10 hour round trip from Colin Todd hut, but it's about 10-12 hours to get there from the car, including crossing some big glaciers if you go up French Ridge, and some smaller ones if you go up Bevin Col (not recommended). I think in north american grading schemes it'd get maybe a 5.2 with 60 degree snow? Pretty mellow. I've walked down it. Why don't you sign up to www.mountainz.co.nz? It's like cc.com for NZ, except much much less active.

Hi guys There are quite a few threads on NZ buried on cc.com - most of which I reply to. I'm a long-term resident of NZ (in NZ now as a matter of fact) and can honestly say that the alpine climbing has incredible potential that is almost never realized due to bad weather. NumberNine, the kiwi women aren't that attractive (as a generalization). If you're looking for that sort of entertainment, the tour buses (Kiwi Experience is one) are a good option. Usually full of German girls. I've climbed all over NZ, feel free to ask me any specific questions or whatever, but people have been giving sound advice so far. Castle Hill rocks, and there is some good, moderate alpine climbing very close by. Otira face of Rolleston or something like that. Cheers Graham

I just bought some M11+'s - I'll let you know how they go. I met a climber out east (actually an RMI guide) who had the 6001's and said they were "the absolute best boots I've ever had". He said they "toed the line between warmth and performance" - the best balance between the two he'd ever had. AAI has a pretty stunning review of the hypertractions on their website. A friend of mine has both the M11+'s and the Hypertractions and says that the comparison is like a trango to a nepal (respectively). I think the M11+ is a little burlier than a trango, a little less so than a nepal, and the hypertraction is a little burlier than a nepal. He loves both, but apparently prefers the hypertraction for long, steep routes, and the m11's for the really hard stuff. Hope that helps

the laser picks are b-rated and 3mm at the tip the titan picks are t-rated and 4mm at the tip (according to BD)

I have a Convert 2 - great tent, nice design, easy to use. Pretty light and has a zip-off vestibule. I've used mine all over the world - from Peru, to NZ, to Colorado, and it's done quite well. It does come with quite a few "extras" like some hanging pockets (very nice) and 4 "Jakes's Corner's" corner supports which I have used, but never felt like I actually needed. Not surprisingly, sitting in the rain in NZ, or on extremely humid nights I did get condensation developing, but that's going to be true with any single wall. Nice happy colour too. Hope that helps.

I'm pretty happy with my BD Ascent - it's comfy, got a full strength haul loop, some gear loops, clipper slots, speed buckles. pretty nice for the price. Not the lightest, or the smallest-packing, but it'll do the job. See you soon Jon!

Hi I've got the whole month of April off and I'm thinking about going to Chamonix/the Alps. Anybody want to join me? I'm looking at NF of the Grand Jorasses, NF of the Eiger, things like that. Me: 28, vet student, lead M7, WI5/5+ 5.11 trad on a good day. I've never been to the Alps, but I've climbed peaks in NZ, Canada, western US, Peru. I currently live in NZ, so I'd have to meet you there. I've got all the gear, am in good shape and super keen. I'm a student, so this will be a budget trip. My French is okay - I can stumble through various simple scenarios. you: competent and reliable, keen. pm me if you're interested