ken4ord

That is awesome man, I love it when mistake turn out to be a cool adventure.

Like I said I could try, but right now I can not make any promises until the end of the year. I got an invite to go to Morrocco to go climbing ice in March and there are many other places to go, like Malawi where there is 1700m face. Also note I was kidding about learning how to ice climb on the Breach Wall, it is pretty serious shit, not a place for learning, but the mountain to climb yeah.

Nice job, what an awesome looking route. I gotta get to Alaska sometime.

Well Tim we will have a car and will be in Toulouse right before our climbing part of the vacation. So I am up for anything just would like to go to an area and climb. We will be traveling with a sporto rack to keep luggage weight down. Let me find out the dates we will be free for climbing.

How about the Breach Wall on Killi in FEB?

I don't think there is any big deal as long you leave them where they are not in harms way. That said, the only person I have bagged and tagged, was myself up on Rainer, I was spent and wanted my friends to make it up to the summit.

Yeah it was a good time. There will be more picture later, right now I got to catch up on work. We were there for 14 day and climbed a lot of the sub-peaks (6 of them), so I have around 200 images, just gave you guys a sample. There is still a ton of potential up there, like someone mentioned the East and North face area has the most potential on the main summit. If and when I go back I would like to do some new routing.

Hey Jay, No the line we did was the Ice Window, the right hand one. The left one is Diamond Coulier, which hasn't seen ascent for a long time, an Italian team was there checking it out and back down, my guess it goes at M7 maybe M10 for the first couple pitches, then up towards the top save some reseveres for 5+ ice. Our route was more moderate maybe 3+ though my partner says 4-4+, it was good either way. Nobody had done the Ice Window for 5-10 years is what everyone was saying on the mountain, it is considered out of shape.

So we arrived........... We saw......... We climbed and saw even closer......... Climbed again and then tried to stay warm one night out on the North Normal Route............ Finally got around for some ice after many days of climbing at the end of our trip........ Figured it could go........and it did......... We celebrated............ Don't worry a full report to come, just don't have time right now to write down 2 weeks worth of climbing.

Hey Tim, looks like a great area. So my gf and I are going to have a week free down in southern France for climbing. I am in charge of orgainizing that part of our trip. You guys free sometime in the end of Sept. early Oct? I was thinking the Mediterrain coast. Any suggestions?

I couldn't help it cause you fools are always spewing about all the climbs you are getting on and me shit now-a-days I sometimes forget that I am/was a climber. We'll see if I can remember how everything works and how to climb.

Hmm Gary, I noticed that on the top of the page was wearing and under that was shorts and polypro. Hmm, I guess once Mountaineer always a Mountaineer.

Clothing Thermal bottom (1 usually wearing, no extra) Thermal top (1 usually wearing, no extra) Quick dry shorts (1 usually wearing, no extra) Thermal windproof top (don't bother if I got a puffy, will bring windshirt) Trekking socks (2 pr) (1 usually wearing, no extra) Liner socks (1 pr) (don't bother) Liner gloves (don't bother) Insulating jacket (big puffy thing) Waterproof jacket (1) Waterproof pants (1) Gaiters (don't bother) Waterproof mitts or gloves (2pr) Warm hat (1 usually wearing, no extra) Lightweight hat + bandanna (don't bother) Mountaineering boots (leather, no double plastic boot) Gear 3500 -5000 in3 pack w/ plastic bag liner (don't bother lining bag) Ice axe (1) Crampons (aluminum) Harness Helmet Locking + non-locking biners (2 lockers, nuetrinos for non) Prussics/tiblocs and misc. slings Pickets (1-2 each person) Ice screws (1-2 each person) Rope (8mm) Wands (don't bother, usually plenty in place) Headlamp (new batteries, no extras) 3/4 L H20 Bottles (2, 1L bottles) Insulated bottle holder (homemade jobby less bulky and work fine) H20 Purifying tablets (don't bother) Stove (1, group) Pot (1 group) Pot grabber (1 group) Spoon (1) Fuel bottle/pump (No extra fuel bottle, group) Lighter (1) Knife (1) Glacier glasses (1) Small First-aid kit (don't bother, use tape and whatever else if needed) Toiletries (TP, don't bother with other crap) Duct tape (wrapped on my lighter) Sleeping bag (summer bag, sleep with clothes on) 1/2 Thermarest Tent (Tyvek ground pad, don't bother with ground cloth) Plastic grocery bags (don't bother) Shovel (1 group) Camera + film (no SLR, point and shoot roll in camera, now-a-day I use digital) Earplugs (don't bother) Map + Misc Topos (group, most of the time I don't bother) Compass (group, most of the time I don't bother) Altimeter Watch (don't bother or just one person) Trekking Poles (don't bother) This is what I choose to go with on Rainier. My pack is much lighter and more bearable. Granted going like this by the time you make it back to the car you are just dying to get out them smelly clothes you have been wearing all weekend. Here is my list for Mt Kenya for 2 weeks: 2 poly tops 1 poly bottom 1 windproof fleece jacket 1 windshirt 1 gore-tex jacket 1 light running shorts 1 pair of pants 1 hat 1 pair of gloves 2 pair of thick socks 2 pair of thin sock 1 pair of leathers 1 pair of sneakers harness 1/2 rack 1 8mm 55m rope (partner carrying the other) 4 screws aluminum crampons 2 ice axes spare pick rock shoes summer bag bivy sack ridgerest 1/2 tent stove 1 pot spoon knife guide printed off glasses contact solution few meds (IB, tums, sleeping pills, oxycodone, anti-malarial) tape TP digital camera All of this fits into a 3200 cubic inch pack. We'll have porters carry food up to base, since we can't get instant meals and we'll be eating just the produce that you get in the market.

Well not really, but if you wanted to come along on our Mt. Kenya trip give me call at +250 08 8923333. We leave this Saturday, gone until the 15 of August. Have fun in the cascades, suckers!

Well TLG there will be more pictures soon. Last night we decided to do a small private show of our trip to Zanzibar and my friends that were on the trip have some better photos from the plane. One you can see the trails and camps along up the mountain. I'll put them up when I get a chance. Also stay tuned for Kenya. I leave this Saturday and will be on the mountain for at least 15 days, I hope to get a ton of climbing in and summit a few times. We'll see. CBS I believe it still snows up there, just not that often and and not really enough to accumulate. cj I heard the same thing about the glaciers up on Killi being gone in the near future, I have no idea when that will be.

Hmm hopefully it won't be glaciers that I am climbing in the next few weeks, but real water ice. We'll see.

Climb: Killimanjaro Photo Assualt-By airplane Date of Climb: 7/6/2005 Trip Report: So we went out to Zanzaibar over the 4th of July weekend. What an awesome trip, started with a safari outside of Nairobi on a long layover, spent several days on the beach, then on the way back the pilot was kind of enough to give us an tour of Mt. Killimanjaro. Anyway wish my window was a little cleaner, but oh well here's the pictures. Oh BTW the peak off in the distance is Mt. Meru. Off to spend two weeks out on Mt Kenya. Can't wait we will have about 13-15 of cragging on the mountain. Yes yes yes, I'll post a TR and pictures. Gear Notes: None Approach Notes: None

Rwanda is pretty neat, not as neat as Zanzibar though. I just got back from a long weekend there. It was awesome, stunning sunsets, beautiful white sand beaches, rooftop dinner in Persian style setting, and we stayed in an old Sultan Palace.

AlpinFox, are you afraid of the big bad wide cracks? Is that why you don't see using you number 4 Camalot

"Where the hell did they go they were just standing behind us?"

Hey LG, as far forks go I have always been a marzocchi and rock shox guy. Definitely love the marzocchi forks. Bunglehead has a really good point most decent shops out there will work with you to create the bike that you want. When I worked in a shop, I always stressed to the customer not to think about what is on the bike as much as how the bikes geometry and position felt. The frame you can not change, if you ride your bike you will change the components at some point. A decent shop will exchange things at the price difference. So forks, seats, tires, grips, bars, seat post are all easy items for a shop to sell. Rear shocks a little more difficult cause most shops will not have a large selection of rear shocks and FS bikes are built around a shock. Ah the Heckler, that is a nice bike. Hmm maybe that is what Iwould replace my bullit with, but damn I can't ever see getting rid of it. Last night I did a night ride once again outside of town through banana groves and corns, with the flippy flop kids chasing after me. It such a crazy experience night riding here. On the last little technical section before dropping on to the dirt road again, I almost hit some cows and goats that were coming up the clay stairs. I think people are getting used to seeing the crazy night riding Muzungo passing through about once a week.

Man all your pictures make me want to go there. I'll have to see what there is for work at some point.

Naw, you are so wrong, there has been many of time ye ole fox and I have sat around drinking and worked on slamin' each other. Really though, do you think anyone really cares about what you climb or how many times you climb it or with who or from where or meters you were from the actual summit, jeezs. There is no hierarchy, if anyone asks a dumb question they are going to get dumb responses. Slothtrop, I think I would have fond it very hard, 1. not to laugh my ass off and 2. not to say "Who freakin' cares?".

I am not much of XCer more FR and DH, but I did like the way the specialized Enduro felt (solid) and rode (like a heavier FR bike without the weight), I never ridden the Dawg. I have ridden other Konas like the Stinky and Stabs, I don't like the Stinky's cause they feel a little too springy even in the seat pedaling, the Stab is nice but not what you are looking for, that is like riding a couch with wheel comfy. I would also look at the Tomac 6 shooter, I rode that bike and liked it alot, it pedaled and rode like XC, but had the feel of FR. Looks like they make a bike called Eli that is it's replacement. Out in Rwanda, I would love something like the Eli great for climbing but could handle some of the hits I would give it. Both the Enduro and the Tomac are nice bikes. As for suspension (the gravy on your meat and potatoes) I have been really happy with my 5th element. I have it on a 03 Santa Cruz Bullit and have not had to do any maintenance at all except for replacing bushings. The adjustability rocks, you can fine tune that sucker just the way you want. I have yet to be impressed with Fox suspension, maybe it just me. I do like the lock out feature on there shocks and think it works great. After blowing two rear suspensions in one week down in Moab, they are going to have to work hard to win me over.

Most biner flex some when weighted. And I have seen them flex to the gate pin. Your best bet though would be to contact HB rather than asking for advice on this board. They will know better than anyone here.