fenderfour

I'm not sure I would recommend an Element for towing. I've got a 2011. It's a fat bastard with a relatively small engine. Things go slow with a full load of friends driving over mountain passes. I'm not sure if I would also ask it to pull even a small trailer (caravan).

I saw a poster in Cap Hill yesterday and I thought I would spread the word: http://squamishfestival.com/ I'm not shilling, just warning the community about the shitshow Squamish will be that weekend.

Generally, yes. It only takes one local pissing off the top to make the Waterway Route a waterway.

It's easy, just like it always is. There are crevasses along the route. You will have to cross them. I don't recommend soloing the glacier.

First pitch of the waterway traverses in from the left and ends on the big ledge to the left of the GA P3 anchor. Bring cam hooks, ballnuts, and a big hook to climb the pitch clean. You can walk along the ledge to get there. CFF and I removed some 1/4 split shanks and replaced them with 1/2 SS 5 piece bolts. The plan was to rap down to replace the bolts of the first pitch of GA, but it was too hot, we were too lazy, we ran out of beer, etc... The arch pitch doesn't need any hammering. Bring cam hooks, ballnuts, and brass. The pitch after the arch involves some sketchy hooking on cornflakes stuck to the wall. Have fun with that.

World's toughest milkman, Smoke Bluffs Connection (due the 5.8 to the left of jabberwocky)

Some of the climbs at the Pearly Gates were dry on Sunday. The far right is very wet. In: Loaves of Fun, No Room for Squares, Cloud 9, and Easy Pickens Out: Celestial Groove (total swamp), Leap of faith, Pearly gates, poison balance, etc...

Start trying on 14's. Some are bigger than others. The Lowa Mountain Pro (in 14) fits my size 15's.

I've been using one for about two years now. I don't know what fabric it is, probably the EVent. No overfill, but I only use it in the spring/summer. You hard-assed bastards must like to suffer. It's a good bag. So far, I've paired it with a FF Helios and been toasty down to about freezing while sleeping on snow with a Therm-a-rest prolite 3 3/4 length. I'm 6'3" 215. The bag is snug but I haven't had any unusual problems with compression and cold spots.

I recommend against relying on wands to mark cracks. The cracks don't really care where you put wands and will open up in the most inopportune places and times. I used wands for a number of years. They made me angry, I realized there was a better way.

Stop this microfracture business. That's not how aluminum fails. Aluminum is a ductile material that deform much more readily than it cracks. The cracks that do develop are not hidden. Material failure is a pretty complicated business. A lot more info is needed to even speculate what went wrong. Right now, the only assumption that can be made is that the carabiner broke.

I would get a cheap GPS and use the 5 foot bamboo stick to make a small fort for the neighborhood children. I haven't had issues with reception on Rainer. Once you are on the glacier it's pretty wide open. You can keep it tracking the entire climb so you can retrace, or you can turn it on every few minutes to set a waypoint. Either way, keep it inside your jacket to keep the batteries warm.

I heard about a neat route off I-90 that is a recommended solo: http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=609840&confirm_post=12

I was up there with a party on Sunday without floatation. We are stronger than we are smart.

I don't always climb Yocum Ridge, but when I do, I use 29 70m ropes.

I really like these lines: "If you want to do a climb in such pure style as to leave nothing behind, go for it. Although you might find it hard to get anyone else to repeat it. If you want to put up a climb with bolts every three feet, go for it. Although you might find it hard to get anyone else to respect it." "I'm never going to climb 5.13 the standard back then, let alone 5.15, but maybe I could put up a route that was so good as to earn a sixth " Thanks for sharing your perspective.

2x 60m to the ground. 2x what telemarker said. Jugging the roof is a special treat.

+1 for the Vireo. I've used it for about a year. I need a slightly warmer puffy to pair it with, though. I'm a huge fan of the Cold Cold World packs. The Chernobyl and the Valdez are really good small overnight bags. They are decidedly old school. I have owned older Cilogear packs. They were nice, but I preferred the simplicity of the CCW.

Boots and crampons returned, beer appreciated. Glad to hear your climb was successful.

You can't. If you are nice, you might be able to borrow some. I have Lowa Civettas that I would lend if you are in Seattle. Crampons too. fenderfour -at- yahoo -dot- com

as an FYI - Some of the size 14 boots will fit a size 15 foot. I too am cursed with huge feet. Try them on before you give up. If the gear from Fromage doesn't work out send me a note. I have some size 15 Lowa Civettas and crampons you can borrow.

Dachstein Mitts + old OR overmitts are the bomb.

My thoughts - Get a short axe, like 55 cm or shorter. Stay in balance while you are on low angle terrain. You don't need to plunge the shaft with every step. It's only wasting energy. When it gets steep enough (you will know) plunge the shaft in for balance. BTW - I'm 6'3"

FYI - Bradley Alpinist has the Fox listed. I don't know if it's in stock, but it's there. I've never used a hammer to set a picket. I turn my ice axe upside down and pound with the top of the head. My hand is on the shaft of the axe, just below(above) the head. Kind of like a potato masher. That way I can only hit the picket with the steel part of the axe.

Also on that website: [video:youtube]