OlympicMtnBoy

I have a pair of the Rossignol Free Ventures which are basically the same thing (99cm and compatible with mountain boots). I've used them for a few approaches and always found I wasn't a good enough skier for the ride down to be much more efficient than slowshoes. I think the main problem is the short skis don't handle variable conditions well, especially with a pack full of climbing gear on. The one really successful ascent and descent was a trip up to Camp Sherman on Rainier with some 130cm skis I put together. If you have consistent corn snow on a moderate slope you can manage more easily and I had a good time. Too icy or too powdery and you are kinda screwed (or need to have more skillz). I think they CAN be useful approach tools but the conditions where they are applicable are more limited. Since I started seriously AT skiing I've been having a lot more fun on real skis and boots and learning to climb a bit in my AT boots.

Looks like fun, sorta. Let me know when you want to ski up to Coney!

Been a 32l osprey on steep and cheap recently (still there for 7 mins as of this post).

Wait, it sounds like aid climbing, screw all that stuff cause you only need body weight placements! You could probably do it with a couple of wine bottle openers and then you'd have something to drink too!

Hehe, Petzl put it up on their facebook page and suggested people not repeat things like this without better rigging. http://www.facebook.com/Petzl?sk=wall Good luck to the kid making films though, it already looks like an ad so someone will probably hire him for one.

I'm in Leavenworth and often have a lot of weekdays free, either one of you can hit me up if you want to do something in this direction.

Welcome to the weird hand pain club Jens. I had a slightly different problem (that lasted 2 days and then went away entirely but will return eventually). Sounds like you may have a ganglion cyst or something similar. Some more info in this thread: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1054902/Pain_near_base_of_thumb_wrist#Post1054902 Good luck!

I'm pretty sure no where in Port Townsend does ski stuff but it might be worth a call to Wildernest anyways as Steve (owner) does backcountry ski quite a bit and might know where to go locally. He's more often at the Bainbridge Island shop I think.

Wow, what a great idea! Nice job, sounds like you had the same wind we did earlier on monday(daylight hours) up on Chair.

Hubba Hubba left and right were also in pretty fat last Thursday. Right is a bit snicy with a pretty thin finish but better than I've seen it for a while. Gives you some options if you get up there with other parties. A single 60 will get you down (barely) from the left tree at the top of the right flow. Pics here since google moved the "link to" option and I can't find it to embed the photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/104708573545176184583/HubbaHubba#

Nice! It looks a lot like my January climb a few winters ago. Gotta love the high pressure windows. I was happy to have my second tool for about 150 ft at chute though. That year we brought skis and ended up walking down because of the sheets of ice below Muir, I think this year might be better on that front.

We crossed in a canoe just upstream of the Drury Falls drainage (just up from a small island). The road is plowed a bit wider there so we pulled off and unloaded and parked a few hundred yards farther west. It was an easy paddle from one eddy to another across. Getting back the ferry angle is not so good and it looked a bit tricky so my partner brought chest waders and forded the river then hauled me across in the boat. Pretty easy and no one got wet (except the waders). Probably could have paddled it but I haven't got much whitewater experience so we played it safe.

Climbed a good portion of Drury Falls on Saturday and it was pretty fat but covered in annoying snice. The first half of the approach was cruiser with snowshoes on crust and the upper half was wallowy so we ended up bailing halfway up the main flow to make it back to cross the river in daylight. This rain might have consolidated stuff more though if anyone else wants to get on it.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I have a bit more reading to do. Of course I woke up this morning and it felt a little sore, but by mid day I had totally forgotten about it and it feels fine now. So far it hasn't really affected anything but it bothers me enough once in a while to want to figure it out. Oh and I'm 31 and have mainly been employed behind a computer (although that's had it's own hand and back issues but not lately). There are some things I could improve diet wise if I thought about it although my twice yearly fast food meals are probably not to blame. :-) I'll post again if I figure anything out.

Am I just getting old? Do I already have arthritis? I have a infrequent but recurring pain at the joint near my wrist crease where the big muscle under my thumb/palm ends. It hurts when I try to twist off a jar lid or in some hand jams. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with activity though (hurts right now and I've been largely inactive for several days, no climbing or anything). Seems like I go a month or more and then it flares up randomly. Any suggestions? I only have crappy individual health insurance and no local doctor but it's more of a chronic annoyance than an acute problem so far.

Other than knowing where it it, not really. Anything I can drive by and check for ya? Or I've got a friend who lives in Cashmere I could ask. What's the secret mission?

I've lived in Leavenworth for a little over two months now, does that count?

Nicely written TR! Not too many solo accounts of Guye are that fun to read. ;-)

Try Tvash's technique and you may have better luck with the Candela. I've been really happy with mine. I also use the "stick" part to push ice out of screws if it's too cold to blow them out and too wet for the ice bits to fall out with a tap on the top. That one never catches on my other gear like the coat hanger types. Never tried the rigid ones though.

I use nikwax, it makes them dirty yellow but it works. You might be fine not doing anything but I worried about the leather drying out and cracking eventually without some sort of conditioner, especially with repeated wetting and abrasion. Mine have survived almost ten years and still keep my feet dry. I retreat every couple years. I may have used snoseal once too which is pretty much the same thing I think.

A pretty good review here: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Portaledge-Reviews/Black-Diamond-Cliff-Cabana-Double-Portaledge My only experience with one was a pain in the ass to get the spreader bar on but otherwise giant and comfy. FISH makes some nice simple ledges if you don't need cup holders and stuff.

Wait. You mean you went there without skis??

I've been pretty happy with my Petzl Adjama as an all around harness, reasonable balance of weight and features and comfort. I found the Arcteryx options not terribly comfortable to hang in. I'd go with the Sama next time as I never use the adjustable leg loops either. I do like the plastic gear loops that have since been discontinued. For an alpine harness I use a CAMP XLH 95, basically when I don't expect much technical climbing or need to rack much gear. But you didn't ask about light alpine harnesses. ;-)

http://www.mizo.co.jp/mountain/ 9 variations of climbing hammer, can you name the uses? I don't speak Japanese. I do want the titanium shovel though.

Hehe, good luck finding one of those, haven't been made for a long time. You might check out the Grivel "steel blade" option. Or if you have friends in Japan Mizo makes a titanium version: http://beyondx.exblog.jp/8912752