boatskiclimbsail

Anodizing is a process by which the outermost 0.002"-0.005" of surface metal is artificially oxidized. It's an electrochemical reaction that in the case of carabiners makes the (relatively) soft aluminum into harder aluminum oxide. Since this is uniform and it extends below the outer surface it doesn't look like corrosion. A fringe menefit is that you can ade dye to the electrolyte when you treat the metal, making all sorts of shiny pretty colors. This process doesn't change the strength of the metal either way, or the weight, or stiffness, etc. It gives a tiny extra bit of wear resistance because the surface metal is harder. Most stone is harder than AlO2 anyway so it will still scratch and wear, just slightly less quickly. Good things are thet it's prettier, you can see scratches and gouges more easily and it will make you feel like your gear will last longer Bad things are they it it adds 10-20% to the cost of the part and your gear won't match when you lose one and replace it with a different batch. For those of us who are colorblind and gainfully employed, these two don't really matter much anyway.

I'm mainly looking for long multipitch routes (is it high enough for 4+ pitches?) in the .10-.11 range. Cruisin

I'm going to be spending some time in Hell's Canyon in mid April on the Snake and will have a few days on either end of the trip. I did a search and found some folks on this boar (or at least who used to be) with some route info. I understand there is no printed guide to speak of. Can anyone point me in the direction of some locals or anyone who could knows the area? Thanks!

Placid/Keene Valley is more than two hours south of Cornwall. Poke-o is about the same. Both are spectacular climbing areas, as is the Gunks, but that is about 6 hours south of Cornwall. The guidebook to get is the Don Mellor book, pick it up at any EMS in the area or the Mountaineer in Keene Valley. The folks at the Montaineer can give you whatever beta you need. Stop to get pie at the NMD (Noonmark Diner) on your way home. Delicious.

No, you've only spent $100 with the prospect of spending $500 in the future. Should you decide to continue (and it's not for everyone!!) you've spent $600 on TWO pairs of ice tools. Assuming you did get addicted enough to drop 500 bones on tools, you're probably going to be raving about it a lot to your friends, to whom you will be able to easily sell your old tools too. Also never hurts to have a backup for when your nice tools get stolen or you have a newbie in the group. Just my opinion, feel free to blindly invest $500 in something you've never tried. I agree borrowing is a good idea, especially if you're going to spend the big bucks but you'll climb better on your own tools, however crappy they may be.

I would buy used (and therefore cheap) tools if you've never climbed ice before. _Any_ tool will be just fine and take you all the way through WI4 or so, which will take you about a year to feel comfy leading if you're ambitious. If you get the addiction, maybe then drop $500 on a pair of nice tools which will give you a marginal performance benefit. No sense spending that when you can get something that will perform just as well for the first year or so for $50-100 a pair... Hype hype hype

Yeats: The tower's old cook that must climb and clamber Catching small birds in the dew of the morn When we hale men lie stretched in slumber Swears that he hears the king's great horn. But he's a lying hound: Stand we on guard oath-bound! There in the tomb the dark grows blacker, But wind comes up from the shore: They shake when the winds roar, Old bones upon the mountain shake. Yates:

If you're climbing laser-cut perfectly parallel cracks like out in the Utah desert or something they'r great (bigbros). Anywhere else I've tried to use them (Gunks, Daks, NRG, RRG, Seneca, etc.) they were just about useless. I sold mine years ago. Now that I'm out west I wish I had them every now and again but usually make do anyway.

My partner and I over the course of several weeks proved that it was possiblt to open a beer with any and every piece of gear on the rack. That being said, get nuts 4-13 and hexes 4-9 and climb every 5.8 you can find with those before you waste your money on cams. You should be able to remove 98% of your placements without a nut tool, but you might want one anyway. Tran yourself not to reach for it immediately!! Nothing is worse than having a second fiddle with a nut tool for a half hour when a quick yank in the right direction will pop it free. *gets off soapbox*. Glad to see you moving over from the dark side.

I've had a rack and a half of forged friends for years because they're super cheap and super light. It's no additional hassle while you're climbing to place them in horizontals, so long as you've slung one of the top holes with cord and not just the bottom one. The cord loads over the edge like it's a tricam - no problems. They've been in use all over the world for years and years.

I second that. Once you get a teeny bit of mildew, it won't ever go away ant will probably start to spread. Just dry both pieces (if it's a 2-layer) completely, or dry the outside then turn it inside out (if it's 1-layer). As long as she's dry you can keep it however you like.

Hey! I've got two of those old buckets in yellow They're what I give to partners without helmets, they usually buy a real one after a day of looking like a spaceman:

But does it have the Boney M music video?

They don't work nearly as well as duct taping 60 grit sandpaper to your socks. Talk about lightweight!! *sniff sniff*

Besides being a very suspect phrase when it comes to rock climbing, I've had to bring ropes up to more parties than I can count on one hand because they dropped their flippin rope through the rap chains. This extra "overly safe" step takes less than 4 seconds (a figure 8 in the tail of the rope - which you should be tying anyway for a rappel) and will save your would-be rescuer a half hour of grief as well as the embarassment of hanging from a set of chains while someone rescues you from a bolted climb.

Koflach Arctis Expe with a custom liner. Been using them for everything except in the snow except skiing for 5 years.

A bunch of nuts and micros, the occasional cam, and I think just about all the hexes, lol. Maybe that's because I don't really place anything else. Can't help it. Hexes are sexy.

A wet saw is basically a chop saw/table saw with a specialized blade and a flush cooling/lubricating system. If you've ever used machine tools with flood coolant you'll know what I am referring to. For cutting stone, water is used where cutting cluid would be used in metalworking. One of those things that just works. The blades are "diamond" tipped, which can mean anything from industrial (fabricated) diamonds to some of the harder carbides found in production houses. The blade typically spins at the same speed, but you may get better results if you are able to play with this a little. If you're referring to the pin jig I suggested earlier, I can't point you to a ready made one, but the idea in my head consisted of two steel pins with backing plates and some kind of rubber pads. One side would be rigid to some kind of frame and the other side would slide along that frame to different lengths and lock down with a vise-grip/strap clamp kind of device. Probably overkill anyway, just my mind on creative overdrive.

I would imagine buying holds will be cheaper in the long run after buying/renting a saw and a handful of blades. You shouldn't have any problem cutting granite with a regular wet saw for tiles/countertops. Just be patient with it. As for holding, consider drilling the hole first and making up a clamping jig that uses the holes for alignment and clamps along that axis. That way you can clamp any size or shape with a single setup. If you really want to get fancy, you could grind the cut side flat using the holes as well.

He's a machinist type

As far as metal files go, there is usually a lot of confusion, especially it seems around climbers, who are typically engineer-types or hippie-types. The engineers are usually too proud to ask for help (because they know it all anyway) and the hippies are too self-reliant. Flat metal files come in three categories, Bastard, Second-cut, and Smooth. Translated into english, these grades are close to coarse, medium and fine. "Mill" vs "Double cut"/"Flat" refers to the alignment of the teeth of the file. Mill files have one set of teeth, Double cut files have two sets of teeth, set apart at 60º or so. The reason for using a mill bastard file is because most ice climbing picks are heat treated steel, and the objective is remove metal as quickly as possible by hand and still achieve a relatively smooth finish. If one were to use a smooth file on a pick it would take you all week to ever get anywhere. The reason you use a 'straight' file as opposed to a 'round' file on the top and for shaping the taper of the teeth and the pick is pretty obvious, it's so you don't put pits or strange depressions in the shape. For shaping the teeth, you need to use a round file because a straight file would produce the exact opposite: sharp, flat spots in an area that is supposed to be contoured. As mentioned above, it is in fact ok to use electric tools to shape picks or crampon points, as long as the metal doesn't get above it's tempering point. Realistically, using 4130 you're not really in danger of this until the metal starts to change to a straw color at about 400ºF, but keeping sharp metal objects cool enough to touch is always a good rule to follow. The fact is, you really don't need to use power tools to sharpen picks/crampons. It takes surprisingly little time to do by hand. As far as technique goes, I'd reccomend using a big 6-8" file when you're at home to do the initial shaping and keeping a 3-4" straight file with you in case you snap a point in the field. They really don't weigh that much. No matter where you are, I'd reccomend a needle file set to get the exact shape you want for the very tip of the pick and to contour the teeth the way you want them. Even a small set will give you a plethora of options on the round surfaces. Remember that mill files really only cut well in one direction. You're not using sandpaper, these are files. A gross analogy is that they are sawblades with a very wide kerf. The teeth really bite in one direction but they glance over and dull themselves if you load them in the other direction. If you are unaware of the correct direction, experiment until you can feel the difference. It'll save you lots of time and you'll end up with a much better finish and have a lot more control getting there.

word.

I agree, tools and crampons should fit and be comfortable no matter what your skill level. The good old favorite for axes is the BD Black Prophet. They made a boatload of these in the 90s and they're everywhere for cheap and nearly indestructable. Other than that, give your friends gear a try, demo some tools, and find what you like. Good tools cost money, so don't go into it with cost as an objective. When you find the perfect set of tools you won't mind saving for them. Beginner crampons should fit securely and be durable. You'll figure out what you like and don't like about them and then buy a pair you really like. I know it should be obvious, but make sure your boots fit well also. It'll make a world of difference. Good luck!

Marmot Precip. There are others like it made from the new generation of "lightweight" gore-tex. It will keep you dry in snow and all rain conditions except a noreaster deluge. I've tried several (got 2 stolen!) and I like Marmot's the best. They have a few different styles. You can find them for $70-80 new if you look around.

The nut and screw used to be annoying due to the 1/4" of slop where the nut contacts the sliver of c-channel but at least it worked when you adjusted it. I don't like where they are going with this shim thing. I second the 'hurrah' for the S12 thumbscrew. Besides that, it's yellow!