John Frieh

Good stuff. Thanks for posting

Liberty Crack

Nice article Dave! If anyone is looking for a pair of Darts AND Dartwins I have both for sale in great shape: yard sale

Mad props. Way to crush Now that you did it what would you change about this training approach? If you had just climbed as much as possible (as many people argue is the best way to train for climbing) leading up to it do you think you would have succeeded?

I have the new cierzo 18 and love it. And at a price I won't have second thoughts about hammering it. If you can still fine one the old grivel Manu's are great also.

I havent pounded it enough to comment on the longevity but I've been bashing a number of Ti blades and wedges from a Japanese company the last couple of years that seem to be holding up okay. My experience with pins is (at least for alpine climbers) often you leave them when bailing well before the pin is worn out.

@Rob: I've got one from NW Alpine that I'd sell you

NE face please

Climb anything? Did you hike into Stuart?

So. Awesome. Well done boys. I am so jealous...

Everything on the gear sling. Runners, rock pro, and screws (I climb on BD screws if that changes anything?). Only knife, v thread material and anchor material on my harness. It seems like a cluster first couple times you try it but with some practice while ice cragging and you get used to it. I found screws in the front, then rock gear and finally draws in the back kept things fairly untangled. For ice leads at my limit I will for sure rack everything on my harness neatly but most of the time in the alpine I'm on terrain that is below that upper limit... because of that I can spend a few extra seconds fumbling with the gear sling for each piece of pro but doing so saves me minutes at the changeovers.

I've been doing it on longer routes when we were leading in blocks. Saves a ton of time at the belays.

You forgot that I drink your milkshake pink

Who's John "Freih"? :laf: Seriously though thanks dudes! To answer your question Gene the Copp-Dash Inspire award is very much like the Mugs Stump award... though they call it an award, and it is an honor to be selected, in my opinion it is more like a climbing grant in that it is funds for a trip that is going to happen. Speaking of, many thanks to Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia and the Jonny Copp Foundation for sponsoring this award! Regardless of what they call it we're very excited for our trip later this year and will make sure to have a trip report here! Maybe someone might even ask one of us to do a slideshow

Thanks dude. I'd love to but I need a partner first! The NE face in spring has been on my to do list long enough

Thanks for the info Marko. Where did you have to park? Any tracks headed towards Stuart?

Many great TRs... Colin and Dave's route on Chiwawa for me http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=442340

Thanks for the updates everyone! @Kevin: something on the NE face of Stuie is high on my to do list but I'm game for just about anything in there

Thanks. Has anyone ventured up toward colchuck since the slide? I'm wondering if anything came down higher up

What's the latest? How many extra miles of walking to reach 8 mile currently?

Good question. Being PDX based the last few years I've been able to figure out locally (Hood, Rainier, Adams) that I can go up to 12k after sleeping at sea level with little affect. Above 12k I start noticing some altitude effects but nothing I can't deal with. I also know for my body if I get a night at ~5k before going higher I do (or at least feel) better and can go higher before I notice the same affects. So to answer your question when planning for this trip I knew a night in Talkeetna and a night in the Tok would be plenty for me.

I would suggest your post race food should avoid fat at least for the first hour as glycogen synthesis is reduced when fat is included in the initial stages of the process. That said, intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) restoration is slowed when fat intake is reduced. Because the window during which one may efficiently replenish muscle glycogen is short I concentrate on doing that first, then deal with the IMTG issue, which takes longer any way. I add considerable fat to later meals because the energy yield per volume is much greater than the other macronutrients so I am more likely to reach calorie targets before I stop eating. Chocolate milk should be considered a last ditch substitute for a true recovery drink given it's sugar content. Anything that roughly matches a 75 to 25 carb to protein ration (Endurox has actually patented this ratio) is a viable recovery drink. Generally the cleaner the better and as most chocolate milk brands out there have HFCS I'd argue you can do much better for a little more $. All that said eating a balanced diet will more than adequetly cover your protein needs (1.2g per kg of body weight per day) with the expetion of bigger days which most of dont do as much as we should do any ways.

No training session exists in a vacuum. It is influenced by what came before, by the objective of the training, by the seasonal or annual plan, and, of course, by the needs of the individual(s) for whom the training is prescribed. Absolutely for the novice climber "just climbing" is the single best way to see gains. However depending on one's goals "just climbing" at some point may or may not be the best way to reach them.

Would you be able post some more info on some of the mental fitness training or methods? I've read a book (Mental Toughness Training for Sports) and of course Twight's thoughts in Extreme Alpinism. Any recent articles or studies that you can link to? I'll try to post something this week. I've been reading a lot of material since 2009 so refining it down to a single post could be... impossible?

Respectfully submitted for the discussion. Restating the obvious...?