Janez_Ales

I am not sure how happy would GNA be to sharpen BD or any other brand screws... In any case the first thing I do to any NEW screw is to SHARPEN them! My sharpening job makes NEW screws go in EASIER than straight off the shelf ones. You can try it yourself or I can sharpen your screws for a small fee (can also do picks and crampons). (e-mail me at janez.ales@gmail.com) Remember that any teeth can be fixed, but threads can not. The mesh tubes are also a good protecting item if you do not have an ice screw bag with single screw slots. BD TURBO EXPRESS $54 CAD BD TURBO $39 CAD So if one has Turbo Express's, as one should assuming you do have BD screws, then "sharpening math logic" becomes: approx 5:1 (for Turbo Express) rather than 3:1 (for Turbo), not to mention that your rack is getting smaller. That is some cash saving, unless you can afford buying new screws every season... in which case you do not need to know the math anyway...

Bashed knuckles are most often a consequence of swinging your tools with what I call a "hammer swing" - straight into the ice, think of the fact that what you have in your hand is not a hammer, but a hook, so insted of whacking your wrist into the wall, the wrist actually only rotates and at the end pulls slightly down at the point of strike. Having "spikes", "fangs", or home made hooks for your pinky helps also, when you do mess up your swing... They would help on a straight shaft also, but to be stable on the ice they need some metal teeth on ice contact surface like the BD Fang. Grade 4 is rearly very featured (unles you look at Wicked Wanda and alike so straight shafts with some hooks will be just fine for that level, you will also be able to hang on your shaft better, hence you can release the leash a bit so you will get more circulation and be therefore warmer. with a good clip leash you can even shake out and combine the advantages of leashless climbing with the saftey of a leash.

Or what happens when you pour stomach acid down your bronchial tube and use an asthma inhaler on 2700m while trying to climb? Check: hyperplanesdrifter.blogspot.com for some insight into a medical misdiagnosis in case you get the same one

... or Baker if you live around the border. (Just make sure you add a V-thread to your sun exposed top-rope anchors, screws tend to melt faster than we would like

My toyota tundra got up to the Statlu TH last year also. As Carla pointed out a fun ATV road... even more fun with a slightly bigger ATV All this said, I did walk into Nursery Pass once from the C. Lake

Enjoy Alaska, J.

Would like to spent most of the two months in Bugs (East Creek Boulder camp) Looking for a partner for all or part of this time. We should climb together in Squamish beforehand janez.ales@gmail.com ;~J

What is ice climbing practice for... skiing? Progression from Ice and Alpine continues to "funkynewagetradmixed" (used to be called simply (pretty damn hard)alpine and of course there will be dynos and climbing yoga moves, just like in bouldering, so you see, the circle is complete, the spiral continues, albeit on the "higher" level, so they say... or so we would like to think about it, cynism and sarcasm aside When asked if I am bouldering at all I say that I used to do a lot of it in ... dare to admit 87 when could not find anybody to take my adolescent bones out climbing after seeing a movie of some French star doing the American Crack, fell off - the crack that is, too bad my dream route

My feel is that both cruxy moves are not that hard if you get the general idea of what needs to be done. Power will not help on either. Last year I watched somebody doing a dyno on the last pitch of CS, not quite the way to approach it... both cruxy parts are well protected, unlike in 1991 when I did it first and we had old rusty bolts on the same spots but they did not instil any great confidence Thanks for rebolting to those who did it!

I should be in by the begining of July...

Climbed Red M&M's after the bolts were choped without knowing the story. The stud holes induced an unnecessary thought when I discovered one - got seriously distracted while placing the 20th or so RP It is a great trad lead and am glad that it will stay that way. I guess these things should get discussed before drilling starts whatever the outcome is.

I will be in the Bugs also, but would like to stay at the East Creek (base of Howsers) most of the time (that one is out of the park and free).

I am back in Vancouver/Squamish (after a great and not so long season in Canmore). If you want to go climb some cracks send me an e-mail. Will be into alpine when I break in my new shoes

The "passion and obsession" for unicorns... This one comes with a reverse angle and in a leashless package for the most advanced moves on and off the ice. Most suitable for angles between 69 and 96 degrees. Helmet mount included. Get one while quantities last!

Anybody up here for some Yaming (Yamnuska) or craging? Send me an e-mail janez.ales@gmail.com Janez.

Except that I can not go ice climbing because my lungs "blosomed" again, that said, i should not be going anywhere anyway

Anybody from Calgary/Canmore area keen to drive to Skaha for Easter? Send me an e-mail janez.ales@gmail.com

I came back to Vancouver on a 5 day "working" holiday and got lucky with the weather - superb as you know. My partner for tomorrow got hit by a car on his bike. Mellow stuff 5.9-5.10, you need to know how to lead belay or be my rope gun if you choose so We could do harder stuff if we feel strong... Send me an e-mail, janez.ales@gmail.com Janez.

I came back to Vancouver on a 5 day "working" holiday and got lucky with the weather - superb as you know. My partner for tomorrow got hit by a car on his bike. Mellow stuff 5.9-5.10, you need to know how to lead belay or be my rope gun if you choose so We could do harder stuff if we feel strong... Send me an e-mail, janez.ales@gmail.com Janez.

Matador is closed in the spring at some point for the nesting time... but there is a number of other 11's that will give you great climbing anytime of the year... I guess the only pic that beats the one above is the one of Catherine, yes the "woman in green"

3 days in a row to BC: Was craging with Matt and Doug on Kronenberg in Field on Saturday afternoon, very picked out... I hope I can climb it again next October Sunday went up Mt. Field and skied 1300m of vertical, mostly on great pow with a windblown patch here and there and the last couple of hundred on perfect pow through alder - makes for nice tight turns Monday back in Field with Bob - Cool Spring felt like a "fat" coastal airated ice pitch with some shower element to it, sure deserves its grade

I guess you have taken a picture of Brent downclimbing the step just past Albatros in the Valley of the Birds, true? He was wearing my old Petzl Ecrin Rock Janez.

Yes, you are right, I guess they were saving weight. They work perfectly for alpine ice/neve. The horizontal section of the T is narrower and shorter on the Dartwins... so pick and choose I ordered sarkens without putting any time into checking the frontpoints (except on the picture), but when they arrived I could see a slight problem coming up

From Don: "think they'd be brilliant with the leverlock heel and the sidelock toe (i.e. wire bail). this combo isn't available from Petzl-Charlet, but it could be "assembled". maybe i'll try to do so... " This is what I have as my "second pair" but they climbed some good ice this year (maybe even more so than my Grivel Rambo Monos). Without the dart's heel hook there is no need for a fancy side lever on the heel... but yes, you do have to special order this "kit" I recently wrote this to my friend, who was asking about them: "Sarkens are very good for alpine ice, soft and/or very chandeliered ice. They flex slightly when frontpointing. The first two teeth will also flex a bit since the I in the T part of the front point is not long eough. Another centimeter under the boot would solve this problem. They do not work that well in flat hard ice - too much bounce (due to flex and two teeth that require double the force needed for penetration). If you are going for the flat frame buy these, since they are very light and one of the few with teeth on the bottom of the T shaped frontpoint." I also have a pair of Rambo monos, which work really well in flat hard ice, no bounce, little force required. But they are noticably heavier. I use these for any mix...

...5 in a pinch, 4 OK, and 3 with some ....