scrambled_legs

Say you're planning on doing all of Doughtery's Alpine Climbs, would you be packing a hard or soft shell more often on average?

Give it a few years and it could become a reality...

I passed on the TNF and I wanted to go with Mammut but there are no dealers in town. I am looking at the Arcteryx gamma sv. Anyone have any beta on this and what do you use for a hood? I've only seen a couple soft shells with a hood so far and they don't seem very popular. How do you keep your head dry... and yes I'm made of sugar.

I'm trying to refine my old school mentality wardrobe and want some input on what to bring on an average 1 day to 1 week summer mountaneering trip. I'm starting by losing the gortex and buying a soft shell but am still a little leary about even this. What do you do in camp when it's pissing rain and you're on day 2 of 7? Any input right from the ginch to the toque is appreciated. Also even cragging... It's a no brainer in the summer but what do you wear for pants on those colder days and what do you carry on the full day MP?

I gotta put a vote in for Squaw's Tit. It may not be the most creative or unique but it definately has its bragging rights. It sits right beside Chinaman's Peak, which was changed to Hang-li Peak because it was offensive, yet still stands proud known only as Squaw's tit.

There's a store closing out that has a North Face Apex Bionic Jacket for $128. I'm not a big fan of TNF but if I do need a soft shell.

What would you recommend?

Just trying to get an idea of how long the west face route on Lefroy is. How long should I plan for from car to car and what do you expect the conditions to be like right now?

Anyone been up in Banff or K-Country Lately? Are the hills still full of snow or are there decent climbing conditions?

Noticed that Taiga came out with a half mummy bag from foot to chest. Combined with a down jacket and hood it's supposed to work just as well as the heavier expensive full bag. Anyone try it, any thoughts?

Looking for some opinions on whether to buy a 7.5 twin or an 8.0 double for a rope that would be used for everything from the Bug's, to Robson, to ice cragging. Wondering whether I should go with the twin or the double and is an 8.0 big enough for a double?

jja, was the river frozen over, or is that open water in the background? I don't have a 4 by 4 so we have to walk in and no-one seems to know if I should plan on getting my feet wet or not. From the looks of it, snow shoes are out of the question. Thanks for the other info.

So if I planned for a hike in on Feb 11 would I be getting my boots wet? Is the river frozen still and do I need snow shoes to get through the drifts? What are the conditions like on Valley of the sun, Beowulf and House of sky? Thanks again.

Just wondering what ice routes are closest to Regina? I'm guessing Sheridan area is as close as I'm going to get.

Going to Devil's Tower this summer and wondering if anyone has any beta on it. Anything I should know about the climbs, camping spots, local taverns etc. Thanks.

So I take it there are a whole lot of Mythos fans and very few 5.10 fans. Right now MEC is clearing out there 5.10 T rocks for $89.00 and the Mythos are $135. So is it still worth it to fork out the extra $50?? If 5.10's only problem is falling apart then for that price it almost sounds worth it to a poor climber. I mean if they don't fall apart they're going to smell so bad that I'll go buy some new ones in a year or two anyways. Is it worth it?

I guess I do deserve some flack for that. I can't wait to see the cultural mecca of Nordegg that you speak of.

Trying to find an ice climbing guide that covers the David Thompson area near Nordegg. The Waterfall Ice guide for the Canadian Rockies doesn't seem to cover that area. Anyone know of anything in print?

Looking for some input on rock climbing shoes. What would you recommend for an all around short to long multi-pitch crack and face climbing? Also, anyone ever have any luck resoling their old ones?

Just wondering what the best guide is for Squamish.

Haahah... I couldn't make out the drawing on the last post but now that I can see it in all its glory I have to agree. It is definately nearing the doctors perscription quality. Ketch you are right. Inertia and acceleration will allow more than the belayers weight to be applied to the anchor. It'd be interesting to see what kind of extra force can be added to the body weight. Any movement of the belayer will relieve some of the force put on the anchor, it would be interesting to see how much. Sounds like a good daytrip. We'll set up the rigs, drink the beer and drop the bucket of cement and let some Physics students crunch the numbers. Do you know of any volunteers?

Alpinfox if you read into the article more it simply states that those are the forces felt at each end. If a climber falls 66% of his weight is transferred through the friction pulley (carabiner) to the belayer. The sum of these two forces will equal the total load on the pulley. If the force is as large as is depicted in the diagram (445Ibs) then the belayer will be pulled upwards unless he weighs 445Ibs or is anchored to something that does. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In order to stop that 445Ib upward pull there needs to be 445Ib's of downward pull. If the belayer isn't anchored he will slowly reduce the force of the climber's fall by resisting his pull with his weight combined with the friction of the Carabiner. If the Carabiner provides 66% friction than we can have an opposite formula showing that a 150Ib climber can provide 200+Ibs of resistance to the falling climber. If the faller weighs less than 200Ibs an infinite amount of resisting distance will eventually slow and stop his fall. The distance between the belayer and the pulley limits how quickly the fall has to be stopped. A 198Ib climber will pull a 150Ib belayer up to the pulley system with a relativley small fall. At that point the pulley no longer acts as a pulley but rather a knot attatching all the weight to the anchor but no more. There is no way to apply more than the belayers weight on his side of the rope unless he is anchored to something else.

You're right, the total load on the pulley is equal to the sum of the two forces. The weight of the belayer and the weight of the fall. The only way the belayer can exert a higher downward force on the pulley is if he is anchored to the rock the pulley than becames a 2:1 ratio because the belayer is fixed. A two inch pull from the followers end will pull the pulley down 1 inch and exert twice the force provided there is no friction. If the friction is so high it is the same as having the pulley clove hitched as a clove hitch is exactly that a high friction knot. When the follower falls all of his force is exerted on the pulley plus the weight of the belayer. The belayer is unable to exert anymore force other than his own weight on the pulley unless he has something holding him down beyond his body weight!

Ok, I've done some drawing and don't have the tools to show you on here so I'll have to try and explain it. There are three forces acting on an anchor with a pulley (draw) redirecting the pull. 1 the force of the fall, lets say 500Ibs. 2 the weight of the belayer, lets say 150Ibs. If there is no pulley than 650Ibs is immediately exerted on the anchor. If there is a pulley, andother force comes into play, friction. If there is 0 friction, the 150Ib weight (belayer) will be pulled upwards until reaching the pulley (draw). Until then only 150Ib's of force can be placed on the anchor on the followers side. Anymore force will only raise the belayer. So the total force at this point is the 150Ibs of the belayer and the 150's exerted by the person falling. Once it hits the draw, the full 500Ibs of force applies and the anchor now holds 650Ibs. On the other hand if there is enough friction exerted at the draw to not allow any rope to feed through, then the pulley (draw) essentially is acting as a knot and the full 500Ibs plus the 150Ibs is exerted on the anchor. The only way the draw will act as a 2:1 pulley is if the belayer is anchored himself. If the belayer has a way of exerting more force than his body weight, downwards on the belay, then this force will also be applied to the anchor. If there is 0 friction and the belayer is firmly anchored to the rock and not able to move than a potential 500Ibs of downwards force could be exerted on both sides of the pully system making a total of 1000Ibs exerted on the anchor. Because the 150Ib's of the belay is already applied as a downward force it can not be added to the overall weight. If 650Ib's is exerted on the belay side, the follower would be lifted. On the other hand if there is enough friction at the draw to not allow the tie down anchor to become tight, then only 650Ib's is exerted on the anchor. Am I making any sense yet? From what I've experienced there has always been sufficient friction to stop the fall in a maximum of a two foot upward pull. This movement makes the belay dynamic and although 500Ib's may be required to stop the fall immediately, less weight may also stop the fall over time. If you move while catching a fall you are actually exerting less than the required force to stop it on the anchor. For example if you move up 3 feet before stopping a 500Ib fall, You've probably only used 300 Ib's to stop it. This force is created through the body weight of the belayer and the friction at the redirect point. If there is a knot at the redirect point then 500Ib's will automatically be directed to it. A fall that requires 500Ib's to stop immediately may only require 300Ibs with 3 feet of rope passing through the redirect point. If this happens than the total force is only 300Ibs plus 150Ibs for the weight of the belayer. Just think of putting the brakes on the car. The force to stop the tires immediately is a lot larger than over a distance.

Hey Ketch, I don't think I'm wrong on this one. If you only use one pulley to reverse the direction of pull you have a 1:1 ratio. Try threading the rope through a biner. Pull down on one side and see how far your hand goes up on the other. It's the same distance and a 1:1 ratio. It only changes once you start to get into complex pully setups like on crevasse rescue.