Bogen

Saw the world premiere of "Brotherhood of the Rope" by Dr. Charles Houston. Awesome! The historical footage of the 1938 and 1953 American expeditions to K2 were amazing, and to hear the tales told by Dr. Houston's own narration was a great experience. Don't miss this if you get the chance. Also in the K2 retrospective was talk by John Roskelley, and a film following some hot spanish chick's attempt to be the 6th woman to climb k2. All the 5 women who had summitted K2 are dead, 3 of them on descent, and the film chronicles each of the women and the circumstances of their climbs and deaths. More interesting was the detective tale told by Robert Marshall, a non climber who became interested in the details of the Italian conquest of K2 in 1954. Marshall has amassed evidence exhonerating Bonati and accusing Compagnoni of lying both then and now about the truth on that day that Bonati and Mahdi bivouaced in the open above 26 000 feet. Compagnoni has claimed that Bonati used some of their oxygen during the bivouac, and that consequently Compagnoni summitted without oxygen, because it ran out. Marshall shows, quite convincingly, that not only could Bonati not have used the oxygen if he wanted to, but that Compagnoni most certainly still had oxygen, and was using it, well after the summit. Marshall's concluding statement, if you will pardon my loose quote, goes something like "So, in the end, I was wrong and Compagnoni was right, they did run out of oxygen at 8400. But it wasn't on the way up, it was on the bloody way down!" Among the more popular films shown was "Alone across Australia" by Jon Muir. Jon has crossed the continent in 128 days with no support whatsoever. About three quarters of the way in, his dog, a lively Jack Russel named Seraphine that figures prominently in the film, even sharing Jon's sleeping bag, dies, probably from ingesting poisoned bait left for dingos. The crowd gasps, and some sob along with the man on film as he cradles his beloved companion (all camera work is by Jon, he is truly alone) I wonder how he could have let it happen - hell even I know they poison the dingos. Later, I meet him at the BMFF staff wrap up party, and have the chance to ask him a few questions over beers: Concerning the dog - yes he agrees he should have known better. Usually they don't bait the dingos around the stations (ranches) because of their own pets. The station where Seraphine died turned out to be abandoned, and had poison bait all over. I ask him why, amongst all the often graphic footage of his trip, there is no mention of the insects he most certainly must have eaten. He assures me that it is simply that all the bug-eating footage was of poor quality. I ask him if he had one piece of advice for aspiring adventurers, what would it be. He reflects for a moment, and says "If you go somewhere, say you start here," and he jabs a finger on the table, "and you want to go here, yeah" he jabs again, up and to the left of the last jab, oddly two points in the same relation on a map as the origin and conclusion of his trek. "If you hit a point where you really begin to question why you're there" and at this he jabs a point roughly three quarters of the way between the two points, "the most important thing to remember is that you are there because you chose to be there." Well, this is not quite what I'm after. When I asked Himalayan climber Krzysztof Wielicki (again, over a beer) this question in Vancouver, he told me to buy my boots a size and half too big as a surefire way to avoid losing toes. Now there's something you can take to the bank! But more than this simple comparison begins to nag at me as I speak to Jon. I ask him if he means by this that his resolve is less about strength of will than it is about going with the flow, and he says, "yeah, going with the flow, that's it exactly." And there is the big difference I think. For a mountaineer, the flow always leads downhill! Curious now about his motivations, I decide to press him a little harder. Any of the world class mountaineering adventurers I've met have a uniformly firm, warm hand shake, a glint to their eye and a ready laugh. This man, the first great trekker I've met, is withdrawn, his handshake is limp and shy, and there is pain in those eyes. There is a look to him, a look I think I've seen before. I ask him about his wife. "No," he says, "We're divorced" But I'm sure that I saw some woman with the same last name in the credits, and with a lengthening face he admits, yes that was her. I ask him if it was the adventuring that ended the marriage, and pain almost leaps off his face, as he leans far away from me, head back and eyes wider, violently and quickly shaking his head from side to side. I don't wish to bother him this much, so I allow a pause, smile knowingly and steaksauce understandingly as I have a sip. Of course, it is at this very moment that my ride to the hotel comes to collect me, the moment is lost and I cannot pry further. Looking at him, I suspect then that it is the opposite, the divorce led to the adventure. It was not the beauty and excitement that led him into the desert, it was his pain that drove him there. I say thanks, nice talking to you, and he curtly nods in response. I stand and leave, then turn back and hold out my second to last beer, untouched. He looks at me, then at the beer, shrugs and accepts it without thanks. Hours later, I'm told, he is sitting in the same corner, still alone as the party draws to a close.

Based on Don's recommendation, I bought the most expensive pair of pants I have ever owned. I decide to use gaitors, mainly to preserve the pants against crampons. Sure enough, the first day I am climbing in them, I hook the inside of my left knee with the heel of my crampon (don't ask!) above the gaitors and hard enough to really yank on the pants. I was sick at the thought that I had already ruined my nice new pants. Unbelievably, I cannot see a single thread out of place. Only later, at home, do I find that a single thread in the double stitched seam is broken. I cannot, even with minute inspection, detect any damage whatsoever to the fabric. These pants ROCK! They are super light, stretchy, and insanely water resistant. Considering how hard on clothes I am, I am convinced that these pants will save me alot of money in the long run.

Wed afternoon, the fellow from seattle that is coming up phones, he has been turned back by Canadian customs, something about a DWI. So, after garnering promises from an old friend in Calgary (he is doing the the video projection for the film fest) that he will at least try ice climbing, off I go. Though trophy wall is FAT everything else right around Banff is not. I hiked to Johnston canyon, and discovered that in fact my first ice lead 7 years ago went pretty much through the Algal deposits that the climbers are supposed to avoid. I feel bad. Johnston canyon is not in. Golden is not, Field is mostly not, though the beer wall is getting there and Guinness Gully is in. Later, people I talked to said Murchison had lots of ice on saturday, but they didn't climb any. Fri morn, I hiked to Urs hole and the tube, both were falling apart. The grade 4 pitch in the back of the gully to the tube looks like a worthwhile venture in colder conditions, and probably forms even when the tube does not. Some 5.7 moves and 10 feet of ice will get you there. Professor is not in and Cascade is flowing. Two consecutive groups tell me King Creek is the place, especially if soloing or with beginners, so I head down there fri afternoon, soloing a few pitches of WI2. It is late in the day, no one else is in the canyon, and the heavy winds that have been eating the snows all day are literally knocking me around. The canyon is beautiful, the weather is high, and I finally have my picks in. Rapture! While King creek had tons of easy stuff, there are some short pillars and curtains a couple pitches above the easy stuff. Apparently there are bolted mixed routes up there, but we didn't see any. Nonetheless, we had alot of fun when I returned Sunday with my friend Aaron, with whom I rock climbed through many adventures several years ago. The ice was just soft enough that every placement was great, with minimal effort. After putting a top rope on a little pillar, I had fun dynoing up it, and was able to do the whole thing in 4 long, leaping moves slamming a pick in at the top of each jump. What a hoot! Kidd falls looks fantastic, with a more experienced partner I would have gone, and looking at it I wanted to take Aaron up anyway, but decide against it. R & D is in, but always busy. Arterial spurt is seeing lots of traffic, waterhole looks in, and good, only once did I see a car there. WI3 pitch in King canyon. Aaron, in blue and red, is visible rapping at the top of the pitch. At the top of the frame you can see the little pillar and curtain featured in the next picture.

Also see: http://davidappell.com/archives/00000427.htm The gist of it, as with lamberts blog, is that muller's "findings" haven't passed peer review, and that it seems muller has some inconsistant and personally driven history with the subject.

Arcteryx factory outlet in vancouver has some gamma lt on sale for 150 bucks, with color shading problems that I couldn't perceive.

Yes. It varies from year to year; I'm pretty sure that with conditions and weather as they are, it's going to be fantastic! I'll tell you for sure next week!!!

Don't know what it's like down there, but I have never been able to rent technical axes in BC.

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If he was really wired someone would have told him about that fleck of spit in the corner of his mouth during the last debate.

Blanchard, on terminator near Banff, YESTERDAY!

Edgar Allan Poe

Can't you get a massage in Vegas?

Last year I followed a recommendation from will gadd's book and went with cheap fleece gloves to climb in, and shell over mitts for the belay. Dispose of gloves as necc. (usually 8-10 climbs for me.) You get wet, but stay warm enough, and retain dexterity. Keep a couple pairs so you can change into a dry pair when you are done.

If you break it into monthly payments for the duration of ownership, and factor in resale value and maintenance costs, you will pay twice as much per month to drive a basic new car as opposed to a decent used car. If you can work on it yourself, as Scott suggests you will do better than that. If you could work on it yourself you wouldn't need advice, am I right?

What are some jobs people have had that related to their climbing? I responded to a bulletin board ad for a climber with biology experience once, and spent 2 months collecting insects in the upper canopy of old growth boreal forest along the Peace river in northern Alberta. I had a great time with it, and went from cautiously trying to protect each "ascent" in the first few days to leaping from tree to tree by the end of the summer. I know other people who have had jobs with geology surveys. What other ways have people put their experience to practical use?

Using modern neuro-marketting to refine political imagery. Politics is not quite all sales, no substance, but they'll get there.

Maybe myths of little people and ogres might have some basis in our cultural memory, from a time when similar species or sub-species co-existed.

Parking is free at abbotsford airport, but if you fly, then you have to rent, and still drive 2 hours. By the time you get to the airport 1 hour early, fly, land, rent a car and drive to banff you have used 5 hours, and spent more money. 10 hour drive from abbottsford to banff. You can do that after work and still get a decent sleep, spending less money than you would if you stayed home and got drunk cause you're feeling sorry for yourself.

Bozeman? Kananaskis baby!!!

Picture on gravsports. oboyoboy!

hammers on both tools. still hurts, but the marks go away sooner!

Yes, minimum one per month. If Lillooet comes in well, then less driving more climbing.

No jet, prob leave after work and drive most of the night. Hell, you can sleep in the back, wake up in Banff and pretend it was a teleporter!

From lower mainland. Maybe stretch to the 4th or 8th. Film fest, ice-climbing? If cold temps persist over there, I'm going. Have all gear, including an extra set of tools, need climbing partner.

Water will kill it right away or not at all. I had a woman once whose tv had been acting up but started working better after she accidentally dribbled water in it. A few weeks later it started acting up again, guess what she did. What a joke! Anyway, I suspect your monitor probably has plenty of hours on it...