dylan_taylor

Hey Blake if you want those two ropes of mine you can have them. and I have an extra rap device too, and a few old clunker lockers too. PM me if you want directions to my house and you can have them.

Interesting idea, but I wonder if it could be something else... The higher you go on colfax, the less steep the average slope angle. Perhaps because of this, the upper N face (and small pocket snowfields) get a little more exposure to solar radiation - at least at this time of year. Despite the small size of those snowfields, post-storm accumulations near ridge-top are bound to be both significant and short-lived (do to frequent temperature fluctuations from warm SW flow to cooler NW flow). Topography is a critical parameter in heat flow distribution. One might suggest that even though Colfax lies close to a volcanic center (but still separated by several miles), it - being a topographically significant peak - would dissipate geothermal energy at a greater rate than flat ground - or for that matter, valleys and depressions - therefore causing Colfax (and virtually all other mountains) to have a lower than average geothermal heat flux.

Yep well there it is in a slightly closer view. Looks like potential fun if it fills in better. I can't remember how deep of a groove the ice was coming from where it disappears from view. Looks thin.

Ahhh yes. Thank you. All is in order again...

I am having the opposite problem as some. I can't log out.

The chapter on Mountain Geology in recent editions of the FOTH is written by Scott Babcock, and may contain interesting and entertaining information for you Aaron. I am yet another fan of McPhee's writing. His four-book series (annals) on I-80 geology and human interest is fascinating, and was one of the factors that drove me into the field of geology. His short essays are excellent too.

:tup:Nice work guys! Good choice of belay location below pitch 2. Wish I had looked left instead of right. Way to get your money's worth out of it on a nice, stormy friday evening.

nice! Thanks kurt. Can't help my phone addiction...

Trip: Colfax peak - Cosley/Houston Route Date: 10/30/2007 Trip Report: Well, the ice is in in a few places. Yesterday Kurt and I headed up to Baker and climbed the Cosley/Houston route on Colfax peak. The route is a ton of fun, as stated on past trip reports. Most folks who are reasonably comfortable on ice would probably consider the route to be in good nick right now. We found it a little thin, and we thought that the two crux pillars felt a bit hard and pumpy - but maybe thats because it is only October, and its been a while since any of us led an ice pitch. The route below (on the right). Polish route (on left) is still not touching down: The glacier is in suprisingly good shape for late October. It seems uncommon to have such good coverage up high this time of year while simultaneously having the road open to the trailhead. The wind associated with heavy precip from the recent October storm activity seems to have helped to mechanically harden the snow pack, and to pack snow into the crevasses. Thus bridging is pretty solid right now. However, this is the season for weak crevasse bridges, etc, and Kurt and I roped up with this caution in mind (unlike a few other folks we saw up on the Coleman yesterday). Enjoy the great travel and skiing conditions, but use prudence. Travel conditions were great. No post-holing, good cramponing all the way from the hogsback. We walked, but some folks were on skiis. Not sure what they were up to though, we last saw them trudging up the Roman Wall with 30 minutes of light left... We departed the car at 5:45am, and arrived at the route at about 8:45 or 9:00am. We were on the summit at 3:00pm and back to the car at 6:15pm. We spent a bit of time on the cruxes but otherwise our times seemed average given the conditions. The first pitch is low-angle rambly ice (about 165') and stubby screws were the only ones that worked. The second pitch is the first crux: a hanging curtain that is quite steep right now, as it has a lot more room to grow. It is drippy on the right side. There are a few scary hanging daggers and I regretted my choice of belay location as Kurt liberated copious amounts of ice above. However, there isn't much ice available there, and not much rock pro either. Thankfully, Kurt chose not to send the dangling dagger of death down upon me, and used it as a butt-scum instead, in order to cop a rest. He ended up hauling the pack (hey! its still early season!) in order to fit comfortably in the crux. The ice seemed a bit brittle but at least it will take full length screws. Both of us found the crux pitch short but difficult - Hard to swing when you are trying to half chimney within a few chandeliers. WI4 seems soft for a grade but, like I said, it is still a little early in the season... The 3rd pitch is a 60m ramble up fun, perfect 55-60 degree neve (bring pickets for belays - they are bomber). For rock gear we were only able to use a baby angle, and a #10 and #11 stopper. A pink tricam or yellow TCU could have come in handy but we didn't have them. Here is Kurt climbing with perfect pieds troisième and piolet appui. The fourth pitch was the 2nd crux, and was darned near vertical. It had lots of hollow ice so some of the screw placements sucked. I was pumped stupid by the top of it, and stopping to place 4 or so screws on the ice "boulder problem" didn't do much for my ego either. Maybe Kurt has pics... The fifth and/or 6th pitches are either two 200' rope stretching ramblers, or one bit of moderate angle simu-climbing. Pickets came in handy here. The last 20 feet popped us out into the sunshine, which was a nice reward for repeatedly getting the barfies on all the lower pitches... The views from any summit in the Black Buttes are wicked. The exposure is wild, and whenever I look over at Lincoln I fantasize about having the magical powers to zap it into granite overnight (Even gluing the choss together would be a exciting improvement...) It is also nice to get a new angle of view for Mt Baker. The route will probably get better by the day, until the first sustained snowfall of the season knocks the easy (driving) approach out of shape. And, you really can't beat a 1000-foot ice route with a three hour approach on easy trails, good snow, and no bushwhacking. Enjoy it while it lasts... Gear Notes: 1 60m rope, 8 or so screws depending on fear threshold, two large stoppers, one baby angle, pink tricam, and a nice, warm jacket. Approach Notes: Drive to trailhead. Glacier in good shape, snow in good shape, trail in good shape.

Take the revolvers over the pulleys. They make quite a difference over regular biners as a training session will tell you. If you are a little person with a big partner, you might need actual rescue pulleys, and/or steroids. After teaching dozens of crevasse rescue seminars, I have seen that smaller, lighter folks, often represented by women, often have an incredibly hard time hauling their (heavier) partners out on even a 6:1. Outside help (other people) is often needed to break the static friction and get the victim moving. Moral of the story is hit the rowing machine heavy if your partner is bigger than you, and learn the 6:1 drop loop, and/or 5:1 direct haul. Also, garda hitch works as a great ratchet - disadvantage being higher friction, but advantage being longer haul distance (so once you break loose the static friction you can haul about 30 ft of rope (with only dynamic friction) without stopping. Drop loop systems have way less friction than direct haul systems during practice (and perhaps real life) rescuers often do a poor job of removing snow to create a clean lip (tighter, sharper angle is better than round lip) and a poor job of cleaning snow from beneath the load strand and from beneath the ratchet.

Mkporwit: Thank you guys for the return of the pole. UPS sounds fine. Glad to hear the pole was helpful. I would be interested (as would others, perhaps) on the details of the pulled gear. I would also be curious to know if your cordalette was one or two strands around the "anchor" (a block, horn, etc?) - redundancy with skinny nylon can be a real life saver in those situations. One other word of caution: It was cool to see you guys effectively lowering your partner down the lower LB gully - but use extreme caution when lowering someone with that much rope out: You had close to 400' of line available in your lowering system, and that is bound to knock plenty of rock off (like the grape-fruit sized block that almost took my head off). Considering the angle, shorter lowers or occasional hip-belays may have worked better/kept you guys safer from rockfall. Plenty of wild events and close calls occur during each of our climbing careers that serve to educate us and our peers on what to do differently next time. Hopefully valuable lessons were learned all around on Saturday. I hope all of you enjoyed some beer at the end of that endeavor. It was well-earned. Good luck on all your future climbs and may your friend recover quickly. Cheers, Dylan

Mike is right. I would like my pole back. My Girlfriend and I were climbing the NW face of Liberty Bell that day, so we didn't witness the fall. But on the summit, we did meet the Canadian climbers who witnessed the event from the Beckey Route, and they filled us in. I am glad the climber survived the fall and made it out in one piece. Earlier that day we had left our poles in the LB approach gulley. When my GF and I descended the gully, one of my poles had been broken by rockfall(?) while the other one was missing. We soon found that my other trekking pole was in use by the self-rescuing party, and I hope it was helpful to them. I would also like to see if I can get it returned soon, as I fly to Europe next wednesday. The pole was brand new, as I had just bought it to replace a previously stolen pair. Hopefully, those of you involved found my mailing address on your car windshield? Thanks, and glad to hear the faller is recovering well. -Dylan Taylor

Where is the 1300 Lb developed? I think maybe i skimmed this article a few months back. 1300 Lbs of force would be reasonable on the anchor, after a bigger TR fall, but that means only half of that (or less) on the belay-to-anchor strand, and less than half of that again on the brake-side-edge of the belay device used - and that is based on zero friction. So, way less than 300 Lbs or so (actually like 30Lb-40Lb). The other good news (news that means that sharp edges may be less of a concern than you would think) is that if you are belaying off the anchor using the reverso or guide atc in autolock-configuration, the sharp edge is never rope-bearing. Plus, if you are ever worried about your reverso getting sharp, just rappel on it backwards. The reverso is still superior to the BD guide ATC for ropes bigger than about 9.4 or 9.5. I have had softer and/or fuzzier ropes get trapped in the guide ATC in small 2nding falls, and it can take a quick improvised block and tackle to get the rope unstuck. DT

hmmmmm. That guy in the BD video might want to clip his fingernails soon...

There was someone doing an academic study on CO and cooking in tents on Denali two season ago. They took blood tests from volunteers, and created an email mailing list to send out the results of their study, but I never got it.

Phil - Interesting point. Although I don't see a contradiction, I will attempt to clarify: Some could relate "Safety" to statistics. To others, it may relate to "appropriately managed risks". How many accidents have happened with one axe position vs another? Could any of those accidents have been mitigated by a different axe position? I don't know. It seems like once a person falls in a steep, high consequences environment, the likelihood of that person avoiding injury is less than if they would have avoided falling in the first place. I do not mean to imply that the self arrest grip is "safer" at all (as referenced in my second quote in your post). I think that would be like saying that wearing a parachute when flying in a plane is safer than not wearing one. I merely wanted to point out some examples where it is an appropriate technique when others on your rope team are at risk of a fall. In reading my post again I don't think I did a good job of emphasizing that "when a fall may be imminent" means a fall by another member of your party - not a fall by you. Self arrest grip certainly has its place in a few isolated circumstances. I simply tried to point out a few of those circumstances; my example relates to a person who is using self arrest grip to mitigate the consequences of someone else falling. Right technique, right place, right time. I think for many people this topic can be quite mundane, but I am always surprised at how vigorously debated it is in many mountaineering courses, and i think that it can be fun to debate these nuances. -Dylan

So far, Kurt Hicks and Jason M have provided spot-on explanations. I've never heard of any evidence showing that self arrest grip is any "safer". The upper end mountaineering schools in the PNW (Both AAI's, M-Madness, and several others...) have been teaching students to distinguish between the self arrest grip (pick pointed backward) and self belay grip (piolet canne/pick forward) for up to several decades. There are pros and cons with each of course, and we as instructors have found that the self belay grip suits most climbers most of the time. The canne position (adze under palm) is found to be a little more comfortable when driving an axe shaft in for a 10 hour day, and it is also more appropriate for dagger positions. We have our clients practice going from self belay grip to self arrest grip to full-blown self arrest while sliding down steep slopes in all positions. After 30-60 min of practice, it is surprising how proficient the students become. However, I will also tell my clients that if they feel that some sort of fall may be imminent (usually someone else on their team looking shaky or about to pop thru a weak bridge), they may hold their axe in the more conservative self arrest grip - then switch it back to self belay when out of harms way. We remind them that it is critical to remember how one is holding their axe when going into self arrest - don't want to stab yourself in the neck. I think the fear that drives many to hold their axes in self arrest position in order to more quickly prepare for self arrest is generally unfounded. The falls that seem to surprise people on snow seem to be slips related to steep, wet and/or sloppy snow. In those cases, the snow is often soft enough to plunge the axe shaft in anyway, and self arrest is a slow and sloppy affair. Stop the slip before it becomes a "fall"! It is fairly uncommon to see someone "slip" or "fall" on good, hard, steep snow - especially with crampons being worn. It is even more rare to see people fall on good snow when they are using their axes properly - which usually means piolet canne or apui! The climbers I have seen fall on steep snow have been ones that lacked good foot technique, and usually didn't know how to use their axe properly. I think the moral is - if the fall has high consequences (Just below Denali Pass comes to mind...), then don't depend on a "well executed self arrest" to get yourself out of trouble! Climb steep snow carefully and efficiently, take a belay if you need it, and use good technique to not fall! Use self arrest to mitigate other peoples' slips and falls! Ultimately, each climber should use whichever technique is more comfortable to them - but gain comfort through thorough practice of all methods, not through complacency! Thanks for raising that question, Jerseyscum. It is a good one. BTW. I went back to triumph this year - finally.

Consequences of follower falling are greater than for leader falling - falling follower yanks leader off, and increases fall factor on existing gear. Therefore 2nd climber = Stronger climber = climber least likely to fall However, clever use of tiblocs on gear by the leader can often negate the usefullness of the strong climber 2nding.

A climber or ski mountaineer's crevasse rescue repetoire should always include versions of the drop-C, among other techniques - not just the standard Z or Z to C that many people learn first, then decide to not learn anything else. You can save a lot of hauling effort by prepping a new lip, and dropping a fresh line. Not to mention the rescuer needs to have options for descending into the hole in order to perform 1st aid, etc, then ascend out prior to hauling.

Follow your instincts. Keep your edges between you and the hole your friend is hanging in. skins make it harder. Hard snow makes it harder. Soft snow - easier. Yes, whippets can be a great idea when snow is firmer or angle is steeper. Yes, roping up while skiing sucks, but in a whiteout on a glacier, or when your choice of route is constrained by tough glacial terrain, or in a low snow year, etc, you will want a rope. There are many times where a rope may be appropriate for the way up if you are unfamiliar with the terrain, but you may feel it is unneccesary once you have scoped the safest line. tie butterfly knots in the rope every meter or two. Fat skis are harder to arrest on than skinny skis. Twin tips suck for "I", "N", and "H" ski anchors. good luck.

Hi Blake i tried to PM you but something malfunctioned... I will be in steamboat during the same time period.

The edited version

Thanks for tips. I have the iron, but the moral of the story is that I need a bigger scraper. I've never had fat skis before and my trusty ski scraper isn't wide enough, so I end up doing a bad job scraping. Which has lower melting temp - glue or wax? If I do the brown bag trick how do I keep from stripping glue off as well?

Thank you! Will give that a shot...

I was in a hurry to use my new skis and I didn't do a good enough job scraping the wax. Now there is some on my new skins-creating spots of zero stickyness. Any tricks from removing wax from glue?