Briang

Two cents here: Don't under estimate the versitility of a regular jig saw. Secure the piton in a bench vise. Use a good bi-metal blade (Lennox are good) and a bit of lubricant. USE A BLADE MADE TO CUT WOOD! They will work very well and be much faster than a blade made to cut metal. The piton will get hot! The jig saw will be much better than a sawzall (easier to control and more precise) and less hassel than clamping it in a chopsaw/band saw vise. Use safety glasses! Good Luck! Brian

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Does anyone know where I might find some Dynafit TLT rental adapter plates? These plates add adjustability to standard Dynafits and used to be available at telemark-pyrenees.com. I want to be able to share a lightweight touring rig with my girlfriend and these would be just the ticket. Any help or ideas are appreciated, I've looked everywhere I could think of! Thanks Brian

I was up at Pan Dome Falls Friday night - Sat morning with a small party (four of us). We all walked to the base and two of us walked up and around to set a top rope. We had the top rope set at about 11:30 PM and the clouds parted a bit to shed some moon light on the rap. By the time we rapped to the base there was a nice sheltered seating/belay area carved out complete with a small lantern and some snacks ready for us to enjoy. We took turns top roping and lost all track of time. We had a super fun time and got back to the car (a 15 min walk at the most) at 7:00 AM Sat. morning! I guessed the temp. to be just below freezing and there was no wind. The ice was good (better than I expected) and would take a screw in many places. As noted there was of course snow on the less steep areas and manteling the last section (the last few meters) would have been a challenge (scary?) on lead. The snow pack above the falls was SOLID, really wind packed and icy. This made it easy to get up and set a top rope without having to deal with knee deep snow. It was neat to see the snow cats grooming the mountain and they would occaisionally send a spotlight beam our way. They didn't seem to mind sharing the mountain with us. Certainly not an epic climb but a fantastic way to spend an evening with good friends after a day of work! Brian

Congrats on your split board purchase! Definitely the best ride in the BC. I like my split long and I'm a lightweight (150lbs). I too use poles going down, especially on rolling or less than steep terrain, but sometimes 'cause I'm too lazy to collapse 'em and stick 'em in my pack... On the subject of bindings don't discount the Voile offerings. I got mine at MEC on a clear-out for $20 cdn. Some will say they aren't too stiff, mostly plastic, etc... this is all true, but they are very light (important to me). This isn't just weight in your park, but weight you WILL feel with every stride. I have found lots of Voile components in junk boxes in many stores poke around and ask the ski techs, sometimes they just want to get ride of all those parts! Some of my first bindings I got for cheap cheap at a used sporting goods store. I removed all the hardware used to make the binding adjustable and put a few small welds in their place, a few lightening holes (yes, every ounce counts) and VOILA! I have used a most types of boots. I prefer a soft AT/Randonne boot. Soft (conventional) snowboard boots just suck in the BC. Enjoy your new Split Board! http://www.voile-usa.com/

Are you blue 'cause you lost the film you shot when you climbed Mt. Baker Thursday or Friday? Well fear not, PM me and I will send it along!

I was up on Baker with Adrian B on Fri/Sat. We did a recon approach on Fri late morning. The snow across the Coleman was very soft and tiring to slog through. We chose a fairly straight forward route and easily avoided most crevases, though I did pop my foot through a couple of times. The Coleman head wall had a fair number of snow/ice chunks that looked as if they wanted to bonk you on the head. We woke early Sat @ 1:00AM and left the tent @ 2:00. The snow was VERY firm on the approach and MUCH less tiring. We shaved about 30-45 min off the approach and arrived much less tired! I was thankfull we did a recon and even more thankfull for the firm conditions. The route we chose may not be the std N.Ridge route. We ascended fairly high on the Roosevelt Gl. and traversed in onto the N. Ridge. We felt this eliminated some chances of being bonked on the head by the afforementioned snow/ice chunks. For the most part the snow was good to excellent and very confidence inspiring. We moved as fast as possible as we felt we were racing the weather somewhat. We saw the fog come in when we did the recon the day before and did NOT want to route find in THAT! Just before we hit the first bit 'o technical ice (and just after we were feeling a bit tired) we shared a Red Bull. I would laugh at that admission myself, but I seriously think it was a part of our success. It was worth packing up and down. We simulclimbed the whole route. Although we didn't protect the route in a normal fasion, we were careful about where one another was. Any true ice we encounterd was HARD! Some of the more exiting moments were navigating the tops of some seracs and of course the more verical ice. Watch for crevases appearing as if by magic accompanied by a concussive BOOM! We reached the summit plateau just after 8:00 and the "true" summit @ 8:30. The race against the weather turned out to be a race against ourselves. We were greeted by a great view of our world below under a blanket of clouds, brilliant sun above, and a short time later a trio of Van. Islanders (Lord Bryson and Company!). We shared one last Red Bull, some brie, mini bagles and pepperoni. The mostly dead batteries in my digi cam allowed us only one summit shot (and none on route either!). So with photograghic evidence secured, full (well, fullish anyways) bellies, quenched thirst and great spirits we headed down the C/D. We merrily glisaded bounded and romped back to our tent passing at least a dozen or so heading up! We descended into the fog about 1200 ft above the moraines and were back at our tent at ~10:30. This was our first "real" alpine adventure! We both found it very rewarding and were very pleased with our time. Although we didn't protect the route or belay any pitches I think perhaps some parties will. There is some exposure on the route! We did have four 71cm pickets, six screws eight draws, and a partridge in a pear tree. (well, a two pack of Red Bull and some brie). I wouldn't consider not using two ice tools. We used a skinny 45m rope and found it worked well for us. We were tied in short most of the time. We enjoyed the route a great deal and if you go I suggest you approach early. It was a beautiful starlit approach complete with comets, tails and all! We were past most of the objective hazards when the sun broke and shortly there after a barrage of ice and snow chunks. I wouldn't want to be under that stuff when the morning sun hits it. I believe we had very favourable conditions and that is mostly responsible for our quickish time. We climbed in down jackets until just below the summit plateau. Brian p.s. We found a roll of exposed film on the summit plateau and would be pleased to be able to return it! PM me if it is yours.

Found Some Climbing Shoes at Shannon Falls Sunday May 1st ID'em and I'll get 'em back to you PM me

I found the best solution for me was to build a drill jig/template. I used 2.25" x .188" aluminum flat bar (any flat bar steel or alumnium will work, but al. is much easier and quicker to work with). You will need two pieces. The first pc. is 4"-5" long, drill this with the heel piece pattern (best to use the bit diameter required for a pilot in your specific ski). Drill the pattern as far back on the 5" pc. as possible. The second pc. will need to be about 16" long. Drill the second pc. with the toe pc. pattern at one end. Scribe a line lengthwise in the centre on both pcs. of flat bar (this scribed line is used to centre the jig width wise on the ski). Establish the distance required between toe/heel pcs. Overlay the heel pc. template on the toe pc. template to suit the required distance. If the drilled holes in the heel pc. template are blocked by the toe pc. template either drill the toe pc. template (this creates a perfect drill jig for your boot only) or cut the toe pc. template back to suit. This then creats a re-useable jig/template you can loan to your friends. notes: aluminum flat bar is cut easily and safely with a normal chop saw or skill saw; a drill press is nice, but a hand drill and a steady hand will suffice; centre punch all holes for ensured precision This set up worked well for me, and should only take 30 to 60 min. The aluminum flat bar is only about $1.50 a foot and if a mistake is made, well it is only a few bucks, and not your new ski! I'm in the Fraser Valley (B.C.) if you want to borrow my jig. Brian

Well, Pan-Dome was better than going to work but... The ice certainly wasn't solid, much snow, slush, and rot. We put up a TR and had an enjoyable afternoon. The snow pack on Pan-Dome seemed stable and well consolidated.

Hey, gonna go check out Pan-Dome on Friday and was wondering if anybody had an idea what the conditions might be like! Sure beats the heck out of work!!!

I was dissapointed to see the ice fest cancelled. I was going to attend to learn a little bit. If anybody doesn't mind showing a rookie around please drop me a line. I have a few years experience rock climbing and am anxious to get onto the ice. I have the basic required equipment. I am planning to be in Lillooet Friday night (6th of Feb). If you feel like helping a rookie, e-mail me at briang AT telus DOT net