Dr_Crash

Yes, I am saving for the Quarks. I'll suck up the extra weight on alpine, or will eventually use that as an excuse to get something else . I played with Quarks, Aztars, Black Prophets and Cobras. The Cobras were sooo sweet but they're way heavy; I loved those things but wouldn't lug them on a mountain. Someone has a pair of Aztarex but we got split and I couldn't try them. Also climbed using just plain old ice axs which was fun too. I only fell once without a rope and didn't break anything (but that will teach me from running up high daggering without really planting the picks). I give credit to skiing since I hopped a few times looking for balance after the slide. Oh, NOLSe, dunno about leashless now. We brought a pair of fruit boots for fun, and the one thing about the spurs is that they were quick to cut a long slit in my brand new pants (I heard about gaiters, yes, but left them in the car). I can't wait for winter and waterfall ice (not to mention that ski season I've been robbed of this year). El Nino, go home, bring on winter! drC

Did my first ice climbing (in crevasses, yes) and I am in love. I'd sell my rock shoes in a heartbeat if it'd help me get ice tools. This is so sweet! drC

You will ask, what the heck was he doing with ice screws at Marymoor?! I had screws racked on my harness for last weekend when my climbing partner called and offered some Marymoor rock climbing. I unracked the screws in the parking lot, and one of them must have dropped The screw is a Petzl Laser Sonic, 17 cm, shiny with an orange cap. If you find it, please PM me and I can describe how the screw is marked, and supply beer or other beverage of choice and profound thanks. drC - Parking lot gear dropper

For a glacier fall, you definitely do not need a 9.2 to be safer. The forces are pretty low compared to climbing. I've always used 8.4 mm, and it is not uncommon to see people using 7.6 mm (in both cases test and adjust your prussiking accordingly). In your case, adding a third person to the team would do much more for your potential safety in case of a fall than any change to the rope. drC

Print or read the mountain navigation guide. It will give you bearings to go down in a whiteout without a surprise detour through the neighboring glaciers (maybe not this weekend but it doesn't take space in your pack). Sunblock, sunblock, sunblock. drC

Foie gras. Tasty, salty, good for all occasions. drC

The 45 should be enough for a 2 or 3 overnighters. drC

Hey, I am doing my first ice trip (practice) this weekend. I have a friend who can lend me some BD tool, but I am looking at buying either Quarks or Aztars and I would love if anybody had some of these that they could lend to me for the weekend. Subsequent beer'll be on me of course. drC

FWIW, you can buy a Rainier-only yearly pass for $30. drC

They'll be just fine here. drC

A few weeks to a month ago, my Canon S70 camera disappeared from VW Redmond. I was hoping some kind soul had found it / inadvertently taken it and it would pop back in the lost & found. It hasn't. The camera is a small brick-shaped black camera, Canon Powershot S70. It was in a small camera bag with a Sandisk card holder / key chain thingy attached to the strap. The camera had a 1 Gb CF card in it with pics of my kids, the last one being of my son hanging on the walls from heel hooks. drC

You need to decide what you want first. dSLR versus point and shoot means very different focuses. I had a Canon S70 that disappeared at Vertical World. I picked it for the wide angle, RAW format, and availability of lens/filter adapter (the 7 MP were nice but not critical). It was bulky for everyday use though, and I am now looking at a cheaper and more compact everyday camera that will fit easily in a pants pocket. The Panasonic are supposed to be great with Leica lenses and optical image stabilization, but I am looking at the Optio WP 5: 5 MP is enough, and it is waterproof which is a great thing outdoors. Looks like pic quality is average though Nice: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0507/05072003panasonic_lx1.htm drC

I rock 188 cm Voelk G4s with Alpine Trekkers and full alpine boots in the backcountry. People laugh at me on the way up, I laugh on the way down. But seriously... "True" AT skis, as in skis billed as being for AT (Shuksan, Norbert Joos, Vertical, Dynafit,...) are typically built lighter, which usually means a loss of stiffness. Some of them though sport a wooden core (disclaimer: I am totally partial to wooden cores, sorry R:ex fans) which makes the ski stiffer and more lively IMO; constructions such as the Atomic's beta whatever and the BD crossbows (made by Atomic) claim to achieve the same rigidity. Maybe true, at least in the short term (foam doesn't take hard skiing as nicely as wood). Different brands have different biases. K2s are usually softer, Volkls are stiff, Atomics are surprisingly stiff for a foam ski. Try a few if you can. Telemark versions of alpine skis are very popular for AT because they're somewhat lighter and have a different flex pattern (the Tele Daddy is a very popular choice for fans of fat backcountry skis). At the end of the day, it's a pretty personal decision and your own tradeoff. I can live with the Alpine Trekkers (though I hate traversing on high heels), but I am lusting after a different setup for more difficult ski mountaineering; I will then sacrifice ultimate fun on the way down for something that will be lighter and work better in tight chutes (188 cm means I spend way too much time with only the shovel and tails touching snow in couloirs). Good luck picking a setup. Dynafit bindings can drive anything. And if anything, a setup with a lower DIN will help your skiing smoothness (unless you like finding skis and stepping back into your bindings a lot). Don't forget the boots, which will be a critical component of your setup. Bad boots will ruin everything. drC

The DMM one with the hooks at the wide end works fine for me. Just like the BD did. They both open beer, of course, as does any item in the hands of a thirsty climber. drC

In that case, just rap off the hardware and use the block as a backup. At least you control the placement you rap off, instead of relying on your evaluation of the way some fridge-sized rock lies on the mountain. drC

We went and had a lot of fun (once their mom surrendered their passports 3 hours late after I had to involve my lawyer and we had to deal with a 7 hours trip due to a late start). We stayed at Cat Lake (thanks for the tip). The kids liked it so much that we never tried to actually get into Alice Lake. The bouldering in the woods at the base of the Chief was fun. I suck at reading bouldering topos, that's for sure, but there were plenty of people to help us get oriented. Murrin Lake was good too, and my son loved the bouldering traverse there. There were always people climbing the crack next to the parking lot, so we didn't set a rope. Lots of beach time too. Hey, you can't expect a 3 years old to want to climb all the time like her bigger brother does. Fun trip. Great area, and we finally are getting decent weather! (We'll start complaining about the heat soon. OMG.) drC

What about the ones that can be baked in your oven and shaped? Sounds nicer, price is about the same (Montrail or Merell makes some I believe, along with other brands). I just got full-length orthotics that should fit all my shoes (yeah!) so we'll see if that helps and if my knees get unscrewed. drC

Thanks guys. The kids' mother is now threatening to not give me their passports and/or an authorization of travel just to p... me so I am not sure if the trip will still be on. But if it is, there are available campsites at Cat Lake and will also check if Alice Lake frees itself. I sure hope we'll go! drC

Thanks jmace. It's weird that Cat Lake isn't listed on the BC parks page that lists Alice Lake. drC

Thanks. Can't see cat lake yet but I'll try harder If say I wanted to spend one of the days at French Beach, can one really swim there? Not too cold? What about Horne Lake? Good place? drC

Hi, I am looking to do a 3-day week-end (depart tomorrow noon, return Monday afternoon) in BC with my kids, ages 3, 6, and 7 1/2. I was thinking Squamish, as they climb (boulder for the little one). I am looking for info re: where to go with the kids, for camping, as well as a place to find things that will be nice for all of them. We are not going to climb all the time (first, I am alone with 3 kids, and second, the attention span of the smaller ones isn't that great), so I'm interested in info re: hiking, lakes to swin into, etc. I am also open to suggestions to other places to go around Vancouver instead of Squamish to spend some cool time. Also, is there a way to make reservation for campgrounds from here? It'd suck to drive all the way there with the kids and have to hunt for a place to sleep. Thanks! YA

Are kitchen rubber gloves aid? drC

Great TR! Looks like you had a blast. drC

I had taken pants exactly for that reason, but somehow got convinced they'd be too hot and switched to shorts. (There is a fine line between brave and stupid, too.) Yes, Darrington is cool, and leading a 150 ft pitch is nice too Ended up with a dry mouth at the anchors, which I take as a need to build more confidence, i.e. get out more. drC

Climb: Darrington-Three O'clock Rock Date of Climb: 7/17/2005 Trip Report: Yesterday was my first visit to Darrington. It is very nice. We started lazily rom Bothell at 9:15, drove ther and went to Three O'clock Rock. We climbed the first few pitches of Silent Running and the two-pitch 5.9 on the left of Under the Bored Walk (no name on mattps's topo). It was a gorgeous day, as the huge sunburn on my leg shows. This was the first time I was leading on slabs (and one of my first few times leading altogether), and knowing how I am afraid of slabs (well, really, of cheese grating down one) and how much issues I have trusting my feet there, it was interesting. You could hear me mutter "trust your feet, trust your feet" (in English even) as I was going through some of the pretty long runouts there (or so it seemed). It was very nice though and totally worth it, as I will slowly build more confidence on slabs by doing more of this. I'll definitely be back. Very pretty area, not many parties around there, gorgeous views. We brought back trash found close to the trail, semi-hidden behind a tree. Please keep the sites clean. Gear Notes: Small rack to 3" Top from mattp's Web site. Thanks Matt.