wfinley

What an adventure -- Loved the story!

Scenic - the south face of Mt. Blackburn as seen from the summit of Donoho Peak. Alpine - nearing 17K on the West Buttress on a perfect May afternoon. Skiing - heading up Tincan ridge (Kenai Mountains / Alaska) on a December day. Cragging - the late great James Welton rapping down "Casino Queen" in Lamoille Canyon - July 2008. RIP James. Humor - The Chugach powder test dog. Size & density of snow balls tell you what kind of wax to use and whether or not to bring the phat skis.

This one was really heavy. I had never seen one before - thanks for the date estimate. FWIW I rapped off it and it held!

Rapped off this ancient Bonaiti biner in the mountains last weekend: The engraving is hard to read but it says "Bonaiti Italy". I emailed Kong (who bought Bonaiti) and this is what they said: "this carabiner is old for sure. It is very difficult to establish a firm date for making this carabiner. My colleagues who have been working here for long cannot recognize it. Perhaps it belongs to first output of more than 20 years ago. " Anyone have any old Bonaiti biners? Any idea on age?

Paco Pads: http://www.jpwinc.com/products/products.php?cat=8 My old neighbor started couchsurfing.com. It was fun meeting random people but the landlord eventually kicked him out for letting dirtbag hippies crash in his house all the time.

I love blog posts that tell me not to buy the latest greatest gear while flashing banner ads touting the latest greatest gear.

When we were there we walked past numerous microwave sized blocks that had recently rolled down - so it wasn't just small stuff coming down. I've been up Crossan before and it was shin deep mellow 40 degree snow to the ridge - so I was happy to give it up and save it for another year. There was just too little snow this year for a safe ascent of the SE couloirs. As for people not doing the long route - not really true. Routes like the Muldrow still sees a handful of climbers every season and this year the even NW buttress got climbed. Most people can't commit to 2-3 week trips so the 3-5 days trips are always going to be more popular. Still - the longer routes continue to see a handful of climbers every year. We only had 2 weeks for the Buttress and only made it to 17 camp before running out of time (after spending 8 days at 14). Weather was terrible and conditions were worse. Oh well. Nothing like 8 days in a tent to make you appreciate those 3-5 day in and out trips!

Nice job. We flew in to try Foraker the day your party got out. We hauled all our gear over to the base but after dodging rockfall, falling in a bergschrund and not having big enough balls to climb 60 degree frozen gravel with a whippet we bailed and jumped on the West Butt. Good job getting up through what was a super shitty entrance this year.

Awesome photos! At first I was questioning how you got so close but then I read the disclaimer. What an great opportunity.

Just wanted to chime in... the 40 Below overboots are a piece of gear that I felt like I wouldn't use - however I find I use them all the time on expeditions. On any Alaska trip you end up with lots of tent time and the overboots and booties are a welcome change from your regular boots. I find I'm in mine all the time. Make sure you stick an extra layer of blue foam in your down booties for added insulation else your feet will get a little cold. Good luck. Here's a pic from the 17 ridge taken a week ago.

Nice photo. Dave & I used to climb together in college. My heart goes out to him.

The names of the most recent deaths were just released... one was Suzanne Allen from Seattle. We hung out with Suzanne on Aconcagua in 2010 and just spent 9 days camping next to her on Denali. A wonderful woman who was at home in the mountains. Rest in Peace Suzanne.

This article was ADN Outdoor editor Mike Campbell's last article after over 30 years of working for the Anchorage Daily News. He was an excellent writer who always seemed to focus on facts instead of sensationalism. He will be missed.

I bought one sometime back and used it a few times. It's nice but in my opinion a piece of cordelette is more versatile. Cordelette works the exact same way, weighs less, costs less and can be chopped up to use as anchors if you need it.

While everyone knows that johnkelley can send hard routes in the mountains it should also be noted that another of his finer qualities is that he's a damn good troll.

Polar makes a great product. The band is comfy and the watch can be as simple or complex as you want. The basic Polar monitors are around $70. Expect to spend a little more if you want to use it for biking or something other than just checking for heart rate at the moment.

My condolences Rowdy. Sad start to the year. Here's another pic of camp. Makes you think twice about camps that have been "historically safe".

Congrats John! A fine line. Make sure you call up Charlie and tell him about it so both of you can reminisce about steep ice, run-outs and low food on University.

Bummer. This is what you camp under up on the Root. Sounds like something big came down.

Thread drift.... but what's up with people getting lost while coming out from K2? You'd think that given the infrastructure needed to attempt such a peak that there would be at least some sort of marked trail or at the very least a good map. From what I understand Mortenson getting lost isn't an isolated incident - it's happened before. And props to Darsney for issuing a statement in support of Mortenson.

FWIW my feet swell a fair amount at altitude. I tend to just wear one pair of thick wool socks. A liner helps me with blisters for slog days (skiing / dragging sled) but doesn't really matter on days when I'm actually climbing. Like others have said, the only way to tell how your feet will do is wear the boots a fair amount.

If it's truly dedicated it should be named Fred.

Please explain to me how the average desk jockey benefits from fishermen? So we have fresh sushi? Whatever - I don't see any difference between fishermen who push it in marginal weather with poor equipment and climbers or recreational boaters who do the same. That said -- It should be noted that one of the climbers was an F-16 pilot, so when he pressed the button he had the full attention of the military who responded in the same way they would have in Afghanistan or Iraq. C-130s and Pave Hawks aren't just sent out in marginal conditions for anyone.

I have been in a pretty much exact same position as these guys: caught in a storm on a high Alaskan peak, exposed bivy on a ridge at high altitude (13K), and forced to descend loaded slopes in deep snow. We had a sat phone - and we went so far as to call Alaska Mountain Rescue and give our coordinates before we began the descent. The thought of asking for help crossed our mind - but it was a fleeting wish that we would never have actually voiced. By the time the heli showed up these guys had viz. Sure the slopes were loaded - but they were on a ridge above 11K - how bad could it really have been (most high alaskan ridges are pretty wind swept)? You can always trigger point releases while downclimbing - as countless other people have done. As Clint pointed out - the worst part of all this is that these guys are being touted as "veteran climbers". It's incidents like this that lead to regulation and levies being placed upon climbers.

If you're comfy with easy 5th class you can get by with 3-4 medium cams and 4-5 medium nuts. Unless of course it storms and turns into a verglassed mixed route (which happens fairly often)!