wfinley

Nice! What John isn't mentioning is that temps in town have hovered around 0 for about a week! Brrr! Where is this in reference to Malignant Gully? genepires -- this is a link to the Benign peak area.

+1. My wife got frostbite last January and she was in pain most of the summer. Her doctor bill cost much more than a new pair of Spantiks. Watch eBay and craigslist. You can always find cheap old plastics... in fact I'm currently selling a pair of size 7/8 and a size 10/11 Invernos (but I will not ship - sorry).

Check out this youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/elcappirate Watch the ancient art jump!

Wow.... Just wow.... What a trip!

Did they really put in a toilet at the base of Pigeon Spire?

Kelsey is as local as they get up here - don't voice the cliche "locals only" crap. Furthermore best recent guidebook for AK was not written by a "local".

http://www.alaskamountainforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=2994

I knew that guy. Andy was a good climber (and person) when he was focused - but alcoholism took control when he wasn't. Where did you hear he climbed Peril's E. Face?

Nice to see you posting pix again John! Nice route -- kind of late in the year for those peaks. How was the snow / ice?

Yeah - East face. What's the strange history?

Nice pix JK! When are you going to put that line up the N face of Peril?

I once saw a Canuk guide drop the rope while threading the shuts at Grassi Lakes. His clients stood at the bottom with mouths gaping ... the other guides in the area all marched their clients to the base of the climb and then proceeded to give a lecture about what he had done wrong. They left the poor guy hanging from the shuts for a good hour before sending another rope up.

The mega bug adds a fair amount of weight... at that point you might as well be packing a real tent. If you're trying to keep it lightweight just wear a bug head-net when sleeping. If you're touring in the far north where bugs are bad then it might be worthwhile - otherwise I'd say it's overkill.

Check out "Valentines Knight"... I have no idea who the author is. It was written in the mid-90s and is about a paramedic who falls in love with a Valdez ice climber. The ice climber of course has a date with some death route in Keystone Canyon. The late great Andy Embick makes an appearance and warns him that it's harder than "Wowie Zowie" but he goes for it anyways. The paramedic watches him solo into icicle hell... you can guess the rest!

Whitesides as in Whitesides NC? You rapped and jugged it?

Just got back from there. We too had Handren's book and were overwhelmed... so we picked up "Fun Climbs Red Rocks" by Jason Martin. It's a crummy guidebook (it does things like explains where to put your hands in a 5.4 crack to make it easier) - however it does offer a good filter for routes - and it has a huge section on routes you can TR. For bolted routes check out the Panty Wall and the Oasis / Aquifer (the Aquifer isn't in Handren's book but is just right of the Oasis and has 2 easy well (overbolted) sport routes which are great for beginner leaders. My wife doesn't lead rock too often so she was psyched to lead these route. It also has a small selection of multi-pitch routes -- however a better selection is on page 383 of Handen's book (look for ** and *** climbs). Some pix for you: My wife on a short 5.5 crack at Panty Wall. Good first gear lead. My wife on a fun 5.8 at the Aquifer. Good lead for beginners. "Man's Best Friend" at Sandstone quarry. 2 pitch 5.7 sport with about a zillion bolts. Try not to z-clip. Cat in the Hat. 6 pitch 5.6. Fun but wanders a fair amount. The first couple of pitches are in the shade so it might be too cool for December. Solar Slab. Sunny and warm... which means that everyone and their mother will be on this and nearby routes (and all share the same descent anchors). Be prepared for crowds.

Bryce - if you're looking for a trip operator we used Jiban Ghimire / http://www.shangrilatrek.com . He was recommended to us by a number of people. And make sure you do a side trip to Tonsai for some beach sport climbing... sport climbing on a sunny beach within spitting distance of fresh pad Thai and coconut milkshakes is as good as it gets. Good luck planning!

http://www.denalicitizens.org/2010/11/public-input-requested-on-mckinleyforaker-cost-recovery-special-mountaineering-use-fee/ Comments from the public will be accepted between November 1, 2010 and January 31, 2011. Comments may be submitted via email to: DENA_mountainfeecomments@nps.gov or faxed to 907-683-9612. Written comments may be submitted by mail to: Superintendent, Denali National Park & Preserve, P.O. Box 9, Denali Park, AK 99755. I'm sure the AAC will be releasing a public statement soon. You might want to wait for that so comments can be targeted instead of all over the place.

Let's put this in perspective.... it got its third ascent from a kid whose idea of a casual day is to swing leads with his girlfriend on the Bachar-Yerian.

From http://alaskaclimbing.blogspot.com/2005/08/first-ascent-kichatna-spire-black.html

Rest in Peace Joe.

Thanks! We were actually looking at La Quinta as an option. And it looks like I can avoid buying a #4 for yet another season!

Awesome!!! Headed there in a couple weeks. I have a few questions: --- what hotel did you stay at? was it worth it? --- how long did it take to get to the crags from the hotel? --- did you carry big gear (#4 camalot)? Thanks!

WC - You should call the AP staff and have them put you down as a reference for future fact checking!

What is the North Peak of Denali named? And why didn't Mur-kow-ski (sp?) propose that?