wfinley

I have a 15 year old NF -20. I tend to be hot at basecamp, just right at 14 and cold at 17.

Oddly enough I was in a ski hut this weekend and someone pulled out bottle of Fireball. Nasty stuff....

Nice work! Glad the ice came back in time for you. I imagine you're glad you didn't listen to the naysayers who told you not to come. FYI... about 20 years ago a leader collapsed a bell on Hung Jury which fell on the belayer. Leader broke an ankle - the belayer broke a bunch of ribs and collapsed a lung but both lived.

Brooks Range used to sell this tool. It's pretty nifty. As for basic work at home stuff - the best place to order from is Tognar: http://www.tognar.com/binding_tools_boot_canting_glue_ski_snowboard.html

Temps at Kahitna International in the spring can range from -20 to 40 - so be prepared for everything in-between. Your 0 bag will be fine but if you're doing routes where you might bivy a lighter bag might be worth it. If you have the stock TLT5 liners you might get a tad chilled if it's really cold - it just depends on your feet. The Scarpas would be great for south facing day routes but you will probably get cold toes on N facing / shaded routes. For basecamp trips I tend to take my double mountaineering boots and my ski boots and a pair of heavier (with silvretta 500 bindings) skis for turns. I usually take my -20 bag - but that's all I have and I tend to be miserably hot most nights. As for puffys - I take a giganotosaurus puffy for hanging out / cooking and a lighter synthetic puffy for climbing.

It was some time ago but I think for me it was simply a matter of going from M to L. Supposedly Silvretta 500 L fits a sole length of 12-3/8" - 14-3/8" - couldn't tell you if that differs for the 300s or 404s.

I once attempted the very same thing you're attempting and after multiple attempts in my to bend a new toe bail I ended up just searching around till I found a pair of 500s. Good luck!

FWIW - I've had an Alpinlite for 4 seasons now and it's doing fine. My Lynx has endured 5 Alaska expeditions plus multiple overnight ski trips and my wife has used her Ion and Flight Pants on 2 multi-week Alaska Range trips and bivied at 23K on Aconcogua in them. That said... I'm super careful with packing, unpacking and storage. The bags will never be as bomb proof as my ancient North Face bags... but they weigh a fraction of them. As for the Volant vs Flash jacket -- you're looking at a Pertex Sheild shell vs a light Nylon fabric. Weight difference is 10.25 oz (for the Flash) vs 1lb 12oz for the Volant. Apples to Oranges.

Nice! Was camped at 17 some years back & watched a Japanese snowboarder drop into the Messner. He rode carefully but right above the choke he caught an edge and tumbled face-first. Did a full cartwheel and self arrested with his ice tool. I think everyone on the mountain did a collective gasp & sat staring. The snowboarder sat for a second, composed himself & then dropped the rest of the run in perfect form. We later saw him at a restaurant in Anchorage surrounded by beautiful Japanese women.

The Tour du Mont Blanc, while not in the Dolomites, would be right up your alley. Jog from hut to hut with just a light pack, eat well and drink fine wine. You could also do the summer version of the Haute route but it would be more hiking less running.

Skiing without your hands through the straps just means you're going to drop and lose the poles. Falling into a crevasse and losing a ski pole in the middle of a ski trip sucks and you'll end up futzing with something like a shovel handle ski pole for the rest of your trip.

That's an understatement! All those peaks in close proximity to the ocean are undergoing rapid change. Some friends of mine climbed Mt Lituya a few years ago... This past summer a large portion of the ridge they climbed broke off.

That is awesome -- Thanks for sharing!

Just to chime in echoing what others have said... I learned to ski in the backcountry in invernos and in silvretta 300s. I never destroyed my knees (but had a very close call once with a sled, rope, crevasse and a twisting fall that hurt for days) but I was in my mid 20s and wasn't too concerned about wrecking my lower body. If you have the money get real ski boots and Dynafits. You will have more fun and learn faster - and be less likely to wreck your knees. If you don't have the money you can get by and you might even have a bit of fun in the process. If you don't like resorts then go out and learn on your own -- spend the money you save on lift tickets on gear. It will take longer to get good and you'll probably always have shitty ski form - but who cares? As for snowboarding... I ski with a snowboarder who uses Dynafits for the up. If I get to the top at the same time as him, and I'm not cold, hungry or whatever then I can transition about 30 seconds faster than him. That said.... don't know if I've ever gotten to the top before him.

If your primary use is inbounds then Dukes are a better option than tech binders due to full release capabilities and true DIN settings. They're heavy - but that won't impact your downhill.

Just wanted to point out a couple quotes: Times are changing - there is a queue for every popular route and wilderness routes see dozens of users every week. To pretend that climbers can manage themselves is to ignore stuff like poo under every rock in areas like the Cirque, tick marks on every boulder within 50' of a trail and grid bolted areas like the New and the Red. As for funding... just wanted to point out that the cost to taxpayers for a non-permanent USFS seasonal employee is roughly $3,000 / month. is $56K for 2 years. You won't get many roads maintained for $56K. Personally I think it's great to see the USFS hire rangers who will focus on climbing instead of two more clueless visitor center greeters. So they do stupid things like gloat about kicking over cairns - give them a break - they're kids & they'll learn.

In case you live in town or are passing through... also... October 4th 7 and 9:30pm at Wendy Williamson. $20.

What do you take on an overnight that requires over 50L of stuff? My -20 bag, pad and tent pretty much take up 1/2 of the 50L pack. Add in puffy, food, ropes and gear and it's unwieldy. If I skimp and go with a 20 degree bag and alpine tent it's fine for 3-5 days... But I really hate being cold.

My wife has similar feet (medium wide) and is a big fan of the Baruntse boots for everything but skiing downhill. They've kept her toasty in the AK Range and while mid winter (-20) ice climbing. She wears a US 9 running shoe and went with the 40.5 Baruntse.

I toggle between a 50L BD Predator and a 75L Cilogear Worksack. The BD pack is a bit small for anything longer than 1 night in the winter. The Cilogear is good for hauling tons of crap - and if you pull out the plastic backing it packs down small enough for climbing and skiing. Here are some pix of the 75L with ridiculous amounts of gear attached.

I'm a big fan of 8.5 diameter ropes. That way I can use them for ice, rock, alpine or glacier travel and use a single rope on moderate routes. Likewise the 8.5s I've had have lasted a bit longer than my 8s. If you have money for a quiver of ropes a pair of 7.8s and a pair of 8.5s and a10-something for cragging is ideal... But if not go with the 8.5s.

I always bring a real PLB with me now. They're so small and light these days. I carry a Spot for convenience of contacting both my contact and potential rescuers with one device. I set a time and if my contact has not heard from me by that time they should contact SAR. The Spot works great for those days where I said I'd be home at 6pm and instead get home at 6am. As for the downsides that people talk about -- I've managed to send OK messages from all over Alaska, Canada and the lower 48 without issues. Thankfully I've never used the SOS feature. Ideally I'd have a real PLB that also sends OK messages - but I never bring my phone on trips where there is no coverage and as of yet there are no stand alone devices.

Woah. So awesome! Great writing and fantastic photos. Love that part of the country. Must admit I had to google Shaka Zulu. I don't see the tat. Thinking you had too much the chronic.

Great writeup & photos on the vftt.org site! Climbed Itza and Orizaba in 97 and really enjoyed it. That said... have to share this video from Orizaba since it always makes me laugh:

I'd say 20-something French guides are just as arrogant and obnoxious as 20-something Nepali guides who are just as arrogant and obnoxious as 20-something American guides. That said - climbing near and with 20-something kids is usually painful regardless of whether or not they are guides. Most obnoxious apprentice guides burn out in their 20s. Those who hang on usually figure out that the only way to make a career out of it is to be friendly and cordial to everyone.