wfinley

Jens - most phones today are only digital; older cell phones are analog - the phones inbetween are both - but often times you had to manually switch them. Analog phones transmit using radio frequency modulation (FM) and are thus better for long distance (I've made calls with mine from remote peaks in the wrangells and in the ak range). On the other hand digital is clearer and better for chatting with your homies.

A few years ago I was caught in a storm while descending Mt. Blackburn in the Wrangells. I've never seen anything like it - the winds were howling at a sustained 50+ mph and the ridge was literally disintegrating beneath our feet. After fighting our way down for 3000' we couldn't take it anymore and bivied in a snowcave. If the weather is even remotly close to what we experienced then I could never wish for another party to come to our aid; ave conditions were far too dangerous and the wind was unreal. Our night in the snowcave was sobering; luckily the weather cleared and we were able to pick our way down to high camp. I can only imagine what those guys are thinking right now. (edited to be nicer)

Isn't this a digital vs analog problem?

I can attest to that.

The flip side to this is going into the Teton Ranger station and asking about routes. A couple summers ago we asked about conditions on Owen and the ranger was like "Awww - I usually just take sneakers up that... maybe an axe." We wore crampons the entire route! As for Dougherty's guide - I have met many a person who went off their rocker complaining about Dougherty's time estimates. If he had humanitarian goals perhaps he should have considered how fat and slow american alpinist such as myself are.

Climbing accidents have been front page news since the Everest debacle. Anyone can get lost in the woods, but getting pinned down in storm near the summit of a peak... that's sexy! Stay tuned for the ABC's "High Altitude Rescue - The Mini Series" this spring!

Watch your language!! http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/12/13/tracing-a-climbers-footprints-in-cyberspace/

Yeah... like on Denali. Are you ready to shell out $500 to climb Mt Hood?

I agree that flexibility is needed whenever doing alpine routes - and I don't think any alpine climber would disagree. Regarding visitors vs locals and conditions... I can't speak for OR / WA but in AK the majority of accidents (in sum and proportionally) due to conditions involve locals. This isn't really a Cascades issue - bad weather is everywhere (think about Mt. Washington). Locals might be aware of conditions but familiarity of an area / region often cancels out fears regarding conditions. How many times do you go skiing during high ave conditions just b/c you know that certain runs don't (or rarely) slide? On the other hand if you were visiting you'd probably not ski in that area b/c you wouldn't know what to ski. As for conditions and reporting - the best system I've ever seen is at the Ice Fields Office in Banff / Jasper. At the ranger's desk there is a detailed log book for the area with excellent details regarding routes / conditions / accidents etc.. People are really good about updating it and newly arrived climbers can quickly get a feel for conditions. I've never seen this in the US - in the US it seems the NPS and USFS want to act as a filter.

Fine... but what about people who have jobs and thus are forced to only climb when they have pre arranged time off. What about kids, babysitters, your mothers sunday brunch that you can't miss? Would these climbers be considered vacation climbers? What about weekend warriors?

I did a quick browse through last years Accidents in NAM. The first 4 listed accidents in OR / WA were: - Ave on N. Sister in May: locals from portland - Frostbite / Lost on Ptarmigan Ridge; these were guides from RMI - Weather on Muir snowfield: guy who died was from Seattle - Fall on Gibraltar Ledges: guy from Port Angeles It seems to me that it is just as likely that locals will get into trouble as visitors. I'm sure that statistically speaking more visitors get into trouble but to advocate some sort of screening process for visitors is a pretty elitist attitude.

Nikwax makes a rope treament product: http://www.nikwax-usa.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=271&activityid=1 I've never used it so I cannot say how well it works.

On day 19 of an Alaskan Range trip I once dreamed that my girlfriend was baking a chocolate cake naked. When I walked into the kitchen she began rubbing the frosting all over her breasts. I was about to start cleaning off the frosting off when my climbing partner woke me and said it was time to get moving. On day 21 I dreamed I was in a kitchen with a hot Latino babe who was making chicken wings. I was equally mesmerized by her butt and the hot sauce that she was massaging into the wings. On day 25 I dreamed that my dog got into a fight with an Islamic cleric who also happened to be a king salmon.

You need the chain steering wheel: http://hometown.aol.com/halluciddreamer/images/cheech%20&%20chong.bmp In the summer of 2000 a friend of mine and I drove from Seattle to Alaska in a 1978 Ford Cargo van climbing along the way. It was the deluxe setup until we drove through the Yukon where gas was $4 / gallon.

That's 'bantha' and the tusken raiders rode them - not luke.

Only the draws -- not the biners.

Thanks for all the comments!

FWIW my wife opted to go with some big sunglasses (the kind with multiple lens). She figured if they're good enough for the guys in Iraq the they're probably good enough for ice. Besides - her black eye keeps her office mates on their toes. Ps - here's the "Gladiator"

Numbers on Denali have already been capped at 1500 climbers / season. That number has yet to be reached (in 05 it was 1340) but the cap has been imposed.

http://www.northernlatitude.com/sultanaphotos.html

We didn't get on Humanality. Alas - too many climb not enough time! To answer questions -- we were in the Khumbu for 3 weeks and had permits for Pokalde, Island and Lobuje East. We climbed Pokalde via the SE ridge. Island we attempted and made it all the way to the summit headwall before running into a traffic jam of 50+ people - 3/4 of them trying to come down and the rest trying to go up. The headwall was a tangle of ropes and yelling climbers so we bailed. After Island I came down with a nasty respiratory infection and after coughing a hacking for a few days I went on antibiotics and we descended. A few days later we hiked out of the Khumbu, toured around Katmandu and Chitwan and then went to Railey for 8 days of sport routes! PS -- To give you an idea of the crowds on big peaks here's a photo of Amadablam's summit ridge. We were told that this season there were 35 teams attempting the SW ridge -- and each team had an average of 8 people!

My wife took an ice chunk to the face today and now sports a nice shiner and swollen cheek. As a result she now wants a visor. Personally I cringe at the notion of my wife modeling a geeky visor but she is keen to protect her delicate skin from cuts and bruises. Anyone climb with one of these? Are they worth it? Do they fog up?

At Seneca there's one called "Lichen or Leave It'. My favorite named climbs at the New River: "Anal Clenching Adventures" - no one know whether this is named for the appearance of the crack or for your own ass when your feet inevitable slip at the crux. "Lobster in a Cleavage Probe" - a classic 10a dihedral "Keep me tight but don't give me AIDS" "Leave it to Jesus" - an absolutely beautiful 11d finger crack "Jaws" - a 5.9 handcrack full of crystals that bite And finally "Handsome and Well Hung" - a 5.11 dihedral the last part of which was not freed until this year!! (PS - don't google this one)

I really couldn't tell you about specific brands for the environment you're going to. I've been to alot of cold places but I've always worn expensive climbing garments. However... here's what I wear for winter trips up here: Base: Patagonia Mid-weight Polypro Mid Btm: Patagonia Tights Mid Top: Cheap strechy fleece (cheap b/c I always seem to lose them) Outer Btm; Gortex Bibs Outer Top: Gortex Top Insulated Btm: Integral Designs Denali Pants Insulated Top; FF Rock & Ice Parka Feet: Scarpa Invernos Hands: Gloves sized one size too large for extra warmth Head: Nice hat and balaclava If I were you I'd hit 6th Avenue, B&J (corner of C and Northern Lights) and the Army Navy Store (corner of 4th and C) and listen to everyone's speal and then make your decision. If you're looking for lighter stuff for hiking AMH will sell you a good down coat and some lightweight boots. Likewise Barney's (northern lights & spenard) carries some good boots that are popular with sheep hunters up north.

Hi all... I am back from my travels in Asia. Thanks to all of you who helped me plan this trip. Your help was crucial!! I owe you all beers. I'll be adding a real TR later along with more pix. In the meantime enjoy these few pix. In short we were gone 6 weeks; spent 1 month in Nepal; 3 weeks in the Khumbu and 1 week in Katmandu and Chitwan National Park. We followed this up with 2 weeks in Thailand where we went sport climbing on Tonsai Beach. Trip Highs: Camping out with a view of Ama Dablam out the vestible. Teaching our porters how tie into a rope and place rock gear! Climbing on the beach!! (I haven't been to a real beach (beaches in Alaska don't count) in over 20 years.) Trip Lows: Reaching the headwall of Island to find a bottleneck of 60+ climbers all fighting for a chance to either head up or rap down. Crashing at a beach beach bungalow at Tonsai only to discover (after going to bed at 9) that the epi-center of an all-night techno rager was a mere 100 meters away. Gear Notes: We brought everything. Packing for glaciers at 20,000' and sport climbing at 0' is hard. Good thing China airlines lets you bring 2 30 Kilo bags. Approach Notes: My wife had a free ticket. She flew from Anchorage to Chicago to Toyko to Bangkok to Katmandu. It took her 39 hours. I flew direct to KTM from Anch via Taiwan and BKK but it cost me $1500. Books Read: My wife struggled through The Brothers Karamazov and is still fighting to finish it before Christmas. I read: Bangkok Dangerous, A Scanner Darkly, Vineland and Blood Meridian. They were all excellent reads!! Once again - thanks to everyone who responded to my multiple questions. You helped us plan an awesome trip!! More pix here.