Sweetdoo

I think alot has to do with where you buy. I used to work for REI and we returned some CRAZY stuff. One time we returned ONE (not one pair) old cross country ski boot and replaced it with a new pair because the lady was dissatisfied. With REI though, they can look up you're purchase history if your a member and see if you return crap all the time, or if you buy tons of stuff, and base decisions on that. I will still pay a little extra and buy from them because of thier return policy.......if I can't find it on ebay for cheaper ;-)

I'll give them a buzz, thanks!

From my experience, yes, temp is the deciding factor. I can't think of anytime altitude has affected my stove, but I'm sure if you go high enough it will.

Anybody know anything about road conditions up to the south climb, or access to any other good 1 or 2 day winter climbs on Adams? USFS stopped updating the website in Oct.

Ive had trouble with canister stoves as warm as 30degrees. I've heard of having 2 canisters and keeping one warm while you use the other, and then switching when it becomes to cold. Also heard about taping hand warmers to the canister. Both seem like a pain in the ass. If you have the option, go with a liquid fuel stove that pre-heats the fuel (eg. MSR whisperlight), if you plan on being in a cold area.

Mazama Glacier out of Sunrise Camp (Mt. Adams) is prolly still got some crevasses open on it (I doubt around Xmas though). Not sure if the Yakima Indians have closed the road up to Bird Creek Meadows for the season yet.