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rhyang

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Everything posted by rhyang

  1. I'd guess at this time of year the summer boots are being closed out for next year's models. [by the way, I was looking at the deal mgear.com has on Tecnica T-Rock's ($199). I took a glacier class last month with a guy who had just bought a brand new pair from a shop for more than $300. Not sure if they are any good for people with wide toes and narrow heels]
  2. Hate to ask a stupid question, but could you be talking about the Garmont Tower ? http://www.rockandice.com/gear/123/gear.1232.html
  3. Just noticed the new Sabretooth crampons ... looks like they have a more adjustable heel lever, among other things ...
  4. For anyone else wondering - picked these up on sale at REI for $199. I usually wear a size 9.5 street shoe and size 10 boot, and size 9.5 in these feels good, even with thick socks. I normally wear wide sizes or Salomons and so far have no complaints about toe room. Very flexible ankles (not as much support). Sole stiffness feels equivalent to a 3/4 shank I'd guess. Heel area feels really good. Seems like a stiff-soled hiking boot to me with a full rand and Vibram. Has a double-tongue. Weight just under 4 pounds. Well, those are my impressions after walking around the house anyway ...
  5. These ? http://www.neclimbs.com/reviews/review.php?ReviewID=20030215 http://www.glacierglove.com/pages/iceclimb.htm
  6. These don't appear to be aluminum (those would be the Raid Lite). The weight listed is 28 oz.
  7. Someone on a backpacking list pointed these out a while ago - they look pretty much the same as Performance Bike's Radial II cycling glasses (www.performancebike.com). What would worry me is that I'm not sure what kind of light transmission the lenses have. EDIT: oh never mind, they list the light transmission for each kind of lens. btw Personally I wear glacier glasses made as per these instructions: http://www.climber.org/gear/glasses.html#eckert I think Opticus offers a similar kind of lens.
  8. Just an fyi: Bought a 66cm Evo (slider, not the long leash), and used it last weekend on the north side of Mt. Shasta. Did some group-arrest practice with a rope team and didn't notice any problems. Plunged the pick into glacier ice during crevasse rescue practice, and was pretty well impressed. The steel spike worked well on summit day, where we encountered patches of blue ice. In areas of talus / rock I had to use the axe for balance. Pounded a picket in with the spine. Dug out a buried deadman with the adze, where it was good to have a solid 'shovel'. Good solid tool. The guides were using BD Raven's, so can't really say I was pushing the limits of the tool, except maybe for the glacier 'ice climbing' (really just hauling myself out of the crevasse after prusiking up). It was kinda cool to whack that pick in and lever myself up while gripping the adze. Afterwards, had to sharpen up the spike a bit because of all the clanking on rock, and some of the fancy paint job was pretty well smudged. Small spots of light rust were evident on the head, but that seems normal for Grivel chromoly steel.
  9. The pick has positive clearance, and the shaft bend seems like it would offer more leverage in a self-arrest situation. All theoretical, of course.
  10. Quick question: what's your street shoe size, and what size did you end up wearing ? Any follow-up on these boots ?
  11. I notice that the Air Tech Racing (B-rated) has that cut-off shaft thing which is supposed to function like a spike, but the regular Air Tech (T-rated) looks like it has a real spike (could be wrong). Anyhow, thanks for the info.
  12. I meant the Helium EQ, sorry. Like I said, none of the other Marmot bags I own/have owned have had that smell. It certainly isn't a very strong smell, either. Makes me wonder if a rodent pissed on it overnight while I was sleeping out or something...
  13. Thanks for pointing this out. I have this bag (used a couple of days this spring), and can confirm that there is some kind of funky smell to it. It's weird, because I've also got a Couloir, and used to own a Hydrogen, and didn't experience that smell. Fortunately, Marmot's customer service is supposed to be very good. AFAIK the seams aren't sealed, so I wouldn't recommend using the bag as a bivy by itself. Plus the shell fabric is not waterproof, despite what some of these stores say - 'highly water-resistant' is probably a better term. I can confirm that it beads off moisture extremely well.
  14. Just wondering if anyone has opinion on the Grivel Air Tech Evolution ice axe. Do you think it's an improvement over the regular Air Tech ? (I know, 'for what' would be the next question)
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