rhyang

I bolted a grivel slider on an aztar just out of curiosity a couple years ago - Haven't tried actually climbing on it though

I've also used petzl vasaks (leverlock binding - pretty much like newmatic), camp ice riders (auto) and newmatic-style sabretooths (the old black ones, not the newer ones) with the lowas. But you might find it a good idea to take your boots with you when you go crampon shopping to make sure they fit. Good luck !

There are a couple of "windows" where you can traverse onto Casaval from the gulch. Traversing from Casaval into West Face Gully is doable, but if you really want to climb WFG it's better to start from Hidden Valley, which IMO is more sheltered and less of a zoo than Helen. Here's a shot of Casaval from 2006, from about 10300' - You can see the traverse to WFG around 11500'. I suspect most folks were using that as a descent back to their camps on Casaval (myself included).

I soloed Sahale via the Quien Sabe glacier in the mountain expert's several years ago in August. They are lighter and more nimble than the cristallo's. The sole is not as thick and heavy. I've done various Sierra class 3-4 stuff in them. I also use a heel lock knot (google should pick this up) with them and the cristallos, to prevent heel lift. But it all comes down to what fits you. I haven't worn lowa hiking boots for a number of years, so I don't know if their mountain boot lasts are different from their hiking lasts. Good luck ! edit: I usually replace the insoles in my hiking boots, but didn't bother with the lowas. But you may want to, depending on how they fit.

Another one at STP I would look at is the Lowa Mountain Expert. Looks like STP hosed up the search indexing and I think the listed weight is wrong, since I have a pair of these boots and in size 10 they are around 4 pounds, 2 ounces. I also have an older version of the cristallo x pro's - the cristallo expert. The difference seems to be that the x pro has a thicker / heavier sole. I did Rainier in the cristallo experts (kautz glacier), Shasta a bunch of times, and various winter stuff in the Sierra. The mountain experts are lighter and the ankle cuff is not as high. BD sabretooth step-in crampons seem to fit them fine, and I've led Sierra alpine ice couloirs in them with those or G14 newmatics. I feel better about rock scrambling / easy climbing in them vs. the cristallos personally.

For those of you who have grivel x-monsters, quantum techs, matrix techs, etc. -- have you bothered to tune the picks at all ? I'm giving some thought to rounding the top corner off and perhaps enhancing the bevel on the teeth a bit (mainly to enhance cleaning), but wanted to see if anyone else had done it with any success first ..

Sweet

Placing a C4 with gloves on seems like it would be easier than with a WC tech friends for mixed climbing, if that's your thing. What do the mixxers think ? Most of my rack is C4's : 0.5 to 4, and I like them, but I learned to lead trad on a partner's older camalots (no thumb loops).

Nice work The north ridge of Conness is a great solo, though I personally wimped out and rapped the 5.6 downclimb Didja get any shots of the right couloir on North Peak ?

previous thread

Congrats ! re: driving - when I broke my left talus, I could not operate the clutch in my standard-transmission car. However, I had a hand-operated lever installed under the dash by a company that does this kind of thing (obviously I had to get used to shifting before/after turns, but that's another story ...) I don't know who could do that in the PNW however, nor if that would work at all for the right side (or if it would fit on your car)

Sweet. Congrats ! Was there a nut still fixed in the first pitch chimney (I remember that from last August) ?

Looks like Mountain Laurel Designs makes a lightweight bivy with an eVent top. I've only ordered a silnylon tarp from him before (several years ago) and thought his workmanship was good, but haven't tried this product yet ... looks like 6-8 week lead time, and you'd have to seam-seal it yourself. Presently I have an OR basic bivy - goretex w/bug netting, about 20 oz. It works ok ...

moosejaw.com + coupon codes you can google for backcountry.com + coupon codes you can google for

I see that usoutdoorstore.com is selling camp antibotts - wonder if these would work ... (though probably not as well as the grivels)

Oops, now that I think about it Tuesday was supposed to be their summit day. Again, congrats !

Congrats guys ! Didja see Miguel, Brad, and Dave from Cali up there ?

:tup:

I broke my talus in 1993 (I was 27 then) in a motorcycle accident - that bone gets poor blood supply, and I was told I had a 50% chance of ever walking again. I spent 3 months in a plaster cast, and had to have physical therapy for a while afterwards. It took two years to really heal and it still bothers me after a really long day, but yoga and regular exercise helps a lot. I just broke the calcaneus in my other foot at the end of March, after a bad bouldering fall outside (sounds familiar). The ER doc said the fracture was clean, and that while sometimes these things need surgical reduction it was likely that I would simply need 6 weeks in a cast. They put me in a temporary dressing since the foot was very swollen. I did not see an orthopedist until about 6 days after the accident due to scheduling issues. They took some x-rays, put me in a temporary splint and scheduled a CT scan. The bone had been broken in an unusual place, where it is supposedly strongest. I rested, kept the foot elevated, and kept watch for compartment syndrome. About two weeks after the accident the swelling had gone down, and the doc put me in a fiberglass cast (non-weight-bearing) for five weeks. After looking at the CT results the doc said no surgery was required. Two weeks into that (four weeks after the accident) I found myself extremely bored, and went back to the gym regularly. I did not weight that foot, but worked out on the weight machines, did what stretching I could, and worked on my core. A week ago (seven weeks after the accident) they removed the cast, took another x-ray and put me in a removable walking cast, with an adjustable air pump. It's healing, but I'm 40 years old now, and I guess things don't mend as quickly as they used to. I'm not supposed to hike or climb or ride my bike for three more weeks, at which time I'll go back and they'll look at progress so far. The calf muscle in that leg was pretty shriveled after the fiberglass came off, but I'm working on it ... there's a calf press machine at the gym and they said I could ride the stationary bikes (great to be able to do anything aerobic again). I've also started doing some light bouldering and campusing on V0's & such, but for obvious reasons am very careful about where the landing pad is ... Good luck and quick healing !

I bet Feather will be good, and perhaps in early this year. It's a haul to get to though. Darwin North Face might not be bad consolation (40-45 deg) if Mendel looks crappy, and you could scope it out from Lamarck Col.

Hmm, I thought Z1-Z2 were aid pieces ... Z3-Z4 are supposedly rated to 6kN according to their spec chart.

Nice pics and good work