tlinn

Splitboards are fun for doing laps, but if you're doing an approach to a mountain you're better off with an AT or tele setup. Saves taking the board apart, or putting it back together every time you get to a hill.

I don't know if this is all that extreme...but I think the most inconvenient dump must of been taken by whoever relieved themselves at the top of Diedre. I'm just glad I noticed it before I put my hand on that big greasy sloper. I guess if you gotta go, you gotta go...

Sweet! I was going to go visit my parent's place in Hope anyway so I might as well bring my skis along and go up Zoa. Thanks Dru! Is there enough snow to start right from the highway?

"That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age." -Dazed and Confused

Steph Davis

cut all the straps and buckles you don't need off your pack...sounds ridiculous, but if you add it all up you'll be surprised how much weight you'll be saving. Also, buy a brunton crux or snowpeak gigapower stove instead of a white gas model for summer use. Old stove (himalaya varifuel = 440 grams, plus super heavy fuel canister and pump). Snowpeak = 74 grams, plus super light fuel canister. Also, take a six pack of cans instead of a six pack of bottles

Climbed Wedge Mountain NE face this last weekend instead. Found nice blue ice streaks with a few inches of consolidated new snow in between. The new snow made for nice, easy cramponing and the blue ice was great for screws. Placed the odd picket in a few shady pockets where there was more snow. New snow is above 8500 feet.

Finally scored the roadie van eh steffan!

If you wanna buy a very small, practical rack I would buy a full set of nuts, add the orange and yellow metolious tcus, the pink and red tricams, plus a number one and a number two black diamond camalot. Those just seem to be the pieces that I place the most often at Squamish. The orange tcu is my favorite.

Is the North Face of Shuksan still in condition or is it too broken up? It seems like most of the fresh snow over the past two weeks has melted off and it could be good.

I was there in February and did some stuff at a place called El Chorro, a few hours north of Malaga. Mainly sport climbing but some pretty cool long trad routes exist in the canyon. Probably a bit too hot right now. But the El Chorro Rockfax guide is the book to get. Another cool place is Tarifa. We camped right at the bottom of the cliffs with a view over the Atlantic. You can always cool down at the beach if it gets too hot. The guidebook for that area is called Escalar en Cadiz and is in Spanish. If you're lucky you can get a copy from an English climber who publishes them in Tarifa. He had boxes full of them and gave me and my friend a few extras. Unfortunately I left them all with my friend in Europe.

Yeah, fun route...the swelling just went down in my leg.