tlinn

Let's keep our fingers crossed Jbetoo! I'm waiting in Lima right now for the late night bus to Huaraz. We're planning on giving Shaqsha a go on Sunday. We spent a week around Cuzco acclimatizing and hiking around Machu Pichu. There was fresh snow on some of the peaks above 5000 meters (roughly).

I sent the arete yesterday which was a lot of fun. Drew's slab pitch has gotten a lot stickier with the rain and is ready to go. The first pitch of the Drew-Tyler link-up is in great shape but the last pitch is still a bit mossy.

Hey, I think I saw that guy at the Blue Moose! That was a lot of work but well worth it. Thanks Dru!

Climb: Mt. Matier-northeast ridge Date of Climb: 6/19/2005 Trip Report: A large posse of VOC/VOC alumni went up to the Keith's Hut on Saturday night. Matt and Scott were hoping to ski the NW face so when they found out a few days before that we wanted to climb it we made plans to combine our efforts. We all met up at Keith's Hut, soaking wet on Saturday night and settled in for the night. The plan was for us to climb the face, scope the conditions, and then take some photos of them skiing it! The hut was a very social on Saturday night. There were a few search and rescue teams coming up to work on some crevasse rescue stuff. I wanted to celebrate being three weeks away from graduation so I encouraged everyone to pack up wine and beer which lightened the mood a little on Saturdy night. Sunday morning started off a little dreary but the clouds lifted as we reached the col between Matier and Joffre. The whole way up the Anniversary Glacier there were flows coming down off the East Ridge of Matier. The snow was super sloppy from all the rain and that a ski descent or climb of the NW face wasn't meant to be. Instead we all headed up the standard route and topped out on the ridge of Matier above the clouds! Unfotunately, the batteries in my camera died so I'll have to rely on someone else to post photos....maybe Andrew? It was a spectacular day in the end. Matt Gunn ended up skiing almost all the way off the summit down the standard route of Matier. By the way, the bergschrund on the NW face of Matier is completely filled in! Gear Notes: ice axe, rope

Yeah, pickets do suck. On the weekend I did some experimenting you might find interesting. We've all heard that pickets placed sideways in soft snow is the way to go. But in practice does everyone take the time to dig out a pit and place them that way? On the weekend on some super soft snow I placed a picket sideways and me and my climbing partner were putting all of our weight on it and pulling on it as hard as possible and we couldn't get it to go. We placed it vertically and it could barely hold the weight of one of us. T-axe anchors as expected kicked ass. Just something to think about. Something I had wanted to try but hadn't really gotten around to it. I usually just carry the short ones on my harness or on a sling and just avoid the long ones all together.

Thanks for the TR Dru! Sounds like you made the most of it despite the leg eating shark and avalanches.

I went to the travel clinic yesterday to get all the travel meds I need for my trip to Peru this summer. The consultation itself cost $35 dollars CDN at the Travel Clinic at 1030 W. Georgia in Vancouver. They prescribed me some Diamox (acetazolamide) and said I should take 1/2 to 1 pill twice a day. They said if I get into trouble I should take 1 to 2 twice a day. She said the Diamox is pretty cheap although I haven't picked up the pills yet. Not sure how much it is for Americans. After all was said and done I had three shots (hep. A, B, yellow fever) and I got some oral medications for typhoid and for cholera (e.coli). She said the cholera medicine will reduce my chances of getting traveller's diarrhea by 50%. I also got some cipro which she also said was good for clearing up bronchial infections. Also, she said I didn't really need the yellow fever shot but for political reasons I need it to enter Brazil (I have a six day lay over in Sao Paulo). She said even in La Paz you don't need the yellow fever. only if you're going right down into the Amazon. I highly recommend the place. The staff were very helpful. Total damage was $285 CDN but I'm sure it'll be worth it just for the diarrhea medicine.

Two weekends ago it was fine on the upper Overlord Glacier as far as the boot track. But if you were to drop down a bit lower on the shoulder of Overlord there were a few big ones that had already opened up. We didn't go any further then the top of the boot track because the weather was coming in and the visibility sucked.

I was wondering the same thing about the cornice. Has anyone gone up and had a look, or better yet, climbed it?

In Manning Park, just north of the border there's little or no snow until over 5500 feet. At this elevation some south facing slopes are bare. North facing, shadowy areas have about 3 feet.

Dru, I'm going to be back and forth from Hope for the rest of this month and through the May/June school semester so I'll be up for doing some climbing/scrubbing. I managed to squeeze a hike in before the storm hit today. Watch out for ticks.

I ordered the 10.5 UK from STP...hoping it won't be too small. Didn't get the 20% off, but still a good deal. There's a 5% discount for first time orders. A note on Canada Customs: no duty after 48 hours on up to 200 dollars of stuff...so ship them south, go on a mountaineering trip and then bring them back. I'll be picking them up in Seattle in a few weeks. Thanks for the help.

Dustin, any chance the 10.5 on the back of your Scarpa is a 10.5 UK? If it is, it would be a 11.5 US and then it would be the same as your street shoe. And then I would probably order a 10.5 UK as well. Thanks,

That's very good news seen as how the only ones they have left are the same as my street shoe size! I have a really narrow foot so I'm glad to hear that they're a low volume boot. I'll probably call around Vancouver and see if any of the stores have a pair I can try on just to be safe. Thanks!

Can an owner of a Scarpa Alpha tell me how closely they fit compared to a street shoe? I'd like to get a pair off the net but sizing is definetely an issue. I might just order them and send them back if they don't fit but it would be nice to estimate a ballpark size. I'm an 11.5 US street shoe. Thanks

Have you guys planned some routes as "must do's"? I just got Brad Johnson's book Classic Climbs of the Cordillera Blanca and I'm having trouble narrowing it down but I'm definetely getting stoked. I have Artesonraju, Quitaraju, and Tocclaraju on my "must do" list. I probably didn't spell those right, but oh well. What are some other must do routes? Are there some great routes that have been overlooked in Brad Johsnon's book? We want to focus on snow/ice routes in the AD- to D+ range. Will be there for 4 to 6 weeks. Cheers

Unfortunately the weather didn't look that good on Friday so I didn't get the liberty of skipping class and trying anything. Nice photo though.

Your avatar helps with the altitude

Just wondering what the conditions are shaping up to be in the Rockies...when does the North Face of Robson usually come into condition? Thanks

Sweet! That gives me some motivation to skip my Friday class and head up! The joys of being a student.

hey Nick, We're flying down with continental on the July 2 which isn't the cheapest time to fly down. A friend of mine is going down in early May and found some insanely cheap fair with Travel Cuts, something like 900 CDN after tax, but she's also a student so that may be part of the reason it's so cheap. But check it out anyway. Our flight is $1090 plus tax but you can fly with American on July 4 for only $990 plus tax. Anyway, have fun and maybe we'll cya down there!

That's good news to hear, especially the part about the Blanca being so amazing. I'll definetely enjoy! A couple questions: - wondering whether to bring a canister stove or a fuel bottle stove? Any difficulties getting canisters or white gas down there? - are plastic boots the only thing to wear or can you get away with leathers?

Guidebook is called Escalader en Cadiz. It may be covered in Costa Blanca rock as well by Rockfax but not sure.

Tarifa Spain a few hours drive south of Seville. Lots of sport climbs with almost no crowds. Great views of the ocean all the way to Morocco. It's great for windsurfing and the town is cool. It doesn't have a huge number of climbs but you could easily spend a week there.

So I finally booked my ticket down to Lima from Vancouver for early July. Planning on heading straight to Huaraz to acclimatize.... Any recommendations on places to stay down there? Do you need to book ahead or just show up? It sounds like it gets pretty busy. Thanks