mccallboater

Another plug for Nokian Hakkapeliitta's. They are the most popular winter tire in the McCall/Cascade area. Considering how unknown they are elsewhere, that's a pretty ringing endorsement. I've put them on 5 different vehicles so far.

McCall is a bit more than 4 hours from Spokane, but it boasts superb steep skiing and consistently better snow than either Spokane or the Cascades have to offer. Plus a local backcountry crowd that still knows something about farming a slope for turns. Just a thought.

I also have the old Chonaird (spelling?) metal one that works pretty well with my 70cm ice ax. It's practically indestructible and has a nice curve for finishing the insides of ice caves. It's also done double duty as a snow melting platform, producing about a pint of water per scoop over the stove.

Dynafit binders and compatable boots rule the backcountry around here. If you can find a setup on Craigslist or somewhere for a fair price, jump on it.

It depends on what kind of skiing one wants to do. Approach a climb, cross glaciers, kerflump your way down blue-diamond type descents...mountainering boots, Silvretta 500's and an easy-turning ski do just fine. Steep stuff, boilerplate ice, etc., I use my AT setup. ANybody who's skied with me knows I'm not superman on skis.

at risk of repetition: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/798157/Re_Approach_skis_for_the_medio#Post798157 Basically, mountaineering boots work fine if you really know how to ski.

The dude knows his stuff. I just finished listening. What a contrast to listening to Palin spout platitudes about getting government off of business's back. I admire Mr. Buffett's confidence in the US economy, while I'm terrified to hear him equate the current financial crisis to Pearl Harbor. Maybe I need to swallow my bile and write Bill Sali (unfortunately my congressman) to get that bill passed. I'll suggest he listens to the same program.

High, just look around the whole Lake Fork creek, and over the top of the summit, Lick Creek drainages. But I think you may be a little late for this year. The following is snipped from today's NOAA forecast discussion: .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...FIRST WAVE OF UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY...WITH THE MAIN LOW AND COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA ON SATURDAY. GFS INDICATES A BRIEF BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION MAY BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY BETWEEN THE FIRST WAVE AND MAIN LOW ON SATURDAY...BUT FOR NOW HAVE CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF POPS IN THE FORECAST DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY UNTIL THERE IS BETTER CONFIDENCE. MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE A LONG PLUME OF DEEP MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM ON SATURDAY...WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 0.75-1.00 INCHES. HAVE CONTINUED TO TREND POPS UPWARD ON SATURDAY AS CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST INCREASES. PASSAGE OF SATURDAYS COLD FRONT WILL CREATE GUSTY WINDS...AND MAY TRIGGER CONVECTION IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. HAVE ADDED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE FORECAST SATURDAY...MAINLY IN THE WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. TEMPERATURES AND SNOW LEVELS WILL FALL BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH SNOW EXPECTED ABOVE 6000 FEET BY SATURDAY NIGHT. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST OF THE REGION ON SUNDAY...FOR A GRADUAL DECREASE IN POPS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. MODELS CONTINUE TO DIFFER LATE IN THE EXTENDED...BUT OVERALL PATTERN LOOKS TO REMAIN UNSETTLED. HAVE CONTINUED TO TREND FORECAST CLOSER TO CLIMATOLOGY TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. If you are caught on slick rock in a thunderstorm, good luck. Every crack line, and especially the main route, becomes a gully washer. It's pretty terrifying to see one of those from the road, looking back and thinking what it might have been like if I was still up there.

Now, this weekend, is the time to be there. Any takers?

This weekend, before this beautifu weather shuts down. Just bring your harness and shoes.

I have the old-style (2006) Sierra Designs Primaloft Chockstone jacket that is great, but I notice the this year's version doesn't have all the great climbing-specific touches. The hood's smaller, the thumb loops are gone, and I think the large mesh water bottle pockets on the inside are gone. Not as puffy either. You might find the old one on close out cheap somewhere.

A caveat with all the boots of this type. My sole started to delam after about 150 miles on them. My local shoe repair guy fixed it with super glue, but warned that Asolo and ALL of the boots like the trango S have soles assembled with heat-activated glue. So don't relax and enjoy yourself around the campfire. Your boots will fall apart.

And now for a completely different viewpoint:

Steve, That's my boot but with a little more stiffness and front bumper beefiness. I Iike the lacing on the Expert GV too. But it's heavier, alass. Such is life.

Just got back from a 90 mile, 12 day backpacking trip. The Asolo Vortex boots were great. Light, supportive, climbed well. No blisters! I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a good backpacking or light weight mountaineering boot. My only complaint is that the fabric bellows tongue leaks down near the toes. But that was fixed with some waterproofing paint stuff. I also wonder how long the sole-upper contact cement connection will last. I'd rather see a real rand there.

I looked and looked at the N Face of Cramer a week and a half ago on my 12 day trip through the Sawtooths. Even picked out the line on the face that these two did. All I can say is Way to GO! Just getting there is a job, with climbing gear in tow. My cousin and I were hauling nothing extra: my pack weighed about 16 lbs without food and water. No climbing gear at hand for a 90 mile backpack. The face is way up at the end of the Redfish creek drainage. 15 miles maybe of trail from the lake drop off. I believe the 5.10-11 rating.

Are you the guys from NY that I met on your way in and our way out of Barron? We were the two just finishing a 12 day backback through the Sawtooths.

I got rained off the S ridge in an attempt a long time ago. Good to see the campsite isn't trashed yet. But the best news is I now know how to do the move from underneth the roof near the top! The roof looks much more intimidating from the bottom. Thanks John! The rest of Mulvey Basin is just about close to climbing heaven. Did you have time to check out the other nearby peaks?

The N face is fun also. I'd like to know the condition of the pocket glacier just over the saddle on the N side facing Mulvey basin. Is it still there? Or has warming done it in?

Penny Schwyn in Spokane is the best of the best when it comes to gear mods. Specialty Outdoors

Nice job! That's what I remember from way back when. I also remember having an ice ax with me for some odd reason, and camming it in a few cracks to get up the harder stuff. I think the ice ax went along 'cause I didn't own any other climbing gear at age 20, and I thought it was cool. My dog can climb around 5.5 to 5.6 for a move or two, then 4th classes everything else, but I think she's a little out of the ordinary.

I got a call from Sandpoint friends, giving me and my daughter 9 hours to throw our shit together to jump on a 7 day Middle Fork of the Salmon river trip that had a cancellation opportunity. All other life functions come to a skreeching halt when that happens. We pulled it together along with another great couple from McCall, just getting back home last night about midnight. Seven days of bliss watching my 18 year old daughter go from a good class III kayaker to a very solid class IV kayaker. Great weather, great company, perfect water levels...wow. So Slickrock will wait for another day. I saw a rope team on it on the day before we left though. Huckleberries should be starting to ripen up there in a week or two.

Skiing or climbing, take your choice. Turns still to be had on Granite Mtn N face, Council Mtn, or Lick Creek Summit. Or Slick Rock is in.

I'll be up there this weekend. Hope the creek crossing isn't epic.

Should be accessable after this week's hot weather. The snow berm from the plow in my yard finally disapeared yesterday. It survived through the soltice! A new record.