paborden

Could someone please convince me why these new cams are so special? I ask because, from the two charts compared above, the new Trango cams gain between .2-.3 compared to the new Camalots. Weight difference is minimal. Maybe I'm missing something, but .2 of an inch doesn't seem groundbreaking, IMHO. Plus, when the axle pivots out as in the animation above, it effectively limits any shallow placement you might want to use... Thoughts?

Got a chance to use it this weekend, actually. Its a little confusing at first, since feeding out slack requires the opposite movement than the grigri (the main lobe pivots upwards to feed out slack, versus downwards on the grigri). That said, once you get the hang of it, on the cinch it is easier to keep your hand in a braking position and feed out slack at the same time. The cinch is also much much lighter and more compact. However, reductions in size come at a price. The brake level on the cinch seems miniscule and is MUCH more pressure sensitive. There is also much less braking surface on the cinch -- whereas the grigri has that entire rolled over flap, the cinch only has an extremely small area directly below where the rope exits the device. On the grigri, you roll the rope to the right, over the braking flap. On the cinch, you have to hold the rope straight down below where it exits the device. Less surface area = less braking. Because of this, I'd feel much less comfortable handing the cinch to someone not familiar with the device or belaying in general. Granted, that's not something you really want to do with a grigri, either -- but, with the cinch, you really really don't want to do it. So, my thoughts were mixed. Old habits die hard, I guess. But the real reason for my reluctance? Clearly, if I used the cinch across the pond, all my euro friends would laugh at me...

Yeah, S = Synthetic. Duh. I'm stupid.

I'm in the market for a pair of lightweight leathers at the moment and the La Sportiva Trango Extreme S seemed like it might fit the bill. Does anyone have any personal experience with this boot? Is it sufficiently warm? How's the fit -- similar to the Makalu?

That's nothing new -- Twight's been using that tool for years:

Yet, you can buy replacement fronts for both the dart and darttwin. Seems inconsistent...

I'm a cheap bastard so I suppose my attempts to save a buck don't warrant any complaints... But, seriously. If I owned a pair, they then wore out through heavy use, and I couldn't replace the front...I'd be pissed. The monster is one thing...but disposable crampons? Please.[/rant off]

Does anyone know if Petzl makes a front replacent for their Sarken crampon? I have another model that I'd like to trade out the front for the Sarken ($). Everyone I call about this, however, pleads ignorance. Petzl makes replacements for both the Dart and Darttwin, yet there's no mention of a Sarken replacement on their website or in their catalog. What's the deal?

Like these?:

Now that I'm finally getting my ice rack together, I need a good way to rack my Grivel 360s (17cm). I realize this has already been discussed, at length. My question is a more specific one: I've heard that Grivel's espresso/panpipe they make for this purpose is awesome. However, I'm a cheap bastard and the CM Petzl version (called the iceflute) is about half the price. I have a mix of 360s and Laser Sonics and, while I know the iceflute will work for the CM screws, I was wondering -- will the iceflute work with the 360s? Does anyone have any first hand experience on this matter?

http://www.hmmountaineering.com/ currently has the WT Belay Jacket (L, XL) on sale for $182. They also have Grivel 360s for $39 -- though I got the last of the 17s...

Since these tools have just hit the market, I've been unable to find much feedback on these tools online -- short of, of course, testimonials by climbers...sponsored by Grivel. Has anyone used these tools who could give detailed feedback? At the moment, I'm not in a place where I can run out and just demo these -- so, discussions of balance, swing, comparisons to other tools etc, etc would be of much help

Has anyone tried -- or know if its possible -- to adapt the front piece of Sabretooth crampons to the rear of a M10 crampon? Short of doing some metalwork, the spreader bar on the M10 would have to fit into the requisite space on the Sabretooth frontpiece or vice versa. Does anyone know anything about this?

Quick heads up everyone: Patagonia is now taking orders on the Ready-Mix. They'll have it in stock 1/10 and it'll ship shortly thereafter...

Here's the latest news from BD on this: "The pinky shelf on the Cobra would have to be redesigned and beefed up in order to facilitate a Fang attachment (as is, it just wouldn't be strong enough.) There are no plans to change the tool, consequently the Fang will not be an option for the Cobra." Hmmm...there's still gotta be a way to do it, though.

One pair M10 antibot plates, never used. $20, shipping included. Retail is $35. PM or email pborden@uchicago.edu

I also hear the Courmayeur pants are nice -- they're on sale at Pro Mountain, at the moment.

I'm looking for a general, tackle-anything hardshell for those days when a soft shell ain't gonna cut it -- i.e. wet, late-season ice and when the mountains really decide to sh*t on me. I'm pretty much deciding between the Pradagonia Stretch Element and the Arc'teryx Alpha SL. I haven't been able to try on the ASL (the SE, on the other hand, fits amazingly well and feels sooo good) but it does weigh about 1/3 less than the SE (12oz vs. 18oz). Any suggestions? Also, on another note, has anyone used Patagonia's new down parka (as you can see, I'm salivating over all manner of gear at the moment)?