Coldfinger

Howdy, will ship free to lower 48, PayPal preferred, reasonable offers welcome. 1. Black Diamond Pursuit Gloves, Size S, excellent condition, used once, $35 $40. 2. SOLD Black Diamond Legend Gloves, size M, well used but good, SOLD $35. 3. SOLD DMM 4CU, size 2.5, great condition, used once, no falls, SOLD $35.

I hear ya on expense, but I'm using TCU's to cover below .5 (and eventually to double the .5 and .75) and they are both way lighter and way cheaper than C4's and especially c3's. The new stem works just about as well as a thumb loop, I was really surprised by that, since it is WIDE. I'm not touching offwidth so I'm fine with 3.5 and 4 Tech friends which are cheap and light. Love those doubled slings and 13.75 cam angle.

Well, these boots are a good example of why I have a limited career as a gear reviewer (despite apparently having too much time on my hands lately...): Since I am poor, I buy a lot of closeouts and I'm not sure anyone will even be able to find a pair of these to buy. If you can, buy 'em! I can tell you everywhere I go, they make quite an impression. My 2 cents with single boots (especially if you have weird/hard to fit feet like I do) is that modern composite kevlar fabrics are THE way to go over leather, especially if the lower portion is ALL fabric. Why? They are capable of giving and flexing in places and ways that leather simply cannot, the break in period is short to non-existant and in the case of the Spyder, it has a minimal rand (that orange lace stuff) that still protects the boot without compromising the boot's ability to mold to your foot. If you crank the laces down, you really get a perfect fit for climbing, better than leather IMHO. (You might ask what I meant by Rands being a problem but this but here's a story: I bought the Spyder's cousin the Extreme GTX, branded as EMS' Arete, for $117 which was a steal of a deal for a full leather, Italian made, full shank, goretex, step in compatible boot. HOWEVER it has one hell of a rand and for the life of me I couldn't get the damn thing fully broken in until I took it down to the local cowboy shop and had them crank the sh*t out of it for two overnight sessions with a stretcher. So I'm not a fan of leather boots with big rands for a technical fit or weird feet.) Anyhow, this boot has a carbonfiber midsole, warm and just enough flex to give it a natural feel walking and climbing, double layer of GTX Duratherm, so it is very warm, and excellent lacing system that allows one to lock down the laces mid-height for variable lace tension or not. It really climbs rock very well and has a good mixture of ankle support and flex. The plastic heel cup really helps these somewhat soft uppers hold firm for good front pointing support, and with the carbonfiber shank, provide a rigid yet forgiving structure). For its strength climbing and warmth it is VERY light (2lbs ea. ish). It takes step in bindings. I'd say it is the perfect boot for any situation where one has to walk in a long distance and then climb in the cold (Andes come to mind). They really are super comfortable. This is probably a good example of a GREAT boot not doing well in the market simply because it lacked good marketing or brand name X.

I got the ones with a toe bail and actually replaced that set with Petzl toe bails (good idea Dane!), a tad lighter but a much better fit to the toe welt. I use Aku Spyder Kevlar GTX boots (very high quality hand made in Italy) and just picked up a pair of Scarpa Omegas wicked cheap. One spin in the Aku's on alpine went well, will see how they do at the Bozeman Ice Fest. My 2 cents is that the plastic toe cap style are great for mountaineering (as they fit anything, even overboots and are easier to put on and really can't come off) or lightweight alpine (boots with no toe welt and that have some flex--better walking) but are NOT nearly as good for hard (hardness), steep or hard ice. Had a pair of Sarkens like that and had a lot of wiggle. Toe bails are also a tad more adjustable, especially as the points wear.

Hey sorry I forgot one: If you turn your foot a little to the side, you can use pick holes with duallys.

Well..... Here's my top ten. #1 Had Dartwins and they absolutely positively sucked for alpine ice, mainly the bottom points (or the configuration and lack thereof). Cant see how a Dart or any other pon with crappy underfoot points (they don't do french but you can hang from your ankles above your head--come on!) will suck less. Yeah and no antibot! #2 Got Sabers on sale and I DON'T have the luxury of spending $$$ on tools ($300 each? WTF!) or multiple sets of crampons. They'll do anything and do it well. #3 They're much lighter than dedicated steep ice G14 or Bionic rails. #4 I don't put ALL my weight on a tool (it happened once b/c a serious chunk of ice blew and took out my feet and the other tool) so maybe Horizontals are less prone to shearing that way as I DO put all my weight on them. #5 Lots of folks with vertical points use TWO, because you guessed it--they're less prone to shearing. #6 There's no need to front point everything anyway, especially on alpine ice. Nice thing about even waterfall ice is that it has FEATURES, so I can often use the side of my front rail or even flat foot (much less prone to fracturing ice BTW). #7 People like Colin and Will do things way harder than I'll ever do and they work well. I'd be embarrassed to wear mono fruit boots and still suck (matching tights too?). #8 People like me do easy to moderate to slightly hardman hard stuff, which is exactly what the Sabers were designed for. #9 Did I mention that ice varies in its condition and horizontals do VERY well (better than a mono vertical) in many of these. #10 I believe everything I see on the internet and Dane has a really cool blog and I want him to like me (which helps as I'm poor and he buys my used junk and makes me feel better about buying cheap pons and sticks). BTW you're NOT Dane, nice try. Now for cup #2 of java. And I do believe it's good to practice climbing on waterfall ice with the same equipment you'd use up high.

I'm going to be leashless in about one week, pretty stoked. I have to say the whole leash thing kinda freaked me out, being pumped stupid and tied to my tools, circulation cut off, all the wriggling in and out of em to get in pro, etc. That being said i'm not sure how I am going to react to that first day, I am thinking I'll be really focused on hauling ass, which is a nice way to dance on--instead of hack up--the ice. PS I'm switching to horizontal front points! Thinner gloves are going to be fun tho, I'm SURE I'll like that!

Huh? It annoys me to have to carry a boatload of draws, but to each their own, can't go wrong with either really.

Great photos, especially that one of you guys and Golden Mean, thanks for the stoke!

There has been a VERY significant development in Chinalots, er Camalots, in terms of weight, cam angle, quality of finish and slings--it's called a DMM DRAGON!

Did I say....... SOLD! Thanks...

Howdy, will ship free to lower 48, great condition, PayPal only, used once, Size Small, pic below. $40

It is both cold and isolated here in Wyoming. We are very exposed to the wind to boot. The car is quite often a ways away. I recall Cascade winters feeling almost balmy. And yes I have worn a very close clone of your faves, not Gardening gloves (I am not so much of an idiot that I'd wear "gardening gloves" for a fourteen hour continuous shift outside at night at 40 below). I didn't like the fit either. And yes you feel wet, the majority of surface area doesn't breathe at all, and the back is not very water resistant. And no my gloves didn't cost me $100 a pair, not even close. I find it a bit disingenuous to compare Ninjas to $100+ gloves as Ninjas compare more closely to softshell gloves in the 40-50 dollar range (without a sale price). Are you seriously telling me you'd use a Ninja at 21,000 feet or in Denali NP? So while I am sure these Ninjas work well in many circumstances, not for me. Look, they're just fine for winter sport climbing, but I'd never trust them in deep cold or winter alpine/mountaineering. Like I said I really do have a coldfinger. Let's just be clear for those who don't have the years of winter experience we do that these are good or even great gloves, but with serious limitations. If you total up the expense of gear--nevermind the road trip costs in terms of gas, lodging, even lost wages--why would one save 25 to 35 bucks at most when gloves are one of the most important tools we use?

Well then, pray tell, what do you use? Or did you mean that's what you use, or that they sell them there. Cornfused. I've actually used gloves quite similar to the Ninja (almost identical) doing pipefitting work outside in a Wyoming winter and was miserable. They are not that warm and I hated the feel of the fabric on my skin when I had been wet for a while. And yes anywhere you have a gas field and cold I'd have to imagine there are truckloads of these type gloves, with brand variance. Call me cantankerous but I am amused by the irony of $600 pair of tools, $600 dollars worth of screws and $6 gloves, but hey if it fits your boat...... Generally I wear gloves (plural) and since I'm not rich buy them on sale, so the sale often chooses the glove. So... Either a lightweight or midweight liner (always) then (current choices) BD Torque, BD Pursuit, BD Legend. All three are champs for me. I've got weird hands and feet so glove/shoe buying is always an ordeal, but I like the softshell type gloves as they are stretchy and more forgiving fit-wise. Hope that helps.

I just have a Tikka Xp2, it aint that much bigger and has way more light and life, and my MilSpec phone (I actually ran this over and it still works) has a VERY bright LED and a huge battery---seems like technology is catching up fast with the little elite.

P.S. It had better be cheap too!

NICE!! And perfect timing--today is Turkey Day!

Well I didn't want to spend a boatload of $$ on rope and didn't want to carry more rope than I needed weight wise and rope clutter wise. Problem with a cheap but good 50m rope is either you can only rap 25m, or you have to buy another rope for $$$$ and 50m raps. The folks just explained how I could rig 40m raps (with either 5mm cord or a 7.7mm climbing rope), which is usually just fine length wise. And now I can rig 30m raps with the Rando! PM Sent!

Not really thread drift at all here's why: All I had for ice/alpine was a 30m Beal Rando 7.7mm. I had found a very light 50m Sterling Nano 9.2mm for $130, and wanted to know could a 50m single rope work? I wanted to test the "conventional wisdom" that the only way to go alpine/ice multipitch was to haul around 60m or 70m or longer ropes or sets of ropes. Plus I'm not sold on twins for CLIMBING (love for rapping), i.e. high impact forces, hard to handle/belay with two skinny ropes with gloves, freezing conditions etc. Part of that was cost, i.e. Sterling Nano 9.2 60m=$205, 70m=$235, 70m bicolor $285 + Beal Ice Twin $189.95 60m/$219.95 70m, or a pair of Twins $379.90 60m, $439.90 70m. Part was weight i.e. for every meter of rope a penalty. Just seemed a little silly to spend some serious $$ on a titanium pot and count grams with every biner and piece of gear (and leave a lot of pro behind), and then haul around pounds of extra rope. A nice upside of Wallstein's method is I'll have 10m marks on either end of the 50m rope thanks to my sharpie, which is always good info for both partners. That and I can use the Rando or a cheap 30m section of pullcord ($25) to get to 40m or pair the pullcord and Rando for a very light 30m rappel set up (1530g). What folks here have offered are ways to get around that "conventional wisdom" at little cost and not too bad a penalty in rap length. WELL DONE!

BD Screws Sold!! Thank you.

True but I still disagree and velcro is more trustworthy than a zipper, besides I don't think that MacGyver ever escaped anything with a zipper. Had a pair of zipper gaiters and hated them, velcro lets one get a nice snug custom fit. I guess I just don't see the advantage of taking what would normally be a double boot and making the zipper the outer fastening, especially if you are someone like me who beats the hell out of his footwear. Well anyway it's not like I'll ever have the $$ to own a pair!

That what you get for using a zipper for feet, we all know where zippers belong, besides I can always do all sorts of other things like kill like a ninja or hang myself (that's why jail has slippers) with my shoelaces. Seriously, IMHO boots are so important, especially if its a specialized boot for high altitude and arctic temps, that laces are the only safe option (perhaps aside from ski boot buckles).

Genius! Think I'll do a little experimenting before I whip out the sharpie and mark that spot...... Guess I'll get 30m of thin pull cord and either pair it with the old Rando or use that trick with the 50m Nano. Thanks everyone!

Try the Bozeman ice festival in a few weeks! Hard to find that much good guide instruction at those prices,

Just wanted to thank Dane for all the help and encouragement, I'll be going leashless and got a pretty sweet Grivel setup thanks to his advice and generosity. Anyhow my new sticks are below, let's see what you all have come up with in modifying stock tools. Stoked!