Coldfinger

Points on the forefoot are on a much different "rim" on the new sabers.

My 2 cents..... Metolius rap hangers (and the Fixe hangers with one ring) are a MUCH better anchor than all that eurotrash and dyi stainless clutz.... Kinda nice to climb where the bolts and anchors are not visible from ten miles away. As far as chains, I can see no reason to use them unless you want people to have the convenience of using them for tr and descent.

Well gee one could always use other links in the chain.

Thanks guys!

Howdy, Anybody know how to draw lines in on jpegs without having anything more than standard windows software? If there is a good free download that'll do that, I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction. Thanks!

Hell no my crew and NOLS are Hatfields and McCoys. And, ahem, guess there is a cave. Well I'm wearing sweatpants, at home and loving it!

OUCH! Now I'm real sore, that word in a reference to me! NOLS!

Guess I better add spray to the list of hazards, I'm feeling very now. Now I'll have to buy a new set of BD tools to feel better!

Yeah blame the camera! Well at least the only thing dropped seems to be names....

notice....cave behind me. That ice wasnt coming off, and if it did it wouldnt have hit me. Those are bolts not screws, so the quality of the ice matter little really. Dane's photos is in relation to how well john knows how to fall on ice without getting hurt! Something that not many people can say can do Whatever! You're not in the cave and yes it could have hit you. Lots of nice sized icicles too. Pretty hard to run and 1. catch a fall or. 2. not pull of the leader or lose the belay. Probably should have added leaving your leashless tool in the ice, but I don't go there. And yes knowing how to fall is key, in my case don't!

Love Dane's photo, belaying directly below the climber and tons of rather cooked looking ice!

Well one should pay attention to what kind of flow there is UNDER the ice. There is the phenomenon of ice dams where so much water builds up that a pick hole or crack releases quite a torrent; there are accounts of folks being blown off the ice (usually you'll see that at the very top of a climb where ice formation can dam a significant amount of water at the lip). But I usually worry more about delamination if there is ANY water, as it is shielded somewhat even in cold temps, I've seen questionable bonding to the rock. Let's add falling ice as a huge factor, not just for the belayer (surprising how many folks will set up in the line of fire), but for fido (somebody brought puppy and didn't tie him up and well, right between the eyes) and for the leader (took a seventy pound sharply pointed block on the thigh--made the rest of that seventeen hour day longer even though it only fell a foot). Ditto rockfall. In places like Cody, avalanche from above has caused quite a few problems. HMMMM. Nut crushing, yes with all those extra layers, you know what can slip under a leg loop, one partner of mine spent about twenty minutes crumpled up but he enjoyed (somewhat) showing the nurse... Definitely driving! I put one car on its roof trying to get to the Mineville Pillar in the Daks. Got scared shitless by an idiot partner on another. Belay fuck ups: between the often convoluted climb, wind, water, cold hands, gloves, pumped stoopid, poor visibility, shaky anchors, icy gear and ropes there's all sorts of chance for missed communication, dropping, not being able to catch, blown anchors, falling onto the anchor, simple mistakes etc. POOR CONDITIONS is at the top of the list even if it's not on top of this one. Had a very close call in Rainier NP and there was the recent Yellowstone tragedy. Sharp points: whether its getting poked by one of yours or a crampon point catching during a fall (have heard of many broken ankles and tib/fibs). Frostbite for sure. Not being sure of the descent, especially above treeline in a whiteout (had a memorable one on Mt. Washington). Not being prepared to spend a night out or treat shock. With the little ski patrolling I've done, it's amazing how fast folks get cold when they're hurt (especially if they were cold to begin with), and quite often warming them is the most pressing problem once in the patrol room. Imagine having to leave somebody, trudge for hours, get help, marshal SAR, return, prep and evacuate in the typically nasty weather and darkness. Seems like a lot of folks don't realize the difference between summer cragging or on piste skiing and winter ice. Short days. One big difference is you have an accident at three o'clock, and you're in the shit in an hour (or if no accident, find yourself trying to climb, rappel and/or get out in the dark) so bring a headlamp. Eye injuries. Why some folks don't wear something is beyond me with all those chips, chunks and splinters flying around. And finally (my favorite) it's much easier in winter to find yourself sitting with your partner in a bar instead of climbing!

Yeah well the next options are: 1. Into dry clothes. 2. Naked and needing body heat RIGHT NOW!

And without so much hypocrisy.

And traipsed around with Messner--author of "murder of the Impossible"--before he left!

I think there is quite a bit of difference in this case- placing 450 bolts on the biggest classic of the area is not on par with Blueberry Hill. It would be like doing to Yosemite and adding 450 bolts on the Nose to film someone trying to free it. To be fair it seems 60 bolts were added atop the 450 (Maestri by and large) that existed but these were placed in sections even Maestri didn't bolt.

So who's the crew? I googled this and came up with credits for Corey Rich taking photos for that trip on Lama's website, but that doesn't mean he was part of the drilling or used the lines. I wanna know who these buttpipes are! As for Lama he is a little fucker, in his words: "Cesare Maestri, who made the first ascent in 1970, left an entire highway of bolts and pitons in the mountain’s south-east face, which has nothing to do with today’s climbing ethics. " "Daniel and I want to make it without any sort of aid, which means we only climb on the natural surface of the mountain – rocks and ice."

David Lama: WTF???? For one thing the holes you drilled WILL remain. For another you are now, and will forever be, our Maestri--famous for destroying, lying and poor style. Only you're worse, we turned away from that path YEARS ago. BTW who else was on this trip? Seem to have found references to Corey Rich taking photos. What you did cannot simply be undone, it was the attempt itself that is the crime. But you can always hit on Tonya Harding now, let us know when you start making pornos, seems like that's the only kind of film you're cut out for.

This sucks. Even more so as these guys really had the spark. Well, it has not been the best weather for ice here in Wyo. lately, so this wasn't much of a surprise. While May can be cool, the sun is getting very high in the sky, nearby rock will be bare, the water is starting to run and we have had considerable wind of late. Hard part of living here (NW wyo.) is that there are multiple fatalities every year here, some skiing, some climbing. So please be careful guys, safety here is very condition dependent. Seems like a lot of times, since one has a pretty good trip to get here (time & expense), folks arrive to find tough conditions and climb anyway. And usually its not the noobs that get it, it's people who have years of experience. Seems like with climate change, conditions here are changing dramatically, so the past is becoming less of a guide. The nice part of living here is you meet so many nice folks and they bring such wonder and excitement with them, really refreshing as life here can be hard. So it's always really sad for us--even those who don't climb--when a tragedy like this happens. Please be assured that we here are thinking of those close to Mark and Mike.

Miraculous what a good night of sleep does for the brain.... Why don't you call the local Rainier guide services and see what rental boots will cost and what they have available and where else in Wa. you might rent boots? Kinda sounds like you have a sizing prob and that might be a very good and cheaper solution. Sorry for the tone, but understand that in the old days (I'm dating myself here), there really wasn't anything more important than boots. You get the right kind, make sure they fit, and then break them in over period of time (first in the house (so they can be returned!), then around town, then longer and longer trips). BTW the break in period saves one from finding out on the big trip that there are serious boot problems. Dane wrote: "This is not intended as an insult. If I saw your feet in that condition I wouldn't allow you on my rope. You may consider yourself experienced. I can tell by your lack of concern for your feet and boot choices that you would be well served by rethinking your position on foot wear and fit for Rainier." Repeating the same mistake and expecting different results is irrational to say the least, and I'm with Dane 100% on what he said about people on his team. While I'm guessing as to Dane's motivations here, it's been my experience that there is nothing that ruins a client's trip more often than poorly fitting boots. At the least one ends up with really bad blisters--one person had third degree burns on her heels--and at the worst things turn into a serious situation involving rescue and/or the entire team having to turn back. So do understand that we've (again guessing as to Dane) seen too many trips ruined by clients and partners being idiots and bringing the wrong and/or poor fitting footwear. I learned the hard way and was lucky to escape with only frostnip. Basically, it's a dick move to put the success and safety of your team at risk simply because one can't be bothered to bring good footwear. It's not that complicated, so I'm always wary of partners/clients who can't seem to master such a simple concept when there are far more complicated and dangerous things at play on a big mountain. Kinda sounds like you want to move on to bigger and harder things than Rainier, so get with the program. It takes years and years before one has even the smallest mastery of anything in life, including climbing. You have to be a tough and determined SOB to soldier on through an injury like that and deserve a lot of credit for guts. So you have what it takes to be really good at this. But stubbornness can get one into a shitpile of trouble up high.

Poke around, there are boots to be found on the cheap. My $400 boots were less than $200. Sorry about the diabetic q, just see a few really nasty foot injuries from that.

Dane was quite right, burns like those are really unusual--quite troubling. Not just how big but WHERE they are. You are doing a few things the wrong way if feet look like that after a simple outing. There's something called trench foot, but that's wet plus fungus. Make sure you have dry socks and dry out your feet and the liners whenever you get the chance. Friction blisters get A LOT worse if your feet are wet. Kinda sounds like you are about as broke $$wise as most of us, so how did you get the boots? One of the sucky things about being a poor climber is you get stuck with all the shit that don't fit. Also make sure you slow down when walking and descending. Going too fast creates quite a bit more stress and friction. Nothing wrong with zig zagging and butt sliding (glissade) on the way down. Plastics have two sets of laces so try to dial in how tight the liners and shells need to be for what you're doing at the time. Even with single boots I will change the lace tension as needed. You can tighten the top sets of laces to keep your foot from sliding, but if you're foot moves that much you have to either tighten the laces or get new boots because they don't fit and you're fucked. Figure out if your socks are bunching or were doing anything strange. Are they too old or too heavy weight? Try different things, i.e. midweights and liners, hikers, heavy socks etc. Last question: are you diabetic? It's quite often the root cause of strange problems with extremities like feet.

Well..... If the salesman or lady told you they'd be good for mountaineering, you'd better take them back for a refund. Either they're idiots or they lied. As Yvon Choiunard wrote in "Climbing Ice": "You can't dance on hard ice with soft-soled shoes." (p. 87) "Crampon compatible" doesn't mean much nowadays as there are many strap only designs that can even be used with Teva sandals. Where do they "destroy" your feet? If you are banging your toes they're too short (mountaineering boots should be sized a bit big so you have toe room for both warmth and descending comfort). If it's in the arch you may need custom orthotic footbeds. If they're too narrow a good ski shop should be able to stretch the plastic shells. My 2 cents is that I'm amazed more people aren't killed, crippled or rescued because they use gear dangerously (i.e. doing what it wasn't designed for) all in the name of ultralight. Boots and crampons (with antibotts) are THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF SAFETY GEAR!!!!!!!!! Better to learn this on the web than in the real world. Don't take this the wrong way but it kinda sounds like you may not have the experience to take on big glaciated or ice routes safely so please find some experienced partners or a guide. We all started somewhere and it really is the most dangerous time in a mountaineer's career, I for one am grateful to the folks that kept me safe while I was cutting my teeth. Good boots are definitely worth the cash but they have to fit right. Go plastics or an insulated single boot. Different brands tend to fit differently and if your feet are wide modern fabric boots fit better and break in easier IMHO. Hope that helps! PM me if need be.

Well, the steripen is going to do absolutely nothing to remove dirt, slime, muck, chemicals, tastes etc. The steripen's primary use is to purify tap water in places where that water is suspect. It also doesn't work as well as the water gets more turbid. But you can use it to tan yourself! A good filter not only protects you from bugs, it also really improves the taste and quality of drinking water.

PM sent....