MountaingirlBC

woohoo! 100 posts! How did that happen?

It would be SO great to have some other kids to climb with. What the photos don't show is the hours of whining and be bribing, coaxing, me carrying two packs, etc. etc. on the approach. Having other kids around would make it easier. Here's a few more from an AWESOME location to take kids. Nice short approach and serious looking mountains with relatively easy routes on them but still technical enough that you need cool looking gear. I roped my kids up in a few sections mostly cuz they think it's fun but a couple of times for exposure. It's up north of Pemberton. It's a long drive from WA but you can spend a few days easily:

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm thx for the report and pics. Hoping to do it next week.

Sign us up too please. We're in Vancouver but happy to come south. Or we also have this little crag up here called Squamish you might want to check out. Hopefully we can get some gear swapping going too. I hate buying new gear for kids cuz they grow so fast.

instead of an atc for self tending. seems to work better.

awesome! Can't wait to get up there. Any pics?

Figured this was a good place to ask for opinions Primary use would be for CR.

I seem to have just accidentally bought a new down jacket on ebay. I wasn't really expecting to get it but I did so now I have to figure out how I'm going to pay for it. Hopefully someone will buy my old one It's an REI Radiance 650 fill in good condition... no marks (well it's black) or rips. I just wanted something warmer. It's a nice cut. Doesn't make you look like a marshmallow. I'm posting a picture of it in red cuz it doesn't show up very well in black. $25. http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/jacket_down.jpg

Bunch 'o stuff. Can ship from WA or Vancouver. Will consider trades but need textbooks more than gear right now. Ladies size 6, MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR conduit (like Gore-Tex) shell/coat in dark red. This jacket is in excellent condition with the exception of one tiny tear which I have repaired properly with a Gore-tex patch kit. Helmet compatible hood which folds away when you're not using it. 3 pockets in the front and one on the left arm. Interior zip pocket and interior water bottle pocket. Mesh lining. Powders skirt. Pit zips. $200+ retail. $60 http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/jacket_mhw.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/jacket_mhw_back.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/jacket_mhw_inside.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/jacket_mhw_me.jpg 50L Kelty Internal Frame Backpack. This is an excellent pack. I'm guessing at the size but I have several other packs to compare it to so I'm pretty sure. Wish I could keep this pack because it's so functional but it just doesn't fit me properly (waist belt is too big for me @ 30inches) so I need to get something that works better for me. I just can't get the waist belt tight enough. It has a nice large lid and this awesome front pocket which I've found very handy for my climbing rope & avalanche gear. It's a good size for a day pack if you carry a lot of stuff or would work as an overnight pack if you pack light. I think it was actually intended as a ski touring pack as it has what I've been told are places to put skis. There is one tiny little cut in the lid and the haul loop is coming off. (see pics of both issues so you can see exactly what I'm talking about) Other than that it is very clean in near new condition. $50 http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/kelty_back.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/kelty_front.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/kelty_haul.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/kelty_side.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/kelty_tear.jpg Taiga Fleece Pants. Women's size M. Zippers down legs. $10 http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/pants_taiga.jpg MEC Fleece Vest. Women's size small. $10 http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/vest_mec_fleece.jpg MEC Fleece Jacket. Men's Medium or Women's Large. Very warm. Waterbottle holder pockets inside, pit zips, all the bells & whistles. Worn but in great shape. $10 http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/jacket_mec_fleece.jpg Kids MEC Gore-tex Jacket. Size 12 but seems more like a 10 to me. $25 http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/mec_jacket_red.jpg Lightweight Patagonia pullover style windbreaker with hood. Water resistant nylon. Has front zip pocket that the whole jacket stuffs into. Like new. No signs of wear. Very lightweight, strong material. $10 http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/patagonia_front.jpg http://www.mountaingirl.net/gear4sale/patagonia_back.jpg

mmmmmmmmm is that a Sprint? Triumph's are sooooo nice. I used to ride a Sprint but decided that climbing mountains AND riding a motorcycle was a bit cocky. Have fun with it!

Time to bite the bullet and buy some cams. I've been waiting around to have $500 that I don't know what to do with so I can buy a full set but that never seems to happen so I'm going to just start picking away at it. What sizes should I get first? I'm primarily doing alpine stuff in the South Coast/North Cascades area. I know that's very general but if you could recommend 3-5 useful sizes that would be great. Also, what is your preference in terms of brands? Thx much! God I'm so bored this weekend. Nothing to do but sit around and gear whore.

I didn't make it unfortunately. Long weekend border lineups scared me off. Could you give me his contact info? I'd like to know if he'll be doing it again.

yikes. Make sure you do a lot of work to strengthen your vastus medialis to save your knees. The leg extension machine is the best way I've found to isolate this muscle. I'm 124lbs and start to crumble at about 73lbs. Hopefully being a dude gives you a little more wiggle room.

Last weekend we were able to drive 10.6km to 3012ft up the road to Heliotrope Ridge. That's about 2.5km from the TH. But all this new white stuff and lower freezing levels has probably buggered everything up. And like it's already been pointed out... 2 feet of fresh powder sitting on top of a skating rink is a bad thing so I wouldn't be going anywhere near there for a while.

Could astronomical insurance rates have something to do with why there aren't more huts in the states? It's getting ridiculous up here with rising insurance costs for backcountry huts so I can only imagine that it would be worse south of the border.

I'll share him with you if you like ivan

Decrepit Eve Read

Looks much tastier than easter chocolate. I'd like to trim is main sail and fly his Jolly Roger:

try shopping in Canada. The sizes are smaller here so you might have more selection I love shopping at REI cuz I'm a size 3 there.

Thanks much... now if you could do something about the traffic that would be great. And the border guards too please. I'd like to have the cute young guy who always waves me right through... not the short one who really wanted to be a cop who will send me to the time out room. Save me some cookies please How long do you think it will go?

I think i've gotten off relatively easy in this dept. My dog is 2.5 and until a couple of weeks ago had not destroyed anything. I was packing for a trip and as usual had all my gear spread out all over the dining room. She picked up my brand new ear warmer things and decided the destroy them. I was SO pissed because I've wanted those things for years but was too cheap to buy them. I'd picked them up on killer sale at REI just 2 days before so I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. So that made it especially painful when I heard the 'crunch crack' sound of teeth on plastic. BAD DOG!!! She totalled them. She's lucky she's cute.

Does anyone know if these things generally start on time? I want to go but I'm in Vancouver and can't leave here until 4:00 so it'll be very tight especially with that lovely seattle rush hour traffic.

A friend of mine gave me a big plastic wine bag (the kind you use for making home made wine) and it works great for weighting my pack. Has the added bonus of being dumpable when you get to the top of things so you can save your knees on the way down.

I once got in my car when I was fed up with the rain one friday after work and decided to drive south until it stopped. I ended up in San Francisco. This weekend is a good example of weather frustration. Had a trip planned for Friday/Saturday but the weather is looking like total crap EVERYWHERE. Looks a little better in Leavenworth but not good enough to justify the extra driving and time.

I usually do my first alpine rock climbing trip of the year the first weekend in June and climb through September. I find spring and fall incredibly frustrating. There are not long periods of time when the avy danger is so high that you can't get out but there are definitely stretches of time when you may have to change your plans due to the avy forecast. The weather can definitely be a bitch. Hard to get motivated to climb when you're climbing into a cloud. But the days when it isn't miserable are nice enough to keep me here (Vancouver) through the rotten ones. Also, often when the weather is crap here on the coast, a 4 hour drive to Leavenworth can get you through the clouds and into the sunshine. You really need to find a way to love winter because it's sooooooooo long. A lot of people I know are skiers first and climbers second. It really is beautiful out there in the winter. Like you, I'd rather be climbing but I get out in winter too. After years of misery on snowshoes I've recently made the move to sking which I hope will help the long winter months go by more quickly. I don't do any ice climbing but I believe Lilooet is the place for that... or Banff. Vancouver's a good central location. Relatively easy access to just about everything. Cost of living is painful though. I think it's just as bad in Seattle. That's my two cents.