CaleHoopes

Baruntse's are nice. I own them and took em to Denali with great success. Have also ice climbed in them at Ouray and Baker, have climbed Rainier multiple times in them. The upper part of the boot is getting kind of flexible with all that use. What size are your AEs? I have a pair of Denali Intiution liners that fit a size 10.0 AE. I'd be willing to let you have them for half of what you'd pay for new. They've only been molded once and used twice (like brand new). PM me if interested.

LOL Chris... that's one of the reasons I really LIKE the REI Flash for a quickie summit pack. It has a few inside pockets, two daisy chains on the outside and a tool attachment. FEATURES! For 11 oz. For $35. The killer app. Features can be important.

I agree with Coldfinger. Once you get into the full-on realm of "Fast & Light" or "Ultralight" you need to realize that it compromises durability. I'm ok with that, myself. I just realize that the lighter weight it is, the more delicate I have to be. I still think the discussion about Cilo and their warranty would have more weight if we weren't talking about something as small as 20L. Basically, that NWD pack is a stuff sack with shoulder straps.... Anyhow, Bearbreeder has it right too. I've seen many pictures of alpinists doing incredible things with "brand name" packs. Also, if you have a pro-deal, you'll end up using everything that you can get that's free/cheap through the pro-deal - so that's where we see elite alpinists using their deal in order to get pix to show off their sponsorship. Anyway, I agree FIT is important - however, when you're as small as 20L you basically have a bookbag with no waist strap (or some really super light one). I don't know how much FIT enters into something that small. However, since the thread was originally about Fast & Light - I do think FIT is important - granted its just like the durability. The better FIT, usually the HEAVIER you go. The best fitting pack I ever wore was a BD Infinity 60 with the evolve suspension. For a 60 it wasn't bad 3.75lbs. But it could carry so well. A stripped down Cilo is much lighter but I can tell it doesn't "FIT" quite as well and doesn't carry as well. A TON more versatile than the BD Infinity, but I give up a bit for that versatility, lightness and ultimately it's durability.

Wow really? $150 for a 20L pack that weighs 9 oz total? Hmmm. I think I woulda just bought a Flash 18 from REI and I could have afforded 4 packs even if they DIDNT take it back. Sounds like a waste of money in the first place to me, and if you're gonna make a decision to spend $150 on a 20L pack, I guess I'd be bitching about the warranty too. Of course, I don't think I would have spent that to save 2 oz. I can do a little extra workout to carry 2 oz in the alpine. Keep in mind, I'm a proponent of Cilo. I like Graham's stuff. But I also know where my price point for my sanity lies and if you're spending $150 for a 20L pack, it better make some awesome waffles and fold out to a fricken hot tub in my expedition tent.

Good call Olympic Mtn Boy. One of the things we do in our club is team arrest practice in Silver Peak Bowl. We set up running belays, let a team traverse and then at one end of the rope we pull them off. We haven't done it just on pickets... half the time they pop.

I spent 20 minutes pulling a single picket from between Windy Pass and 14k on descent. The worst part was the picket really wasn't needed and a fairly decent waste of time. Not to mention, spending 6 hrs to get to 14k from 11k and then descending back to the bend near Windy Pass meant the damn thing was so frozen in that I had to beat on the thing to get it out. I wanted to ice axe my leader after that. I got over it, and we still had fun, but I was cussing pretty hard. I'm at that point where... do I absolutely need it for this section or am I confident in my team's ability to travel on this terrain? It does come down to risk management. Sometimes managing the risk is to move quickly through it opposed to planting something that takes time and slows the entire team.

Jim Nelson sent me information about a person named Don Bogie from New Zealand who did a study on snow anchors. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/snow-science/objects/ISSW_O-061.pdf

Hey Matt, I really appreciate your response and how you summed up the things to think about. I've learned pretty quickly about backclipping and have only been caught once or twice in the gym in my lead class, so I totally get that. Thanks again! Cale

So, I'm curious (just a beginning leader), since the piece below DIDNT stay attached to the rope, do we think he back clipped? We will get in the report, but I understand how his upper piece could have failed somehow, but the second piece too? Just wondering what else could have popped the rope out of the piece below. Oh, and even though I'm asking this question, my thoughts are definitely with him. Anyone can make mistakes while climbing, regardless of experience and anyone can have a bad day that's no fault of their own. The only important thing is that he'll be ok and live to climb and live another day.

Ben, make sure you attach the straps correctly or they don't "stay" where you put them. I spent a good time earlier last year not doing it right. Once I stopped in a store and looked at how it was supposed to be done, and the straps rock a hell of a lot more. Also, as far as "strap" configuration... I just figure it out before a trip. I will often leave many of the straps at home (don't need the weight) and just pre-figure out my system. I've climbed with the pad & stay, just the pad, a different pad, no pad and the air pad. I've had fairly decent results with weights up to 45. I really haven't pushed the 60L past that yet - why do I need more than 45 lbs worth of crap?!?! That stupid 10 lb toothbrush is just a damn luxury item.

Yeah... please tell. What didn't you like about the Cilo? Did you get the aluminum stay customized to your back? I'm baffled about it. Not comfortable? Wrong size? Call me curious.

Craig, that's very nice work. Way above my pay grade, but awesome video.

Good comment above Matt regarding: "Well I guess there is a solution: take your own draws and never let them age and never let them out of your eyesite." P.S. I can see the lights of town. Now what?

What, you've never completed a dynamic move with your tongue? Screw the pull ups, use the tongue for its strength.

P90x is liberal, so you'll become a democrat. However, Insanity is certainly conservative. You'll be a Republican for sure on that stuff.

isn't the drytooling area on 900 ALMOST renton granite?

Really warning about worn biners and the sharp edges that can cut a rope, right? I think it's such a good idea to inspect anything you clip into. However, I'm a very young leader... so I supposed it depends on how "stressed" you are when you're clipping....

If you're having an argument about the weight with yourself and are ok with a little heavier and want something awesome, the new Petzl Nao has won all the awards in the last year. Pricey, but supposed to kick some serious ass. 6.5 oz and supposed to be able to climb 5.12c. REI Product Page

I burned through the LS rubber that came on my Mythos during 6 months of climbing IN THE GYM. Opened up a nice hole in the toe of both shoes with a bunch of poor climbing technique on my part. Fixed my technique. Went to Cascade Cobbler and resoled with 4.2mm Stealth Onyxx. They've held up for most of the year so far.

Ivan, you probably don't know it... but your trip reports are almost as good as The Angry Hiker from nwhikers.net. You could use with a little more craptastic drawings though. That would add to the ambiance of the suckage.

Wayne, I'm feeling this too. I'm only 42. I still feel like a full on beginner in all of these sports. I go to Denali... my body get's it's ass kicked. I still hurt tons, and climb Rainier like it's just a day hike. Then a day of ice climbing and I wake up in pain. Another day of rock climbing (very low grades) and I get up in the morning and feel like I could make it to my crossfit class. I don't know what to focus on because if I really want to alpine climb I feel like I need to focus on everything. I've never pulled a 12 (never climbed above 5.9 outdoors). Maybe someday.

Hey tvashtarkatena: Cheyne Stokes syndrome, for example. This is when you hyperventalate, then don't take a breath for 30 seconds to a minute. It's not dangerous (your lungs easily hold several minutes worth of oxygen), but it's quite strange to be happily sitting there for so long without the urge to take a breath. Thanks for describing this. This was the ONLY thing I experienced on Denali. It was more like 20 seconds for me, but incredibly unnerving and kept me from sleeping (what the hell is going on!??!) Also, one of the things that worked for me? Daily Gingko Biloba (360mg) and 2 200mg Ibuprofen. That made a big impact.

What it helped ME with was understanding what my body does at high altitudes. So, yes, I didn't have any extra bonus from doing an Ecuador trip years before. However, I've so dialed how my body handles AMS and altitude in general that I had NO ISSUES on Denali at all by just following my good habits. Something about being at the altitude (or near it) helps in the future trips.

Another good practice is climbing in Ecuador. All the peaks are good experience and get you great Altitude. I know that my susceptibility to AMS went way down after a trip to Quito, Cayambe and Cotopaxi. A 14 day trip with IMG was the right way to go and was a fairly cushy expedition (great food, great shopping, hot springs and cushy mountain huts).

I'm a proud owner of the La Sportiva Baruntse boots. They are COMPOSITES. As are the Phantom & Spantik. I've loved the Baruntse simply because I could get them fitted by a boot fitter. However, the trick for me was getting a boot that could go to Denali but climb Ice. The Baruntse's do this - however, I have to really cinch them to make this work. And after two seasons, the upper part of the boot has lost enough stiffness that at times my ankle rolls trying to plant my crampons. I'm gonna end up at Ouray in something more sensitive, lighter and less warm (probably the Batura's). Good luck! And look at http://coldthistle.blogspot.com - Dane has great advice regarding boots.