montypiton

I drive a school bus, so have a weekday window from about 0830 - 1430. If you're interested in getting some short day climbs and polishing some technical skills, I'm in Leavenworth

Got an OLD alpinista that you're welcome to. It's at my son's place, but I know he hasn't used it in years. Are you sure you want this thing?

I've used something that sounds similar, although it's not Ziplock brand. It seems to work well on things like lemons/limes/tomatoes in the fridge at home - less air in bag seems to equal more juice stays in fruit. The sales copy suggests it should reduce freezer burn when freezing foods, as well. I haven't used it enough with frozen stuff to really offer an informed opinion, although the salmon from last summer seem to be holding well... Haven't tried boil-in-bag, but I don't see why it wouldn't work if the plastic in the bag and valve can handle the temperature... Can't say my road-tripping has been much of a test. I'm not careful enough about keeping stuff cold for this to really make a difference. Bottom line for me is it's been useful for keeping leftovers longer. Certainly far less expensive than the "vacuum packers" sold in kitchen supply places.

I'm in Leavenworth, always lookin' for fresh meat...

If you don't mind climbing with an "old fart" I have a project or two you might be interested in. Been climbing fort-two years & haven't lost a partner yet... I'm in Leavenworth

same general idea - seen lots of variations on this theme. never seen one with a built-in bottle opener on the edge, though... I've seen some versions for less than $10 at discount department stores... again, the most significant feature is being able to configure it as a hoe... everything else is just bling.

You say you have the basics, leading me to believe you probably have a decent three-season sleeping bag. If you want to upgrade to something that will give you serious winter/expedition capacity, think about buying an ultralight down unit (Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering both offer ultralight downies that weigh only a pound)to use as a liner bag in deep cold. This allows you to cover every season efficiently - double bag for winter, three-season bag alone for spring/fall, and the 1-lb bag alone for light summer trips. For less money than you'd spend on a full-on expedition bag, you get the expedition-worthy set-up, and cover every other possibility as well. -and with the 1-lb bag, you'll have no excuse for ever being uncomfortably cold on a bivouac (snide smartass comment next) even without me there! -and if you do this, you'll still have a couple hundred$ for other treats...

there's minimal, but climbable ice in both Icicle & Tumwater canyons. some columns have fallen, but lower angle flows seem to be surviving. this week should help, with temp profiles forecast to stay in a consistent melt-freeze cycle drove out to the basin on the 28th, and it's pretty much gone - the cable is so skinny you might protect it by just girth hitching long runners around it every ten feet or so...

sobo - old & curmudgeonly can't be the issue, 'cause he's climbin' with me... climbed it again on the 27th with John Tarver, WET but still fun... Craig - Tarver insists that I'm wrong -says the railroad was never on that side of the river, so maybe the tunnel really was just for the pipe... You probably have the contacts to verify the real history... and "Penstock" really is a far more pallatable name - thanks for rethinking. I was thinking of something along the lines of "Promenade", but I like Penstock. -Haireball

I've used steel grain scoops, "avalanche" shovels of both plastic and aluminum, cooking pots, and even the adze of an ice-axe to dig snow caves. Having caved in more than one "not an option" scenario, I am leery of both plastic and aluminum tools. Steel grain scoops are HEAVY,and thus useful only for roadside snowcaving, or ski-expeditions where you can carry the thing on a sled. (but, if you can deal with the weight, they are sweet!) One of the most effective all-round tools I've used is the old army "entrenching tool" - a very small short-handled steel shovel hinged at the joint of handle and blade, so that it can be configured as a hoe. If you've never tried it, you will be amazed at how fast you can dig with one of these in hoe mode, especially in hard snow that might break an aluminum or plastic shovel. I worked on one professional ski patrol back in the eighties where this tool was required kit for avalanche control missions, and I regularly witnessed colleagues perform buried-beacon retrievals in under two minutes from "last-seen-point" in timed drills. You can get them at most sport & hardware stores, but you probably won't see one in a climbing shop... I recommend carrying a saw, too. In firm snow,an igloo may be less work than a cave, and you'll stay far drier building it...

most likely hasn't been ticked because in a "normal" year it would be buried under tons of snow & avalanche debris. Tumwater canyon is showing all kinds of ice at low elevations this year, a result of little snow, and a persistent temperature inversion. most of these flows are almost never seen... I'm seeing stuff that I've never seen in my thirty+ years in the area- you'll need to get on it before it either melts, or the next storm-cycle turns it into a hyperactive avalanche repeater... -Haireball

"used cams are super dangerous" -- he never uses a cam more than once? Now THATS funny...

On terrain of modest angle, where a fall is unlikely to heavily load a rope, single-strand half-twin will likely be adequate. On high-angle terrain, just double it over and climb shorter pitches. Limiting yourself to shorter pitches this way allows you to shave weight on the rack, as well as the rope. Stretch is the more subtle, and perhaps more critical, issue when using half/twins single strand, and I have four titanium pins in each ankle to remind me of how much a single strand of half/twin may stretch in a TOP-ROPED fall... "belay failure" in my case was a result of unanticipated rope stretch without failure of anchor, rope,or any protection placement. My two cents worth - carry one long skinny light rope, and when in doubt, double it over.

Icicle Canyon: saw a party on the Funnel on 12/16; not fat, but doable Shipman and I climbed two lines in Rainbow Gully today - very thin, - hook, don't swing... also found two high-quality pitches of WI3 in the tight drainage just upstream of Icicle Buttrest - not a flow I was familiar with, but we followed tracks, so obviously somebody knows it -- much better formed than Rainbow "Careno" Right & Left (local old fart purists note that these climbs form on a section of cliff that the original Beckey guidebook to the Icicle calls "Candlestein Cliff", so we persist in calling them "Candlestein Right & Left" since they're really not very close to Careno Crag...) are both sufficiently formed to maybe climb, but the right-hand line looks very minimal will continue to update as conditions evolve...

I'm off until New Years - I'll give ya a call! -Haireball

John - if you haven't already tried Arlberg, their boot fitters ought to be able to cure this... -Haireball

there's a load of us on the East side, centered around Wenatchee. theres climbable ice in Icicle Canyon right now, and a low enough snowpack that alpine projects are still accessible... lemmee know if that interests you.

If you're looking for an inexpensive static line for rappelling or fixing, the kernmantle polypro ropes available in better hardware stores these days will meet that need - at a price that may be considered "disposable" compared to a dedicated canyoneering rope... likely ok for trips of no more than a day or two. one advantage of this tactic is that you can buy it by the foot, so have the option of carrying no more than you need for a specific trip. If "static" is an optional feature, I tend to stick with "retired" belay ropes - but I'm both cheap, more experienced than most, and fanatic about monitoring and maintaining my ropes. I would NOT count on using one rope for both rock climbing and canyoneering. I just wouldn't want to lead on a rope that has seen the kind of abuse most real canyoneering trips inflict on one. If you're serious about climbing as well as canyoneering, I would recommend keeping a "good" belay rope for climbing that you DON'T use for canyoneering.

I consider the "rope for ground insulation" trick an "emergency" tactic for use only on forced bivouacs. In a tent or snow-shelter, the combo of evasote or ensolite under thermarest or equivalent is a tried and tested favorite. Personally, I prefer both pads at full-length when it's really cold. The few extra ounces are more than balanced out by the comfort they provide. Yeah, you can pad/insulate with ropes, packs, clothing, etc - I've found the compromised comfort usually overshadows the few ounces saved...

remarkable video - interesting discussion. I thought Gadd's comments appropriate -- once the brown hit the fan, these guys did enough things right. regarding the discussion of simulclimbing - from what Ed says, sounds like they didn't have much choice. if the anchor aint there, ya play the hand yer dealt. I rarely find good reason to simulclimb, but when I do, I shorten the rope to no more than 15-20 meters - way easier to keep track of one another, keep slack out of the rope, and still have enough space to have at least two points of protection between climbers. It sounds like these two didn't have that option. Been there, done that, got the titanium in both ankles. They did a helluva job - hard to believe they kept filming after the brown hit the fan. Not me...

For all you kids moving to the Wenatchee/Leavenworth area - we have a sick bunch of very hard core old farts who are always lookin' to show off our home turf. No sport-climbers! Yeah, you can find plenty of those around, too, but the world-class alpine climbing is the good stuff. Where in interior AK? I've got family in Fairbanks, end up visiting most years. Climbed around Denali back in the '80s, mostly end up hunting/fishing with my brother-in-law these days...

availability on weekdays is limited to a time window between 0830 and 1430 -- I drive a schoolbus. however, close to town is doable. I'd like to try a longer daytrip Sunday if you're interested... and yes, I'm in Leavenworth for what its worth, a few of us geriatric types are exploring the world of dry-tooling while we're waiting for ice to grow... lemmee know if yer interested

Keenan- for what its worth, I've been doing pullups on my leashless grip ice tools for years, with no issues. to me it feels far less stressful than a regular bar. rings or free-floating handles will create even less joint stress, but I like the specificity of pulling on my tools. of course, I'm still working back into shape (will take a few years), but I'm up to a set of nine, with additional shorter sets, and have had no issues. the kind of injuries you might sustain are most likely overuse type injuries, which you probably don't need to worry about until you are capable of multiple sets of 20 or so. Glad you're liking Bozeman! -Curt (Haireball)

Skier's left, just left of,(climber's right) and just above, the main cliffband. Those of you familiar with Aasgard will recognize that this location is a year-round drainage funnel. That is why the summer hiker's trail takes a line skier's right (climber's left), following fairly closely the line of cliffs below Colchuck Balanced Rock. Folks get lulled into the skier's left line descending, because it's a more direct descent, and presents an uninterrupted glissade or ski in spring and early summer... and it's usually fairly safe as long as you approach horizon lines (humps you can't see over) with caution and under control.

if you're willing to consider thirty years a "lifetime" for a piece of equipment, I have an old Salewa "Husch" stove that I've had that long and is still my favorite stove. The pocket-rocket is pretty much a current-day version of the same... any of these similar burner-head-that-screws-onto-a-canister is gonna be about as simple, light,cheap,and trouble-free as you can get unless you just want to pack a tuna-can full of paraffin (old boy-scout cheap alternative to sterno).