montypiton

to answer Bivchad's question addressed to me, I find pulling a sled is noticeably more challenging in a foot or more of fresh unconsolidated snow, just as walking (with or without a pack, is more challenging in such conditions). However, in pretty much any terrain I can readily ski (and I pro-patrolled for twelve years at Stevens Pass, Squaw Valley, & Mammoth Mountain) I can handle 100+ lbs on a pulk more easily than 50 lbs on my back. The skipulk.com stuff looks great for anyone too lazy to make their own from scratch - but I'm far to cheap to buy their system, when I can just take mine apart and reuse the hardware on a fresh kiddie sled when one disintegrates. (a fresh one will typically last a Denali expedition or a local season, maybe more if you're really careful & don't drag it over bare ground) If you're flying expedition gear/food to Alaska, you'll be payin' oversize & extra freight anyway, so might as well assemble your sled at home & have that done, as it most likely won't increase your extra charges (though that may depend on which airline you fly...)

been makin' my own since the late '70s, & haven't found a swivel to be all that important. I'm cheap, so all I do is thread shock-cord through a length of web a foot or two longer than my ape index, and girth hitch that to my harness. To attach ice-tools, I just use the smallest normal carabiners I own, currently Camp Nanos. Since I already own the carabiners, my total investment is usually <$10. I'd have a hard time forkin' over $40+ for an item that accomplishes essentially the same function. In my experience, the matching/switching kluster doesn't become an issue until you get into the modern upper-mixed grades (where, as a broken down old fart, I don't spend much time). I haven't found it to be an issue on grade VI waterfall climbs...

Certainly the number of tr's & infor queries we see for Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, & points south suggest, at a minimum, a forum that would at least include the Continental Divide for North America, separately from the rest of the world...

I'll admit, as I made the transition away from leashes, it was several seasons, (and dropped tools - I can be a slow learner) before I returned to umbilicals. I tried incorporating a swivel into my homebuilt unit, and broke the damn swivel first time I weighted it! Now I'm back to just a length of cord or web approximately 1.5 times my ape index, simply girth-hitched to my harness's belay loop at the webs midpoint. A Camp nano carabiner attaches a tool to each end. Simple & cheap, and I can't say I miss the swivel anyway. A length of shock-cord threaded through 9/16 web makes a stretchy version which reduces klusterfactor considerably. Since we already own carabiners, the only expense is the 8' or so of web, and possibly the length of shock-cord you thread through it if you choose to do that. So there's really no excuse for not having your tools attached to you!

Right... and weren't you planning to climb it today with two partners? what happened?

I got curious, and went to my local "high-end" ski shop, to see what good boot-fitters are doing these days (my custom cork footbeds are a Superfeet product that I've used in all my ski-boots and ice-climbing boots since 1987). Superfeet currently offers several versions of custom-molded cork footbeds (the fitting/molding process takes about a half-hour) ranging in price from just under $100 to about $180. The low-price-point models combine cork and foam and can be used in non-rigid footwear (I bought a pair of these for my wife for her birthday). The price rises as the percentage of cork increases, until the top model is all cork, and must be used in a rigid-soled boot. This product is NOT an "orthotic" - that is - it does not correct for defects in foot strength or anatomy. It merely offers fit and support customized to your foot. Mine have lasted 22 years, and have outlived three pairs of alpine ski-boots, and six or seven pairs of rigid mountaineering boots, so I consider them a helluva deal.

If you're a good skier, or an OLD skier, you'll ski fine in mountaineering boots. I learned to ski before plastic ski-boots existed (early '60s), and ski just fine in single mountain boots, and in plastic double boots, a casual observer wouldn't notice that I'm not in ski-boots. On the Hog Loppet, from Mission Ridge to Blewett Pass, I enjoy bending younger skiers' minds by telemarking the downhill portions on skating gear. For mountaineering boots, I get my best results with Silvretta's a-t bindings. I've also used Fritschi with a-t boots. The routes you mention in your post would be fine with a-t boots, as will waterfall routes to about wi-4. My sons learned their ice-climbing skills in a-t boots, because I am too poor to provide them with separate boots for skiing and ice-climbing at an age where they will be lucky to fit for a single season. I've skied off Denali from the 14k basin camp twice (1981 & 1982)in mountaineering boots & the old "bear-trap" style bindings, both times trailing a freight sled. For me, the question would be: "Is my priority on skiing performance, or climbing performance?" I've even used a-t boots for easy rock-climbing on avalanche control missions in my years as a professional ski-patroller, and in my high-school & college years done winter climbs in the Tetons in mid-weight 3-pin nordic boots. If you're just gettin' into it, my advice would be don't pay retail, because you'll end up tailoring whatever system you start with to fit your individual style and preferences. Or, if the opportunity is available, rent or borrow different rigs until you get a sense of what you like best... Now, in my old age, I have an old pair of "classic" width alpine skis mounted with silvrettas that I steer with mountaineering boots on trips where climbing performance is the priority, and a pair of "fat" alpine skis mounted with Fritschis that I steer with a-t boots on trips where skiing performance is the priority. As functional a-t gear has become more readily available in the U.S. I no longer use nordic equipment for mountaineering...

From DECADES of pulling loads on sleds with skis, including two successful Denali climbs plus two other Alaska Range trips, I still find myself surprised that folks don't click to rigid attachment, like Mountainsmith uses on their commercially offered freight sleds. An hour or so and maybe $20 worth of materials is sufficient for even a relative klutz to modify your basic plastic kiddy-sled into a freight-hauler that will track straight and stay behind you without the need of a tailroper. I never ski with a pack heavier than a day-pack since the 1970s. The modification uses two 8' lengths of emt electrical tubing ("handles'- I've seen bamboo and PVC pipe used as well, but I prefer the aluminum tubing) which may be attached to the bow (front end, as on a boat) of the sled by sandwiching the bow rim between two appropriate-length (likely about 12") bits of half-inch aluminum flat stock (available at your local hardware store) with either rivets or bolts/nuts (yer choice) The fasteners at each lateral end of the sandwich must be ring-eye-bolts (I used quarter-inch shaft bolts on mine, smaller might work as well)whose eyes must be sufficiently large to accept a short section of the emt aluminum conduit. A section of emt conduit 2" or so longer than the width of the bow-sandwich inserted through the eyes of the end bolts functions as an axle to which the handles can be bolted, allowing them to move vertically, and preferably not horizontally (side-to-side). To enhance straight tracking, especially traversing firm sidehills, apply one or more skegs (stabilizing runners) to the bottom surface of the sled by sandwiching the bottom of the sled between lengths of half-inch aluminum flat stock (interior surface) and half-inch aluminum angle stock (cut the front end of the angle stock at a 45' angle sloping towards the stern of the sled). To attach the sled handles to me, I just duct-taped loops of web or cord to my end of each handle, and used two plain old carabiners to clip the handles either to the bottom corners of my pack, or to the sides of my climbing harness, or even just a regular belt, when I wasn't wearing a pack. I've used this rig routinely since the 1960s (the rig is a leftover from my years as a Boy Scout growing up in Idaho, near Yellowstone)to pull loads of 100+ lbs on skis, and I don't honestly notice the load much except on steep uphills. The rigid handles prevent the sled from overtaking its tractor (you) on downhills, and the skegs keep it tracking straight. An intermediate or beyond level skier can quite literally ski down all but the most extreme slopes as if the sled wasn't there, provided the skier maintains speed and doesn't decelerate ABRUPTLY. Tools for the modification: a drill to make holes for the rivets or bolts to go through, and a wrench or pliers to tighten the nuts on the bolts. The hardware store where you buy the aluminum stock can cut it to length for you if you haven't the tools/skills to cut it yourself. If this text description is insufficient, and there is demand, I could, I suppose, generate a photographically illustrated version of the process... (but I'm far too lazy to do that without being asked...) The finished product is basically a lightweight miniature version of the toboggans used by ski-patrollers at alpine ski resorts. (which, I think, is where the Boy Scouts got the idea in the first place)

Mackers - coupla older guys with lotsa miles on them that (I think) are still hangin' around that neck of the woods: Brian Teale (climbed with Brian in my college years in Colorado, early 1970s - still guiding last time I checked); Bob Plum, grew up in Wenatchee, he and I made the first ascent of Broken Tooth (near Moose's Tooth) in 1982. Either of these guys would make a great mentor, and they'll have a helluva collection of war stories from forty years of "world-class" climbing. Too bad Andy Embick bumped himself off - used to be anybody could show up in Valdez, call Andy (easy to find, an MD) and he provided a sort of "climbing partners clearinghouse" which made it really easy for out-of-towners & newbies. Ask around. Good Luck!!

Point of clarification: At first contact, BD initially simply said "no, not available." I was a bit surprised by that terse response, which I received over the phone at my local BD dealer. Not to give up so easily, I followed up with an email contact, and we did eventually reach a settlement which they specifically asked me not to disclose. This contrasts with my experience in contacting DMM to ask, if it was possible, for a reasonable price, to fix my damaged Rebel. DMM's response was to OFFER to fix the tool at no charge, if I would ship it to them on my own dime. In fairness, the BD rep did later explain that the reason they didn't have leg-loop assemblies available is that the harnesses are manufactured and packaged overseas, so the BD USA staff never even sees the belt & leg-loop assemblies separately. He further explained that even if the leg-loop assembly was available separately, they would have to price it at nearly the price of a whole harness anyway. Long story short, we did (with a bit of nudge on my part) eventually reach a settlement which I am not at liberty to share with ya. And Dane, I can't argue with the pure climbing performance of the Nomics. Where they came up short for me were 1. no hammerhead (not necessarily a deal killer) 2. no spike -pretty close to a deal killer because I am at heart more of an alpinist than ice/mixed cragger 3. My ham-hock hands are so damn big, I couldn't adjust the grip big enough for honest COMFORT; yeah, I could use certain grip positions & make 'em work, but this meant I couldn't really make use of the full range of the tool. The grip size was the main deal-killer for me, simply reinforced by the other issues. But for a person with normal human-sized hands, who places less importance on the spike and/or hammerhead, it is the Lamborghini of ice-tools.

I'm not a big fan of the elephant's foot concept. A more versatile option would be one of the many "pounder" ultralight 800+ down bags that would be comfortable to near-freezing, and easily pushed colder by wearing a bivvy jacket and folding the top of the bag back down over the leg portion to give a double thickness over the legs. I used this tactic at 21000' topping out on the French South Face route on Aconcagua in January of 1990. It allowed me to get away with a 1-lb sleeping bag, in perfect comfort, on the highest wall in the western hemisphere... and I still use that same 1-lb bag without the big jacket on most of my summer trips!

Looks promising. At least it has a spike. I'd have to demo them on ice, but even not having done that, I'd guess that they'd most likely have the ergonomics that has distinguished BD ice gear since Chouinard was making it... My hunch is they are probably an improvement, but I doubt the improvement will be great enough to convince me to replace my DMM Rebels... - but then It was well past Y2k before I found tools improved significantly enough to justify replacing my 1989 Cassin Antares (equivalent, near as I could tell from demoing both, to the BD X-15, and far less expensive) - What I really like about the Rebel, is that the grip is truly functional without a leash, with meaningful trigger-finger support in addition to a matching support, and still streamlined enough for effective plunging. Even the new fusion grip pictured above looks to be, while effective, less versatile than the Rebel overall. Still, I withhold judgment until I can demo...

Looks promising. At least it has a spike. I'd have to demo them on ice, but even not having done that, I'd guess that they'd most likely have the ergonomics that has distinguished BD ice gear since Chouinard was making it... My hunch is they are probably an improvement, but I doubt the improvement will be great enough to convince me to replace my DMM Rebels... - but then It was well past Y2k before I found tools improved significantly enough to justify replacing my 1989 Cassin Antares (equivalent, near as I could tell from demoing both, to the BD X-15, and far less expensive) - What I really like about the Rebel, is that the grip is truly functional without a leash, with meaningful trigger-finger support in addition to a matching support, and still streamlined enough for effective plunging. Even the new fusion grip pictured above looks to be, while effective, less versatile than the Rebel overall. Still, I withhold judgment until I can demo...

Dane - A wish list similar to the one you've posted was what led me to jump on the DMM Rebel three seasons ago (the timing was dictated by the fact that Bentgate.com was discontinuing them, so I got a helluva price deal...) I find this tool meets every criterion on your list, except: range of picks - DMM only offers one, but it has proven more than versatile enough for my purposes; micro-hammer/adze - I don't buy/carry adzes anymore, and the stock hammer is barely usable as it is, wouldn't want it any less conspicuous; shaft is only covered/insulated in the grip area, which is hands down the best engineered grip I've tried (including nomics, quarks, vipers/cobras). Last June I managed to break one of my Rebels during a 1000'(vertical measurement) ride in a lightning-triggered avalanche. When I contacted DMM, they offered to repair/replace the tool at NO CHARGE if I would send it to them. I'm hungrily awaiting the replacement, having finally shipped the broken one in September, after spending the summer in hospital. Compare that to BD's inability to even SELL me a leg-loop assembly for my BD harness, whose leg-loops were sliced off of my cracked pelvis when I was delivered to the emergency room... but I digress - I've never been one to refrain from modifying gear if I can make it work better - but when I demo'd the Rebel, I realized that I'd finally found something I had no inclination to modify - so I bought 'em!

It's an interesting idea, Dane, and I have donated gear to similar causes in the past. Unfortunately, my partners and other climbers currently laugh and joke about the most modern stuff on my rack these days (I don't replace stuff until it becomes obviously unusable, and after nearly forty years of climbing, I know the game well enough to not buy stuff I won't use). End result is - anything I'm not regularly using probably SHOULDN'T be used by anyone else, especially someone relatively inexperienced! Good luck, though - I see enough stuff come through Ebay & Craigslist to reckon that there is a helluva lot of high-quality, essentially "new" gear just gathering dust in folks' closets. Them's the ones you need to target. (hell, there's so much stuff on the "used" and "auction" market these days, that I almost never buy from retail shops any more!)

WM,FF,Marmot,& Montbell all appear to be good bets. I'd guess anything with 800+ down, at a total weight of about a pound will make you happy. When I made my decision (in the '80s), some of these options didn't even exist! I bought what TNF sold at the time as a bicycling bag - "lightrider" - total weight 1lb, continuous baffles so I can shift all the insulation to the topside on cooler nights, plain ripstop shell. It's a close mummy, which allows me to use it to line a 15-degree FF bag for Alaskan/Himalayan type cold. (The FF bag was ordered "extra girth", has continuous baffles which allows me to adjust how much down I sleep on top of, & how much I use for insulation, and it also has a gore-tex shell) The system yields a summer bag good to 40-or-so (I've pushed it much colder), a "shoulder-season" bag, and both bags used one inside the other make an extreme-condition bag. When I say I've pushed the ultralite much colder - in January of 1990, I used it at 21000' on the South Face of Aconcagua, wearing a down jacket on top, and folding the lightrider down to create a double layer around my legs. It worked, I was comfortable, I'd carried the jacket anyway, and this strategy allowed me to make this multi day high altitude climb with a 1-pound sleeping-bag. While I had owned a subzero rated bag in the '70s & early '80s, I found that it was overkill for 80 percent of my use, so when it was stolen on a South American trip, I intentionally replaced it with two lighter bags which allow me to accurately match conditions much more effectively. Over twenty-five years, I've never regretted it. So - any 800+ down-filled close-fitting, continuous-baffled bag that weighs in around a pound and you can get a good deal on is what I'd recommend!

one even easier step: 1. carry an alpine hammer third tool - any hammerhead you cobble onto a nomic is gonna be unsatisfying, at best, and more likely, only marginally usable... for what its worth, I've witnessed last resort peg placements made just using the stock backside of the Nomic head. Adding a mirohammer is likely to be little more than a cosmetic improvement.

davidjo - I currently use a pair of Garmont "Epic-carbo-goretex" for most of my alpine climbing, Lowa Civettas for super-cold, and Lowa AT boots for ski-mountaineering. I've also had reasonable fits in sportiva (trango series) and salomon. In all of these, I need to use a lace-lock between instep and ankle, because my ankles and heels are so skinny. And the custom footbed is key in all of them as well. I have not been able to wear Scarpa, and haven't liked Kayland's fit for my feet, either. I'd have to say the Lowas come the closest to feeling like I was born in them... but I haven't had the opportunity to try on one of their single high performance alpine boots lately...

I originally made my decision based on volume. MSR makes a bladder that holds a full gallon. I've used it for going on ten years, and have never questioned my choice. I don't have to fill it all the way, but its nice to have the option. I've gone through several hoses and bite-valves on mine, and the different brands of valves seem to be pretty much interchangeable, so I wouldn't make that a determining factor. When replacing the hose, I just use food-grade tubing from the plumbing department of my local hardware store. Oh - and I've frozen that bladder solid a few times... seems to have survived just fine.

Having worked as a boot-fitter during my college years (admittedly about 35 years ago...) I can tell ya that the "finger rule" was never intended to be more than just a general starting point. And the idea of over-sizing a boot so you can wear multiple socks is nonsense - most often resulting in nothing better than a sloppy fit. Fit the boot with the sock configuration that you expect to wear in it most often. Same for footbeds - fit the boot with the footbed that you expect to use in it. Then wear it around indoors for as long as possible (several hours stretch at a minimum, all day if possible, even try sleeping in them). Most shops will happily refund or exchange for boots as long as they haven't been worn outside. My personal preference is a fit that holds my ankle/heel/rear-foot allowing as little slip as possible, but allows enough toe-room so that I don't go lame after a long day of front-pointing, step-kicking in firm snow, and steep downhill walking. Achieving this can be a challenge, because I have low-volume feet with very skinny ankles. I've used a pair of custom cork footbeds since the late '80s, with great success. I also experiment with various lacing configurations to fine-tune the fit. It can make a surprising difference, and results in such oddities as the several pairs of boots/shoes I use for various mountain activities all sporting different lacing configurations. Ultimately, I strive for the fit that feels like I was born in the boot, so that I can climb all day, sleep with my boots on, and climb the following day, all in reasonable comfort.

Agreed. Yeah, I climbed wi6 with Forrest Lifetimes, and I pulled beyond-vertical schrund walls with a 70cm piolet in one hand and an alpine hammer in the other. The difference the modern gear makes is that thirty years later I can do those things without pissing myself during the pitch and enduring a case of dry heaves while recovering. Yet I climb fairly regularly with John Tarver, who still seems perfectly happy on wi5, with boots, tools, and crampons old enough to have been used on his first solo of Polar Circus back in his teen years...

Of the large, loose group I've mentioned, there's a bunch out on average about twice per week; pretty much every weekend, plus a day midweek. I can add your email to our circulation. It's pretty informal - usually somebody sends out a mass email to the effect of "anybody up for (fill in the blank) on (blank)day?" and somebody responds and they agree on a time/place to meet. As winter gets more serious, we tend to split into skiers and ice-climbers, and communication remains constant. So, just to confirm, your email is chris24eph@gmail.com? Your post leaves me wondering whether I have to type "dot" as part of your address...

If you're living east side (you said Vantage was closest) there's a pretty active community in the Wenatchee-Leavenworth corridor. We had a bunch out at Vantage today ranging from retired AMGA guides in their 60s to two 16-year-olds (the next generation). You're more than welcome to join us...

Vertical World is worth a call, and I've seen programs offered by municipal parks & recreation departments, and by such groups as the Boy Scouts and YMCA. In addition, most college and community college outdoor recreation programs offer some opportunities for group trips with varying degrees of challenge & supervision, which are often open to the public but may not be publicized off campus. The optimal fix would be to hook the kid up with a friend whose parents & family climb, and a place like Vertical World, or the Mountaineers, or any of the above-mentioned agencies might help make such a connection. If he's in school, see if any of the teachers are climbers, and if they are, whether they're willing to mentor. Many are -- my wife learned to climb with her high-school biology teacher, and thirty-five years later, the guy who taught her to climb is my main fly-fishing and bowhunting partner! Yet another option is your local SAR unit. Sometimes the ones operating in the heavily populated counties have youth adjuncts. Your county sheriff's office can connect you with your local unit. Good Luck!

I gave up on adzes on ice-tools back in the early 90s, because even when I used to carry one, it seemed I never used it, while I did (and still do) use the hammer regularly. I've used the hammerheads on a few curve-shafted tools (Quark, Aztar, Cobra, DMM Rebel), and they'll work if I absolutely have to use them, but none have worked well enough for me that I will leave my trusty vintage alpine hammer behind when I expect to be banging pegs. I like the original (heavier head with thicker pick) Chouinard alpine hammer and the Forrest Mjollnir (surpisingly effective on steep ice with the "skye" pick!) I do feel comfortable enough with the curved-shaft hammers to leave the "real" hammer behind on climbs where I'm only carrying iron as an "emergency back-up". For chopping stances, I prefer to use the side of my crampon as a saw to cut a step, as opposed to chopping with a hand-tool, and the old Lowe Footfang excelled at this function, as do the Trango Harpoon, and the DMM Terminator. The new-age ultra-light tech-crampons like Charlet's Dart don't put enough points underfoot to accomplish this function well. Some of these functional issues may be determined by whether you're more of a waterfall climber or an alpinist. I find myself far more likely to carry and use a "real" hammer on mixed alpine climbs than on waterfall climbs. And some of it just boils down to personal "style". Me, I'd trade the adze for a second hammerhead, and I'd go play with the hammer to see how it works for me. And, like Dane says, climb fast, because even with the best adze, if you have to chop a bivy ledge or tent platform with it, you're gonna suffer...