montypiton

Mark - I have a sixteen year old son who has been climbing grade IV waterfall ice with me since he was 11. We have a few locals his age that climb with us - you'd certainly be welcome to join us. We live in Leavenworth, and have amassed a selection of tools & crampons for you to try, provided you have appropriate boots & clothing. You can put your parents at ease by letting them know that the adults in question include some old guys who helped to create the guide certification curricula now used by the American Mountain Guides Association, and currently train volunteers for the Chelan County Mountain Rescue Association, or you could simply put them in touch with us. (PM me)

to clarify - the price I quoted above is for the current model Cobra, seen within the last 90 days. The pair I have were new stock, and why or how a liquidator acquired a batch of them so soon, I can't explain. But ya gotta admit, its one helluva deal! Best I've seen for a Viper is +- $175 for a single. Only thing I can imagine is maybe the Viper is an easier sale on that venue... doesn't HAVE to make sense, does it? and Dane's right - buying picks for my Rebels is not like breezing into your local BD dealer. I've found Mountain Tools, in Carmel, Ca, (mountaintools.com) to be my most reliable source. Now that I'm on my third pair, I'm able to make the new ones last a bit longer by switching to retuned old/worn picks for routes where I expect to be contacting much rock...

kurthicks makes a good point about the knotted rope under the sled for a brake. Pro ski-patrollers routinely solo first-aid sleds on black-diamond runs using a similar rig with a length of chain instead of knotted rope. with a rigid handle system and a knotted rope brake, steeper downhills can be downright fun. and contrary to his statement above, you may well enjoy dragging a sled. I know I do, now & then...

All three of my sons climbed at the Peshastin Pinnacles with me and their mom as soon as they could walk (about two+ years). At that age, each completed the chimney on the east side of Orchard Rock, tied in just far enough above the following adult that the kid could be spotted/coached, and if necessary evacuated. One of us would piggy-back them on rappel (tied to us, of course) until they matured enough to rappel alone. When a little one would tire or lose interest, We'd place a nut and hang him in his harness from a sling, (barely off the ground) and he would happily enjoy this "swingset" while we would do a more challenging climb within sight. This tactic works well at the Feathers, as well, keeps the kid safe. Just use a sling long enough so the kid can't reach the nut placement... Around age 7-10, I'd short-rope them on multi-pitch routes like Saber and R&D. The youngest, now sixteen, climbed Louise Falls at age 12, and last June, solo downclimbed the NE couloir on Colchuck Peak after I got swept from a belay near the top by a lightning-triggered avalanche that severed our belay rope and left me hospitalized for the remainder of the summer. Playground Point, in Icicle Canyon, was originally developed by guys like Gordon Briody & Doug Klewin when their kids were toddlers, and has numerous kid-friendly climbs. My sons did their first leads there.

A nice read. I liked Alan before he was famous (only knew him as an acquaintance). From the sound of this interview, I'd prob'ly still like him. Although his style wasn't my preferred style, his contribution to U.S. climbing is inarguable.

I keep sayin' it, but since the subject keeps coming up, I'll repeat it: DMM Rebel - does pretty much everything - comfortable leashless on steep/extreme, yet grip is low-profile enough to plunge effectively. Overall geometry is close to current model Cobra, but hooks more readily for me. Only disadvantage, if you can call it that, is they may be harder to find than BD or Petzl/Charlet. It's the only tool I've owned since the early '80s that I haven't modified... For what it's worth, I do like the Cobra, Viper, and Nomic, but find that none of their grip/shaft systems meet all my criteria as well as the Rebel. As far as price differential between Cobra and Viper, I've actually found Cobra less expensive than Viper among liquidators selling via Ebay. I own a pair of Cobras as "back-up" that mostly get used by my sons or poorly equipped colleagues - cost roughly $300 FOR THE PAIR. At that price, as much as two of my sons are climbing, it made sense... and I don't mind using them if/when the Rebels are out of commission for some reason. Aside from Rebel, Nomic, Cobra, & Viper, I'd as soon climb on my vintage '89 straight-shaft Cassin Antares - which I sometimes still do when I occasionally outfit my sons and their friends for a day...

having tried pulling with rope harnesses and with rigid handle systems, I cannot emphasize enough how much easier life is with rigid handles. either way works pulling straight level or straight uphill, but on sidehills, the sled you pull with rope will want to roll down hill, while a reinforced bow with rigid handles will help you control that, and on downhills, without rigid handles, your sled WILL overtake and pass you if you don't have a tailroper to hold it back. The side bungees for tying in gear look like a great addition!

back in the eighties, the "standard" in Denali National Park was a full-length closed-cell foam pad underneath a full-length thermarest. Obviously, there are lots more options, now. try contacting the NPS in Denali. They'll tell ya what the guides are currently pushing.

funny: when I was running competitively (forty years ago), I was routinely running miles under 5 minutes, and just barely lettered at my high-school. been climbing since that same time, and hardest I've ever pulled was 12a. gotta say I'm not really interested in 5.13 sport climbing. I'm much happier with the capacity to climb 5.10-11 trad in alpine boots and a pack. Too many guys my age have trouble walking even a mile. correct: my kidneys stopped working - Doctors at two different clinics told me that I had been metabolizing my own muscle tissue for fuel. They and two other MDs who are regular climbing partners suggested this might be less likely to occur if I carried a bit more bodyfat. that was when I cut "squat centuries" from my training regimen. I have yet to meet anyone else, anywhere, any age, who could step into the power cage in a weight room, put a load equal to their bodyweight on their shoulders, and perform a single set of 100 strict form squats, nonstop. At the time of my kidney-failure episode, I weighed about 190 lbs, and was doing my "squat century" with a 235 lb load at age 51. It had taken me six years of targeted training to achieve a "squat century" carrying a load equal to my bodyweight. re: the "easy test" mentioned above - I routinely used a nearly identical tactic to train for climbing at altitude. In the days before rock gyms existed in the US, I would attempt to repeat routes that had felt near my limit in rock shoes and no pack, while wearing mountaineering boots and carrying a pack. I climbed up to 5.11 in Galibier Superguides, and reached a point where I pretty much couldn't climb anything in rock shoes and no pack that I couldn't also climb in mountaineering boots with up to about a 30 lb pack. I'd heartily agree this is an excellent training practice for alpinists & expedition climbers. In January of 1990, my partners and I strayed off route on the French South Face Route on Aconcagua, and I comfortably led a corner pitch of 5.9 stemming @ 17000' wearing first-generation Kastinger double plastic boots and a pack weighing between thirty and forty lbs. My companions, both 5.11 trad climbers - one fell several times following, while the other followed the pitch on tension. Both routinely trained at a 5-minute-mile pace on runs of up to ten miles. I didn't run with them, because the best pace I have ever been able to carry on a run that long is about 7-minute-mile. And I agree, fasting on occasion is a great health maintenance tool. And on occasion, I will fast for up to a week. But I confirmed many years ago that I personally am physically incapable of fasting and training hard at the same time for a multi-day period.

oops - forgot Ricardo Cassin - but he was a euro, and therefore part of the problem, right? don't know about "protecting...laziness" but from study of bodybuilding, do know that those "professionals" will rip to below 5% for comps, but will not attempt to maintain that level for more than about 48 hours. First thing they do after comp is pig out. Also, personally was once HOSPITALIZED when I inadvertently failed to eat enough over the course of only a three day climbing trip. (Kyle Flick was there, knows the story) I typically maintain between 6% and 10%, but prefer to remain closer to 10%. world's best marathoners prefer to stay closer to 15% & they look pretty skinny. I've had friends who've looked downright emaciated at 18%! a lot depends on natural body type, & that's usually genetic. Whillans was one of the best free climbers in the world for his generation, and the guy LOOKED fat most times. do whatever works for ya.

I know what "graupel" is, but what's "groppel"?

Actually, I HAVE tried this for winter mountaineering - in the old days before polypropylene (1960s - 70s). In those days, if/when you couldn't get your hands on wool longies it beat hell out of cotton. Lots cheaper than the name-logo stuff for you poor folks... thanks for the heads-up!

Warthog is an absolute essential. I never go mixed without one. It's one of those rare pieces that works in ice OR rock (fits the same size crack as a 1/2" angle). Left one in rock for a rappel anchor coming off an FA in the Alaska Range in '82. I have plenty, so GO FOR IT.

I guess folks don't notice when Haston admits "it's NOT HEALTHY" (emphasis mine). I've got climbing partners in their seventies leading in the 5.10 range, and a couple in their sixties pulling 5.11/12. And how about that Shipman!?!? Guy's broken his neck THREE TIMES, yet at age 62 leads 5.10 trad and WI5! Improvements in technique and equipment allowed Fritz Weissner and Norman Clyde to climb rock at a similar standard in their nineties as they climbed in their thirties! "Jackrabbit" Johanssen broke his leg six weeks before his hundredth birthday yet celebrated that birthday by winning a nordic ski race. Personally, I prefer healthy...

As one who benefited from this very program in 1980, '81, and '82, I can highly recommend it! The application and post climb requirements were fairly minimal - and the grants I was awarded, along with more from the AAC, and "pro" deals from gear places, made my early expeditions in Canada & Alaska possible. And I've never been a Mazama member! GO FOR IT!!!

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.