kevino

Not sure what time in June you'll be here but people were climbing this into early June last season... eldorado nw

I guess reading the first post is beyond you...

Thats because they are classified by their diameter, not their weight. Its like saying, oh yeah i have my 2 lb sleep bag with me.

Efficiency of climbing techniques, as Wayne eluded to. Repetition (climb frequently), practice these skills and be comfortable. Base strength of arm, back and core muscles, which will come from lots of climbing and body weight exercises.

Damn, That was funny. A little to close to home for me though? The guys name was Blake!?? Um yeah. posted it on cascade climbers, aplinist...hmmm that does sound familiar. So who is this splitboarder character...

Bridge creek may be a ways from opening but thats about 1/4 of the distance of walking the teanaway. Bridge creek is melting out fast, already more than half of it clear so bring mtn bikes and the way out will be super fast.

Sweet first song.

So did you guys celebrate by eating oysters? I found some oyster shells on the eight mile TH.

How was the snow on the glacier? And so now there are a couple miles of road walking?

Yes Dane, its finding that thin line between not overstuffed on the approach and not having it be too baggy during the climb. I thought the Cierzo didn't blend this line too well. And like BigSky, I like a removable lid. One thing I did when I was climbing in the cirque of the towers was just wear my harnesses on the approach, save pack space etc. But to each their own. The valdez is significantly larger than the others, 2400 cu in =~39 L. And heavier. The Crux pack looks intriguing, however, the roll top would limit extension/closure when the pack is full. Also I'm not sure how I feel about those compression straps, versus normal straps. Good luck! My personal input...I own and use the cilogear 30L for climbing and skiing. I don't use the hipbelt, nor the lid and a maximum of 4 straps, which leaves the weight just over 600 g. I have beat this pack up, no wear and tear. Stays out of the way when you climb/ski, easy to pull out the pad to sit on, etc. Not that 30L is too small, but it makes you more conscious of what you're bringing on a trip, which in turns makes you enjoy the climb more! Sorry for the ramble.

Looks like fun. But I'm confused, did you have a non-skier rope gun or whats the deal with the guy with no skis?

As far as the Arcteryx Cierzo, I put holes in my mine on 2 out of 3 trips I used it. I was very unhappy with the fabric, and as Daniel said, pretty awkward when not full.

6'1" 165 lbs...186 cm/102mm. I too only afford to have one pair of skis, but about 60-70% of my skiing comes off groomers because I'm to cheap to pay for lift tickets. Stable enough to get through crud, great in everything else. Coreupt Candide Pow.

I don't know if this will help you at all but... We drove from ellensburg...on the way down we went 82->84->15. We left around 7 pm and pulled into the campsite in the early/mid afternoon. We hit SLC traffic, other than that easy drive, though relatively remarkable landscape. Way back we drove through death valley, through bishop, reno and up central oregon, through bend etc. Much more enjoyable drive and only a tad longer. I don't know how you are with road trips, but I suggest mixing up the routes to enjoy your time spent driving! Have fun.

I've always thought it funny how, after a weekend during the winter months, there will be approximately ten new trip reports about various single pitch ice routes that were climbed at snoqualmie pass (half of them being the same), when every year we have a thread created to WA State Ice Conditions...

hey mr. Layton, I know kat and Matt Cook really well. Can I bum floor space of you for next year?

How about Thursday?

Mr. Telemarker, Your trip reports are always awesome. Nice one, yet again. Thanks for sharing.

Enough spray...to actually answer your question: In regards to pure WI, I have used: contacts, sabretooths, dart, sarken and dartwin. My favorite: dartwin. I feel I get good placements with them (like my vertical ice picks on my tools) and having two of them I feel more balanced vs. my old dart monopoint. There is my opinion. I suggest making lots of friends and asking to borrow their gear when climbing simple single pitch climbs. Hell buy me a six pack of some real dark beer and you can try my dartwin and sarkens.

Hmmm...the old well this pro person uses/says this, so therefore its the best. Then there is the counter, well just because it works for the pro doesn't mean it works for everyone, etc. While I have heard the the dual horizontal points are great and the end all, guess what? They didn't work for me. Why? Because I listened to Guy Lacelle when it comes to pure WI. PS...Did Will Gadd use sabretooths on his WI10? it would appear not...

Nice work guys. Way more ice climbed than our trip in october! David, this whole jobless thing is working well for you! You sure you're going to be able to give it up?

That second to last picture is awesome. Looks like a great trip.

Mr. Bunch of K's or someone else, Since I haven't been up there to climb since december, could someone tell me is the bootback for chairpeak going up from the summer trail or the winter trail?

Personally I think everyone should stop climbing at vantage. It is too dangerous for people from seattle to drive over on spring weekends.

Thanks guys. No more sitting belays. And the only legal implications my friend had was to buy me beer for the night.