Le Piston

I have always liked Mammut ropes and had quite a few over the years, but my alltime favorite rope for alpine climbing was the Beal Stinger....like butter to handle and plenty durable.

Sweet! The creeks sure went down in volume from when I was there last month...we had to ford twice. Glad you had good weather and much fun. Suffering seems to be part of the entry fee into the Pickets. Thanks for the video!

If it isn't too late, you might also look at the BD Icon. It also takes AAA or the rechargeable battery. I got it to replace the Mammut Lucido TX1 that up and died on me. The Icon, like my previous BD headlamps works like a champ and is dependable.

That looks like a great one person ultralight tent, but pretty narrow for two compared to the BD Firstlight. It looks like more headroom. Thanks for sharing your impressions and experiences. I'd like to try one just to compare to my Firstlight.

Loved the trip report and pictures. I see the mountain roads in Bolivia are much like in Ecuador...my bus ride was scarier than the climbing! Nice work gentlemen! I've wanted to go to Bolivia for several years...thanks for the stoke.

Thanks for the great pics and sharing your trip. I was supposed to climb in Chamonix this summer, but couldn't coordinate my schedule with my climbing partner. The outhouse reminded me of one bolted onto a cliff near the Obergabelhorn in Switzerland...talk about exposure!

There is a bench about 7000-7200 feet with level tent spots and running water (at least last week) east of Windy Pass which would make a great camp spot. I walked by it in June and wished I had stayed there instead of by Little Caroline Lake.

Congrats on a great climb and thank you for sharing the trip and pictures.

Trip: Cashmere Mountain consolation - North Ridge Date: 7/19/2012 Trip Report: My four day climbing trip into the Southern Pickets being foiled, my friend Rod and I wanted to climb something in a day, given the narrow weather window. He had not yet climbed Cashmere (I had just done it June 30th) so up we went. My body wasn't fully recovered from the previous day's 10 miles bushwhacking, but we made good time up the Eightmile Creek trail. It was hot going and the bugs were out in force, but the trail is in excellent shape and the expanding views helped. Last month I was able to cut crosscountry on snow from Little Caroline Lake (thus avoiding going up to Windy Pass) but most of the snow is gone, so up to Windy Pass we went. This adds distance to the approach, but also great views...especially Glacier Peak. We arrived at the saddle (about 8000 feet) and took a break. We got onto the North face and traversed on easy ground and two snow patches to the North ridge. The snowpatches are a bit runout, but the snow was soft and easy to manage. Once on the North Ridge, class 3 terrain takes you right up to the summit. There were swarms of lady bugs and flying ants, so we only stayed long enough for traditional Ritter Sport summit shots and a few pictures. Cashmere makes for a long, but scenic day climb of 17 miles round-trip...it wasn't Degenhardt and the Chopping Block, but a nice consolation. Gear Notes: Took ice axe, crampons, and helmet. Only used the helmet because of some loose rock on the north ridge. Approach Notes: Lots of ravenous flies and skeeters. Right now there are plenty of little creeks for water along the trail. The trail is in great shape with a few muddy spots.

By comfort level, I mean how comfortable you feel moving on the terrain given the factors of angle, exposure, snow conditions, and experience. As far as the tools go, I'm always looking for ways to save weight (being an old fart) while maintaining performance in my gear. Don't get me wrong, I love my Venoms for alpine climbing.

I'm not BirdDog, but thank you anyway. Sorry if I gave the impression that one picture included all those peaks...I was just generally speaking to the views. Here is a shot of Redoubt.

Not a foolish question. It depends on your comfort level and conditions. I've got a BD Venom hammer that works well on snow and short ice sections, and have used a picket for downclimbing steep firm snow. I've been considering a Petzl Sum'tec hammer which is 4 oz. lighter than my Venom.

The road is clear to the trailhead. As far as skiing down, I met a guy on splitboards who was thinking of doing just that. This picture may help.

Trip: Ruth Mountain - Ruth Glacier Date: 7/14/2012 Trip Report: I had wanted to do Ruth for a long time, so with a rare weekend free and good weather I decided it was finally time. My original plan was to camp at Hannegan Pass and climb Ruth on Saturday, then head over to Copper Ridge Sunday. We all know how plans change. The approach trail is in pretty good shape (thanks to a WTA work crew also there for the weekend) except for a couple minor blowdowns and a dicey waterfall crossing. There is still a lot of snow up in the hills, but I was able to find one of the few flat bare patches on which to sleep. After a quick lunch I headed up and around Point 5963 traversing on perfect snow (no crampons needed). The views on the way to Ruth of Redoubt, Challenger and Whatcom were pretty nice. But I mostly wanted an upclose view of the Nooksack Cirque. I could see Shuksan through a gap...a teaser. I headed up the gentle slopes of the Ruth Glacier, visions of great panoramic views in my head, when seemingly out of nowhere the clouds boiled up and I was totally socked in with visibility about 20 feet. I waited, hoping it would pass, but it didn't. Not wanting to wander alone I followed my tracks all the way back to camp. I got up at 4:00 a.m. the next morning and headed back up in marginal weather. I waited on the summit for the weather to clear and improved the rock wall on one of the bivy sites...But the clouds hovered over Shuksan and Nooksack cirque. As I headed down, a big thunderhead came up over Ruth. I packed up and got back to my car just before it started to rain. Gear Notes: Ice axe and trekking poles. Snow conditions required no crampons. I didn't see any crevasses on the route Approach Notes: Snow pretty much continuous after Hannegan Pass, but a pretty good boot-path to follow.

Way to get it done! Sorry you didn't get to enjoy the awesome view from the top. I don't feel so bad about my socked in summit on Cashmere Sunday. Did it start to clear up for you on the way out as well?

One of the poles broke and a corner seam ripped.

Like a lot of gear choices, tents and tarps have trade-offs depending on the anticipated use. Unfortunately, there aren't too many shelters that "do it all" in every situation. Personally I like free-standing tents in most scenarios, (though I have a BD Megalite that I like)for bug and storm protection. Like JDCH I love my BD Firstlight. I did seam seal it and have stayed dry in rain storms. I use it solo and it will sleep two adults...very snugly. If the weather is looking marginal I take a bigger tent with a vestibule (BD Skylight or Hilleberg Jannu) I got a chance last month to try a friend's Mountain Hardwear Supermega UL2. It's 2 1/2 pounds, can sleep two, has a 6 sq. foot vestibule and is free standing. It seemed a bit flimsy though for real windy conditions. Big Agnes also makes several ultralight tents you might look at. As for the Eureka Zeus, I had one and would only consider it for car camping or hiking...it wasn't very durable. Hope this helps.

Only thing I'll say about getting cheap poles is consider durability. I once bought a pair of cheap poles and they broke on my third trip with them. The Black Diamond Flicklock Expedition poles I got after that are still going strong after many years. Sometimes you get what you pay for. If those poles are good quality, then you've got a bargain.

Thanks Pac Man! As a definite gearhead and convert to lightweight climbing (gettin' old), I appreciate comparing gear weights...though that isn't my only criteria for choosing what I put in the pack. Keep up the good work!

Trip: Colchuck Peak - Colchuck Glacier Date: 6/3/2012 Trip Report: This feels pretty tame after reading Ryanl's Prusik Peak TR (nice work by the way!) I do want to remind a certain partner what weekends are for. Can you imagine preferring a weekend in Tahoe with a hot girlfriend to climbing? I thought about soloing the North Buttress Couloir, but didn't feel burly after 3 hours of sleep. I figured to get a workout and hopefully some views. I joined the line going up the glacier. I was suprised how many people were on the route. The snow was just about perfect for booting up. The snow above the col was a bit harder, and I was glad for the bucket steps...especially coming down. I at least had 10 minutes alone on the summit to enjoy the view. A nice couple joined me we swapped summit shots. Thanks Neil and Sally!I thought about going up Dragontail and down Aasgard, but the little snow squall made me wonder if the weather was going to get nasty, so down I went. The snow on the glacier made for excellent glissading and speeded me down to the lake. Wouldn't you know by then the sun came out. It was still a good day for an old fart...and better than the gym or Mt. Si. Better than Tahoe? Gear Notes: Ice axe and crampons for the descent.

Thanks for the reminder. I went out to Tahoma National Cemetery with my family...lots of graves and flags. A good reminder of the price payed for our freedoms. Too bad most of our holidays have evolved away from their origins.

How about this?

I have the Firstlight and it's bigger cousin the Skylight. It weighs about a pound more, but has a lot more room. I've been in North Cascades and Olympics rain in both and stayed dry, though condensation can be an issue. If you like the Firstlight, but want a bigger tent but still want to keep the weight around 4 pounds, take a look at the Skylight.

I used to have the pre-Ti Jetboil and moved on to the MSR Reactor...love it! The Reactor wins hands down for melting snow, where a bigger pot is much better. If you're only heating water for one person, go with the Jetboil, but .8 liters of water doesn't go very far between two or more people. Just curious though how the Jetboil manages to minimize carbon monoxide output more than the MSR?

I'm curious too, when I went up there a few weeks ago there was snow on the road the last mile or so. I was able to get to the trailhead using 4 wheel drive, but I'm sure there's a lot more snow now. If "thunder legs" doesn't break the trail, I'll go back up there gladly!