trainwreck

The Snowpatch-Bugaboo Col is going to be an absolute mess by late August. It's not an issue if you're going over to the South Howser tower because you can get there by going around Snowpatch the other way.

What can you tell us about Raph's proposed route on Everest? I know you were recently visiting.

"That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!"

I like OR because you can just keep returning their stuff to them. They have the best warranty of any company I have ever dealt with. It takes a few weeks but you end up with new gloves. As you say, all climbing gloves are going to get destroyed so find a company or store that will let you return them! If you're in Bellingham, you could always go to MEC in Vancouver and get gloves because they have an awesome returns policy. I also find that having Seam Seal handy will greatly extend the life of most gloves. Another trick I've learned is to look for women's large sizes in the discount bin. I am normally a men's medium or small depending on how tight of a fit I'm looking for. Finally, I have run of the mill leather work gloves for rapping if I am doing anything with a lot of long rappels.

As a Canadian, I need medical insurance for anything longer than a weekend trip to Mount Baker. I imagine its the same coming to Canada.

I am currently using 404's and very vintage skis to break in a set of La Sportiva Baruntse boots. I haven't had any issues with heel lift or rub in the doubles and have logged around 20 hours skinning on variable terrain. Considering that I haven't cooked the liners of my boots yet, I'd say they're a solid combo with Silvretta bindings. I will try with my Nepal Evos to see if they give me any trouble. If you can do the climb in ski boots that use tech bindings though, do it. The weight savings for the approach, as well as the ability to actually ski down even moderate terrain is huge.

I can't understand why they were on Polar Circus that day. The avy forecast was complete shit and it was snowing heavily. Condolences to all that knew him;

Sorry to hear about the fall, best of luck with your recovery!

Yeah, you climbed Teardrop.

Are the Sabretooth crampons the stainless steel version or the previous steel version?

Great TR, Marc. Some close calls though! Be safe out there, youngin'.

I'll take these if they're still available...

PM sent.

This is exactly what M-grades were intended to cover. You do realize that both make money off climbing via self promotion right? Both get paid to come and speak to audiences about climbing, both have sponsors which pay them to self promote. Any and all press is good press. Will has an absolute gift for self promotion, he always has. I don't fault him for it at all, in fact I think he's one of the most "successful" people to come out of my hometown. I am stoked that he's found a way to make a living from his passions. Will also has a knack for stirring up shit, which is what the name Spray On and the grade were intended to do. He profits (either directly or indirectly) from how much press his climbs get, he has a vested interest in creating buzz and "WORLD'S FIRST W10 CLIMBED BY WILL GADD!!!" certainly goes a long way. That's your prerogative. I trust Raphael's judgement on grades simply because he has absolutely nothing to gain from hyper inflating WI grades. His silence on the matter speaks volumes to me. He's one of the most prolific climbers in the Rockies and has very strong views on grades. The implication is that it's M11 climbing. I can't think of another ice climb that is entirely bolt protected, can you? Climbing ice, but protecting it with rock gear -- sounds like an M-climb to me. The physical difficulty was equated to M10, it stands to reason that if the climb felt as hard as an M10 climb it probably is.

If that were the case then we should be able to extend the grades up and down using the same metric. But WI5X is not WI6; WI2X isn't WI3 either. I have climbed my fair share of 5's and 6's too (all of my WI climbing has been in Canada so I don't have any other areas to compare with), but I can't think that the grades reflect the objective dangerousness of a climb above other factors. As Dane pointed out before, Curtain Call is a standard-for-the-grade WI6 in the Canadian Rockies, it can be climbed placing bomber screws pretty much at your leisure though, the grade doesn't really make any sense if danger is somehow determinative of the rating. The pitches are still long (P1 ~50m, P2 ~50m), there's usually some overhanging ice at some point, but the climbing is relatively safe otherwise. Of course this is true. I don't think I am out of line for wanting to know why the FA team graded something a certain way though. I am not trying to beat my chest nor am I accusing the guys of beating theirs. It's just an appropriate venue to have the annual CC.com WI grades thread.

Thanks for that. For what it is worth, I am not trying to be an internet tough guy here; that is a bad ass route and far beyond what I am capable of. I just think that the WI7 grade deserves some discussion. It is not common in Canada to give anything more than a 6+. I can think of two off the top of my head; the FA of Sea of Vapours WI7+ (which sounds more like WI6+R/X to me) and Rites of Passage WI8 (which ought to have been graded AI because an overhanging serac is, by definition, not a waterfall). Edit - I recalled two more, Sans Blitz and M-16.

I defer to the good doctor on this one. Raphael Slawinski, probably the least self-aggrandizing climber out there, has never called Wolverine, Spray On/Spray On Top waterfall ice climbing. He's referred to Wolverine as Spray Ice 11 in his blog, which I think is his way of disagreeing with Tim and Will's grading of the route without making a big deal of it. Raphael has also said in his blog, "Spray On Top is one of the most unique, varied and fun mixed routes I have ever been on." So the one guy who has climbed the routes at Helmecken who doesn't rely on press to eat refuses to grade the routes with a WI designation. That's a pretty good indication to me that they are not WI climbs. You know, aside from the fact that they are entirely bolt protected.

That looks like a suuuuper cool route. Please explain what makes it a WI7 versus a WI6+ or WI6X though, I have never really understood how people make those decisions. Will Gadd excluded, because everyone knows his WI10 route at Helmecken Falls is crock of crap. It's an M-climb and everyone knows it.

For cheating, I personally recommend Dexadrine.

FWIW I am 42 in virtually ever La Sportiva last ever made and the 43 Baruntse was MASSIVE on me. I am thinking I'd likely be a 41.5 Baruntse, that's a whole lotta boot.

I use the Arcteryx one with three clipper slots and adjustable leg loops.

What size are yours and what size you want? I also have a gently used pair of Baruntse that don't fit.

This thread is more epic than the guy's rescue.

I climbed the east ridge this year and will never do it again. it is primarily just a dangerous scramble with three short pitches of shitty climbing on the big step. compared to the east ridge of cavell it is a tottering shit heap; though the views on the summit ridge are damned impressive.

The rock on Louis is pretty good, especially on the Gmoser route as it sees a lot of traffic. It's an excellent climb, on a good day I would expect another party or two as the Gmoser and Kain routes intersect after about 6-8 pitches.