elliottwill

Check out MEC.ca. They have a number of Dyneema ripstop alpine packs that are nice and simple. Unfortunately most of them have side zippers, which I don't like. A comparable pack in the US is going to be about twice as much. http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442617749&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699867&bmUID=1248368305963

Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid. Like a Megamid but for 1-2 people Integral Designs SilDome And the Black Diamond Epic tents are great.

I'll be done with school in the 2nd week of June. I've got family in Portland, so it would be no problem to meet you there. The fastest I've made it from Seattle to Haines, AK, was 36 hours, including a long detour through Vancouver and the Sea to Sky highway. I was hoping to get home as fast as possible this time. Driving is way cheaper than flying if you have 2+ people. 2600 miles / 20 mpg = 130 gallons * $3/gal = $390 / 2 people = about $200 altogether one way. Alaska Airlines wants something like $750 round trip if you buy the ticket now, so you save almost $400. For me, as a grad student money is more important than time, so this is a good deal. Maybe we can get someone else to come along and help break up the driving?

Hey, I'm trying to get home from college to Alaska this summer, and flying's pretty expensive. I'd like to split the cost of gas and get a ride up there with someone-- or potentially drive myself if a couple people are interested. If you're going up there to climb, I grew up in Talkeetna, and can give you a place to stay. You can do a background check at flickr.com/photos/will_elliott. I'd be coming from California via Seattle. Thanks!

Thanks Mark, Ketch, Porter.

OK, so the OP wasn't clear. I'll restate: 1) I have a bunch of pins that are wide. 2) I want narrow ones. Why? Because they work great in the iced-up conglomerate of the Chugach, and when it's -20 F you can place them with your mittens on. 3) I was curious if I could save some $ by cutting them down "the long way" so a 1" would fit in a .5" crack. So in response, I'm hearing from Rat: don't bother, it's too much trouble. OK, thanks. That's what I was asking. Have a nice day.

I recently inherited a box of Black Diamond angle pitons in the full size range. The larger angles aren't useful to me, but the narrower sizes are. I wondered about thinning down the larger sizes so they'd fit into narrower cracks. Is this possible?

I went years without trying the La Sportiva Nepals because I knew from previous experience that LS Makalus, Nuptses and Glaciers were far too narrow. Finally I tried the Nepals and it was amazing. They're one of the widest mountain boots I've tried in the forefoot/ ball of foot area, just before your toes. I tried the Scarpa Summits also and found the Sportivas to be wider and worth the extra $ in terms of stiffer climbing performance at the tip of the toe, and better ankle articulation. For comparison, I had to wear size 48 Makalus to accomodate my wide feet. I wear size 46.5 Nepals now.

Hi Billy, As always, thanks for the info. I was mostly thinking of using it on Talkeetnas glaciers, or carrying it on Hatcher Pass scrambles like The Pinnacle. Sounds like a good way to save some pounds. then. Will

I like the idea of carrying a short static cord, but I've seen 30m lengths of 8mm dynamic for sale by Beal and others as "trekking" ropes. Beal Rando Rope at REI Are these a viable option for crossing a glacier (not belaying steeps)? More specifically, a) does 30m give you enough rope to stay safely apart and still haul your partner out? I'm thinking about a bad-case scenario where the crevasse would taper quickly, so your partner would be corked, and unable to get to self-rescue. b) why do they sell these ropes as dynamic, if the stretch is bad for hauling? Why choose a 30m dynamic rope over 8mm static cord? Thanks for the help.

Hello, I've got a friend who wears his Nepal EVOs year round, on summer rock and winter ice. I've got a wide foot, so I was hoping I could do the same with the Scarpa Summits. Now I see that Sierra Trading Post is selling Vasque Super Alpinistas fairly cheap, though. Is that pretty much a winter-only boot? Are these fair to compare?

I'm not sure it follows that we should shoot ourselves. That doesn't seem very workable, does it? I respect your frustration, though, and I share it. These issues don't have easy answers. Nor is my point that we shouldn't support our military. What I am saying is simply that many companies (and candidates) will try to win our brand loyalty by claiming to be unequivocally "green", by being "committed to the core" of surfers and climbers, or by being hand-made in Canada. But that image is cheap. If they want to occupy an ethical high ground, we should demand they work harder. (And if the want to sell out, that's fine too.) I think Patagonia does work hard to occupy that ground and inspire others to. And I wear the olive drab Patagoia stuff, and other military surplus gear. I fill up my truck with oil from the companies who bribed my Alaskan legislators, and have us entangled in Africa, South America, Russia and the Middle East. I'm not perfect. I'm supporting military involvement overseas. I have some responsibility for my friends who went to Iraq and didn't come back. But I try to understand what I can do to be better. These are not black and white issues. That's why we should always respect the grey between. Most people do. But some don't-- some will totally boycott Arc'teryx for outsourcing, and some totally buy Patagonia because they think they're helping the planet. When you add it all up, they probably are. But things are never perfect. That's an ongoing work we have to do. I realize this might be getting political, so I'll shut up now. I'll cede the last word to whomever wants it.

Anybody know if Patagonia's still making clothes for the military? That's fine by me, and I mean no disrespect to my family members or anyone else in the service. But it does seem inconsistent with their marketing. Integral Designs stands behind their choice to make military gear, and I respect that a lot more than if they carried on a continuous litany about being good for the planet but participated in an economic sector that's all around very bad for it. (Although the petroleum and metal basis for almost all our gear depends on resource extraction that destroys the landscapes used to market the final product.) I complained to Rock and Ice a while back about a Honda ad they ran, in response to their bragging about turning down a free Hummer because it wouldn't have been ecologically responsible. It's not the actual choices here that bug me, it's the hypocrisy that distracts us from recognizing some of the things in this industry that we *can* have an affect on.

So, to qualify my last post: If you find that your single boots just aren't warm enough, though, then I would supplement them with a really warm double boot. It seems that while you'd seldom need the double boot, in the situations where you would, the additional weight and bulk are going to be well worth the added warmth and safety. I say this because it seems attractive to try to split the difference between a single boot and a plastic boot with the La Sportiva K4S, Vasque Super Alpinista, etc. I think if you're just getting into all this, though, you'd be better off having two pairs (leather single and a plastic or synthetic double)to cover a very wide range of conditions rather than having one boot to cover the middle with diminishing performance on the ends. A fairly personal choice, though, so don't take my word for anything. A supergaiter and RBH Designs socks will keep the snow off and sweat out of your leathers on a multiday trip, although you could probably just buy eBay plastics for the same amount of money. Have fun!

REI has the right to charge whatever fee they want for lost boots. If they object to people intentionally losing their rentals, they should charge a higher fee, or have you sign an "I will not try anything sneaky" form. Anyway, regarding plastic boots-- It's like a tent: you could spend $500 on an expedition tent and carry all 11 lbs. of it on your pleasant summertime overnights, but you could also just get a much lighter 3-season tent that would serve you well most of the time, and find some other solution for the rare instances when you'll need a big bombshelter. I'm on a very tight budget, too, and here's what's let me climb year round in Alaska: Scarpa Invernos: $10, retired from the NOLS rental fleet. Extra set of high altitude liners: $40 on eBay Aku Extreme leather boots (these are uninsulated, basically like a La Sportiva Glacier or Makalu): $250 I wear the Akus until it gets too cold, then the Scarpas. If the climbing is too technical for big boots, then I just go climb something else. I used to have La Sportiva Trango EVOs and Asolo Summits additionally-- two technical, specialized boots --but I ended up selling them and putting that money elsewhere. Having a four pairs of boots really wasn't making my life twice as fun as only having two pairs, so it seemed a poor investment. My suggestion, then, is to think hard on what you'll realistically be doing the most of-- not what boot would "cover all the bases" --and get a boot for that. And the corollary is, what you're doing most of the time probably won't be cold or long enough to make a plastic boot mandatory, so you might as well start with a single boot. Have fun!

Anybody know much about Linear Accelerator in August? I hiked back there a few times last fall but the clouds never lifted. Specifically, do you need two ice tools? Two ropes? Rock shoes? Pins? Much more than a few nuts and little cams? I've heard it's 5.6, but how sustained? I guess these are all things I'll have to find out for myself, but I sure would love to have a lighter pack tromping up that trail!

Hello, I was considering getting a used pair of Petzl Aztarexs to use instead of my heavy Tech Wings for more moderate routes. I noticed that the shaft on the Aztars is type T, whereas the Aztarexs are only B. Has anyone tried these tools, or has any opinion on the pros and cons of the Aztarex vs other lightweight alpine tools? Obviously the new Grivel composite tools would be worth considering, but the used Aztarexes are way cheaper!

Wow! I really appreciate that info. Maybe they'll change the color too. It always seemed like the black Invernos dried out fast in the sun. As for AMF, when I've tried logging in this week, the site's been down and I get a big real estate ad. It's still the case now. Am I the only one having this problem?

Hello, I'm looking to replace my Invernos for ice climbing and multiday ski touring in Southcentral Alaska. The coldest I'd ever be out in would be -30 F, but usually it would be between 0 and 15. The Invernos were warm enough for subzero temps and fit my wide feet, but are pretty clunky for the actual climbing, especially rock scrambles. I had high hopes for La Sportiva Nuptses, but they're too narrow, as are Koflachs. The Scarpa Omegas have good reviews in the Lower 48, but would they be warm enough for a do-it-all Alaskan winter mountain boot? I'm mostly climbing easy/moderate routes with a lot of cross country skiing and multiday stuff thrown in. Thanks for the help!

It's more complicated than that. X Monsters are more expensive at MEC than in the US, and Cobras aren't reduced by the same fraction as the Vipers. Then there's good ol' REI, currently charging more than MSRP for the X Monsters-- which were only $75 there a few months ago.

Hello, Here's a question for any big-footed cold weather climbers. I have a pair of Invernos whose liners are seriously packed out (I bought the boots secondhand for $10). I'd like to put some new liners in, but I can't find replacements anywhere-- just expensive Intuition liners that people tell me don't last long. Because I have size 12-13 feet, the usual cheap sources don't help me. I figure since I have so little invested in the boots to start with, if I'm going to spend $150, I might as well go all out and buy something like La Sportiva Nuptses. I'd be using the boots on moderate terrain in Alaska during the winter, and for multi-day backcountry ski boots-- so the flexable Nuptses seem perfect. Unfortunately, people are telling me that the Nuptses are no longer made larger than size 47. I have wide, high volume feet, so I think they'll be too small. I don't have a local dealer, so I'd have to order online. Does anyone have any advice on where to get liners or big boots? Thanks for the help!