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SOLD US 10, UK 9, Eur 43 Evolv Evos used once for one pitch. Way too tight on me. I'm a 10.5 street shoe and have Evolv Defys in size 10 that fit fine. The Evos are tighter in the same size. Retail at $105 Yours for a cool $50 http://www.evolvesports.com/EVO.htm I'm in the U District. Could meet up somewhere locally or will ship - you pay shipping. Doug

Could always just switch to the Camp Pulse: http://www.wildsnow.com/943/camp-pulse-helmet-an-option-for-the-ski-alpinist/ The only one I know of qualified for both climbing and ski standards. Way lighter too than a regular ski helmet.

Good work dudes!! That one has been on my list since I saw a pic of the NF. Awesome job and great read!

It's got what plants crave! And here I am paying for my food like a sucker when there's all this free food to be had.

I agree. Even in WA you can't compare alpine to crag ratings. BTW, in the Swain book the Dangler is a 5.9... the MP consent was 5.9+. I haven't felt Index ratings yet, but right after climbing some routes at Castle Rock (the first area I climbed after I moved) this is what I thought it felt like compared to Gunks grading: -The Fault 5.6 -Catapult 5.7 -S Face Jello Tower 5.7+ -Midway chimney pitch 5.5 -Midway Direct 5.4/3 -Canary 1st pitch 5.7+ -Canary 2nd pitch 5.7 Not many/any clean vertical cracks at the Gunks, but if you want to compare I'd recommend getting on Laurel and Ken's crack - two classic 5.7s in and near the Uberfall area. Have fun, its a great crag with 100s of routes. Make sure to go to Bacchus in downtown New Paltz for a wider selection of beer. Oh yeah... I know they are a love/hate thing, but tricams can come in useful there - shallow pockets and horizontal cracks.

You can't compare the Gunks to Index. You don't get splitter cracks and corners in the Gunks without having some face holds or horizontal ledges. If you find a vertical crack it probably will be shallow, quick, and dirty. I still also compare grades to Gunks' grades because that's where I started climbing and its what I'm used to from the start. The only detriment to this is that when I get to a softer rating area (ie. Squamish) I am reluctant to get on 5.9s because 5.7s in the Gunks would have me shitting my pants. But all this is irrelevant. Just visit a crag and start climbing and find out how the grading works there. If you want to compare it to the Gunks or whatever your home turf is then go ahead... anything to help your brain understand. Gunks is good practice for roofs, face, and elitism about other crag's ratings.

"For moderate alpine ice in the Cascades, what lengths are best?" If getting 3 I'd get 13,16,16. On routes where I'm not really expecting to use screws but would like a safety cushion just in case (and for descents) I take one 10 and one 22 - covers that random thin or thick placement and bomber v-threads even in crap ice. Strength of the screw is highly dependent on the quality of the ice... so excavate. Note on v-threads: this past weekend pull tested a v-thread made with a 16cm in whitish and wet glacier ice and from my recollection is only blew past 2000lbs. 21cm screw v-thread in better quality blue ice survived past 4000lbs - the 1" webbing blew out first at the water knot.

Well intentioned but over-discussed. Ratings vary depending on the area and the FA party. Any OG climbing area will have sandbagged ratings because of the ol' 5.9 limit. One thing is for sure... keep climbing at the Gunks and then head somewhere with splitter crack climbing and you will find yourself getting spanked. Gunks is good practice for face and roofs... and some running out. Bottom line, just get out there, experience different venues, get to know the local grading, and learn to move well on as much different terrain as possible. Forget grades... learn to look at a line and sense if it goes or not - for you.

Funny, I now have a bum knee BECAUSE of Backbone ridge. The terrain on the 3rd pic looks like what we ended up on 2 pitches up from the OW... curious to hear where you guys and other folks headed for that section.

Love the view of Colchuck lake from Burgundy col You guys are rippin' it, eh? Nice going

I usually just upload pics I'm going to TR to CC.com's gallery. This is using the regular img tags but using Patriot's direct link to Facebook pics:

Good work on the fu, Dan! re:pics I don't think Facebook allows hotlinking...?

That rock looks excellent!! Awesome pics, great looking climb... nice catch, dudes!

Nice work guys! We looked for you two from the top but figured you had already blasted through. The rock over there looks clean and pristine.

Trip: Dragontail - Backbone ridge Date: 7/11/2009 Trip Report: Ever since moving to WA I've been trying to get on some of the famed classics of the Cascades. I do enjoy doing lesser known and fewer hands touched climbs, but one can't fail to admit that classics become classics because of a good reason - although nowadays it is probably because someone posts about it on the internet or they publish a book touting the sound rock and transcendental climbing. Although very happy with what I've gotten in I still had a void needing to be filled - I had yet to visit the Stuart range. Long alpine rock in a famed area... I just had to go. Kevin H had some free time, the weather was good, we both wanted it... so we went, and it went something like this: -We approached. -We scrambled and climbed the initial 5.6 pitch. -...and then came the offwidth. Early on Kevin offered me the offwidth pitch and thankfully that is what happened since I already had a fight planned in mind in case I lost the toss up. From previous reports and reputation I expected the worse - grunting, swearing, scratches, stuck jammed legs...- and instead got one of the best pitches of the climb! Chicken wings and foot jams on the left, stemming and face on the right. Do that shimmy for 90' and you're now at an awesome ledge. Great protection all the way through with excellent rests and sufficient exposure. In retrospect I would've left the #4 C4 at home. The 1X #5 worked great and I walked it up about 3 times until leaving it in place not far from the end, ~7' away from the next chance for pro in a crack on the left. Stellar. -From here we somehow chose to ignore some beta or just get confused. We went up and directly right to the crest of the ridge. We stayed on it for a while and that actually had some very good climbing on a variety of cracks. Only after a while did we start peetering to the left. -We simuled, short pitched, go to the base of the fin, did the first mid 5th pitch to the bottom The fin: -From first ledge on the fin Kevin went straight up until cracks started getting thinner and looser. So from there traversed to the left to some blocks and up double cracks to the next ledge. -From the next ledge on the fin we had some choices. a-Go way left to what seemed like cracks going all the way up? b-to the right, following the left facing dihedral c-up the middle to reach obvious left-facing flakes about 30-40' up Well, since I remembered the description mentioning "flakes" and I saw the "flakes" I figured that had to be the way. I took a right trending crack to the left which took me to the flakes. Followed the flakes up and then they ended and sort of went to the right. For some reason I figured we'd be better off getting on the crack system to the left, so I made a spicy, airy, and smeary traverse left, picked up the big crack and setup a nice hanging belay on it. The next pitch was just straight up on this same crack and then picking up the big rightward traverse foot crack to the "top" of the fin between big blocks and a little down onto the other side - the chossy triple-couloir side. -From there we simuled the choss on the left side for a bit and then got back on the right/good side of the ridge... following it all the way to the summit. -Hung out, took pics, ate, drank. -Descended. The Hogan likes his speed... and I don't like to fall behind if I can help it. With me trying to keep up we clocked in at a respectable 14:15 c-t-c. We were trying to keep it under 14 but only decided on that way too late and there is no way in hallaciousness that I would've been able to just outright run the trail down! Perhaps next time we'll leave the gear at home and save some weight, eh Kev-o? In all, some great climbing and I now see why it is so popular - solid granite, big lines, fun climbing, plenty of existing quality lines, and as we saw recently, plenty of new lines just waiting to be climbed. Good times. Morning goat Requisite offwidth pic Finally trending left off the ridge crest From the hanging belay on the fin Last pitch on the fin This TR was brought to you by: Spanky's - "Nice rack" ...we're required by contract to mention them... Gear Notes: nuts, some doubles in mid range, 1X 1-5 C4. Would've left the #4 next time and just brought the #5 for the offwidth. Approach Notes: The dude who told us the lake was frozen is a liar!

The pic is deceiving. I'm actually going uphill using a snow-jet prototype (I got a friend who develops weird stuff at Boeing). It straps to your waist and, similar to a jet-ski, it uses a turbine and snow for propulsion. nah, it's a pic of a self-arrest.

Congrats on climbing the lEast ridge. I hear it's the gnar. Hey, invite me next time, eh?

Sounds like you have a good string of trips going... glad your trip worked out even with the late start! We were looking for you guys on Buck the whole day and could not find a trace on the big landscape up to it's summit. I got 3 pics of your friends hanging out near our camp, if you'd like to forward: http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=47867 We had axes but digging in the fingers also worked great. We saw the ascent line above the rocks and after checking the runout on the steeper line just opted for that... seemed a lot nicer! We then passed by your camp and borrowed some food, hope you all didn't mind.

You guys sure do inspire! Just excellent!

Thanks folks, but just to avoid confusion, since I guess I wrote it vaguely, we did this in two days. The approach to camp at about 6K' N of the ridge took ~6hrs... with some interesting route finding issues. We started to the right of the double pointy gendarmes at ~6K'. The toe of the ridge seems to be at around 5500-5600'. The summit is 7960', so we got about 1900' of climbing... and that took... 5-6hrs? edit: Beckey calls it a III

Just excellent pics. Extra points for the kayak in... just makes it an even better all-around trip in my eyes. Outstanding.

Trip: Mt Berge - East Ridge Date: 7/4/2009 Trip Report: The "Z" and I took a quick trip up to Mt Berge. Despite the existence of a Summitpost page on the route (almost a deal breaker), we sucked it up and checked out the East Ridge - recommended by the Fred and with promises of pink granite. We bit. Day 1-Approach: Mellow. Start on trail, leave it, ford Buck, walk up through some brush, opens up, keep to the left earlier than we did or else just keep going up to gully that tops at 6K'. Note: The skeeters were VICIOUS for the first .5mi of trail. Do not let this crush your earthen spirit to go on. Carry on and they will stay behind. I promise. Plenty of bivying possibilities North of the ridge. The marmots laid excellent path networks, were gentle hosts and we repaid them with poo in front of their doors. Great views of the Entiats, Buck, and said ridge object. Day 2-Climb: We decided to start on the North side just past the twin gendarmes. Choosing to embark on a loose and vertical chinchilla playground to gain the ridge, we now recommend circling the toe and taking the lame way up, on the graded grassy slopes abundant on the South side. We simuled most of the way, except for ~2 pitches - one of them the crux, with some fun moves up a corner and then a chimney. The rock kept getting better and better, the lichen made it interesting, the pro all there, some good moments of exposure, plenty of interesting ways up, fun step-acrosses, and... can we give a hand for the weather, folks? Stellar. The summit pano was exceptional. The register was slim... just what we wanted. We ate some, jabbed sarcastic jokes at each other, and headed down towards High Pass. The way down we took a better way. A lot less intense and favorable for life-loving. The skeeters were still there to greet us back at the end of the trail, where I chose to just run for the car. We then had some extremely quick grub at the 59er since I had to make quick time back to Seattle and not risk getting dumped by my girlfriend for bailing on her during the 4th to go climbing. Lesson learned. The Ridge [video:youtube] Gear Notes: Gear up to 2" fine. If you feel like carrying extra weight then take your #4 because it "calls" for it. Approach Notes: ~6mi on Buck Creek trail until it passes through an obvious slide path. Take a left there and cross the Buck. Get on and stay on the ridge... at around 5500-5600' start rising traverse left to get onto the open basin under the cliffs to the right. If you can't see the ridge... dude...

I like the cut of your jib

Nice job! Passing by on my way to Silver Star the rock there just looked awesome... as you confirm!

Good work and nice pics! Hmm... using a pulley with the gri gri so you don't have to keep pulling up on it. I like that, nice.