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http://picasaweb.google.com/dougseitz/NorthTwinSister111508#5269806944325489538 http://picasaweb.google.com/dougseitz/SahaleAttempt112308#5274648947154989986 http://picasaweb.google.com/dougseitz/Eldorado91408#5267512860345510466

Ya'll enjoy the ice. http://neice.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/4863

Not gonna argue against getting more gear, if you can, but just a reminder that along the equator the seasons don't change too much temperature-wise. It's more like rainy season/dry season. Most of the big peaks have huts right at the base and don't usually require multiple overnights in the elements - so it's easier to use leathers and be able to dry them. But this is just Ecuador... I can't speak for Peru/Patagonia, etc...

The weather in Ecuador is pretty mild. On Chimborazo I had a baselayer and a shell and that worked fine. One of the guys had his Nepal Evos, at the time I had Degres. I think you should be fine with the Evos down there.

Hey Kurt, I will be back East for most of Jan. Don't really know what my schedule will be like but I'm taking my ice gear (some of it) with me. I'll get in touch if I'm looking to climb.

Nothing life threatening, just day bumming... Early winter back East, a guy posts on NEice looking for a partner for a day of ice climbing in the Catskills. The season already had a lateish start so I desperately bite. We'll call him Trevor. After a 2hr drive I meet up with Trevor about 30min from the trailhead to Bridal Veil falls and we carpool the rest of the way. On the drive over he talks lots... regales me with tales of climbing 5.12s, putting up new bouldering problems back in the day in CA, getting his knee stuck in some problem and having a hard time coming free, dating some crazy over-dependent bipolar woman from Florida... anyway, from the sound of it all he seemed like he had climbed much rock in the past (he was in his 40s) and just started getting into ice. The fact that he chases unstable women... well, who am I to judge. So after our little chat I sort of assume that I'll probably be doing the leading. Although I had just started leading the previous season I felt pretty confident doing so now and he seemed to be just getting into it. We didn't explicitly discuss, but I guess we should've. After a short 40min walk/bushwack we get to the base of the lower section of the climb and now Trevor is getting very excited - "Wow, that is just beautiful. Gorgeous! I just want to climb it right now" He starts gearing up real fast... too fast and now he's already got his tools out, has his screws racked, is tied in to the sharp end and is rearing to go... Odd, I thought I was leading - well, who am I to argue with this very excited man. Anyway, low commitment, first pitch is short... let's go. Trevor starts bashing up the first 15-20ft shelf. By his technique he's looking like he maybe needed another day of intro to ice. He stops at about 4' from the ground and says he's putting in a screw... fine. I notice that he failed to find some obvious good feet placements to cop out a good rest for placing the screw and then he proceeds to try to place it right above his head - oh man. Trev- "I can't get it to bite!" - yeah, we know me- "Try to place it near your hip, so you can get some leverage into it" Trev - ignores me, proceeds to reach out to the left with arm fully outstretched at head level... tries to put the screw in there. Trev - "I can't get it in. I'm getting pumped, I'm coming down" Good, he was already getting the Elvis legs anyway. Anyway, he starts his downclimbing sequence, which involved leaving his tools placed high where they were and first moving his feet as far down as he could. Did I mention he was leashless? How one would manage to remove their tools from high up when full stretched on the tips of their frontpoints we'll never know and we didn't find out because at that point his feet skated out and he lost his grip on the tools. He fell maybe 4' onto the sloping base of the climb and slid off to the side, laughing. For a second I thought he was fine, would get up and I'd lead the rest of the day. Well, he was laughing... I asked if he was ok (expecting a broken ankle/foot/something), he said he was... until he tried to stand up and couldn't put weight on his right foot - dang. So anyway, his tools were still stuck up on the ice and his consolation was "I can belay you up the first pitch if you want to climb it". Well, that's fine, but the longer and more fun part of the falls was the next pitch. So I led up, threw his tools down. Rappelled down to him and we called it a day since he obviously had broken something. We hobbled out slowly and he told me more about that girl he somehow was still attached to... mentioned something about wanting to write a story about it. So yeah... 5hrs driving for 20' of ice... kinda still worth it

Are the crevasses open on Ruth right now, though? There is a campsite on the right before ascending toward Hannegan pass. Also, another good option is to head up towards the Easton Glacier on Baker. From the Schriebers Meadows trailhead in a few miles cross the creek then start switchbacking up this very flat well graded trail... when you crest out of the trees and now see Baker you might see some snow right there. If not, you can keep heading uphill from there or just hop on the railroad grade (dirt/grassy ridge to the right). Keep going up and camp on the left wherever you see snow. There is a camping spot shortly on the left with a sign with views out to the sound. You can pretty much keep going up higher for a while with camping options on the left without getting on the glacier on the right. I hear ya on the lack of snow (and cold temps) at city level...

Dan, hard to tell... this is the zoomiest pic taken. Downloading the full size might give more clues http://picasaweb.google.com/dougseitz/NorthTwinSister111508#5269807141733924594

I'm pretty sure I saw something like that at Marmot in the clearance section. Not a Chouinard, but some other small hammer with a very small pick.

Anyone interested or around? thanks, Doug

Looking to get on the Cosley-Houston Sat or Sunday this weekend. I can lead, we can swap, whatever... let me know... 203-300-7765 Doug

I didn't say that they did. I was comparing screws of different lengths with the same number of threads - meaning 13cm and up

Actually BD's 13cm screw has more threads than the 22. So it should hold more. But, every test has shown this to be false. It's all about the quality of the ice. Assuming that the quality of the ice is the same (ie. good) throughout, the threads "should" hold the same. Craig Luebben's How to Ice Climb book has a good chapter on screws and tests. Even in controlled conditions there were huge variances in results. eg. in 17 tests with 10cm stubbies (which definitively have less threads then the rest) they held between 300-4100lbs - ice is variable and a gamble - you just gotta try your best with getting good gear in and just not fall. I took a pic of my older 22 BD express, older 16 BD turbo, and new gen 13 BD Turbo. I am not sure if they changed the new 22cm screws, but the threads on all 3 were the same:

I have the G14s and M10s. I prefer the M10s - for one, I think the secondary points stick out further than on the G14s. Another - you can configure the front points on the M10s in more different positions than on the G14s. Also, I do recall getting anti-balling plates with my M10s - I got them as the recall replacement for my Sarkens, so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. If you don't mind not having the mono point option I'd consider the Petzl Dartwins or Sarkens - I really dug the Sarkens for most everything and will be getting a set of the new ones this year.

Haven't fallen on a screw and don't plan on doing it, but I do know that the strength comes from the threads and that a 22cm screw has the same holding strength as a 13cm because they both have the same number of threads. You use longer screws just to get to "better" ice deeper in the surface. But longer screws do hold your head at peace more than shorter screws.

hey goat, It took a lot less time than we expected to go from Mesahchie col, drop to the glacier, walk around Cub peak, climb up the ice fall and up the couloir to the ridge. We were taking it easy and it took about 2h 30m from col to the top of the ridge. Sorry, no pics from me of the route before the ridge, we topped out at 6:30am so it was dark through the ice fall/couloir section. Some good pics of it here: http://www.summitpost.org/route/160438/mesahchie-icefall-couloir.html

Trip: Mesahchie - Icefall and couloir Date: 10/19/2008 Trip Report: z-man and I hiked in on Saturday to the bivy basin and got an early start Sunday on the route. The neve was firm, the weather just cold enough, and the snow continuous. After topping out on the couloir, the gully systems heading up were mostly covered with snow, with rock steps here and there. After a nice (but after we looked down on it, probably unnecessary if you went around on climber's right) rock pitch lead by the man to the top of the last false summit we agreed to current satisfaction and decided to start making our way down. In all, very fun route and perfect conditions. (click pics for bigger version) rest of pics: http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showgallery.php?cat=500&page=1&ppuser=15545 Gear Notes: 3 screws, few nuts, few tricams, 1 cam. Approach Notes: Go up the grassy slope from Easy Pass to 7000ft and start traversing.

Looking to get on something this weekend... could be one of these things or something else: -Forbidden West Ridge - i know the snow gully is out. I'd like to do this as a 2-day unless you've done the climb before and we could use that knowledge to not get lost and be more efficient. -dry rock in the East somewhere? Leavenworth? Vantage? -climb something icy - could check out Colfax (but maybe better next week), Crazy mtn looks good, any others? I lead weak rock (5.7s in the Gunks, apparently around here I can lead 5.8s), ice up to 4 but might like an easier warmup to the season... or not. Doug

Lots of new boots this year. BD has their new line, which I've heard good things about, and Garmont came out with the Axons, which are supposedly a do-it all sorta boot. What kinda weight boot are you looking for? Aren't the G-rides the same as the mega-rides as far as stiffness? As far as skis... I love my BD Havocs and know lots of folk here like the K2 Shuksans and Baker.

I have the Spot and it is great. Between the PT Apex (also the Pro) and the BD Icon go for the PT. Even though both are advertised as 3W, only the PT puts out that much power - actually, 4W. The Icon only puts out 1.7W.

I don't know what's going to be in, but if you're heading up let me know

Lol, nice demographic summary Honestly, I know my vote is not going to her and I don't like her BS style. She didn't bomb at the debates and had no substance. It is sad that her standard was set so low that people are happy that she was able to throw out at least one possibly correct figure about something. It is obvious that she has not gone through the ranks to get where she is - I liken it to a software project manager who has never been a junior programmer. You do a much better job when you know what the ones "below" you are talking about. But I do think I know how she got and keeps her job. She is extremely personable with that small town/tv sportscaster wit and charm, is a delegator and an administrator - she is good at telling others what to do and using her darn to goodness sweet charm on the Joe sixpacks out there, you betcha. She's got heels and she's dangerous... Excerpt regarding her 2006 debates: "Palin saved her most devastating riposte for the final question of the debate, when Persily asked the three candidates whether they would hire their opponents for a state job. Knowles and Halcro offered halting jokes. But when it was Palin's turn, she pounced. Smiling at Halcro, who recited reams of statistics by rote, Palin observed that the businessman "would make the most awesome statistician the state could ever look for." As the debate audience laughed, Palin pivoted to Knowles, who had owned an Anchorage restaurant. "Do they need a chef down in Juneau?" Palin asked, smiling as she twisted the verbal knife. "I know Mr. Knowles is really good at that." Two years on, Halcro and Knowles admit they are still baffled by how their mastery of policy and state issues was trumped by Palin's breezy confidence and feel-good answers. "When you try to prove she doesn't know anything, you lose, because audiences are enraptured by her," Halcro said. "And her biting comments give you a sense of how competitive she is. Anybody who doesn't take her seriously does so at their peril."

How much winter camping/hiking/climbing experience do you have? Because climbing these volcanoes in the summer months really don't teach you about being out in the cold/snow. The only thing I would say is that for a winter ascent I'd probably wait until later when snowpack is deeper and snowbridges solid. I'm also guessing that whatever fireroad you take now to get to the trailhead will probably not be plowed, adding a lot more mileage to a winter trip - probably an approach involving a sled pulk, because it would take days. Sounds like a lot of fun, but it would just take a long time and getting the right conditions... Baker does get a s#$t load of snow and traversing over to the N ridge might be deadly with the whole N face wanting to slide towards you. So... if you don't have much real winter experience (snow, cold, winds), then I probably wouldn't learn them on the N Ridge. Going up the Easton in winter would probably be a good test as it is.

Snow, wind, cold... sounds fun to me, but I'll probably be taking my vacations days and doing other things with it.

You just really have to try all the tools out. I have the Quarks and Nomics. I tried my tools against a friend's new BD Vipers and I just couldn't get a good stick at first with them... it just felt like it took a completely different swing/technique to get first sticks like I did with my Quarks. He, of course, had no issues with his Vipers. Can't really go wrong with a Petzl or BD tool. They both make quality tools and once you get used to one just stick with it and have better peace of mind on the climb. Ice climbing is, afterall, very much about gear and your comfort/familiarity with it.