yeoman

Well, a rope gun partner and promising conditions have drawn me back north. Headed to Valdez in early Feb. I'll post some pics from it when I get back.

Hold it

This is my first winter out of Alaska in some time and I'm dying to get on some ice. So I'm planning something in February. Problem is most climbers in California focus on rock and have never touched ice tools (not that there is anything wrong with that) and the rest of my partners are in AK. I recently got a copy of Winter Dance so am itching to check out that region. Anyone want to do a week or so up that way in February? I lead WI3 pretty comfortably and can follow much higher. 6 months of living in California has gotten me climbing rock harder than ever, so I'm hoping to up that ice grade a bit. Also have lots of newish (read easy to place)screws and a strong desire to climb a lot in a short time. Also very interested in mixed lines, multipitch = bonus. Hit me up and lets talk if you are interested.

I'd like to get one of these. How do I go abouts this??

Good video. Can anyone explain the technique used at 7:00? Looks like he has some loops attached to the upper shaft of his tools and he hooks them rather than sticking the ice with his second tool. Looks like right after that he has a finger hooked in those same loops. Seems like you could grab those loops a buncha different ways which could really help on long routes. Anyone ever used something like this? I'm in the process of re-working my Quarks, want to add tape, sliders and possibly some of those loops.

We'll probably have at least a week and will fly. Travel to Bozeman looks pretty straightforward, AK Air flies from Seattle direct to Bozeman. I think I can get to ice near Anchorage faster than I can ice in the Sierra. Seriously. East coast is probably out. Just not gonna happen, this time around. Canada hadn't really crossed the radar screen all that much. I suppose I should have titled the thread not Alaska ice climbing locations. How many climbs are there like Polar Circus in the standard Canadian spots? Could you theoretically climb something like that nearly every day for a week? Thanks for the info so far.

As a recent transport from Alaska to California, I will be needing a serious ice fix this winter. Problem is, I'm not complete on lower 48 destinations. I see a lot from Hyalite (sp?) and Cody on this board. My initial plan is to do a trip to Cody as the south fork looks amazing. Few questions.... 1. Are there any other destinations I should be considering? I'm coming from the bay area and my partner is coming from Anchorage. He also is a badass on ice and has climbed hard in AK for many years. So we need a good selection of WI4 on up. Multi-pitch is a big bonus. 2. How difficult it Cody to get to? Can you day trip from Cody or do you need to camp? 3. Where can I get some info (I dislike the term beta) on SF Shoshone? All of the websites I've found look like projects started then abandoned which I take is a good sign because good climbers would rather climb than create and maintain websites. I just found Winter Dance and will order a copy of that. Thanks in advance

These are very high quality trip reports. Thank you very much for sharing them.

Well the extra summit well, it would look good on my rep, as for chasing poon... what is that?

I made the mistake of thinking all screws need to be long because of course they are the safest, right? Not exactly. Fortunately I got a variety of lengths but am heavy on the 19 cm length and light on 10-16. With experience I now prefer shorter screws, mainly because they place faster and are lighter. I wish I had more BD 13s and 16s, but live and learn. I would recommend trying as many different screws and lengths as you can before buying a whole rack. Then you can figure out which you like the best before dropping a ton 'o cash.

Jeff Benowitz says ratings are for hotels What does OG mean?

You need a permit to solo on Rainier? For effin' realz?? Is this because there are so many non-climbers on that mountain or what? So if you are not roped up you can get a ticket??

I appreciate everyone's thoughts. Few more things... I'm kind of looking at this as a short term, maybe two year type deal. But who knows? I have no intention of ever buying in the Bay Area, just paying extremely high rent. Trust me, I have gone over and over the reasons to an not to make this move. I had a similar opportunity a few years ago and turned it down. The what if factor has always been there. I know about the traffic which is why the odd schedule rocks. I wish to GAWD I had mentioned I would be FLYING to Red Rocks. I realize you cannot cross the entire state and some of Nevada in much under half a day of driving. I am giving up some things to gain others. Most gains are going to be cultural. I look forward to seeing bands I actually want to see, Trader Joes, having more than three restaurants to choose from, Giants games, reconnecting with several friends who already live there, good road biking (so I've been told) living in a bikeable community, and more than anything, I'm excited about my new job which hasn't been the case in years. As for the dating pool, I can't help but think Berkeley is going to offer more single, intelligent, active women than Anchorage. Not to dog this city, I love it, but the dating pool is damn' small, at least for what I'm looking for. I'm not the only sorry ass single guy up here who thinks this is a tough market. Tough for women too so I'm told. I'm sacrificing being able to ski out my door, skate skiing after work and skiing 2000' lines after work in the spring, more wild salmon than I can eat, ice climbing everywhere, top notch hiking/trail running at my front door, and some good friends. Although many of my best friends have all left town. A bunch of other stuff too. But I hate my job and the line of work I've been doing. A new adventure sounds good, even if it is only a year or two. Like I told myself before I moved to Germany for a year, Alaska isn't going anywhere (barring the crazy gov writing some secessionist piece of legislation upon leaving office!). I can always come back.

Thanks for the info. 4 hours to RR, I was thinking of flying. Really, anything less than 24 hours of traveling is an improvement.

I've just accepted a killer job in Berkeley, CA. I will have a nice mix of field and office work, have an abnormal schedule with stretches of days off for climbing trips. No M-F 9-5 bs so I think I have a bit of a way around the worst of living in CA, traffic and crowds. No more of this weekend warrior BS, at least not as much. Stoked about being able to go from my front door to Red Rocks in like 4 hours (FLYING) and for cheap. Not to mention Toulomie (sp?) I'm moving from Anchorage which has treated me amazingly well for backcountry skiing, ice climbing and mountaineering. But our rock sucks moose dong and after 6 years I'm still single. I have to travel out of state to get onto quality rock. I will most likely return for a spring trip into the mountains next year. Minus snarky remarks, I'm wondering if this is a good move. Making fun of Californians is okay though thx

I've got the 188s. But I'm a skier come climber and like my skis longer. I have to believe that a 188 is going to ski better than a 168. Most people who have an emphasis on the climbing aspect seem to prefer the shorter ski(168). I don't think weight is really much of a factor when it comes to length, the Guides are just plain light. But you will be packing more skin, blah, blah.. I wouldn't really take skating into account either. Unless you need down day exercise options like this guy... In terms of length, I think it's more about the down and I prefer a longer ski that is going to ski more like a "real" ski and a little stubby. You can look at the manu's specs and see where you fit on their chart. btw.. I'm about 5'9", 175 lbs. which puts me into the 188 class.

I just spent 12 days on Karhu Guides w/ Silvretta 500s. Personally, I think the Guides are creating a new class of waxless skis that skis downhill considerably better than any (most?) other waxless skis before. They were designed with turning in mind as well as touring. Yes, they will not shred like a bigger ski mounted with Dynafits (which I also have). And they get pushed around on re-frozen mank and breakable, but that snow just plain sucks on about any gear. After a few adjustments (I'm skiing mine really cranked down) I was actually really pleased with the downhill performance of the skis, with an AK Range daypack on (and wearing AT boots). The savings in weight for touring is considerable and if your approach is basically flat you do not have to mess with skins. They toured quite well with plastic boots on too. I think the pivot point being further back on the 500s vs the older models makes a considerable difference, esp when it comes to blister avoidance There are definitely tradeoffs though in going with a lighter ski. It will not ski as well as a "real" waxable ski, especially with a binding like the silvretta. It simply doesn't have the torsional rigidity of a "normal" ski which is the tradeoff of having a ski that weighs half as much as your partners (insert downhill ski here). I think another possible option might be using a bit of kickwax on regular skis, or like wfinley, just don't wax your skis and you can get a bit of kick But then you might be screwing with klister and such and that stuff sucks. But a tad bit of red or other warmer wax might go a really long way. I think there are some new wax "tapes" that work with warm snow conditions and are much easier to use than klister. Might be worth looking into. I'd personally like to find the perfect setup to deal with long, flat tours because I'm not convinced that AT or plastic boots are the ticket. If you really knew that your route was indeed for the most part flat and you were going to cover lots of miles, comfy leather xc boots with your climbin' boots in the sled would probably be very nice. You could cruise in comfort and save your feet from damage. But who has to do anything approaching a downhill section in this kind of gear. I personally give the Guides a thumbs up but realize they have limitations. Lots of variation here. It would be nice to hear what has worked/has not for others. One other thing.... just say no to snowshoes.