davidk

I too have found the 70-75L size to be perfect for what you describe. My pick is the Gregory Baltoro 75. Outstanding load hauler, some sweet features, and extremely comfortable.

One for the memory books. This was one of my favorite ice trips ever, due in large part to our stay at Double Diamond X Ranch. Matt and Jenine are some of the best people you'll ever meet, and they have truly developed a special place to stay. A few things: - Matt is a better cook than you. Go for his meals in the lodge, you won't regret it. You'd be hard pressed to find better food in town, plus you skip the 45 minute Wyoming stand-off with wildlife known as the South Fork Road - You're a five minute drive from any climb in the valley. Big days are easier to pull off, as are slow relaxing ones. Enjoy - Ask if there are other climbers staying there. Go find them when the day is done and meet-up in the saloon. Swap tall tales, play pool on the antique table, and order a double of Wyoming Whiskey. We ran into another party of 3 from WA. Good times! As we were packing we were already discussing next year's trip to the South Fork and Double Diamond X Ranch. Go there, and tell your friends! Let's help Matt spread the word in the climbing community.

Good responses above already, but thought I'd add one more thumbs up... I've been wearing an LL Bean puffy with original Primaloft for roughly a decade, and for the last few years it has spent most of the year stuffed in a dry bag in my trunk. Who knows how many times I've washed it. It is still performing great and keeping me warm, with no noticeable loss in loft. I have since purchased other Primaloft pieces and been equally impressed. Good stuff for temperate environments. My thought process has always been use a down sleeping bag but always carry a synthetic puffy for insurance.

We had that photo with us (albeit not blown up very big, so limiting its use), and that's pretty much the line we took. I think we accessed the ledge from a little further left, but it is actually a series of small ledges in the middle of the face. Pitch 3 was a bit "choose your own adventure," with most lines seeming probable for routes to the ledge system.

Trip: Prusik Peak - South Face Beckey Route Date: 7/21/2013 Trip Report: On July 21, 2013, Kevino and I climbed the Beckey Route on the South Face in a car-to-car push. Left the Stuart Lake trailhead at 4am, roped up at the base at 10am, summited at 4:30 pm, back to the car at 11pm. Glorious weather, a beautiful walk through the upper Enchantments, and some fantastic climbing! We found this route to contain very diverse and physical climbing. Multiple chimneys, blocky ground, slabs, cracks of all shapes and sizes, chicken heads, traverses, and mantels galore. Route finding was not too difficult, and was mostly based off the written descriptions out of the guidebook and summitpost, since we didn't find any useful overlay photos on the web. We found this route to be pretty sustained, with each pitch earning its grade for the entire length. Pitch 1: obvious man-sized chimney at center. Beckey says unprotectable, but I found ample pro no problem. Kevin at the belay atop pitch 1 looking up the start of pitch 3 pitch 3 from its top. Can you spot Kevin? traversing right off "Snafflehound Ledge" to the base of the crux. Shoot for the pillar that has a snag at its base and a small tree at its top. Belay from the small tree at the start of this crack: Kevin hiking the business. Beckey 5.9 is no gimme Belaying from the notch on the ridge. The last pitch to the summit has two options. If you're a 5.10 climber, take the beautiful crack straight up for about 15 feet from this notch. The rest of us: "step down" from the notch to the north. It's actually a fairly delicate move down to the ramp, which is narrow and off-balance. The descriptions make this pitch sound 5.8 due to the jamb crack at the end, but it's likely due to the sketchy ramp. On top. Gear Notes: doubles from blue Metolious to #3 BD, one #4 BD, set of nuts, 10 alpine draws and two doubles, 8.9mm 60m rope. We placed the #4 on all but one pitch I believe. Approach Notes: Should've brought more deet

good word choice

Bump

Looking for someone to swap belays either Monday or Wednesday/Thursday evenings at the Bellevue Stone Gardens. The way my work schedule is set up, I have Saturday-Monday off for six weeks, then switch to Tuesday-Thursday off for the next six weeks. Currently I'm on weekends off, and prefer to hit the rock gym on Monday night. Your climbing ability doesn't matter as much as your belaying competence. Hopefully you already have toprope and lead-belay certification at the gym, and have been climbing for long enough to have safe habits. PM me and we'll make it happen. David

Right after I finish shoveling this gravel pile ten feet to the left. Seriously though, good old manual labor, when done with good form, is a great workout and kills two birds with one stone. That said, during the summers when I dug ditches, rolled logs, and pushed wheelbarrows of various heavy things for a living, I still went home and worked out so I could improve my durability at work.

Thanks for a very informative TR, sounds like a great route!

:tup: looks like a cool area

unless something changed in the past year, plenty of people were camping in vehicles in the overnight parking lot last time I was there.

Trip: Chimney Rock - Rappel Chimney Date: 9/13/2012 Trip Report: After a hiatus in 2011 (I had to launch a career sometime...), Kevin and I got back together for yet another September alpine adventure. Plans were hatched, and we trained hard in anticipation. Kevin recently moved to Spokane to start grad school, so we decided to spend a week getting acquainted with the local cragging, head to the Selkirks for some alpine granite, and of course check out the Spokane social scene. On Wednesday we packed up and drove to Sand Point to obtain beta and groceries. We stopped by Mountain Essentials and chatted with Nick, who dispensed useful info and tasty IPA from the tap. The new model for gear shops? Another great resource in Sand Point was the map shop at the end of the block near Mountain Essentials. After a quick stop for a couple pitches at Laclede, we continued on to the maze of forest roads on the east side of Priest Lake. Feeling pretty confident that we were following the directions properly, we inadvertently found our way up a creek without a paddle. The logging road turned improbably steep, narrowed significantly, and was full of deep water bars. After stalling a couple times and attempting to back down, we decided to park (as level as possible), get some sleep, and extract ourselves in the morning. With little difficulty we got ourselves down the road. A friendly logger told us which turns to take, and soon we were at Horton Ridge trailhead. Breakfast of champions. The trail is in great shape and goes by quick. We made good time up to the saddle on Mt. Roothaan, and were greeted with our first views of Chimney Rock. After dropping into the basin and traversing a bit, we were at the base of the West Face. We launched up the classic "Rappel Chimney" route for a proper introduction. Easy ramps to a spacious ledge on the skyline. Kevin getting down to business on pitch 2. Pitch 3 is exposed and all fun. Beware the loose blocks at the top-left of the chimney mid-pitch. Another fantastic belay ledge. Pitch 4 follows the blocky ridge line to the summit. We rapped back to the first belay ledge, and set up a toprope for "Twin Cracks." Kevin and I agreed that this would make a great alternative to the first pitch of "Rappel Chimney." On the way out we scrambled up Mt. Roothaan to take in the scenery. Kevin set up the self-timer for this summit shot, and upon reviewing the result he started laughing and said "we definitely need to re-do that picture!" Still wearing pants: A fun day in the hills on some great rock. This trip definitely re-kindled the stoke for me to get back into the mountains after taking a year off. We were back in Spokane by early evening, and ready to wash away the dust. Kevin chose wisely and is renting in a college neighborhood. As the saying goes: we get older, but they stay the same age! Looking forward to keeping the tradition alive next year! Gear Notes: Double rack to 2", 60m rope, lots of runners to combat rope drag Approach Notes: We used the Horton Ridge approach, which comes in from the west. 1:30 car to crag, with plenty of first-timer lolly-gagging. Last mile of road is steep, rocky, loose, and has very deep water bars. Bring big wheels or plan on walking this section. Many of the road signs are knocked down or flat-out unreadable, thanks to some trigger-happy folks with buckshot and .45

Both of my trips there were in early September. Bugs were all gone, and so were the crowds - had Deep Lake to ourselves in 2010. But it does start getting cold and the weather gets more "animated." Expect temps overnight to be near or below freezing, cold wind, chilly morning starts, and frozen fingers if you're in the shade. We experienced everything from calm, blue-bird 60-degree days to thunderstorms and hail mid-route. In other words, it's the best time of year to go.

:tup: Outstanding TR. Brings back fond memories of the Winds.

I typically wear L-XL (closer to XL, but my thumbs are short). I choose XL for comfort and L for performance. I have sweaty hands. For 2 seasons (10-20 days each, some alpine): Rab Latoks, size Large - snug but perfect fit for leading, outstanding for cold leads, eVent keeps my hands drier than any other glove, they dry quickly between leads in my jacket, and have been quite durable. Gripe: the tacky palm, while great for grip on tools, can stick to screws and biners. In my experience, if you don't rappel with these gloves (duh) the sticky palm lasts. *My go-to glove for cold or wet leads. BD Punishers (previous version), size XL - good fit, but a little loose for leading. My hands sweat a lot in them. I've had good durability. *My go-to belay glove. BD Impulse, size XL - perfect fit, thin leather-only palm, high loft fleece back for insulation = warmth for mild days on hard leads, outstanding dexterity. Not waterproof, but adequate if kept in jacket and only used for leading. *My favorite lead glove. The Rab M14 is similar to the Impulse, I think. The M14 would probably be a sweet lead glove as well.

Had this last summer, but it has variations. It's typically a patella tracking issue, which can stem from a tight IT band, muscle imbalances, footfall/stride patterns, etc. Something causes the kneecap to miss-align when your knee bends, and the resulting grinding is felt as pain under the kneecap. The exact location and nature of the pain can help determine the underlying factors. I would stop running and logging serious vertical for now, ice it frequently, and see a physical therapist ASAP. Follow their plan aggressively to correct the issue. Mine came on gradually, and I tried to run and work through it, but it got so painful that I was limping and had serious trouble walking down a grade. Turned out to be a pattern of foot out-turn on my stride, and subsequent tweaking of the lower leg and knee, that was causing mine. But the root cause may have even been a muscle imbalance in my lower back. Aggressive PT solved the issue, and with some good taping I was able to start running again after 5-6 weeks.

There is little to no chance of getting shut down by snow or road conditions in Cody, but as was pointed out, it can get cold. As a solid WI4 leader, you can have a blast in Cody. Classics like Cabin Fever, Wyoming Wave, High on Boulder, Main Vein, Too Cold To Fire, Bozo's Revenge, Moratorium, and Mean Green, are right in your wheelhouse. Leading Cody 4's is a good stepping stone to 5's at other venues. As mentioned above, driving in the dark both ways in the valley is often part of the deal. Watch out for wildlife on the South Fork road!

Can't speak to Canmore, but having been to Cody a few times, I'll offer my 2 cents. Get a copy of the "Winter Dance" (by Joe Josephson/ First Ascent Press) guidebook if you don't already have it. It's out of print, but Northern Lights Mountaineering or Barrel Mountaineering in Bozeman have the remaining stock (hopefully). Cody has dozens of classic routes that form reliably and are well worth the trip. If you are proficient and fit, you can log serious mileage in Cody. Approaches range from less than 15 minutes to well over an hour, with the average for some of the common classics right around 45 minutes. Grades are full-value: more often humbling than ego-boosting. Cody is often called the "alpine simulator," and for good reason.

way to crush your early-season record in a big way. Looking forward to more TRs throughout the ice season!

Scenic: Deep Lake, WInd Rivers, WY Ice: John Frieh on the 4th pitch of "Mean Green," Cody, WY

East Temple Peak in the Winds?

There was a great article in one of the climbing mags (I think it was Climbing, but may have been R&I) within the last 12 months about MT's virtually unknown, but nevertheless stellar, rock climbing scene. I would suggest browsing the titles by First Ascent Press. They are now defunct, but the Bozeman climbing shops Northern Lights Mountaineering and Barrel Mountaineering own the left over stash of guidebooks. Give them a call and I'm sure they can point you in the right direction.

Hyalite: Lots of moderates, lots of single pitch, lots of good toprope routes. Approaches as short as 10 min., but fresh snow can multiply approach times if you have to break trail. A beginner friendly area. Cody: Longer routes, full-value grades, no toproping. Longer approaches- most are 45 min. or longer, but there generally isn't much snow. Less beginner friendly. Expect full days for the big routes. Presumably you already have (or will be getting) the Winter Dance guide book.

+1 for the Outback, as well as AWD Auto in Kirkland. I have been very pleased with them. I have owned a '97 Outback wagon since spring 2008. Bought with 164k, now at 200k, hoping to get at least 280-300k. I have a 5-speed manual, standard 2.5L H4. Major service it has required: timing belt, ac compressor+receiver, brakes, cruise control module. Other than that, it has just needed stuff replaced as is wears out, such as rear hatch struts, tires, plugs/wires, cracked front drive axle, window switches. I got a great deal on mine, but have bought it 3 times since in maintenance. Still worth it IMO. As far as your requirements, I had similar criteria when shopping for a car (which happens to be my first car). So far my Outback has fit the bill well. Adequate power, but a turbo would be better and more fun. I can still get up to 85mph to pass easily enough, and am fine with downshifting to hold speed over mountain passes. Clearance is great - I've never had a problem on dirt roads, and can make it up the Hyalite East Fork road without much hassle in snow. The only time I have put on chains was in Seattle last week, and I have put in a lot of snow miles (with just good all season tires). I'm 6'3" and can sleep diagonally in the back quite comfortably, but I fit exactly and use a mummy shaped pad. I recently built a plywood platform with a pullout extension so that I can sleep me+a lady in the back with the hatch open. Always plenty of room for gear. Gas mileage: 16-24mpg, highway at 75mph full of gear is usually 22mpg. And thats a "sporty" driving style. The manuals run at slightly higher rpms than the automatics due to lower gearing. I have driven a friend's Forester with an automatic, and I much prefer the manual. With an automatic they can feel underpowered, but it's really an overdrive issue. I think the 2.5L is adequate power, but a turbo would be nice. They were only available for the 2005-2009 model years, and are rare. The new 3.6L Outbacks are supposed to drive great. The Outbacks are very tough cars, and the engineering behind the Subaru AWD system is solid and proven over many decades. Bottom line: there are other cars that can do better at certain tasks, but for one car, all seasons, all uses, the Outbacks are the best option.