Water

can you elaborate---maybe im missing something--these some TR totals or someone's tick list for summits?

I got these pants from sierra trading post a few years ago and really, really love them... but they are no longer made and currently the patoot leaks like a sieve due to having been rough with them and stupidly glissading earlier in their lifetime. I think these pants are great, in goretex XRC or whatever (2 layer I guess)...here is what they have that I would love to find in another pant 1) integrated, zip-out gaiter, with metal hook, with snaps to adjust tightness 2) internal bungie tightener just above the gaiters to make the pant tight around your calf if the gaiter did push up 3) snaps on bottom cuff of pants to tighten or loosen as needed 4) full length size zips (would accept just vents) 5) waistband snap closure at hip, with suspenders. Can drop seat while keeping suspenders up.. 6) slim fit.. not too baggy, but not tight, could put a pair of puffys under them. use: skiing (resort and touring), climbing suggestions?

i absolutely love the idea.. but if you were to cross check the listed weights from manufacturer's sites with the actual, depending on the item it is off from an ounce to a pound.. I sometimes weigh my gear and a lot of manufacturers are notorious for having way off ball-park weights, whether due to laziness or weighing M vs owning L or S. I guess it helps to give you a ballpark weight of your gear but if you're really counting grams ballpark is kind of the antithesis. glad to see some cottage industry gear there like ULA and tarptent

same goes the winter one there is a great pic of colin and it clearly says RAB on the pants. i think it is a 'meh' - in some respects you do yourself a favor to have good company, assuming the pata product is the showcased item.

i'll chime in as admittedly more gearminded than climb-prowess-capable than i'd like: a vast majority of it comes down to the user. I recall somewhere in Virginia on the AppyTrail a buncha folks a shelter one evening chatting about tarptent and granitegear backpack..and this light weight and that awesome gear yada yada.. meanwhile Bryan and Glynn, quiet types who stuck to themselves, identical twins from rural TN or West Virginia who were hiking with a 85L Osprey pack and 1 monster army Alice pack..sharing a wool blanket and heavy foam for bedding..they were bummed that their el cheapo can opener broke cause most a their food was canned and not dehydrated (yes...carrying canned food for 60-80 miles stretches). Those two guys were dirt poor, never complained, always positive, had ancient HEAVY gear, and finished the entire trail without a problem. clothes wise you can get by cheaply if you are mindful. If you're huffing it hard uphill in a misty 100% humidity cloud.. when its 36 degrees $25rubber jacket and a $400 goretex/event shell.. the 'breathability' factor only goes as far as what venting is available.. you'll be at the nearly the same level of discomfort with both. That said you can find 'ideal' conditions that the more expensive piece will be more comfortable, but, it is highly unlikely to make/break your experience in any discernible factor. What you ate, how much you slept, and how in shape you are, and your mental disposition affect the vast majority of your experience of 'things working' when it comes to your personal gear/choices. My experience is the trend is most 'more expensive' gear does seem to last a bit longer. Not all, and certainly there are exceptions and spectacular failures. Cheaper stuff does tend to have smaller margins of lifetime/abuse potential, but there are spectacular successes too..where a $15-50 item outperforms and outlasts all others. For weekend warriors the failure of a singular clothing item has about nill result in your success or failure. But if I'm doing some expedition/multi-day far from retreat type thing, I do want gear that I feel confident about. that said there are certain margins where good gear/bad gear can certainly matter. A crappy tent not made for the occasion being subjected to 35mph+ sustained and 50mph+ gusts above treeline indeed is liable to fail. I often use a bi-mart bought gardening kneel pad as my 'foam' sitpad. A heavy backpack is just a heavy backpack. A sleeping pad R value is just an R value, and the difference may be weight. A cheapo synthetic sleeping bag is just heavier and bulkier than the $400+ 800-900fill power down equivalent. A cheap gas stove is probably as reliable as an expensive one or MSR reactor, maybe more. Its just heavier and maybe slower. Goggles/glasses are just goggles/glasses.. a goodwill wool hat or a $35 MH windstopper hat lined with special fleece... is just a piece of textile to keep your noggin warm. It has been my impression that the strong (and somewhat stoic type, it seems) can get by with pretty much whatever, so long as the basics are securely covered-with nary batting an eye. Their mind is not on the flextrek 37,000,000,000,000's augmentation system, hypercooling spectral channels, or the dynamic-fiber ergo jerkmeoff system.. ..there is often sooooo much goddamn stupid marketing hype about gear each year. it is why i love Feathered Friends/Western Mountaineering and a handful of other cottage/shoulder gear companies that just have a design that works and don't try to glitz me over every season with the diarrhea pull-tab they added that is trying to make me think I can actually climb stronger. i wish those fuckers would sell good conditions, good weather, good partners, and days off work.

bstach: canada has all their topos online for free: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map

btw dont forget your WA discover pass (barf) if attempting hamilton.

personally i always go with an archwood product if I'm going for 90+ liters.

you telling me they had the acme as zip off or this 'rei endeavor' existed back when as a schoeller zip off? i guess either way thats pretty rad. i know schoeller is primo but my experience with any decent softshell for pants has generally been fine--some slightly better or worse than others but not by so discernible as to be dissatisfying margins. that said the rei endeavor material really works well..only ever gets wet a touch right at the cuff if no gatiers and very wet snow.

Kaskadskyjkozak, http://www.rei.com/product/808791/rei-endeavor-convertible-pants-mens-32-inseam actually been a godsend in my book, I love'm..maybe over east where it is humid 24/7 in the summer you want light nylon shorts etc.. but i have found them great year around in cascades-brisk AM up in mnts in summer. winter dont really need to unzip at all but get the job done well, pockets all zip, only occasionally notice tiny bit of snow going into gap where legs zip on.

don't bother looking at either of the rab 'bivy-tent' options. I'm 5'8" and have the summit mountain (the bigger of the two) -- for me it is snug. two 6 footers would really, really hate it/need to be deeply in love. sorry it isn't a suggestion but at least helps you eliminate that one if it was on your radar since it is in the 4season bomber bivy-tent category.

Dunno, find I can spend unlimited time one-on-one with my wife and not go nuts, not feel like i need to 'get away' really--got confirmation of this pretty early on in our relationship. We just have fun overall no matter whats going on when we're together, even if there are points of stress or momentary conflict. No doubt that played a big role having experienced prior relationships where I needed 'space'. She doesn't 'climb' per se-she's acrophobic-but manages to do the walk-up volcanoes, hikes and backpacks aplenty, snow camps occasionally, top rope at the gym. Gives me plenty of latitude and full understanding to go out with the guys for more serious climbing or snow-adventure. best way to introduce her to anything new outdoors wise/risk wise is with lots of patience, encouragement, and low pressure. pressure, frustration, lack of positive feedback are quick ways to shut things down--imo, girl or guy.

yo Ben, been on that side during one of our arctic air masses, sunny, windy, and 8 degrees ambient. I had long underwear, softshells, then my hardshell pants. on top I had tshirt, long sleeve heavy wool shirt, then a montbell tec-down puffy, then a hard shell, i think. Sure I sweated when I was working hard but at those temps I did not find my down wetting out at all really or freezing in my armpits/etc--it was fine and i would get cold if i stopped. if i had to do again i'd probably get by with long underwear, softshells, have hardshell along in case but 2 layers for legs is enough for most. up top i'd do long sleeve base wool, nano puff pullover, then my heavy-softshell that blocks the wind as well as hardshell may. EDIT: I'd also have on compression shorts. This time of year that side of mnt with weather forecast I'd also have along my EB peak xv uberdoober down jacket and a sitpad. could probably substitute a 30degree 2-2.5lb sleeping bag for the uber down. between pack and sitpad you get enough insulative coverage from snow i like one big thing to keep me warm (bag or monster parka). stove too. i just go conservative imagining for some reason I have to dig and wait for a few hours...a day..hopefully never a few days. ditto on DPS's external gear (goggles, mitts, etc).

from goldendale its not so far to go down and across the river--you can hike and camp along the deschutes river i believe. query portlandhikers.org or nwhikers for more info probably.

damn man. how is it that there has been online maps like acme mapper and various other incarnations of stuff out there and then you come out with something in the space of a few months that just seems so dang superior? digging it so much!

you know why you won't hear more than a mention of an old Dana Designs - Mystery Ranch, and then a McHale pack? Because anyone who has a pack that is 90+ liters who actually fills it to capacity is not loving that situation. I gave my advice to you to based on previous thru-hiking experience on the AT and being connected with plenty of present day thru-hikers. Want a 90+ liter pack? I owned a Lowa Netherworld 90+ back in 2003-2004 because when I first learned about backpacking I assumed having a huge pack was cool since you could carry whatever you wanted. I sold it before I ever took a step on the AT. but maybe the rest of your gear is ancient and weighs a ton or you're going to be working for outward bound, or you're going to bring along 35lbs+ of additional photography and other misc. gear? nobody knows your background so the advice you're getting is just based on the experience of seeing people who are inexperienced apply their notions to packing for a trip and end up with a miserably heavy pack. seen it a million times is all, if you have a specific need for the volume of 90+ liters that is totally fair, as opposed to just choosing big because you're hiking long distance.

no, why ask? it is only marketings buzz speak and a name if it packed down the size of a nano puff hoody and was warm as EB 1st ascent Peak VX then sure. additionally I would almost guarantee even if you order a mens small it will weigh a few more ounces than 22, almost everyone but ultra-light sticklers (mont-bell) fudge the numbers a bit.

smith butte snopark by mt adams, there is no funding to plow the road to it or it. chalk that one as outright closed for the year.

nice pics, always love getting up there even if having to turn around short. wondering if you would have climbed had the wind been less and it been a bit warmer? nwac had the avy risk up on all east/NE/lee slopes, wondering if you guys had checked that/would dig a pit/etc? hopefully don't sound like im shazzin on ya'll, I only know some basics on avy so err more conservative off what I read on NWAC. seems high cooper would be ripe though i dont see even any fresh sloughs into top of the elliot it looks like. cheers

hmmm.. you know most PCT thru hikers probably use a 60liter or smaller pack. and they're going thousands of miles.. resupply along your route, carry less weight, and you can walk faster/further. tho I suppose if you're carrying 14-21 days of food on your back you will probably be happy to make 9.5-12 miles a day.

chris where did you read that? can you provide link pls? thanks

gotta give you a huge congratulations for producing such an awesome map-software! this is leaps and bounds above everything else I've used. I'm spending more time browsing on it than prior map programs, as a map fanatic who can spend hours looking at them this just works great. esp like the measuring feature and how easy it all works together. you did a super job!

i have a nano pullover and a thermawrap hoody size small i think the nano is 9oz size medium (US size small) the thermawrap is 13.4oz I believe i think the thermawrap is warmer. I like the nano more (a bit smaller, lighter, similar warmth, and a bright yellow color for me). I take the thermawrap when I am more serious because i think it is a bit warmer, has pockets, and a hood--which really helps keep warmth in, imo. the thermawrap fits a little closer, the waist-hem of the nano is kind of square but the upper part/arms/shoulders are a good fit. 2cents

What people said about the experts knowing more people who die just seems incredibly true. the only pretending going on is speaking of climbing in a general sense as if it is all equal. comparing alaska range adventures to sport climbing at smith rock is apples and oranges. You can't speak in generalities about 'climbing is positive and healthy' when climbing can entail everything from TR'ing indoors, southside hood to something alex honold or colin are doing. The subjective opinion about positive and healthy certainly can be held across all spectrum of climbing levels, but the risk sure isn't uniform. you can do some pretty basic relatively lower risk climbing and get a good feeling of positivity, health, and renewal out of it, that is not unrealistic.