pcg

Local climbers who died recently just from cornices... Joe Puryear, Monika Johnson, and Joseph Bohlig Be ever vigilant!

I can't speak for conditions in May, but keep in my mind that you can rent jet skis in Hells Canyon Reservoir and there is some fun DWS to be had...

bump

Don't we all!

The Shamans max out at 173 because they're a way fat ski. Trust me, you wouldn't want them longer. They're 160mm at the tip. Because they're short and fat they excel in deep snow in trees. Hands down the best deep snow tree ski I've ever been on. The first time I was on them I couldn't keep from giggling and laughing I was having so much fun. I know people that have tried them and don't like them though. Some complain they are hooky in deep stuff and if you like sliding/swishing your turns as most skiers on rockered skis do, then you might feel the same. They are unique among fatties in that they have lots of sidecut and thus are a carver's ski.

Petzl Aztarex hammer, $160 shipped to lower 48 Gone to eBay...

I took this picture a few years ago in the Ochoco Mountains in central Oregon. What is this?

Why use a cord or sling? Why not just thread the rope and leave no trace? I'm questioning from very little experience. My 8mm rope threads easily. Haven't tried my new 8.9 yet.

On a different note, another thing that surprised me is that she really is anal about safety. I didn’t think anything could surpass what the Mazamas teach, but she does. I’ll pass along some safety tips she shared in her clinic… - When rapping, she clips into a loop on her safety leash, in addition to her belay loop, so if the belay loop fails she has a backup. - She threads the 6mm cord holding her chalk bag around her waist through the belay loop as well, so if the harness should fail, she has a backup. - If she is the first to rap down a multi-pitch route, she pulls up the ends of the rope and unties the knots(we all knot the ends right?) and ties the ends of the rope together with a fig8 and clips it into the anchor.

I didn’t go to her slide show in Portland because I had a preconceived prejudiced view against her because she free-soloed, which I thought was foolishness fed by a desire to impress people, herself, who knows, and that throwing up videos of her antics for all to see was subsequent grandstanding. I was wrong. I did attend her crack climbing clinic, however, because I thought I could learn something from that and I did. The big surprise for me was Steph herself and how my view of her changed once I met her. Her climbing accomplishments aside, she struck me as an exceptional human being. I would add to everything you have said that she just radiates goodness. She comes across as honest, unpretentious, unassuming, kind, generous, and of course confident, but in a supremely gracious and modest way. And yeah, I got the feeling after just being around her for a few hours that she can be a real hoot too! How refreshing! So the lesson for me was (and always is as I never seem to learn this) not to prejudge people. Yes, she definitely makes the world a better place.

PM sent.

Well, I can think of two areas you can access w/o avy danger - one with an alpine feel and the other maybe some ice climbing. They both have long approaches though, so that would make it feel more alpine? There's some interesting crags up around Silver Star Mountain (the one near the Gorge). Due to a fire many years ago, that whole area has an alpine feel to it, though it's below treeline. It should have a fair amount of snow now, but I haven't been up there to confirm that. There are crags (Sturgeon Rock and Pyramid Rock, Sturgeon Rock shown below) that you can reach without crossing avy terrain. Pretty solid rock too. From Washougal it's a one hour drive and three mile ski or snowshoe to get there. The other area that comes to mind is Coethedral. Not alpine, but a pretty cool place if you can manage the long approach in winter. From Portland it's a one hour drive on pavement then ten miles on a gravel road. I was able to drive seven miles up the gravel road a month ago because logging trucks had beaten the snow down. Maybe have to ski the whole way now though so bring a tent, or use a snowmobile. A bit past the trailhead to The Rectory, and just off the left side of the road, is a seep on the mountainside that was just beginning to ice up. I have no idea what condition it's in now.

No one uses the BD V-threader? It folds up, but is still kind of clunky hanging on the harness, but it also has a serrated knife blade so I no longer carry a knife on my harness. I've only used it once so have no idea how it will hold up over the long run. Oh yes, it has hole guides for 16 thru 22 cm screws for the spatially challenged.

I've never been a fan of Recco reflectors for recovering anyone alive from an avalanche since the detectors are not there when you need them. However, in a case like this, if someone is buried in a snow cave under several feet of snow, and happens to have a Recco reflector on them somewhere, is there a chance a detector in a helicopter could spot them? Maybe a weather window coming Monday for getting a helicopter in the air.

I'll take the rope bag for $10. PM sent.

Sent you a PM...

It's because they are too stiff. It's us that are huge, old, and skinny. Try TGR or sell them on consignment at Hurricane Racing at Skibowl.

I've found the same thing. I've noticed a lot of forums appear to use the same software and the search engiens all suck. Google rules... for now. But back to the topic... Dry tooling at RB sounds like fun! I'm a newbie at this and only have one too (Petzl Aztarex hammer), but I'd love the opportunity to get out and learn something. So... I hope someone starts this up again and I hope a few of you might tolerate my ignorance and bestow some knowledge on me. In the meantime, anyone have an Aztarex adze they want to sell? (From what I've read I'm guessing the adze isn't good for anything except hitting myself in the head as far as dry tooling is concerned, but I want it for ice and can't afford to buy tools just for dry tooling.) I decided on the Petzl Aztarex because I'm a skinny weakling and it's lighter than others. I'm not sure how long I'd last swinging a heavier tool. Is there a recommended pick I should buy for the Aztarex or will the pick it came with work for dry tooling? Where can I buy a face shield for my helmet? (I have a Camp Pulse and a Camp Armour.) Or are they only available for helmets specifically designed for ice climbing? Anything else I can do to prepare, besides doing some pullups? I am sooooooo out of shape. Ah, to be 18 again!

Yes, that is true. I'll ski by myself above timberline, but always with a buddy in the trees.

Seriously. I think you know what I mean. Perhaps "within your abilities" is the wrong choice of words. Maybe "in control" or "dialed back" would be a better choice of words. I ski with my son and his friends and they are constantly pushing their limit and they fall a lot. I no longer push things. I am just out to have fun. Consequently I very rarely fall. This is true of my ski buddies as well. The point I was trying to make is that tree wells don't come up and swallow you. You have some control over the situation. You have to fall first and then happen to fall into one. They are to be respected, but not feared. So if you are careful when you are skiing in the trees you won't fall in one.

I have become almost exclusively a tree skier and never ski with pole straps on. Years ago I nearly pulled an arm out of its socket when a pole basket got hung up in branches. That experience, coupled with knowing that I never want pole straps on if I'm caught in an avalanchee, taught me to become comfortable skiing without pole straps. Tree wells are only a problem if you fall. If you are a good skier you won't fall if you are paying attention and skiing within your limits. Younger guys tend not to do this and therein lies the real problem. Good advice above about not getting separated from your partner. Additionally, if you both understand the ramifications of being vertically separated then you will both try to stay roughly at the same elevation while descending. If one partner is 20 yards below the other and the follower falls in a tree well, it may take 15 minutes for the guy below to struggle back up through deep snow to help. How long can you hold your breath? Extricating someone that is buried can be extremely difficult. I recall an instance a few years ago when a snowboarder expired when he fell in a hole around a lift pole. His friends and others immediatley set to work to dig him out, but were hindered by all the snow-packed brush that prevented shovels from making progress. It took them 15 minutes to get him out and unfortunately that was too long. The hardest thing about being safe skiing in trees? Finding a good partner who is available to ski when you want to go.

No, steering into the skid means steering to the right in this case because that is where the rear end is going (to the right). Most skids involve oversteering, which means the rear end is doing most of the sliding. So steering in the direction of the skid means steering in the direction the rear end is going. In the case you mentioned, the rear end is sliding out to the right so you would steer to the right. The trick is always to not overdue this and be ready to steer back to the left and straighten the wheels as soon as the rear end responds and starts to go back to the left. DO NOT DELAY. Otherwise you will send the rear end out to the left and now you are back where you started, only skidding the opposite direction. If you don't react soon enough you will lose control - very common for peope to do this. If you have front wheel drive or all wheel drive, you will find that accelerating can help pull the vehicle out of the spin, although this is not always possible. I had my wife take a skid class at Portland International Raceway and the instructor didn't say anything about steering into the skid. He just told her to point the wheel where she wanted to go and GAS! GAS! GAS! This often works, but I will add that when she told me this I promptly went and and started spining our VW Rabbit in the snow and then attempting to power out of it. This was so much fun I did this over and over until I rear-ended a tree, which was a good thing. Otherwise I would have gone backwards down a 50' canyon. All of the above holds if your vehicle does not have antilock brakes and stability control. I guess all new vehicles now have antilock brakes and more and more have stability control. So now there are two entities trying to regain control of the car - you and a computer. The only way to figure it out is to practice. A good 15 min. session in an empty snow park is the easiest way to make sense of it all. And yes, you are correct, turning in the direction the nose is going would just encourage a spin.

Yeah that's why I always carry the keys.

"On Tuesday, April 27th [2010], park climbing rangers, assisted by guides from International Mountain Guides and Alpine Ascents International, successfully rescued two climbers who had fallen into a crevasse during whiteout conditions on Mount Rainier. The two fell a distance of approximately 75 feet just below Camp Muir (elevation 9,700 feet). The initial report of the accident was received by a 911 operator when one of the climbers called out by cell phone from the bottom of the crevasse on Monday afternoon."