BootsandPants

Ditto. No problems with WD40 once a year. I tried a dry teflon lube I use on my bike chain at the beginning of this season just as a test and it seems to work well so far; time will tell. Honestly, most things would be fine, but I'd stay away from wax based lubricants; they tend to hold onto dirt more so than WD40 or other lubricants in my experience.

Wow, great photos and TR; nice work gents. Thanks for sharing!

Neither. Totem is the way, the truth, and the light.

There was a short section of snow right at the base of the gully before things get steep, but no snow higher than that. Totally fine to do in tennies; I had no problems over the past few days.

For those of you using the jul and really like it; what biner are you using (and would this really have an effect)? I'd really like for this to work for me (since I paid for one), but it's just too herky jerky and I can't figure out why. Haven't tried a different biner though.

I think that climbing clubs (mounties, WAC, Boealps etc) are a great place to get started and to meet people/future climbing partners if you have no baseline. At a certain point, you'll outgrow it if you keep developing your skills, but that's to be expected; these aren't professionals teaching with these clubs and they can only offer so much. Another plus, or minus depending on how you look at it, of taking a climbing class through one of the clubs is that it forces you to get out multiple weeks in a row. You get a bunch of mileage through them with the same group of people. It's a good thing for getting the basic skills dialed in, and making some lasting friendships. A few of my best climbing partners I met through one of the club classes, where we became friends and subsequently outgrew the club. Now we just climb, spray, and heckle each other.

All the permits for the summer are already sold out?! I think they do a certain number of walk-up permits too. Someone else on here can confirm though, I've only climbed it once in permit season a while back, so I'm not well versed in that department. As far as gear for St. Helens? Skis But in all honesty, a good pair of waterproof boots, trekking poles, and appropriate clothing will see you through just fine, probably wouldn't hurt to take an axe either. Crampons if things get firm (make sure they fit your shoes before going on the mountain). Also the basic little things like food, water, map+compass, headlamp, first aid etc etc. For your pack, that will work fine, but for an alpine pack I would want some loops for an ice axe/tools. The problem I have with "backpacking" backpacks is all of the superfluous stuff tacked on to them. Straps, lids, pockets, doodads; all add weight and complexity with little to no practical benefits. I prefer mine to be simple. If you plan on continuing mountaineering and alpine climbing, I would return that one if you can (if not, it will work totally fine) and look for a pack more suited towards your objectives. Check out the Cold Cold World valdez pack. Great design, very durable, and the price is totally right CCW Pack. You could have one of these guys for the same price as that one. Good luck, stay safe, and have fun out there!

Well, you're still a good hour or two (depending on fitness) away from where things get kind of steep/"technical" from the top of the Palmer lift. Might as well just walk the whole thing. The cat would really only be saving you 2-3 hours at most; too poor of an ROI for me anyhow. And yes, be prepared to turn around in adverse conditions or if things don't feel right. Stay safe and have fun

Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks that. Sorry to add nothing but snarkiness; good luck with your info search

Awesome write up and pictures. I need to get back in there one of these days; that terrain looks really fun

I switch between atmos and Weatherspark and they rarely let me down. Weatherspark is pretty slick if you haven't tried it yet. Think of a more user friendly and customizable NOAA graph output with point-click forecasts. You can even get historical summaries (from a few days to a few years) of precip/temp/wind speed and direction etc. which I find really useful for snowpack conditions. Pretty rad.

Is that what we're calling it these days? Quality thread; making Monday better

The photos were from all three of us. Photo equipment included: Nikon D600 w/ Rokinon 14mm 2.8, Nikkor 50mm 1.8 Canon Rebel T2i not sure on the lens this guy Sony NEX 6 w/ 16mm 1.4, 16-85mm 3.6 Sony Xperia Z1 cell phone

You can follow a skin track without walking in the track and ruining it. It's basic backcountry courtesy. Telling newbs to ignore it will be setting them up for some interesting (sometimes not-so-nice) confrontations. Please don't tell people to post-hole in skin tracks in the name of easy navigation...

Trip: Iceland - Snæfellsjökull, Tröllaskagi, Vatnajökull and more Date: 3/27/2014 Trip Report: Cody, Stephen and I spent two weeks road tripping, living out of a tent on pasta and hot dogs, and climbing/skiing everything in sight all throughout Iceland. This is our story. Sorry to link a blog post, but there's just too many large pictures to re-upload here. It would take me an extra few hours. As to not make your click on this TR a total waste of time, here's a pretty picture to look at! There's more like this at the link. Enjoy! Gear Notes: Tent, about 5 pairs of skis and skins, lots of whisky and Stoke Approach Notes: IcelandAir

Use them as an improvised ski straps to fix a broken binding or skin! Grab a handfull of them to use as a whip on slow partners on the approach! Lash some wood together with them to make a raft. Float your way out from a climb, because hiking is for suckers! You all need to get more creative with your straps. +1. I hope they've gotten better over the years since I've had one. Shit fell apart on me after one season

Any ~1kg ski with race bindings. Those will fly uphill really quick! Honestly? 174cm Dynafit Cho Oyu (88mm waist) with speed superlights (or speed radicals if you want a flat "boot on ski" tour mode). Good all around, but a little more uphill oriented than downhill. They do fine in deeper snow too. If you want lighter; I've skied the Trab Magico and own Dynafit's Nanga Parbat in 171, both fly uphill. They take a little more control to ski down though. Wider/heavier? K2 waybacks are cheap and strike a good balance between weight and downhill performance. Coombacks are heavier still, but ski better than waybacks. You can find trab Volares and Rapidos out there on closeout now too. Both are amazing skis but have no rocker, so pass on those if you need rocker to ski (if not the Volare is seriously awesome). Lots of other options out there; just look and do some research. I've only recommended things I've skied on and would ski on again, or own. EDIT: I did not take cost into any of my recommendations. If you're trying to do this on a tight budget, say goodbye to most/all the truly lightweight options.

That little guy has flagging DOWN.

Hey Nate. I don't have any experience with those exact classes you're talking about, but I've taken a few avy classes with AAI and I'd definitely recommend them as a guiding service. Knowledgeable and fun people to work with. I had a great time and learned a bunch.

Updated: Crampons and puffy still available.

Bump. Added some ice tool accessories/picks I found last night

OR Trailbreaker maybe (I think that's what it's called)? Softshell uppers, hardshell from the knee down. More skiing oriented, but then again I don't really know anyone who is making waterproof knees and butt without the whole pant being waterproof. The OR pants have served me well for 3 seasons now. Just don't use the beacon pocket and tomahawk for 500ft; you'll rip the pants. Maybe just take a small sit-pad or sit on the pack instead of goretex-ass?

I'm moving at the end of the month, and am in the process of cleaning out some of the things I've found in the closet that never get used. All prices are pickup in the Seattle area. I don't mind shipping things elsewhere if you don't mind chipping in. Petzl Ice stuff: $25 - hammer $25 - adze $40 for both hammer and adze $35ea or $50 for both - 2x Dry pick, new Grivel Rambo 4 crampons. Show signs of love, but not abuse. In great shape. These have the flexible yellow antibott plates, not the crappy rigid plates on the newer ones that crack. Lots of life left in the points. I may have two new points kicking around which will be yours as well. $150 Mountain Hardwear Nilas jacket Size M. Bought this for my trip to Pakistan last summer, which got canceled due to the Nanga Parbat massacre and have only worn it a couple of times total. It's in new condition; no stains, holes, smells, duct tape etc. Awesome warm jacket that does a great job of cutting the wind. Comes with stuff sack $250 Sony NEX 6 camera. Great for long trips where you don't want to haul that DSLR around. Again; bought this for Pak, and have hardly used it. About 250 shutter actuations. Comes with two lenses: E 16mm f/2.8 prime E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS power zoom lens What you'll get: Camera Body Lenses Original boxes including all cords, straps, chargers, documentation, blank warranty cards etc Lowepro case for travel $600.

For long multipitch and simuling, this way is the jam.

I got one to replace a reverso that was getting sharp in between the "rope holes". I've been cragging (gri-gri) and skiing too much lately and only have used it a handful of times, but so far it's been alright. Kind of jerkey and annoying when rapping in autolock mode; though I was on a pretty thick rope (9.8 or 10.something). Would think that on a thinner rope (8.9/9.1) it will rap easier in autolock mode.