BootsandPants

If you look at your lean/lock mechanism (found just above your achilles usually) you can find the metal plate that locks the cuff into the shoe. Sometimes you can unscrew it and flip it around to adjust the forward lean. Worth a shot before buying new boots. Seems like 25deg is an awful lot of forward lean. Way too much in fact. Two of my touring buddies use these boots and don't complain about it, so maybe the previous owner flipped that plate around?

Bump! Maybe if they don't work out It'll be fun trying to make a full camber, no-rocker ski work in our BC conditions. Back to the roots!

Bump. Feel free to make an offer. I just got a new pair of skis and the bank account could use a boost.

We say we accept the risks inherent in climbing, but those risks and their consequences aren't really brought into the forefront of our minds until something happens to someone close to us. It's one thing to read about accidents and deaths in the hills and think "man, that's horrible, good vibes to their family/friends". It's another thing all together to be on the flip side of that and have it happen to someone you're close with. Lots of feelings and emotions to deal with. As to how to deal with it; everyone's different, and will deal with it differently. I think everyone involved in an accident will re-evaluate their own risk tolerance however; some will remain the same, some will be more cautious, and some will stop all together. Luckily I've never had any real close friends get seriously injured or die in the mountains, so I can't say how I personally would react. I hope to never have to find out. Regarding rock quality; I never thought that a piece would have broken off the Sword on the Grand since it's climbed so much and that rock is so damn solid, but hey, that shit happened last August. Luckily nobody was hurt. It's all part of the game...

Canadian Hunter; going to have to try that. Single malt is usually too spendy for the ones I like, and fireball just makes me do stupid things... I'd also like to point out that 17/25 replies to this thread are related to whisky. I'm glad to see everyone has their priorities straight.

I wouldn't trust REI to do anything to my skis. I've seen too many botched mounts and shoddy work out of that shop. Unless that's your only option, I'd go elsewhere. I would trust ProSki or Evo to do a descent dynafit mount. Too bad Marmot isn't around any longer. In the future, learn to mount skis (this goes for everyone). It's really easy, takes no special tooling (unless you buy a ski drill bit, which is $10), saves a bunch of money, and you know the job is done right. Not to mention it's a well of infinite free beer from friends.

Wow, should have gone out on Friday! Nice pictures I think we ran into you on Saturday on Arrowhead. We were the group of 4 coming off the summit ridge (had to bail close to the summit due to one member having bad gloves and frost-nipped hands). At least there were some nice turns towards the bottom!

No harm at all in getting touring gear and learning to ski on it in-bounds. If backcountry is your goal, I'd say it's pretty smart to figure out and get comfortable with how your equipment handles in a controlled environment (resort) before taking it out. Check out Wildsnow if you haven't already. Enough info over there to make your head spin. In theory, yes, "heavier" skis are generally more downhill oriented and will handle better in firmer snow and in heavy and wet conditions. More mass = more momentum = more power to blast through the mank, thus making skiing variable conditions (which is most of what is in the BC) much easier. Obviously a heavier ski won't go uphill as easily. That's the trade off, and it's a balancing act we play with ski choice. For your first BC ski, go with something middle of the road. It'll go up OK, it'll go down OK, and you'll have fun doing both especially for a few seasons while learning. I'd stay away from the super light skis, they take a lot of wherewithal to ski well in most conditions, and for someone who is just starting out, they won't be much fun on the down. You can add these to the quiver later on once you've developed more as a skier. Stay away from the super heavy "freeride" skis too. They are pigs on the way up, and you'll be spending most of your time going up. Some suggestions for good skis that split the middle of the road between weight and downhill: PNW Classic - K2 Coomback (Wayback is alright too if you want a lighter ski, but the coomback does the down better) G3 Tonic- was renamed the District 100 this season, but there are still some of past season Tonics floating around for good prices. BD Revert or Convert (last year model is the Warrant or Verdict; both on sale now for ~300 too on BD's site) And yes; as was said earlier get tech bindings (lots of offerings out there now). Don't even bother with frame binders if you plan on touring. With the lower prices now, there is no reason to consider a frame binding. Tech bindings in bounds are totally fine. Have fun and stay safe!

Got skis on there, but how about ski boots? I know it seems obvious, but I've learned my lesson that nothing is obvious at 4am when getting ready.

I've been carrying that little green Brooks Range doodad you linked for the past few years and it's been great. I've put together G3 and dynafit binders in the field with it, no problems. The price was right at $7 or so off of BC.com.

I have a small haul pack thing (atom smasher?) from Russ over at Fish. Super durable, will haul easily without any fiddling with shit, comfortable enough, and the price was totally right. Not the lightest/fastest, but works really well for cragging days.

Guys

Thanks for the TR and the great photos! I was up there that day too skiing the C-D and saw you guys high on the route. Looked quite nice; well done! Glad you're OK all things considered, and I wish you a speedy recovery. My partner lost an edge heading down from the hogsback that afternoon as well and would have turned into a missile if it wasn't for his whippit. Crazy conditions that weekend...

Bamp

There better be some rioting, otherwise all of the "were the loudest fans in the league" stuff is total bullshit.

Pair of Grivel Rambo 4 crampons that have been well loved, but not abused. These have the flexible yellow antibott plates, not the rigid plates that crack. Lots of life left in the points. I may have two new points that I'll throw in as well if I can find them in the gear bag. $175 OBO in the Seattle area (I teach at Stevens Pass on Sundays if that's easier). No problem shipping if you help chip in for it. Thanks!

Maybe it's because I'm discovering more of it each time I go, but it's gotta be Index for me if we're talking WA crags. It's close-ish, and the route quality is unmatched imo. As a mid 5.10 leader, it's pushing me to be a better climber too in order to get on some of the classics, which is great. Not to mention the setting of the place (tweakers aside); there's nothing like sitting on the banks of the Sky with a cold beer in the shadow of Mt. Index after a good day of climbing. Vantage will also hold a special place in my heart too. It's always there with (mostly) good weather when you need to scratch that itch in the winter. Plus there's something to be said about watching the sun go down over the planes out there after a fun day. Haven't been to Darrington yet though, so that could change things. Looking forward to getting out there and exploring this summer. It's been on the back burner for too long!

1. Cut the top off of 2L soda bottle 2. Insert crampons tip first 3. Shove that shit in your pack 4. Profit!

Thanks for the links guys. I hadn't seen that one Marcus; good stuff. Had some planning beers last night; going to be a rad trip. It's kind of nice not knowing what we'll find! Fixed that for you Ivan

Heading to Iceland for two weeks; end of March/beginning of April. There's not a lot of beta out there for climbing and skiing objectives on the place, so even though it's a long shot I figured I'd ask here. Have any of you all been there and recommend any climbing or skiing (or both!) objectives? Cheers

Tried out a friend's pair and got a headache after one pitch. Just not for me. I can see the benefit to it if one has chronic neck pain, but holy hell they just look stupid. I'd wear hand jammies, or draws in the gym, rather than these. But that's just, like, my opinion man.

There were a ton of people there this past weekend, not just the big club group. I know there were two vans full of uni kids, another climbing team van full of people, a boy scout troop, and two guided "classes". These were the ones I ran in to or chatted briefly with. I didn't even see the huge club group. Other than 30 minutes or so on Zion at the 3rd belay to give the dudes in front of us some space, and the 15 minutes on Wartly's Revenge, we didn't have to wait on anyone the whole weekend despite the crowds. Sucks that you got caught up in the midst of a busy weekend, but that's often the case for a lot of the easier routes, large "club" groups or no. Rarely will there be a day (especially on a weekend!) when there aren't newbies clawling their way up Spiderman, Super Slab, Moscow, or First Kiss. I don't understand all of the hate seen here for new climbers or clubs. Sometimes it's a great way for people to get a good intro into the sport. Some days are just busier than others and we all have to deal with it. Not sure about the club you mentioned though, as I don't know much about how their classes/club is run (if it's the one I'm thinking about).

Nice to run into you on the trail and on the wall Jon and Eric! Real fun to see all those parties in high spirits having fun on the UTW. Rare gem of a day at Index in late October! BTW, thanks for the picture of us on DH-LA. You got me right at the kind-of awkward start of that first pitch of LA. Fun route!

Skiing is most definitely a worthwhile access tool, especially here in the NW with the amount of snow we get. I would definitely suggest taking the time to learn how. It may take a season or two inbounds, but definitely worth it on the time and fun scales. Like everyone else said, don't learn with mtn boots and silvrettas. Those things are hard to ski on for a good skier in decent conditions. Sure you can do it, but why? You can cut steak with a spoon if you try hard enough... There are good deals on new past years equipment and numerous used deals abound, especially at this time of year as people gear up for another season. Rentals are another good option until you figure out if you like it or not. I rented for 3 years before getting my first set up and was glad I did. By that time I knew enough to be able to decide what I wanted out of a ski and boots. I'm not sure where you are located, but if you're in the greater Seattle area and are looking for lesson opportunities, check out the Wednesday night lessons up at Summit West. It's a 6 lesson series that's pretty affordable (they will do rentals too if you don't have gear) and takes all skill levels. I did it last season and picked up a few valuable tips (and I've been skiing for 20 years), and had a good time. It's a great way to get out on the snow, learn some stuff, and still have the whole weekend free to do whatever. Most importantly, have fun!

I found some keys on the tooth on Saturday. If you've lost a set, describe them to me and I'll get them back to you. Hopefully you had a spare set and were able to get out from the pass without too much headache!