BootsandPants

I tried a search but couldn't find anything within the past two years, so I figured I'd start a new topic. I recently sold my Canon 7D, and lost my point-n-shoot somewhere up in Yodelin (if you find one up there, PM me), so I'm now cameraless and in the market for a new one. Ideally, I'm looking for something small enough to take into the mtns with me that won't feel like I'm carrying the kitchen sink, which is ultimately why I ended up letting the 7D go. I'd like to have the same manual control as the SLR to be able to control my shots. Also, if it's not easily accessible, I'm not going to take as many pictures, so I'd like it to be small enough to store it on a pack strap or in a shoulder pouch that's easily accessible during climbs. What do you guys use? Any recommendations? There's too much info out there on this stuff. I'd rather hear recommendations from other climbers rather than a guy in a lab in ideal conditions scrutinizing every little pixel. Thanks!

You're going to pay more for a 60m single with a dry treatment than you would a shorter, thinner rope. If you're just using it for snow/glacier travel it won't be seeing much wear, so you don't need something that'll be super burly to withstand abuse that ropes take on rock. Here's a good plan; 1) Go to REI and pick up this rope which is good for dragging across snow. 2) Use your 20% off coupon and it'll be a steal (~$70). 3) Use your dividend on top of it and it's even cheaper, or free. 4) ???? 5) Go climbing and profit! If you're still sold on the full length single, justropes.com has some Edelweiss ropes on clearance for good prices.

Taking a road trip/bachelor party through the Canadian Rockies to Edmonton for my buddy's wedding in July. Planning on climbing like crazy while we're making our way out there. Any suggestions are welcome as we've never been climbing in the region before. That wedding/climbing trip is the only big thing happening. Probably dragging a keg up the snowfield again, same as before...never gets old. Hopefully nobody steals my tent this time. Also helping lead a team up Rainier for a charity climb, which should be a bunch of fun for a great cause. Never climbed in Darrington and would like to check it out this summer. Other than that, climbing local stuff and trying not to do anything too stupid.

I have one of the first gen neoair pads and I like it a lot. Has held up for 2 years and probably 75+ nights without any leak issues. I'll throw my bivy pad from my pack under it if it's really cold out. Best space/warmth/weight combination I found out there. If one of these does start to leak, a bit of seam grip and you're good to go. I've bought two neoair pads from the REI garage sale for $10, fixed them with seam grip, and gifted them to friends to use. The deal was too good to pass up and a good way to do it on the cheap.

Consider the K2 Sideshow for those goals if you haven't looked there already. Rips in firmer conditions (potatoes, wind effect, hardpack) and does well in all but crazy deep powder, and even then they're manageable and still a fun ride. I picked up a pair in 174 at the beginning of the season looking to use them for an all around touring ski that would do well in the mank and in the spring too (already have a wider ski so deep powder wasn't a concern). I haven't been disappointed yet by this ski. They aren't the lightest due to the titanium sheet, but the performance difference is well worth it in my opinion. Makes for a great inbounds ski too. I was incredibly surprised by the amount of rebound I got off of these, akin to my GS planks. A really great ride that's worth a demo. Good luck on the search, and have fun out there!

Check boxes are good. What about a date range where the user could enter specific dates? So if I wanted to find all of the Rainier TRs for 2009, I'd just type that range in the specific fields. Something like that is kind of there in the "search" feature already on the site, although you'd have to translate how many weeks/months etc ago your range was. It's not an option on the TR search though. I don't know if this would be hard to implement, I know very little about this internetz stuff.

Month range/time of year would be very helpful. Thanks for all the work you're doing. It looks awesome and I'm excited to see the final implementation!

Likewise. I was in between a small and medium and Bill sent the medium on faith for me to try on. Fit well and paid after. One of the grommets ripped out a few weeks back and he had me send them in for repair, free of charge. Great customer service at NWAlpine!!

I rack gear with BD neutrinos and just about all of my draws are made out of WC Xenons. Love the action and full size of the WC biners for my case of hamfistitis. They're pretty light without breaking the bank too if you buy them in the 5 packs. Just got 10 for a little over $50 to replace various draws I've lost/partners have kept last year. http://www.backcountry.com/wild-country-xenon-wire-anodized-carabiner-5-pack

I'm 5'9" 170 and the regular is cut a little narrower than other bags I've used, but after the first few times using it I stopped noticing. Haven't had and compression issues due to it being cut a little narrow though. Trying one out will be the only way to know for sure though.

I picked one up last year, and it was one of the first ones in Pertex. It saw a lot of use so far and I really like it. If I had to buy it again, I'd probably still go with the Pertex or Nano (not sure if they still make them in nano?). I did 2oz of overfill, one in the feet and one in the torso. Coldest I've been out in it was probably mid-teens and I was alright.

I don't mind paying a little more for something if it's good quality and the company will stand behind their product. With some of these companies, the warranty is worth the price alone. Outdoor Research's lifetime warranty is exceptional and I've been a fan of their stuff for a while now. They've replaced two pairs of gloves, two jackets, and a pair of pants for me over the years, no questions asked, just go grab a new one off of the rack. This sort of customer service and faith in their own product is worth the extra $$$ over the cheap stuff in my opinion. OR, MHW, and Arcteryx are all companies that I, or those I climb with, have had great personal experience getting warranties honored.

I don't think it would be a concern as long as it looks to be in good condition. I'll check my WC slings when I get home and see if they have the same issue. I've had mine for about a year too, so it'll be interesting to compare.

I'm not hating on fat skis, just saying I don't understand them for use here in the Cascades. I spent 15 years skiing in Pennsylvania (a.k.a. downhill ice skating) before moving out here so my background is definitely different. A pair of skis I'd take out only maybe 3-4 times a season seems a little much for me. I spend a fair amount of time teaching at Stevens and am always surprised at the amount of superfat skis I see people using when we haven't seen more than a few inches of new snow, or none at all. Does excessive amounts of rocker or early rise really help them that much on hardpack? Getting that much ski up on edge seems a chore. Guess there's just some sort learning curve? I spent all weekend on a pair of K2 Sideshows I just picked up and had a blast. Floaty enough in the morning, but when things got tracked out, they blasted through the mank and absolutely RAILED on the pack, almost as snappy as my GS skis. I didn't float as much as those guys with pontoons, but I sure got more faceshots . These are going to be awesome in the BC. I do want to try some Shamans as I've heard a lot of good things about that ski and the shape intrigues me. Line's Influence (105 or 115) is also an awesome ski that's new this year. Not really a touring option as they're kind of heavy, but a fun fatty for sidecountry or short tours that can rail the cord. To each their own though, the only thing that matters is that we're all having fun making lines in the snow!

I got to demo a pair of LS Hang 5s from LMS at Vertfest the other weekend. Fun ski in those conditions, but generally too wide for my tastes (they were 117 under foot). They were fun in the steep and deep, but everywhere else I'd prefer something narrower and more manageable. I guess I just don't get the superfat ski craze (>100mm waist) that's going on, at least for here in the Cascades. The demo skis also had the LS binders on them too and they seemed burly enough to drive those planks through what I was putting them through. Amazing, but not worth the extra $$$ over the other tech binding options in my opinion. Glad you like the 'slus Tvash. 92 underfoot seems to be in a nice sweetspot between just wide enough to provide float and just narrow enough to be manageable ihmo. Have fun out there!

Sad story. Peace to those who were lost and their friends and family. Didn't a slide happen in this same place last season that ended up killing someone? Can't find the record though.

Awesome, thanks Kurt!

Those are the two big reasons I use the Onyx as well. I wanted a tech binding for touring but something burly enough to deal with some inbounds riding. A nice third reason is that there is about 30mm of adjustability of the binding on the plates, which enables the use of different boots without having to remount. Those features are worth the "heaviness" of the binding to me. I'll just take a dump before the tour to make up for that extra weight I've been using the Onyx pretty hard in and out of bounds since it was introduced back in 2009 and have had no problems with them whatsoever. Great binding and one of the best options out there in terms of usability goes. I noticed that last year's models were on sale at Marmot the last time I was in there Link. Cheaper and better than fritschis imo; worth a look if you're interested. Have fun out there!

I've been using Nepal Evos for 4 years now and I love them. I've got a large forefoot, high instep and narrow heel (makes fitting boots a frustrating challenge). They seem to fit my foot great, but the Mont Blancs didn't. This surprised me as I had heard the same about the scarpa fit (wider+more volume). Moral of the story, try 'em both on and go with the best fit. They're both great boots for mountaineering and ice climbing. Good luck!

Go skiing.

Nice job guys. I didn't realize that was Matt for a while in that green jacket and thought some random was just climbing with you. Looked like a good day out! Much better than a day spent nursing a hangover from a liter of whisky.

Good work guys. Your TR is missing a critical piece of beta though; what scotch did you bring?

I'm a lot like you, I don't want my career to rule my life. I also wrestled with the same decisions you're making with grad school, and from my experience these other comments ring true. Really, don't make a decision on extracurricular things, especially for grad school. Those are just that, extra. "Get into the best school you can" is sage advice. Your degree is an investment in your future, don't invest in "adequate" just for the short term payoff when you could be getting more. If it happens to work out in your favor, awesome! If not, you'll find some new, fun hobbies to keep you occupied. That's how I picked up hockey, curling, and tournament paintball

A 40L size is a good sort of do-it-all pack imo. Enough room for technical gear and overnight gear, but not too much room to tempt you to bring unnecessary items. The Marmot looks good and would work fine as long as you were diligent in your packing. Sweet price too. I've gotten by with a 35L with technical rock gear for two nights out in the past and was never in want of anything, except maybe a beer, so you should be alright.

Used this the other day and it's great! Maps actually print borderless too, which is awesome. No more having to manipulate screen shots. Nice job and thanks for your efforts!