NotMessner

Dane recounts an episode where he decided to avoid over-dressing: http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2010/02/walking-walk.html “Temps were between the low 30s walking in and the mid 20s on the climb. But I still forced myself to start in the fishnet T-shirt and the silk head band. Yes sir, it was a little chilly for the first few minutes in the legs, more than the torso, surprisingly. 2 hrs later and just short of the ridge I added the EB Frontpoint wind shell. In the wind and fog on the ridge crest, while others were adding belay jackets, I peeled the Frontpoint jacket and added my dress weight (very lwt) Merino wool sweater ($30 from a Men's Warehouse sale) and zipped up. The other climbers already on the ridge were well kitted for the weather as long as you weren't going to actually move! An hr. later I was on top and comfortable. My clothing still dry. The first climber up behind me (who started before me) was complaining that he had to take a break and peel some layers before he could continue. He was both over- heated and wet.”

I can't talk since I'm no expert, but someone attended a slide show, and posted this report, FWIW: “Here's a summary from Colin Haley’s talk: CLOTHING: - BASE LAYERS, LEGS AND UPPER BODY - For comfort, use wool instead of Capilene because wool dries out slower, hence it has a slower evaporative heat loss, and your body doesn’t get hit as hard with a flash freeze effect. - MID LAYERS, LEGS - When very cold, use a base layer, fleece pants, then softshell pants. - He prefers non-zip softshell vs hard shells. Soft breathes better. - Patagonia synthetic puff pants with full-off zips are useful for very cold. - MID LAYERS, UPPER BODY - Base layer, fleece, then windshirt. Add a hard shell if it gets colder. - He prefers a hardshell for the top since it's easy to take off and on, while he prefers non-zip softshell for pants, which can’t be easily taken off or on.

On his Cold Thistle blog, Dane says this: “Sadly Eddie Bauer is no longer making the Frontpoint. Which I think is a mistake…. The FP can be found for $70 on Ebay at this moment. Which simply amazes me.” Previously, he said this: “My top was dry in a soaking waterfall that went straight through my pants and filled my boots to the brim while wearing the Eddie Bauer Front Point jacket, which is a combo hard shell and soft shell. It is very water resistant and very breathable. I am highly impressed with the details of this garment and the combo of materials used. A surprising and almost immediate favorite for cold technical climbing.”

I’m 6’ 2” and my 72” Vireo (with an eVent outer layer) pulls up over my shoulders and cinches around my neck, but just barely. If the bag was any shorter, I couldn’t do it. If I want to use the bag as an Elephant’s Foot, I cinch it under my armpits or lower. I do not know if they will build one with eVent anymore.

In my never-ending search to run Ueli Steck’s life better than Ueli is running it, I may have found the perfect climbing clothing. This ski racing suit may look fruity, but then, so do fruit boots. The DY.N.A RACING SUIT by Dynafit (http://www.dynafit.com/en/product/clothing/dy-n-a-racing-dry-suit-2). “Ski touring race suit with all the essential technical details, and more. The ventilation openings and windblock zones guarantee ideal body temperature both downhill and uphill, where sweat loss is greater, thus avoiding both the accumulation of heat and the risk of cold. The close-fitting cut and the highly elastic materials guarantee maximum freedom of movement at all times. • The balaclava and the high neck protect the face from the cold, wind and snow • Wind-blocking zones around knee and groin • Mesh inserts for optimum moisture release • Reinforced shoulders and upper arms • Two roomy, easily accessible front pockets • Breast pocket • Special Speed system for boot adjustments • Waterproof ripstop material at the bottom of the leg

Re: consideration of moisture transportation through the insulation: I kept the following just to remind me to keep that idea in mind, but I guess I didn’t give it enough consideration: “I went to fleece exclusively after topping out on Shoestring in -10º (before wind-chill) temps, with 30-40 mph gusts. We were working hard and sweating heavily while moving, and my Capilene 3 and R2 fleece let the sweat out. My partner was wearing a MicroPuff inside his shell, and it was a frozen mess, stuck to his shell and not warm at all any more.”

Dane, you are a scholar and a gentleman. I admit I AM stupid, very stupid, and not an expert in anything, so that pack of pit bulls is right on target. However, what if Ueli won a billion-dollar lottery, what kind of equipment might he build for his speed climbing? 1. A climbing suit is more efficient than pants and jacket. 2. The amount of fill for the Eiger doesn’t have to be the same amount as the suits used on Everest summit days. You could build several suits, using 1/8 inch fill for one, ½ inch for one, 1 inch, etc, and pick the one suited to the moment. 3. Zips, zips and more zips can meter the amount of ventilation and hence the amount of heat retained. 4. With a billion dollars, you could find a VERY light and VERY breathable down-proof fabric, like Pertex Quantum only better, no? 5. Down from the Eider DUCK is lighter than goose down. 6. How about a Petzl Nomic out of titanium, with removable weights in the head? 7. How about foam boots designed to last 2 or 3 climbs, and using titanium teeth in a fruit boot configuration? Never mind me, I’m just a doddering old fool, rambling on about nothing.

I have some gear questions about Ueli Steck’s Eiger climb. (I recently watched the DVD “Reel Rock Film Tour 2010” which includes some footage of his 2 hour, 47 minute solo ascent.) 1. Why did he use a pack made out of what appears to be thick nylon, instead of a light Cuben Fiber pack? Because none of his sponsors make Cuben packs? 2. Why did he use off-the-shelf clothes, instead of a custom-tailored full-body suit filled with Eider down, assuming he could get one that wasn't too warm? (I believe Messner used one of these on his Everest solo.) Same answer? 3. If my old brain remembers correctly, Messner also used custom-made titanium ice tools. Would it still make sense to do that today if you could afford it and didn’t have to use sponsors’ gear, or would the weight saving be negligible?

Crackers said he works with non-rope application of Spectra. I know someone who has a Spectra Kelty White Cloud 5550 that for years has been kept in absoulute darkness, within moderate temperature ranges, and without contacting any chemical fumes. I wonder if this pack has been weakened by just the passage of time (I know I have been).

Layton, thanks for the info on using the Rocket. You said, "cons - very poor ventilation even with the vestibule wide open." P.S. I have used tricks to keep vents open, such as the sleeve vent in the back of the eVent "shelter" by Rab, the Summit Superlite Bivi. I found a plastic food container which fit the sleeve perfectly, and after a bit of sawing and a little thread, the ventilation improved dramatically. I've also cut away the cardboard tube from a peanut container, leaving a very light but tough ring, which if sewn inside a vent can be flipped up or down to keep the vent open. I'm not sure is the Rocket vents can be improved this way or not.

Thanks for the reference.

Eric Carter said: “The lack of vestibule can be a pain but if you are planning for it, it is survivable.” Has anyone seen / and / or tried out one of these Cuben Fiber tents: “The Rocket Tent by Brooks-Range Mountaineering has an aerodynamic shape, and one door and one vestibule. Summer poles are provided for year-round use, and a floor footprint is available.” Winter weight (without poles): 1 lb 5.9 oz (620 g) Summer weight (with included poles): 2 lbs 0.4 oz (920 g) Floor area: 21.5 ft2 Vestibule area: 7.0 ft2 Peak height: 38" It is reviewed with LOTS of pictures at: http://www.alpineambitions.com/Alpine_Ambitions/Rocket_Tent.html “It is designed to work with a 300-cm probe. However, since no 300-cm probe is exactly 300-cm, the probe attachment system accepts a range of lengths. 300-cm is ideal. 285-cm to 315-cm works without sacrificing function. The tent has four vents built in. There are two right at the highest point of the walls. Even without a wind outside, it is amazing how much airflow occurs between these two vents when they are both open. You can feel it with your hand. There is also a vent at the foot, which if you’ve got it pointed into the wind, can create a good draft. Last night (September 9th, 2010) was a great night to test the Rocket Tent on Volcán Puyehue, in the Lakes District of Chile. It was snowing! It snowed and blew until sunrise, but the tent never shook and the walls never changed shape. It rained, and occasionally snowed big, wet flakes, for about twelve hours straight. Every piece of fabric that I had with me got wet. The outer layers of all my three-layer, waterproof fabrics got soaked; the pack was soaked; boots; gloves; you name it. And I wasn’t ever out for long. The tent didn’t let one drop of water in. It weighs next-to-nothing! Having a full tent, with room for gear and moving around, but carrying the weight of a bivy bag is a tremendous bonus!

Imagine carbon-fiber cuffs with ski boot buckles that you can attach to and detach from a pair of Baruntses. After climbing a 1,000 meter frozen waterfall (this is a daydream), you remove your crampons and attach the cuffs. The side-to-side flexibility that was so useful while climbing the frozen waterfall is gone, replaced with the extreme rigidity of carbon fiber. The cuffs give your Baruntses the forward lean and control of a top-of-the-line Salomon downhill ski boot. Cuffs are not new. There are still some old graybeard skiers alive on this planet (my beard is gray, but only because of premature graying), that claim that in pre-history ski boots used to be short and wimpy, like climbing boots. Some of those ancient relics threw together booster ski cuffs, and some may have been made by commercial manufacturers. Your Baruntses have Dynafit / tech ski fittings, either retro-fitted, or installed at the factory by La Sportiva. You clip into your light skis and make jump turns down a 50 degree section of hard snow. When the slope eases to 40 degrees, you segue into long, arcing Giant Slalom turns, trying to make the exact moves of Lindsey Vonn whom you picture skiing in front of you dressed in tight, tight ski pants, then you take a header because your mind drifted but you reach ABC before your climbing partners have even begun their return. So sue me for dreaming.

Has anyone tried on this backless piece? Here’s what C.A.M.P. says: “The amazing Flash Anorak is unlike any other shell on the market—it has no back! This ultralight windshell is carried in a pocket that attaches to the waist belt of any day pack. When things cool off, unfurl the anorak and pull it on WITHOUT REMOVING the pack. The shell is attached at the waist to prevent flapping and gives excellent protection from wind and even light drizzle. When no longer needed, simply take off the shell and stuff it back in the pocket without removing the pack. This is going to be a favorite with anyone moving fast in the high country.” (I have no affiliation with CAMP.) SPECS ID: 1446 Sizes: S - M - L - XL Weight (M): 112 g, 4.0 oz Color(s): Orange, Black $119.95 USD

Is it possible to add the tech binding receptor cups to existing climbing boots? For example, could a shop remove the front four inches from the climbing boot sole and substitute the front four inches from a tech-compatible ski boot's sole, assuming you didn't need heel-lock-down? Or, replace the entire sole, to get heel lock down. (Some situations will surely be too cold to use the TLT, no?)