SeanO

Hi everyone, I'm wondering if people bring an ice screw on standard glacier climbs. For example, a trip up a snow route such as the DC on Rainier, Hogsback on Hood, etc. If so, what size do you bring, and what is your justification and intended use? I've heard from a few experienced climbers who bring a screw or two just to be safe, even in summer. I've also heard anecdotes about using a screw when inside a crevasse to aid climb out... an extreme example perhaps, but applicable. What do you guys bring?

Thanks for the responses everyone. Lots of great images. I'm going to look at them in detail this weekend and find some that I like. Bought the Mugs Stump calendar already, thanks John. Josh's are impressive, he's got some good ones. And to those who sent PMs, I'll be checking out your portfolios as well. Cheers!

I've got my own office now at work and have been scouring the internet for (affordable) climbing prints. They don't really seem to exist, perhaps because it's not profitable. Or, I'm just not looking in the right places. There are lots of posters of mountains, but few taken in the mountains themselves. Does anyone have suggestions where I can buy a couple calendars that have shots taken in mountains, either with or without people in them? And/or posters? I'd like to keep the poster/print costs down to $25/each, and preferably as large as possible. The alternative of course is to bring a quality camera and print those photos myself; I'm working on that.

PM Sent.

Awesome pictures everyone, and thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the info Ryan. I bought a Reactor and it's pretty darn awesome, but I'll definitely consider the Jetboil when I'm in the market for a lighter stove come summer.

Amazing pictures! Those ice formations are really cool, but I would never want to be underneath them.

Thanks everyone for your replies. It sounds like based on your opinions and others that for melting snow or just boiling water in the mountains, you can't beat the Reactor. And that's primarily what I'd be using it for. Just placed my order. I would like to see someone here who owns both stoves do an experiment still...

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It confirms my suspicions that you can't do better for fast snow melting than the Reactor. As most of my overnight trips will involve melting snow, I think it's the better purchase. Ironically though, I could see myself ideally owning both the Sol and the Reactor. Do any of you cook inside your tent with this thing? Seems to be a lingering concern about CO poisoning. You can read the article about it on backpackinglight.com if you're a member. Basically, the Reactor outputs many times more CO than competing stoves. Slightly concerned about needing to cook inside my tent and dying, heh.

Looking for an integrated canister stove system. The new Sol Ti heats up to .8L of water, weighs 8.5oz. without canister, and outputs little CO. The MSR Reactor heats up to 1.7L of water, weighs 19oz. without canister, and outputs a lot of CO. I'm a member of BackpackingLight and their latest roundup of stoves from a few months ago shows that the Sol Ti is very competitive in terms of time, though the Reactor is definitely faster and uses a little bit more fuel. Another big plus for the Reactor is that it isn't affected by wind. Use is for spring/summer Cascades mountaineering, always just heating water for one or two, with occasional shoulder-season jaunts at temps near freezing. Also need to melt snow. It's a tough choice. Anyone have an informed opinion?

Leukotape. There's nothing better that I've ever tried. Expensive but it'll stay on for a few days if you dry and clean your feet before application.

I too had a similar dilemma and did some research. The MH Compressor Hooded Jacket has ~100g of Thermic Micro insulation. I wasn't able to find CLO values on the efficiency of that insulation, but it's not as warm as Primaloft One, which has a CLO value of .92. I'm guessing it's somewhere in the .8 range. I think it's a great jacket for a warm day on Rainier and pretty much any 3 season climbing, but I personally would want something a little warmer for summit day on Rainier. Or, you could pair it with another lighter weight insulating piece like a nano puff. My two cents. EDIT: I should add that I own a Thermawrap Parka which has 80g of Montbell's proprietary insulation called Exceloft. It's CLO value is only .68, which makes it about as warm as a nano puff at 60g Primaloft One. I had this as my single insulating layer on Rainier at around freezing temps, and wished I had brought more. The Compressor is probably around 30% warmer than the Thermawrap, but I personally don't think it's enough for standing around if temps were to get quite chilly. Something along the lines of a DAS would be more of a sure bet...

SOLD

Bump!

Hi Chris, I sent you a PM as well but I'd like the R1 Hoody if it hasn't already been sold. Looks like there's two other people in line ahead of me. Thanks.

SOLD Hi guys, I bought this about a month ago for $150 from Whittaker Mountaineering and it's past it's return date. I've worn it for about 5 minutes on a climbing trip, and a few times around town. It looks brand new, still has the wrinkles from being in its packaging. Selling it because I realized I'm a freak and get too hot climbing in a softshell, even when its below freezing. It's a really nice jacket and was the culmination of lots of research -- 4 way stretch, highly breathable, very good DWR, durable, lightweight (for a similarly featured softshell). Fits me very well -- 5'10", 185lbs. Color: Adriatic Blue Size: Large Weight: 21oz. on my scale Features: http://www.whittakermountaineering.com/cat/1031/on-sale/post-monsoon-sale/first-ascent/mens-mountain-guide-jacket Would prefer to meet in Seattle or ship locally. Thanks for looking! [img:left]http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/2004CorollaSDO/ad7fe8ed.jpg[/img] [img:left]http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/2004CorollaSDO/c1bb4bb4.jpg[/img]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. genepires, I will look into the 6 day trips. It looks like AAI (American Alpine Institute) does a 3 day skills trip on Baker for around $500, but the other guys like RMI, IMG, and the other AAI do similar trips that are more expensive ($1500ish). I'll have to think about it. selkirk, thank you for sharing your experience. It's really helpful to hear your opinion as it does sound fair and also unvarnished. I've read lots of Mountie bashing on the internets which has made me skeptical of the posters, but also understand where they're coming from. I think the BCS is right up my alley, though I do think it'll be a bit repetitive. The way I see it, it's better to know all the rules before you try and break them. Safer and more fun that way. I'll PM you with some more specific questions about the Mounties. If anyone else has an experience or opinion to share, let me hear it! Thanks, Sean

Hi guys, I want to learn the basics of rock and alpine climbing. My background: I've been backpacking since I was a kid, I've read a few books on mountaineering, such as Freedom of the Hills, I've done toprope at local walls, I'm a member at a local bouldering gym, and I've done attempts on some peaks like Colchuck and even Rainier (with experienced friends). However, I don't feel like my head knowledge is complete or tested through experience. And there's holes, such as performing crevasse rescue in a real situation, learning how to place rock/snow/ice pro, etc. So, give me your opinion on someone in my shoes. How should I go about learning all the basics? So far I've considered the following options: Mountaineers BCS, or Boealps/WAC BCS Hire a guide for a couple days to teach me the basics Do a guided trip with AAI/RMI/IMG or something like that Just keep going on trips and get experienced I've heard lots of bad things about the Mounties, particularly inconsistency with leaders and rigorous adherence to rules. Boealps and WAC are too much of a back-to-back commitment (every weekend for 3 months). Hiring a guide for a couple days sounds like a great option, but who would I hire and how much would it cost? Any thoughts or anecdotes would be helpful. For example, how did you first get started climbing? Thanks a bunch, Sean