SeanO

You guys had to make it complicated... Great information, thanks for the reasoning. To clarify, I'm not looking for a dedicated ice climbing tool, but rather a more general tool that can function as a mountain axe for plunging/boot belays and be paired with a hammer tool if necessary. As in, something that can climb short ice sections in a pinch, but also be good for the general stuff. The intention is to do routes like the TC on Dragontail, Liberty Ridge, etc. I want it to be general enough that if necessary, I can lend out my Raven to a friend for a weekend and have something for myself to use on a general route like the DC. Montypiton (Curt?), thanks for the thoughts and the experience that went behind them. My Raven Pro is 65cm, and I have found it to be too long on a recent steep snow trip (50+ degrees), perhaps because I'm 5'10". I got tired having to raise my arms above my head to plunge it securely. So I'm guessing between 55-60 is good for that. At any rate, the new Air Tech Evo seems to be the perfect combination of the Sum'Tec and Venom -- slightly curved shaft, a little more than the Venom but less than the Sum'Tec; a classic curved pick that also climbs ice well; T rated shaft and pick, which is better than the Sum'Tec and the Venom; AND it comes with a grip near the spike (like the Venom) as well as an optional slider like the Sum'Tec. Very compelling... Any comments on the Easy Slider feature?

Thanks for the responses everyone. Sum'Tec vs. Grivel Air Tech Evo... any comments?

Thanks DPS. Do you find that the Sum'Tec is a bit too curved for secure self-belays/plunging? I checked one out at Second Ascent the other day and it seemed nice with the adjustable hand rest, but the curve seemed more pronounced than the Venom's.

I've currently got a Raven Pro for general mountaineering, but plan on doing some steep snow climbs this summer. I'd like advice on something that can be decent for general mountaineering (plunging, self/boot belays), but also work for steep snow/some ice, and if necessary be paired with a real ice tool for something like Liberty Ridge. Does it exist and what do you recommend? Looks like a few options are the Summit, Sum'Tec, and Venom. What length do you recommend as well to pull double-duty, especially if it's to be effective for self-arrest? Thanks.

Wow, that's crazy. Very sad for the families. That said, they shouldn't have left the nitro in the sun...

Awesome TR as usual, and great pictures/videos!

Very diplomatic indeed. If there have been some shoddy packs coming from Graham and Co., I hope the customers were taken care of. None the less, interesting reads, thanks for your thoughts.

Thanks Dane, that's helpful. Reading between the lines, you're not a big fan of Cilo?

Really awesome pictures! Congratulations!

I think you'll find it's difficult to convince an experienced person to be a completely inexperienced person's mentor. They are sacrificing their time, potential safety, money, and other things to climb with you, as they likely would be climbing something else. Saying "I really want to climb" is great, it's cool that you're enthusiastic, but you should show a lot of initiative and have established your basic skills before asking for someone to invest their time in a relationship that may not go anywhere. I don't mean to sound harsh, but realistic -- and I'm currently following my own advice. I joined the Mountaineers and I'm currently in their basic climbing class. I now some people frown on the Mounties, but I'll be damned if I haven't gotten way more than my money's worth in the class, and developed good relationships to boot. You learn how to be a well-rounded basic (safe) climber, and if you're working a job and have a life outside of climbing, the pace of the course is perfect. You also have to test out of skills to continue in the course. And yes, they've failed some people. If you have lots of time on your hands, join BOEALPS because it's basically the Mounties course but compressed into half the timeframe (3 months). Both classes have already started, so my recommendation for you is to buy Freedom of the Hills and read it cover-to-cover. You may also be able to find another inexperienced person who wants to learn with you. One other thing I'll say is that you need to consider why someone would want to climb with you. At the very least they need to feel a margin of safety climbing with you, so you should become proficient in things like knots, rappelling, belaying, and all of the other basic things aside from actually sending a route. My two cents, having been in the same spot as you last year.

The fill power is 850, but there's no mention of fill weight (in oz). For example, the Feathered Friends Ptarmigan -25F bag lists 850+ fill power, with 35.5oz fill weight. I agree, the Alchemist pack doesn't look bad, I'd like to see one in person.

Yeah, I don't understand who they're being marketed to either. There are so many better options out there that I sorta feel like I'm missing something... I find it ironic that someone like Ed Viesturs would put his name on these products. Even as a "conventional" mountaineer, he had Mountain Hardwear build a special lightweight tent for him; he used to share one lightweight sleeping bag with his climbing partner or used a half bag, etc. I just can't imagine a guide choosing to use the FA gear. Lack of fill weights on the down bags is disconcerting. Looks like they're really trying to hit the budget segment with a $500 -30 down bag. Doesn't look like they're EN rated so you're likely going to get cold well above -30. Dubious at best to think that you can buy a new -30 down bag and stay warm at that temp when competitors charge $200+ extra for a bag of equivalent rating with listed fill weights.

Apparently First Ascent is now making camping gear, including the Katabatic tent. It's a four-season two person tent that weighs 10.5 lbs. I haven't been on any expeditions to Everest, but to me that seems really heavy for a two man 4-season tent... Hilleberg's 2 man mountain tents weigh 4-8 lbs, Biblers weigh 4-6, North Face's around 8, etc. Thoughts? They're also selling 3-season tents and sleeping bags, but nothing looks particularly compelling to me.

Thanks for posting this Sig. Looks like a cool tent. Be sure to update us when you take it on an outing -- especially curious about condensation issues and ventilation.

Hi Gregory, I first bought the Charmoz because the Scarpas fit a wider foot like mine. The Lowas, La Sportivas, etc. wouldn't fit. Went on a few glacier climbs and realized that they didn't provide enough insulation -- I got cold toes. So, I upgraded to the Mont Blanc and have been quite happy since then. I also bought them with the 20% discount and my dividend last year. After the discount and everything, it's easier to justify. You won't know if the Charmoz are good enough for you until you get on the hill. For me, they weren't, but your mileage may vary. I personally would never wear a non-insulated boot like the Charmoz on a volcano, just because you never know when bad weather could move in. Some people's opinions here may differ, however.

I thought the special was really cool, thanks for mentioning it here. I thought it was slightly comical how long people have been climbing hood, and with such "antiquated" equipment like alpenstocks. When I climb hood this summer I'm going to feel a bit sheepish getting dressed in a few thousand dollars worth of high-tech gear, knowing that women in homemade dresses made it up and back without issue. Also cool to know that a few people posting in this thread were either interviewed (Wayne) or shown climbing it.

Looks cool, how can someone in Seattle watch it? Will the stream be available later?

Cool, glad you made your choice, and nice call with the REI discount and divvy. Make sure to post a review and some pictures! Don't know if it needs to be seam sealed, but I think they would state that somewhere on the website or at worst in the docs that come with the tent. One thing that seems interesting about the tent that I didn't notice before: the door fabric is rated at a 1200mm water column, which is the same waterproofness as good silicone impregnated nylon (silnylon). The floor is 2000mm, which is pretty standard for an ultralight tent (the Firstlight is 2000mm as well). Doesn't state a water column for the canopy, but my guess is that it's somewhere in between the door and the floor. In real world terms, this means you might get some misting inside the tent if it's raining, in addition to the condensation, but it's more waterproof than the Firstlight (though no specs are published on its water column). Also, if the ground is really wet, putting a knee on the ground might cause some seep-through. The misting issue is common with silnylon tents like tartpents (Henry Shires) and the Firstlight. On the upside, this also means it's likely more breathable than something like the EV2. Curious to see what you think of it in the field!

Great article, DPS, thanks for writing it up. I think I'll refer people to this article when they ask general questions about Rainier.

Agree with ADK and Alpinisto -- this thread has been helpful for me as I'm hoping to do a couple Rainier ascents this summer after an attempt last summer. Thanks for the info to everyone who has contributed.

Wow, makes me scared just looking at the pictures. Awesome, especially the pic of your ski tips in the air.

Thanks for the responses everyone. A six pack of the BD Positron QDs are on sale right now at backcountrygear.com. Seems like a good deal... http://www.backcountrygear.com/sale/black-diamond-positron-quickpack-mocha.html Rafal, the application at this point is just sport. I have average sized hands and I'm not that concerned about weight for sport bolt-clipping.

I'm in the market to buy some quickdraws and I have a few questions. Do you use quickdraws when sport climbing, or just alpine draws? What is your favorite quickdraw and why? What length (or lengths) are good to buy, and how many of each? Thanks!

Jason, would you bring steel on the DC in mid-late summer?

If you have the 60L, then definitely just bring that. I think maxed out it only weighs a few more ounces than the 45L. Just make sure you take off all the extra straps, framesheet, and brain on summit day.