Marmot Prince

Thanks for the tips. I guess I should also read past threads and such but the market changes quickly so it's great to hear from recent shoppers. I do think skis would help cover ground better, certainly on the descents. Selection is bad and I'll end up ordering a handful of candidate boots from a place with a bulletproof return policy. Thanks for the tips I will check this out.

Also I'm a beginner skier. Basically I want a way of traversing 2rd, 3rd class snow covered terrain without using snowshoes, while at the same time the gear should be able to do some moderately technical mountaineering ascents and descents. Money is not a big problem, weight is the focus.

I have slightly wider feet (102mm width at 26-26.5 size) Can someone recommend a few state of the art ski mountaineering boots? I know only a little about the gear, so context would be greatly appreciated. I tried to do a little research. It appears dnyafit TLT5 are too narrow at size 26, and I would need ZZERO4 boots if I wanted to buy dynafit, since they are 102mm at size 26. But this is only one brand. If you don't know too much about width, a list of good brands to search would also be good. Thanks alot for reading.

I was looking to do Mt Shasta this week, but conditions are not ideal in mid week when I want to go. Other than Mt Whitney, which I have done, what are other mountaineering objectives that are popular? (so there will be conditions information about them and trailhead access in March)

Not sure about that. Yep, among the mountaineers you see alot of engineers, doctors, etc. But among the doctors you see alot less % of mountaineers.

I've changed the wording. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I don't think this is a controversial or argumentative subject. I am not seeking peoples approval of medication and I don't have any opinion, negative or positive. I do seek medical opinions about medicines. There are just very few doctors who mountaineer and it is useful to hear what people here bring to use.

There is no conflict. These are tools to be used in an contingency, like how car insurance or airbags, or a PLB is used in an emergency. That is different from using these drugs as part of a plan when no emergency has occurred, ie, climb 4 pitches, take two doses of stimulants, climb 3 more pitches, take more stimulants, etc. You can still be on a hazardous trip where no emergency has occurred.

This is probably the greatest TR ever. It almost makes this asinine thread worthwhile. I must go to that hut... Have to agree on this point. Ok so the experienced posters pretty much confirm my intuition that stimulants don't make any sense. I just wanted to check because this idea sort of comes from a major mountaineering friend of mine a few years ago who used some mild, over the counter stimulants on his girlfriend once on a hike...maybe he was trying to accomplish something else.

I have a doctor who will basically give me any plausible medication I need for activities. I'm writing because I'm obviously circumspect and cautious about using drugs when mountaineering but wondering if they could be used in rare or emergency situations. I AM EVALUATING ANY CHANCE OF THEIR UTILITY TO HELP IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. I AM NOT USING SUBSTANCES CASUALLY OR AS A PERFORMANCE ENHANCER. I bring along aspirin/ibuprofen right now but I'm wondering if more hard core painkillers and stimulants have use up there in the mountains. For example Vicodin helps you sleep along with its painkilling abilities. You could use stimulants to help a team member get out of a bad situation that could be life threatening, for example a major objective hazard such as seracc fall or storm. Obviously the biggest concern is that if you need to take hardcore meds, you are in a bad position to start and they could aggravate your condition. I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts or experience about vicodin, dopaminergic stimulants, etc, espiecally if you have medical experience.

Not for you... Umm, is this spray Feck and Choada? Well I wouldn't know, Choada is on my ignore list since my 3rd post, until you quote him.

I admit I also read that at first as a corpse extraction fee. Maybe it's not an accident that it's worded that way.

Well guess what I got in the mail? It also came with a handwritten note asking for my autograph and commending me on my mountaineering achievements. Ok fine I made up the last part. Mr. Prince, You have been approved for a solo climb of Mount Rainier for the 2012 season. Your name has been added to the Park's database of those approved for soloing in the current year. To speed up your registration, please bring this letter with you when you come to register for your climb. Approval of your solo application in no way constitutes a recommendation of your plan by Mount Rainier National Park or any of its climbing rangers. Solo climbing in glaciated terrain is inherently dangerous and may result in death or serious injury. With this approval you are still required to register for your climb and pay the cost-recovery fee previous to your climb. Please print this notification out and bring it to present when you register for your climb. If our computer systems are down then this will speed up the registration process! [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLuCfWEZ_hQ&feature=related I think the lesson we should take away is that anyone can get a permit, (and noone should probably climb solo without training and experience).

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K0i-QeFTiw

I'd love to know your'e gear / pack breakdown for how you manage a ~30lb pack. I'm by no means an ultralight expert, but I think I do OK, and still came it at around 40+ lbs. Could probably have trimmed a few pounds but 10+ would be a stretch. Very impressive. I have a UL setup and without rope it weighs 25 pounds with 5 days food and 2.3 litres, but my gear is definitely not mountaineering grade.

Damn, that dude is so fuq'n sketched! I couldn't even finish the video, I was so damned shocked with the shit he was trusting his life to. A square knot to close the harness!!?? And did you see the "carabiner" he was using? It's little more than a fuq'n hardware store key fob! And the method of how he attached the rope to the bridge? He had a little quicklink tied to the end of what looked like little more than a clothesline, with a 2-inch tail, then threaded back through the quicklink to girth hitch it around the railroad tie! WTF!!!??? After that, I just couldn't watch any more of it... That was a nice find, Prince! He had some good points, like making sure to point out that the clothesline he was using could hold at least his body weight statically. It was also good that the rotting piece of wood that was his single anchor point had at least 2 rusty nails connecting it to the railroad bridge.

Look guys, it seems like I have had a bad rap for my Rainier proposal. I think working on more eccentric climbing is in my blood and to help you understand, I've gone the extra mile to try to make it up and impress you with a video demonstrating my rappel techniques:

Does anyone have any links or sources to long term snow pack observations or analysis of snowfall from the present into the future?

Great post. I'm looking around and don't see the Chouinard for sale anywhere. Do you have any leads?

There is a paywall...I'm not a doctor and it looks pretty involved to register? Lol nevermind, I manned up and did it. I put down that I'm a gynecologist. Good info on these sites.

There is a paywall...I'm not a doctor and it looks pretty involved to register?

Your post is a little mashed up in the quotes but I got it, thanks. I've updated the OP with a bit more information.

Yes I have dropped the idea of doing the peak in one day to a very very low level. Probably Ingraham flats on the first night and then I'll see how I feel. I'll be acclimizing the night before Ingraham too. Yes, I understand HACE is likely as good as death solo. Everything I understand about HACE suggests it is rare below 20,000' and is preceded by serious AMS symptoms. Also I believe that epic efforts greatly bring on AMS symtoms. Can you comment more on what altitudes you have experienced HACE? By the way I have never climbed any CO 14ers. I have climbed some Sierra ones, they probably have a little more flavor than CO but obviously don't have extensive crevasse navigation. I sleep high on those, including the summit Mt Whitney from sea level, with some mild AMS symptoms. Also, do you think conservatively soloing Casaval Ridge in March under carefully watched conditions could be an appropriate step after winter experience on the Sierra 14ers? Yes, I have pointed this out before in this thread. I'm having trouble finding a headlamp for the pug and also worried about snow blindness for him so I guess he's out.

Yes, I've seen some funny glacier rescue training by some leaders I've climbed with, it was a circus of rusty skills, and this was from the leaders who organized the trip. I definitely make some efforts to practice and refresh technical skills, so I can do it in the dark, exhausted and stressed but I have alot of work to do. If memory serves, the dates of their departure from the TJ cabin/trailhead and the arrival of the poor weather that was forecasted were in such proximity in time that the climbers would still have been low enough on the route to retire safely. The fact that one of them was found (dead) in a snow cave with an injury (shoulder, IIRC) so near the summit would suggest that they either ignored the weather, or thought that they could beat it, or maybe even force their way through it, and they continued upward into a storm which then put them into a position from which they could not retire. Either way, they climbed up into a storm that they knew was coming. Given that they knew the storm was coming, and it arrived earlier than expected (while they were still low enough to retire), it is my opinion that they made an error in judgment by continuing upward into a winter storm while operating under a light and fast tactic. These points, taken individually, may have made for an uncomfortable day. But taken together as a whole, they do not allow for much margin for error. This does NOT AT ALL mean that they were n00bs. They just made a bad call. Ok I think I understand. After reading the 40 pages of threads on the accident I really was too tired to read the speculation, thanks for the good analysis. I'm happy to take both.

Oh comeon, I clearly agree with your statement if you read the rest of my post. You people must actually spend your time reading brief phrases from me, then deliberately ignoring the rest of the posts just to score points. Is this really worth it to you? Look I don't want to contradict you but from what I read, there was no option to "retire". It sounds like one of them was immobilized by injury high on the route, almost on the summit. The others probably spent plenty of their reserve energy and time trying to move him to a shelter. As they saw their injured partner and the weather deteriorate they decided the best hope to was to descend. In 100-140 mph winds and whiteout conditions they lost their way down and probably fell to their deaths. Again, I'm just saying what I read, please free to factually correct me. Ok you're right, I was a little too broad when stating "none', but the stroke of my post meant that alot of people in this thread were assuming the story was about some idiot when three experienced mountaineers died. Wikipedia: James was also a veteran mountaineer with more than 25 years experience climbing mountains including Mount McKinley, the Eiger, and Alpamayo, along with guiding dozens of climbs on Mount Rainier.