bedellympian

Sent you guys an email. Would be happy to share some stuff in OR if you are interested.

Since we're mostly stuck at home and lots of us have installed climbing walls or training apparatus of some sort I thought it would be fun to share what we have going on... maybe give each other some ideas for what we can do to stay fit during this time. Here's what I'm currently using: My wife and I got a squat rack a few years ago, which may not be reasonable purchase for some right now, but how we improvised to hang various rings and straps off it may be helpful. I also duct-taped some foam around the pull-up bar so I had a slide-able pad to hook ice tools on and there is a carabiner through the gymnast rings' webbing so you can clip the head of an ice tool to that for incline pull-ups and such. We use an old coffee table that is quite sturdy as a step-up box. Obviously the hangboard is key, with motivational picture cut out of old climbing rags and a hardware store screw-in hook in the top of the door frame to allow weight reduction on things like one arm hangs. Since my hangboard is very simple, but I also wanted to train pinches, I used some scrap wood and attached an old hook to it so I could add weight. Finally, I built a plice board ala Will Gadd https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/experience-story?cid=will-gadd-how-to-build-plice which also has wood slats that are smooth enough to crimp on without getting splinters and attached it to a (bigger and stronger than it looks) tree in the backyard with just a slight overhang. Cost about $75 for materials. Attachment to the tree is the crux, I went with 6" lag screws through pressure treated 2x6 and built off of that. Curious to see what others have done. Looking forward to getting more ideas!

Looking at new boots for lower 48 winter climbing (Cascades alpine routes and Rockies ice/mixed). I've used Nepals for years and am finally thinking I should get something lighter that also climbs better. I have a relatively wide forefoot but otherwise a low volume foot with a high arch. This would ideally be used for everything from dry tool sport cragging to long waterfall ice routes in the Rockies to alpine routes in the Cascades. I know nothing is perfect but a light, dry, war, durable boot that climbs and hikes well would be ideal. I'm currently considering Arc'teryx Acrux but concerned about how well it climbs (at least well enough to crank WI5 M7 without being a disadvantage?). Also, the Scarpa Phantom Tech but concerned about durability of the sole and zipper (yes this thing needs to be able to hike on dirt, scramble rocks, and get put through the wringer). Was looking at the LaSportiva G5 but that thing seems to be crap in water resistance so I'm probably ruling it out? Unless there is a good mod to fix that? Thoughts?

I've had major slides happen in the Crook Cirque/Crater of BT as well. That thing is a solar oven and slides easy once the sun is out. Going up that E ridge to the summit would have been interesting, I've come in a little L of where you guys were. It is surprisingly decent rock, but legitimate climbing in that vicinity.

Hyundai accent in that year has only one type of discontinued rack that works for it. I have been looking. Also, I will probably only use the rack once a year at most so the investment is better spent elsewhere.

Trying to fit all the gear for two people into my tiny Hyundai Accent for a week on the Parkway. I don't have a roof rack, and am strongly considering just ratcheting kayak straps through the car and strapping the skis to those with some cardboard to protect the paint job. I'm sure I can make it work but I'm concerned about the border (they like to give young bearded guys the shakedown and I like that beard when its cold and snowy) and wonder if they can/will deny entry due to this sort of thing. Anyone have experience with this?

I have a Thule roof rack (bars/towers) for an Isuzu Trooper. They are not supposed to fit on a Hyundai Accent but the dimensions seem similar. Anyone tried to put a roof rack on a car its not meant for? What was your experience?

Found some ice on the East side of the Steens this past weekend. Approaches are fairly difficult but any cliff bands higher than 6500' with feeder snow slopes will probably yield something until the next major warm cycle. The couloir skiing was quite nice too. Anyone been in here before?

Strawberries in Oregon have some ice. A little thin/sunbaked on 2/1 compared to previous visits. Some good stuff on the shadier aspects.

Hey Jesus, If you could pass on the name of that agency and what you did for accommodations I would much appreciate it. Thanks, Sam

Anyone climbed here? Who did you use for logistics/porters/transport? Permit situation? Safety/security? Access to some peaks is along the Afghan border. Seems like its been done by westerners but not often. Looks like major peaks have all had multiple names as the political situation has changed (one peak I'm interested in seems to have been called at least 4 things at different times). Any resources for figuring out what is what? What has been done? Etc. (AAJ is pretty scarce on this topic and I can't read Russian). Thanks, Sam

Here are some bad pics to prove we were there and shiz like that...

Trip: North Sister - E Buttress Trip Date: 12/28/2019 Trip Report: Pole Creek TH is currently accessible with a high clearance/4wd, some rutted snow and slick spots, but pretty easy. Good skin tracks from the TH to Middle and North with minimal snow pack (2 hrs to the base of North's E Butt). Some icy spots but mostly nice wind packed snow. Lower E Butt has some ice and neve on it. The upper is dry and has unconsolidated snow. Enough to slow you down but not enough of it to be a wallow. We traversed off and descended Early Morning Couloir due to time. Some split boarders were playing around on the NE aspect while we climbed but I would not recommend the lower portion of that aspect due to exposed rocks and icy patches. Take home: In general people should stop repeating the same routes on Hood and explore a bit... Gear Notes: Some pitons, a couple screws, some rock gear. Approach Notes: Skis FTW

Where are you located?

PLB?

Given the current weather I'm guessing we will have to wait a bit...

Trip: Indian Himalayas (Thailand too) - multiple Trip Date: 07/15/2019 Trip Report: My wife and I spent 2 months in Asia (1 mo India, 1 mo Thailand and Cambodia) this summer. Most of the trip was non-climbing, but we did get to do some cragging and got into the Zanskar region of the Hiumalaya for what I termed a "mini-exped." We learned quite a lot about logistics and have some insights for how to do this sort of thing on the cheap (not the rep of the Himalaya I know) which I thought I'd share here for others interested in getting out/up. Transport is the biggest logistical difficulty I'll mention here. Getting you and your gear to a "trailhead" or basecamp is the most difficult. If you want this part of the trip organized for you, figure out where you want to go and then contact Rimo Expeditions, these guys are by far the most experienced and dialed exped support company for Indian side of the Karakorum, Ladakh, and just about anything in the Indian Himalayas (Zanskar, Kishtwar, etc.). This will be expensive but still relatively cheap compared to the US for what actually needs to happen in terms of vehicles and people doing what you want on really f**ked up roads. If you want to avoid this, you can still go full dirt bag but it will require some discomfort on your part, a minimal kit, and lots of patience. There are several forms of transport in this area, all work, some are way better than others for your given objective. If you are truly light-weight you can rent/buy a Royal Enfield motorcycle and load up (you could even go KD-in-Kyrgyzstan style and ride a bicycle). This requires that you are very comfortable driving in some seriously narrow, rough roads with traffic. If you think that crappy dirt roads in the western US conditioned you for this... think again (its truly next level in terms of rugged, poo-yer-pants driving). The next level is to rent a "taxi" (jeep). This will be expensive but very convenient as you can have the guy drop you where you want. Expect about $100 per day which will get you sometimes as little as 100 miles of road travel. You can also get a shared jeep where you pay for your seat but this will only get you to near the area you are trying to go and your bags have to fit in the roof rack and share space with other travelers. We did this on the way out to our objective, got dropped at a tent-stay place by a village, then organized a private jeep (very beat up) with a local to get us and our two porters to the actual start of hiking. The problem with this and having a flexible itinerary was arranging pickup (sat phones are banned by India in this region due to fear of terrorist organization. Buses are quite cheap, bags are an issue if you are going heavy. They are also slower than taxis and can be rare to non-existent in remote areas. Hitch-hiking is possible, but most people will expect you to pay them something. My wife and I were able to hitch-hike on Tata trucks (India's semi-trucks) driven by some friendly Kashmiris to get back to the town of Kargil. This was a an extremely LONG but enjoyable and interesting way to travel (no issues with the amount of bags if you don't mind them getting very dusty/muddy/wet. The next issue is food. There are grocery stores (not what you're used to) in major towns (Leh, Kargil, Manali). Finding dry goods is hard. We went with quite a bit of canned goods knowing that our approach from road to basecamp was short (3-4 miles) and we would have a porter or two to help us carry stuff. You can easily buy lots of ramen packets and also poha (rolled potato flakes that can be cooked like instant rice). You can get some bars, instant oat meal. Peanut butter can be found but is expensive and will taste more like thai peanut sauce than PB we have here. Dried fruit, nuts and candy bars are easy to get. Bringing gear from the US is tough with the standard array of airport "security" (read bureaucracy) BS you will encounter. Groups like Rimo can provide you with high quality camping stuff (pads, tents, cook stoves, etc.). If you are renting it can be good in both price and quality, just make sure to reserve early in the year for a company like Rimo and check the items carefully before taking them out in the field. I would plan to bring your own climbing gear, sleeping bag, and light tent or bivy sacks if you are planning to sleep on route. All other camping equipment you can get in Leh, probably Manali, Kargil you'll probably be out. Here's our itinerary, then I'll tell you what I would change if I went back with a climbing focus... Flew to Delhi, train to Chandigarh, private taxi to Manali (6500') 5 days in Manali with day hikes to 8000' and 11k' Two day Himachal Tourism bus to Leh (day 1 go over 13500' pass, sleep at 10k', go over multiple passes 3x 15k' 1x 17k', arrive in Leh 12.5k') Spend 6 days in Leh with easy walks, buy food, get rental gear, research and finalize objectives. Bus to Kargil (11k'), spend night, shared taxi to Rangdum (14k'), spend the night, private jeep and hike to foot of glacier at 15k'. 5 nights sleeping at foot of glacier (15k') day 1 navigate toe of glacier and dial in approach route, day 2 go up ridge next to glacier to 17k' (shut down by knife edge of stacked blocks), day 3 rest (boulder around camp), day 4 go up different ridge to 19k' (shut down by overhanging rock band), day 5 hike out If my goal was to climb in the same area, or other areas North of the Himalaya crest in summer I would change it up and do the following... Acclimatize before hand on mountains in the US and fly straight to Leh at 12k' plus (book Delhi to Leh separately with a discount airline as it will be way cheaper). Gear up and buy food in Leh. If it were me, I'd go pretty light and ideally have 4+ people who I was going climbing with. This way you can hire a taxi/jeep at a reasonable cost per person to get you and your stuff to your area (jeeps can fit 7 passengers with limited room for bags in the back and a roof rack). If you need a couple porters you can probably just find them the week of if in Zanskar and most other areas of Ladakh, but be specific about what you want (lots of people speak just enough English that you think they understand) and use lots of pictures (most villages will hav no electricity or internet so be prepared). If in the Karakorum the proximity of the border means that the army will over pay porters and it will be difficult to find people, pack animals may be the way to go for getting to the glacial travel part. If in doubt I'd hire Rimo for logistics. Other thoughts... -snow can be really soft and slushy, look for hard freezes and plan to travel during those times -sunny aspects can actually be more consolidated on steep slopes -everything is bigger and takes more time than you think, especially figuring out approaches through glaciers, rivers, scree, etc. Feel free to message me with Qs. Here are some sweet pictures for your viewing pleasure (apologies for the crap iphone pics)... "trail head" approach to BC bouldering at BC views from a ridge less ideal views from another ridge bailure time make-shift gaiters hitch hiking w/ our homies #freekashmir #modiisafascist luxury hotels (slobber slobber) and NO, I won't tell you where this is Summary: It's cheap, the peeps are nice, place is easier to deal w/ than you probably think... go get it! P.S. Thailand is fun too... Gear Notes: rented tent/pads/sleeping bags/stove bought with: light axe and pons Approach Notes: fly, train, bus, taxi, jeep, walk

Looking for a partner to do a quick ascent of either Lib Ridge or Ptarmigan Ridge. Looking for experienced and fit individuals. PM me if interested. -Sam

Worth a watch... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOYnpuacr0hmFlciAgGvMYw/videos

Little late but as up there two weeks ago. A couple people did Nemesis. Skiied in. Crappy snow pack. Would not walk wit what I saw but it might have solidified by now.

Where are you located?

What routes are you looking to do? Do you have skis? If you're interested in more technical ice routes and/or ski descents let me know. I'm down in Oregon but will have weekends and some time in mid June. -Sam

Good for you guys for getting out there. Pretty sure this is in almost every year. Also, how did it take you 9am to 5pm to get up there??? I would review your efficiency.

What kind of routes are you trying to climb (at the crag and in the mountains)? Keep in mind you'll replace a rope after a couple years of hard use, so forget those dream goals and only consider what you'll do in the immediate future. Second, is age/fitness or budget more of a constraint? When I started doing alpine routes I was working a shit job part time, but I was 24 and an ex-collegiate distance runner. I got one fat rope and took it on everything and it worked fine. Simplicity will force you to adapt and think creatively. My advice, spend the extra money on gas, go climb more with a cheap rope and the mountains will let you know when the extra skinny line is worth it.

I've got a couple people partnering up on different days but otherwise free. Looking for partners for multi-pitch ice or alpine depending on conditions. Happy to rope gun WI4/M5 or follow harder. PM me if interested. -Sam