kmfoerster

On the topic of grip tape, I wrap the full length of my ice tools with Temflex. Keeps my hands a bit warmer while daggering and helps keep snow from building up on the shafts. Nothing new here, just my take on the idea. @Alisse, as far a shoulder strap water bottle holder go, many companies make a removable shoulder strap pocket for such things. I can't personally think of a DIY solution short of just sewing something similar to what those companies make. Perhaps a bunch of elastic shock cord loops with cord-locks (around your shoulder strap webbing and bottle) would be a cheap but not as secure way of going about it. That could work well with a bottle with a bunch of ridges (Gatorade) on the side or a soft flask type bottle.

NE Couloir of Mclellan: http://jensholsten.blogspot.com/2012/05/spring-update.html

Alright I know I'm not the only one who tinkers with my clothes or gear for climbing.... Let's see what you've done to improve a particular piece or what you've made on your own! I'll start with some easy mods I've done and if this thread gains traction I'll add some more along with gear I've made myself. Shock cord keeper on a pair of Raab pants that where lacking grommets or anything to attach the shock cord to. Posted in a glove discussion thread but here they are again. Added cinch collars to a pair of Showa TEMRES. Soon we won't have to do this ourselves though. Small detail that makes a HUGE difference. Bigger pull tabs on a pair of Patagonia Pant's zippers. Nothing worse than being at an anchor and struggling to get your fly unzipped with gloves on.

On repeat in my head, while climbing in moody weather.

Would gladly offer up info/photos for the Stuart Glacier Couloir and Eldo's NW Couloir , if needed, when the time comes.

Good point on it being a collection. Love having all of those songs in one place, meshing perfectly. My older brother showed me Lonesome Crowded West when I was in middle school, years after it came out. It blew my mind and was very much a gateway to a lot of great artists for me.

This album has been pairing well with my mood lately. Always a classic and now 20 years old...

Thanks Kyle for putting this together and managing it! Most of these routes I have just floating around in my head winter through spring, never really bothered to make a list for myself. Let's pull some of these out of obscurity moving forward. We really do have a big winter playground, we just have to put in the work.

Both times I've been on it p1 and p2 were funky aerated ice. Couldn't protect it with screws either time except at the very top of the fan where the ice was the thickest. Not much in the way of rock pro on the right hand side going up except for some small stoppers or knifeblades. Another option for p2 is to continue straight up (staying in the dihedral) from the belay cave after p1, may offer more chances for rock pro. I thought the 15' mixed step at the notch was fun but short, wish it went on a bit longer. Despite the very runout nature of this climb I think its pretty enjoyable and offers a better mix of climbing than doing the south ridge in winter. Nice work!

Awesome! I love that run.

I've since hopped on the Showa TEMRES 282 train after using them in wet and cold work conditions. I work as a climbing arborist, and tree work tends to destroy gloves. The blue Showa's are insanely durable, much more so than the orange ones I like. I might use the orange 406's more for spring stuff now and the TEMRES 282's for winter. I modified a couple of pairs recently with a cinch collar like Colin Haley does: But fans of these gloves will be excited to know that Showa is coming out with a new version of the 282's that are not smurf blue and have a collar already! https://andrewskurka.com/preview-showa-282-02-gloves/

No need to head out in the hills, some kind gentleman gave me the conditions report this morning on my commute.

Thanks for posting that. The image of the color changing fiber with the figure eight is a great visual to how rope is stressed differently because of bends. Whenever you bend a rope, the outside fibers of the sheath and core are under much more stress than the fibers on the inside of the bend. Rope is strongest in a straight pull. Same with webbing, it gets weaker when you introduce twists and bends. Luckily for recreational purposes these reductions in strength are nothing to worry about. I also thought it was quite interesting what they said about knots with opposite twists holding better. I guess it makes sense, just never really thought about it.

I make a lot of my own gear and gear for friends as a hobby and I've talked a bit to Kyle from HMGAR a bit over instagram. Haven't dealt with him personally, but I get the impression he is passionate about quality work and climbing.

Good on you for getting out there and giving it a shot. Sometimes the rope just needs to get some fresh air and go for a walk. They don’t like being cooped up in a closet.