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dbb

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Posts posted by dbb

  1. Climb: Eldorado-NW Couloir

     

    Date of Climb: 11/13/2004

     

    Trip Report:

    Ken and I climbed the NW couloir on Eldorado this weekend in a rather slim 12 hour window of good weather. It was a fun and reasonably short route with some good ice and a lot of neve. We took a different and shorter approach by rappelling down from the notch between Eldorado and Dean's Spire.

     

    Full trip report here

     

    camp.jpg

    Bug n' Billygoat

     

    nw_couloir.jpg

    the route

     

    couloir_p1.jpg

     

    couloir_p2.jpg

     

    Gear Notes:

    1-2 ice screws, 2 pickets, medium rock rack with pins. One rope.

     

    Approach Notes:

    Road gated at Eldorado TH. Snow started right after the boulder field. about 6-12" of spring-ish snow with a rain crust. Firm footing about 7500ft.

  2. I just got a pair of the 2004 Quarks and have to say quite frankly they rock! Great clearance, natural swing, perfect headweight (for me) and grip diameter. The leashless hook will be nice for ice, but I wish I could figure out how to take the thing off for alpine. I mean, the freaking info booklet shows me how to step by step figure-4 across a roof, but doesn't show the magic step of what to do once you remove the bolt. I just climbed with the things on an they plunged alright. The new clipper leash thing works pretty nicely too, though seems more fragile than the androids..

     

    I just don't get it when people compromise what tools they buy because they think it will be harder to plunge into snow. If you're buying an ice tool, buy an ice tool. Yeah bent shafts or rubber handles may be a little harder to plunge, but only marginally so. Remember when bent shaft pulsars were considered "too extreme" for alpine?

  3. I setup my Rambos as offset mono points a few years ago. I used the dual points (give you an extra set of front points) and made my own spacers. You can pretty easily find aluminum spacers at the hardware store. I cut the spacers so that I could go with offset mono or centered mono. I believe the regular rambo mono kit is a centered mono, fyi. Here's a pic of my crampon:

     

    409696-tmp.jpg

     

    Anyhow, the monos rock on water ice, I really like the offset too.

    409696-tmp.jpg.2bf7943879ffb66b300ffaa74bfa9098.jpg

  4. Great advice all, thanks! In summer I've found the I90/sandpoint/cranbrook route is faster and less stressfull than the HW1 to the Banff area. You can't argue much with keeping the wheels strait for at least half the drive on I90!

     

    any other advice for Canmore n00bs?

  5. I thought the marmot ice-moto gloves were awesome. Thin, padded, warm enough to lead in. They've been too expensive for me to own tho ($70 for probably 2 seasons worth of glove)

     

    I like any thin glove with a leather palm. I find that climbing in thin gloves helps decrease the pump (less overgripping through thick gloves. I carry a warm thick pair of gloves on the harness for belaying and rappelling (also saves the lead gloves). MEC sometimes makes them. Also like the dish washer gloves (Vinyllove) with the polyester lining ($12 at the outdoor shop by REI).

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