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DPS

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Posts posted by DPS

    Thin Red Line Washington Pass

    in Newbies

    Posted

     

    On supertopo they have a few pages from their guide which makes the descent sound dangerous alone with a haul bag on your back, and suggest down climbing at one point as there are no good anchors to rap from. This sounds worrying, as I'd have problems with 5.0 will all that crap on my back.

     

     

     

     

    The down climb on the descent that the guide book mentions is a short down climb above a big ledge. You could lower the haul bag to the ledge and then down climb to it. If you solo the Thin Red Line, the descent should not cause you many problems.

    Beginning Alpine - Sleeping Bag options

    in Newbies

    Posted · Edited by DPS

    I'm kind of a cheap bastard, I buy everything on sale or used. That said, sleeping bags are one item that I happily spend money on. A good down bag will last a very long time and there is a huge difference between the boutique bags (Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering) and the big box brands.

     

    Look for something 15-20 degrees with as high a fill power loft as you can afford. 750 at least. Of the big box brands Marmot is probably the best. I've not used a Montbel bag, but their other products I have used are top notch.

    FS: Rock pro

    in The Yard Sale

    Posted · Edited by DPS

    I am selling some rock pro. All cams have NEW slings, replaced by Black Diamond. I would prefer to sell as a complete package, but I will piece out for a slightly higher per piece cost. Buyer pays shipping or meet. I am located in Issaquah, work in lower Queen Anne/Freemont.

     

    Starter rack, $149.99:

    BD Steel/Copper RPs #1-#3 w/ racking biner

    BD Stoppers, #4-#13 w/ racking biner

    BD Camalot Jr., U-stem #0.5

    BD Camalot Jr., U-stem #0.75

    BD Camalot, old style #1.0

    BD Camalot, old style #2.0

    BD Camalot, old style #3.0

     

    Photos here: http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=69495

    Please email Daniel-p-smith@hotmail.com if interested.

     

    Thanks

    Tent on a budget

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    I disagree with the sentiment that floorless shelters do not work on big volcanos. I've been using a BD Betamid for 14 years, in all seasons, on many Rainier trips, and in very buggy areas (Boulder camp in the Bugaboos). Bugs, high winds, snow, heavy rains, and exposed camp sites have never been a problem. I don't spend any more time staking and guying than I would with any other tent. Unless you do something stupid like try to climb in a big storm, floorless shelters will work fine. Megamids are routinely used at 17k on Denali.

    Tent on a budget

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    Are you sure you need a 4 season tent? I use an inexpensive tarp for 95% of the trips I do in the Cascades year around. My expensive expedition quality single wall tent gathers dust in the garage.

    Finding Partners

    in Newbies

    Posted · Edited by DPS

    Pretty much all of the partners with whom I have climbed over the past 15 years I have met through this Web site. Out of many dozens of folks, I can recall only three who I would not climb with again. Those are pretty good odds.

     

    So, put up a partner wanted ad and include a brief bio/resume and suggest a few routes that you aspire to. Respond to ads from folks who have similar objectives and experience.

     

    My approach with new partners is to do something casual the first outing, usually just cragging, to get acquainted with each other's habits and strengths. One or two easy multi-pitch trad routes is enough to determine if the other climber is someone I can hang with.

     

    Oh, and by all means avoid Sketchy Dan. He's trouble I hear.

    Compelled to Climb- Have a few Questions

    in Newbies

    Posted

    FOTH is a good introductory text. There are not too many other texts that cover the breadth of climbing. I recently purchased a used copy from Amazon for $8.00 as a gift for a friend's son who started climbing.

     

    The down vs. synthetic argument is like democrat vs. republican. Both sides have their points but neither is completely wrong or right. IF you can keep down dry, then it is in all ways superior. IF it gets wet, you are SOL.

     

    I switched from down to synthetic for outerwear after getting soaked winter alpine climbing in the Cascades one too many times. If you plan on only climbing in perfect weather, (July-September in the Cascades or Colorado or California) then down is a great choice. I have found that my 100 gram Primaloft hooded parka (Patagonia Micropuff) is the most used piece of clothing next to my Marmot DriClime wind shirt.

    Backpacking with white gas

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    I researched the feasibility of using Platypus water bladders for carrying white gas. The bladders are made of a bilaminate - food grade polyethylene on the inside, nylon on the outside with a polypropylene cap. I cross referenced the compatibility of the four major chemical constituents in white gas with these materials and found that PE had good to excellent resistance for all four chemicals, and nylon and PP were even better. My conclusion was that using a water bladder would be just fine, although long term storage may leach some contaminants into the gas.

    recommended alpine approach shoes

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    For the North Ridge specifically I would do the entire thing in lightly insulated mountaineering boots. It's such a short approach that swapping out boots for shoes wouldn't gain much. Doing it in ski boots is common.

    I've never heard of anybody doing the NR Stuart in ski boots. What is gained by wearing boots? I personally would rather not carry the weight of boots in my pack while climbing, and really like approaching in the lightest foot wear possible.

    Feathered Friends Snowbunting or Widgeon?

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted · Edited by DPS

    I had a FF Widgeon, which I recently sold. I think the only difference between it and the Snowbunting is the amount of loft. You can call FF to verify that. I'm not sure about construction techniques, but I felt the quality of FF and WM were comparable (I also have a WM Super Apache). One thing about the Widgeon is it felt rather constricting compared to my WM bag in terms of girth, and I'm not an especially big guy. I did use it on Denali so I was wearing most of my insulation, expect my parka, which I draped over the top at 17k.

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