DPS

"I like to carry my courage in my rucksack."

I am free those dates, although I would not be interested in those objectives as I think the season will be over for those routes, but I'm up for other ideas. Email daniel DASH p DASH smith AT hotmail DOT com.

Darin, Please don't take this as an attack, but I'm curious what your position on bolts in the mountains is, seeing how you've bolted new routes on Vesper and are advocating their use in the NCNP yet publicly stated your opposition to them at Washington Pass.

I agree. Some simple signage, like the plastic sticks used in J-Tree, would go a long ways to establishing a single trail instead of multiple trails that all go to the same place.

Thanks Jay. I had read something in passing about these, but didn't know anything about them. I look into these.

We nearly got taken out by rockfall low on the route and serac fall high up. I feel like a guardian angel was watching out for us on that one and I think we were more than a little lucky.

Can you elaborate? Do you mean the binding has to be removed from the ski or you have to step out of the binding? If the former, does this operation require tools?

Thanks!

I'm moving to a lighter ski this year (K2 Shuksan from BD Havoc) for most back country touring and ski mountaineering trips. I'm going to remount my Dynafit binders from my current Havocs. I'm toying with the idea of getting something like the Marker Dukes/Barons (on sale for much cheaper than Dynafits/tech biners) for my Havocs for lift serviced slack country type of skiing. They come with brakes which I like for in bounds and as I mentioned are much cheaper than tech binders. The penalty seems to be in weight, but for lift serviced skiing I don't see that as a huge issue. Any thoughts from the ski experts? If money was not an issue I'd get another pair of tech binders, but I'm not made of money and the Markers would save considerable coin. TIA, Dan

I must be priceless then.

Looks...splitter.

PM sent.

I have week days free until mid October. I'd like to do some cragging - Leavenworth is my favorite this time of year. This is my first season climbing after a long absence and I'm weak and rusty. I can lead up to 5.7. I have a rope, rack and wheels. Happy to climb easy stuff with newer climbers, happy to follow experienced climbers, but only on slightly harder routes. Email daniel DASH p DASH smith AT hotmail DOT com or PM me here. Thanks, Dan

I've recommended this traverse to friends looking for a technically mellow but still adventurous outing, and everyone who does it is suitably impressed.

Very nice! I love this traverse, so scenic.

Oh yeah, an ice climbing specific forecast would be cool too!

Is the Andinista available to anyone for $100, or is this special pricing for Pat? I know a guy who could use a pack like that.

Very cool! Quickly affirmed my suspicion that the weather sucks everywhere this week.

I pretty much agree with Gene. No one pair of boots will be ideal for skiing, ski mountaineering and ice climbing. Climbing Lib Ridge or Reid Glacier Headwall and skiing down in AT boots is reasonable, but the climbing on these routes is not particularly technical. You really want a more sensitive boot for waterfall climbing. I own three pairs of ice climbing boots and two pairs of AT boots and that is probably on the low end compared to many folks' quivers. I guess my advice would be to get a good all around ice climbing/mountaineering boot now for this ice season and get your AT setup when you can afford it.

My buddy Nick has a CCW Chaos and it only has a folded foam pad for a frame. On steep rock on Mt Hunter he complained he felt his pack was 'cutting him in half'.

The next logical step is to to quit soloing while you're ahead. While I often viewed alpine climbs as a series of progressive steps, I never thought of soloing in that light. For me, soloing was something I did spontaneously when I felt strong or when I needed some exercise in which case I'd solo the Tooth (Toothercising) or something similar or when I couldn't get a partner. In those latter instances I only soloed well below my ability. I never thought of pushing my soloing into bigger/harder routes. I did get caught up in speed soloing the Tooth, only because Keith Mark Johnson said it couldn't be done much faster than his time so I had to go and see for myself.

It was Miles Smart. My PR was 6 hours and some mintues, don't recall exactly, but I ran the trails.

You're a fast learner.

I've climbed the WR of Stuart three times. Once, ropeless with BigEO, via the classic West Ridge route in running shoes in a day. Another time via the Stuart Glacier Couloir and a third time via the West Ridge Couloir. I've also soloed the South Face of the Tooth around two dozen times. IMNSHO, the climbing on Stuart is more technical. Not by a bunch, but by a bit and in a couple of spots is more exposed. One would be hard pressed to fall very far without landing on a ledge on the Tooth, but the north side traverse pitch on WR Stuart is very exposed and has over 1,000 feet of air under one's heels. I feel that pitch alone is harder than anything on the Tooth and would pretty much be a death fall. These are just my opinions, just as valid as anyone's, but I've been around the block once or twice, so they are not exactly without some context.

Thanks for the response. I like to carry my courage in my rucksack so I'll bring a second tool.