Ade

Looks like it might just be getting colder for the weekend but things must be well and truely soggy by now

So in theory you can download all those nice USGS maps for free. But only if you know what you're doing. As with any bureaucracy the trick is knowing how to ask the question. You can use the National Map Viewer to zoom around Alaska. In the right hand column turn on Topographic Maps > USGS Quadrangles to see the maps and Topographic Maps > Index/Status to get the names of the individual sheets. Once you have the sheet name goto the Alaska Digital Raster Graphics and download the TIF file for the sheet you want. This comes as a compressed file using GNU Zip. The built in Windows ZIP program doesn't seem to handle this (maybe WinZip does). You can get gunzip.exe for Win32 from SourceForge's GNU utilities for Win32 Project. Download the ZIP. You only need to unpack \usr\local\wbin\gunzip.exe to be able to unzip files. Have fun. Ade

Definitely send me a PM as I'd be up for it. I have a new set of tools to try out and have bin practicing my figure fours at VW so I'm set!

What's wrong with you?! This weekend is for sitting in the dark, listening to Puppy while sharpening your tools. All the while sinking deeper in to a mire of self loathing.

You might find this Seasonal forecast more useful as a general predictor of likely snowpack in the spring. The news is not that promising.

Oh well if some alpine superstar is using them I'd better buy six.

Where did you get the actual data, as opposed to the forecast from Dru?

I've also used Jim Mates. Did a great job on my plastic boots and I use the custom insoles pretty much every time I go hiking.

Not trying to get into a pissing match here, I'm thinking more of guidebook errata: This is definitely what we were playing around on. We were TRing Oh Tannanbaum with a single rope 55m. You'd need more rope on lead obviously. Maybe I mis-read the guide.

What confused me was that the Washington Ice Guide describes this as two pitches I think when it's actually half a rope length.

I bet it's not. The picks look cast with minimal machining to me and can't be more than slightly thicker than (say) the Quark heavy duty pick (at $40).

Factor in a considerable amount of time for the ski/snowshoe into Colchuck or Stuart.

Sleds are aid.

Picks for modular tools seem to run, at the most, about $40 each. Why would yours be any more? Most seasons I seem to get through a set of picks one way or another. Are you really suggesting I should just throw away a set of tools each year?

Ice climbing and Puppy. Can't get better than that!

Now that's really funny... Forrest, Gordy and I were out Sunday with the hope of climbing an alpine route up there. We only had a day so BC/Hope action wasn't an option. Lots of new snow, hip deep unless you were on the trail, with high avie potential. The ski patrol were blasting most of the morning and we heard several releases below Chair Peak later in the day. It was raining freezing rain most of the day. Staying in the comparative safety of the trees seemed like a good idea. We ended up running some laps on a half pitch long flow just above the winter trail before you get to the climb to Rap Wall. Soft, hollow ice. Quality. You should try and go ice climbing (as opposed to winter alpine) in WA just once a year, if only to remind yourself why it's sooo much better to drive to Canada.

But that depends what you did with it doesn't it? If you went caving in it or went bushwacking in it until all the threads were pulled to bits then you have no cause to be dissatisfied. The key point to remember here is that the cost of the guarentee gets factored into the cost of the product.

Just order it direct from Kevin.

Julie-Ann Clyma - Mount Grosvenor, First Ascent

Sadly this isn't the first accident of this type at Ouray.

No. I think everyone just ignores it. None of my friends back there have ever mentioned it.

I would definitely test fit. Boot sizing can make a big difference.

NEIce.com

6" of freshiez for tonight according to the ski area report then the weather is turning bad up there (rain I think). There's other stuff at Baker; Pan Dome Falls and the Tool Shed but I don't think much of that is TRable either.