Ade

Got my copy. First glance looks pretty sweet!

60s or even 70s are the way to go for ice. I have 60s, mainly because 70s are more weight on alpine routes.

Asked and answered. Thanks everyone!

That's the Bill who used to work at Feathered Friends. I'm told he's living in Bishop, CA. I'm looking for some info on the a couple of the areas he visited in the Yukon. If you have any means of contacting him then please PM me. Cheers, Ade

Why ?!

Right! It's very cold but before the big freeze there was very little in the way of good snowpack. I was put at Bug Four just before Christmas an the lower third of the face didn't have any snow on it at all.

Reports of waist deep snow on Sunday led me to thing that they might be buried or very Avie prone at the least. Anybody up there Sunday?

I thought this too when I first used them, but they're not. The picks have a smaller cross section so you get better penetration with less mass behind them. And that means less weight to wave around above your head.

I've been using the Quarks for my last couple of outings and really like them. Previously I was using the Quasars with upgrade picks. In comparison the Quarks are lighter and more precise (waterfall pick not 4x4). A friend of mine noticed that it is possible to overplace the Quarks and they're a bitch to clean if you do this, I've noticed this also. Better technique and a spot of pick tuning would probably resolve this. According to my buddy (who knows his stuff) his Aztar doesn't suffer the same issue. I used the Aztar seracing at Baker in the Fall. I can't say I was that impressed. It's a shorter tool than the Quasar, like the Quark, but has less of a curve than the Quark so the swing feels odd to me. I didn't really get on with it at all. P/C-M market this as an alpine tool but it's not that different from the Quark in terms of alpine utility, with a slightly straighter shaft and less pronounced pinky rest. For my money the difference in their use as alpine tools would be marginal. For semi technical alpine routes I have a pair of BD Shrikes that fit the bill; light(ish), cheap, durable. These will plant a hell of a lot better than most newer technical tools and are easier to hold in the cane position if you saw the top bit of the pick off where it sticks above the head. You can currently pick up a pair of these for the same price as a single Quark.

That's what I'm trying to do to mine. So far no luck, the other crampons I have the heel levers don't fit and I've not got a reply from Petzl or Mountain Gear (where I bought them) as to getting a heel lock to retro fit.

Let's not forget this one either.

Sounds like avie conditions were bomber.

Nope. We're all going to come clean here so that when we come to do them there's a massive crowd of gapers trying the same route.

Better it bend if you're torqueing it you can always try and bend it back.

How the hell did you manage to bend a pick like that? The only time I've seen a pick that bent up was when some retard borrowed a friends tools and repeatedly tried to place one of them in "funny ice" that turned out to be granite.

He did. But from what he told me it was a lot of hiking for not much ice. He said he found some 3 but not stacks of it. The approaches are sort of sucky at the moment, 6" of soft pow over iced rocks in the gullies.

Al Leading P1 of The Plum Ade starting P2 of The Plum The Plum, final pitch looking nothing like the FA pictures in the guidebook. Ade on the final pitch of the Plum below the entertaining section First tier of Politically Correct Valentine

Yes... We can all read the forecast. But has anyone actually see if the route is iced or not? And, more importantly, is the pencil formed?

Climb: Pemberton Ice-The Plum / Politically Correct Valentine Date of Climb: 1/8/2005 Trip Report: Alasdair and I headed across the border Friday night narrowly avoiding stopping for a "quick drink" in Vancouver and dossing in the truck in Pemberton. I know, I know, we had big alpine plans and we bailed to the "sure thing" of a bit if ice cragging. Saturday we hiked up to The Plum at dawn and climbed the whole route getting down after dark. The lower pitches are all in good with a little running water but even that is avoidable. The second pitch is solid 4 but the ice is good for the most part. The final pitch, which is what you came for right? is full value. Technical off vertical ice leads to the main pillar. You can weave your way through the cauliflowers with some care on this lower section. The main pillar has a narrow ribbon of good, yellow, ice surrounded by somewhat less good hollow rubbish. Steep but gear is OK. You can just about do this whole thing as one super long pitch if your second talks you into it and doesn't mind simul-ing the starting ramp. Best split it in two at the obvious ledge on the left. The whole route can be rapped from trees if you have 60m ropes and are careful with your rap lines and maybe downclimb a couple of feet at the bottom. We re-fixed several of the anchors (black tape). Sunday we spent some time trying to find PC Valentine. The simplest approach is to head directly up hill from the lot at the end of the road. We ended up too far right and had to cut back left. The route is much higher up the drainage than you might think. The lower pitch is this super cool wall of yellow drips. There's a 4 line but harder lines could be done on the right - I passed as it looked a bit toooo hollow for a Sunday (this proved true on rap inspection while descending). The upper flow is nice also but much mellower. We passed on the top pitch. 300m of hiking for 40m of 3... Nah. Besides, it was getting late and the Pony Expresso was calling. Pictures may follow if Al figures out how to use that new fangled digital camera thing. Gear Notes: Things to remember: A belay device, makes things sooo much simpler. A head lamp - these make it easier to see when the big bright thing in the sky (the "Sun") disappears and generally facilitates NOT DIEING. Things not to forget: Your girlfriend's ice tools (at the top of pitch 4 while descending). At this point you have two options; 1 - reclimb the pitch in the dark and get them, 2 - untie and throw yourself down the remaining 250m of the route. The latter sounds a little extreme but nothing compared to the slow death that awaits you back in Seatle. Approach Notes: Do NOT stop in Vancouver. Do NOT go to any strip clubs - even if your buddy swears he met Sting in one last time he was there (like he wasn't so drunk it could have been anyone). DO stop at the Pony Expresso, multiple times if possible.

The Roberts Guide is better. The best Colorado guide (although it doesn't cover Vail) is the "San Juan Ice Climbs" by Charlie Fowler. If only because it's a hand written photocopy and says "Over 150 climbs! Sketchy Details! Scare Yourself!" on the front cover. You can just see the Mountaineers publishing that!

Ummm... Alpine. Got any more pictures?

6" or so of powder on everything above about 4000' on Monday at Snoqualmie but it didn't seem to be sliding much. The buttress looked in and a couple of guys climbed the N face while we were up there.

You actually believe the forecast for the following week? I find it hard to have faith in their forecast for the following afternoon Seriously though this could be pretty good if we don't get a bunch of snow with it.

Yeah right.

Now that's an understatement. Snowshoeing sucks. So... it might as well suck on the cheap. Buy some cheap plastic MSR ones and save several hundred bones. They'll still suck but you can spend the difference on beer.