Ade

The Dyke looks FAT! Probably running laps on it already!

Oooh... Tempting. This w/e maybe if the weather holds.

Out of my tiny mind. If I don't get out soon I'm gonna lose it.

Right you only really need one tool you can plunge most of the time and that can double as a third tool when on the steep stuff. quote: Broken picks = bad technique Like snoboy said we're talking a lot of picks here and in this case those doing the breaking (not my good self) actually have technique. Most people I know swear by the Aermet picks that BD no longer make and are less than impressed with the newer replacements.

Oooh... I can hardly wait.

Fixed

Factor in another $30 for a hacksaw to "modify" them with and they might even make an alpine tool. Saw off the pinkie widget and the top of the pick so it doesn't dig into your hand when holding it in the cane position. Beware Cobra picks... they seem to snap a lot, I've not used them but can account for ten breakages between three people who have. For alpine use I have a set of Shrikes and really like the Alaska picks which work fine in the Rages, based on some brief testing at Baker last weekend.

The plastic molding on the hand grips will get mangled pretty quickly if you use them for planting, clearing crampons of snow etc. Both my Quasars and my Giiirlfriend's Quarks have suffered from this. I use my third tool for the approaches. Once you're climbing it shouldn't make much difference, WI2 or WI5, although obviously they're designed for the latter.

Quality not quantity

Maybe it'll take the place of "Mountain"/"Mountain Review" both sadly missed.

So I've finally come to the conclusion I need to learn to climb offwidths. Can anyone recommend any good ones to go practice on in the 5.7 - 5.10a/b range?

Serratus Genie

This article? Dartmouth Professor Finds No Scientific Evidence for '8 x 8' quote: "Valtin emphasizes that his conclusion is limited to healthy adults in a temperate climate leading a largely sedentary existence"Think that counts me out. Both Endurance Sports Nutrition , S G Eberle and Nutrition for Serious Athletes, D Benardot seem to go with the drink lots of water theory. I'd be hesitant to jump to any conclusions based on one study, especially one aimed at average adult Americans. Maybe 8x8 is an overestimate for them but there seems to be a huge body of evidence to show that dehydration seriously impacts athletic performance. [ 08-20-2002, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: Ade ]

Cytomax is another good substitute for water. Dan's right, drink lots in the days before the climb. You should be drinking eight glasses of (uncaffinated) fluid per day anyway, try putting on more the days before a climb and drink lots on the drive to the trailhead (I keep a couple of nalgenes in the cab of my truck for this). Vicious rumour: Adding glycerol to water will help you superhydrate, not tried it yet but watch this space for details.

Aliens... the dogs bollocks. Just don't get any grit in them, they don't like it. I imagine any small cam has the same problem, too many moving parts too close together.

Did this route yesterday (Friday 16th). There is no snow on the approach from Ingalls lake until you hit the Stuart Glacier. The Glacier is in good condition but icy with some steep sections with poor runouts above crevasses. Gaining the gully below the notch is straightforward with no real moat to be crossed. We did not do the bypass variation but from memory it looked like there was very little ice in it. The Cascadian Couloir is pretty much all dirt and rocks with a reasonable trail. We descended around the remaining snow patches.

There's also a new guidebook out by Colby Coombs (pub Mountaineers). I think this includes some routes in those areas.

quote: As far as pulling a heavy climber out...a system I have used is to clip the prusik or ascender to your rear tie in loop of your harness, cinch the harness very tight, dig your front points in hard, use two axes like you were ice climbing, squat and pull with all the might of your legs. In practice, I managed to pull a climber of equal weight to the cravasse lip with no pully or Z. It helped that a third adjusted the ascenders for me. It is a lot faster than fucking around with a "C" system. I've not tried this. How far did your partner fall in? Was your partner wearing a heavy pack? Seems it would work for short falls with no additional partner load just fine.

I looked into this briefly a while back. There are a couple of places that rent them (search Google for them). My biggest hurdle was that I would have to carry a lot of batteries potentially and it didn't seem like it was worth it.

jhamaker says: quote: Way too much. The park reccomends 1pint/person per day (16oz). It does not. From the NPS Mountaineering Booklet: quote: Stoves Carry at least two stoves of proven efficiency that work at high altitudes and in extreme cold. Carry spare parts for cleaning and repairs. Almost all parties use white gas, which is readily available. Disposable gas cartridge models are discouraged and the cartridges are difficult to obtain in Alaska. Domestic cartridges may not be pressurized enough for the extreme cold. Plan on 4 to 8 ounces (.15 to .30 liters) of white gas per person per day. You will need more fuel earlier in the season due to colder temperatures and drier snow. All full and empty fuel containers must be packed out. The rangers may request to see your containers upon arriving at base camp. Given the NPS's conservative attitude 1pt per person per day seems excessive.

Let's not forget Renato Casarotto, who soloed the Ridge of no Return on Denali. He died within sight of basecamp and his wife while returning from a solo attempt of K2, crossing a seeming safe glacier Out of interest how many of those advocating not using a rope have fallen in a crevasse? As a side note I happened to spend Saturday afternoon practicing crevasse rescue. A few points to add to Andy Selter's book on the topic. These were gained through experimenting with different things: Forget the Z-system to haul someone your own weight (even without their gear) you need a C-system. Take two pulleys, they really help reduce friction and make things significantly easier. You could take three for a C-system but the further down the chain the less return you'll see for the additional pulley. Use more than one biner where you don't have pulleys, this will reduce friction. Prussic length is crucial, especially for the locking prussic on the first pulley. Four inches of slack movement in the locking prussic is a foot of rope movement on the hauling line. Even with a rope falling in could ruin your whole day. Bill Pilling took a pretty short fall into a crevasse on Mt Vancouver/Good Neighbour Peak in the Yukon and mangled his leg pretty good when his frontpoint caught.

Is the road upto the Stuart Lake trailhead drivable and open (I know they're closing it later in the summer).

Oh but you have to laugh. It's pretty much the only reason to go to Vantage, other than the exceptional climbing of course. Last time I was there one of the micro haul bag crowd was wearing a pair of goretex bibs because it looked like it might rain. It had been a bit cold he would probably have whipped out his 8000m down suit too. Or maybe just radio one of his buddies to go get it. As for roll top packs, what wrong with a good old heavy duty trash can bag? Cheap, light, replaceable. I bet the Arcteryx number is none of those. Of course a fifteen year old pack with a trash bag sticking out the top of it isn't going to look that cool and the colors might not match that nice crash pad or shiny radio... shame.

I assume that the road to the trailhead is still closed so you start from the turnout? Ade

It depends on the original country of origin, that's what customs seemed to be interested in my Omega suit for anyway. If it's made in Canada it's OK (NAFTA etc) if it was French, say, then they might be keener to charge duty on it.