dbconlin

TNF is on a downhill slide toward the "fashion" category. I would stay away from anything they make. They are not oriented toward the extreme. Check out the Arcteryx hybrid jacket. It has hardshell hood and shoulders, softshell body. Pricey.

You are right about Shoeller Extreme being not so windproof. To combat this, I got a windvest from Mont-Bell, 7 oz. I wear poly insulation, windvest, and softshell for most conditions. It has worked well on the one "full conditions" trip I've been on since I got this system (its only been a couple of months, though). Then I shed the softshell if it is warm, or add the down jacket if it is cold. I am pleased, but to each his/her own. I have also noticed the Alchemy jacket is very snug in the torso/shoulders. I am a narrow-type guy, I have a size Medium, and it is still quite snug.

I have no experience with the situation you describe, but I would think, given your sleeping bag, you might want to get a larger frameless pack, such as the CCW Chaos (the synthetic bag will be bulkier, but not that much heavier than down, I think) and make sure your sleeping bag can fit in the bottom. I think the idea with the sleeping pad wrapped around the inside is a great one, but again, I do not have experience with this.

Also, regarding the Aether 60, it has a nifty feature whereby you can use the compression straps, attached further across the pack (the compression straps are on the front, not sides), to really compress the pack to a small size while climbing. I used this on a moderately hard alpine route where we carried minimal day gear up from a base camp. You hardly notice the pack on your back while climbing, but when you need your jacket its there.

I second the Osprey Aether 60. It is way light for that size. It is not specifically designed for mountaineering, so it doesn't have tool tubes or a crampon patch or an extension collar. But it hold alot for its weight, has a minimal yet functional frame and you can strap nearly anything to it. It is a very similar design to the Ceres...series, but with less climbing-specific features and, thus, lighter weight. Also, if I were buying a new pack, I would really consider the Cold Cold World packs. Everyone mentions the Chernobyl, but I would look at the Chaos. It is bigger (4000 v 3000 ci), for minimal extra weight. I have seen photos of this pack in Alaska on serious climbs. My buddy has the Chernobyl and it is really maxed out when going multi-day. I would also look at the Granite Gear Alpine Light. This pack looks really good.

Although I never place cams passively on purpose, it reassures me that if the cam walked, for instance, or became dislodged from its original placement, that it would be capable of holding a fall without failing in a passive mode. For this reason, I would prefer a cam capable of this, but it would not be the only deciding factor, nor would it be a deal-breaker if I liked other aspects of the cam design. That said, I use BD Camalots in larger sizes and Metolius and Aliens in smaller sizes and will probably stick with these choices, unless something better comes along. Actually, I am moving away from Metolius cams because they don't seem to stand up to much abuse. I have one that barely works anymore from being tweaked too much.

Just thought I'd let you all know. I just rented a place in Peshastin. Anyone wanna go climbing sometime? (although time will be tight for the next couple of weekends)

Why does a leg-shell need to be so breathable. I always wear my Gore-Tex bibs on the bottom, and don't have problems, yet I have problems with the Alchemy jacket not being so breathable. I find I don't generate that much heat/sweat from your legs (but then I am a relatively unsweaty type). The Alchemy is not light, nor packable. Offerings from Arc'teryx and Cloudveil (and probably Mammut, etc) made out of Schoeller extreme (vs Gore windstopper on the Alchemy) are more breathable and can save 1/4 lb weight with a hood! Alchemy = 22 oz, no hood, not breathable Cloudveil Icefloe = 19 oz, nice hood with extra windproof lining in it, breathable throughout and more packable. Your choice.

Feathered friends bags rock! You have your choice of fabrics, so you can make it the lightest (Pertex Quantum), or sacrifice some weight for water-resistance (which is what I chose) Epic fabric is a good compromise with weight/water-resistance, but eVent is the most breathable (and most expensive and heaviest).

I have a B-52 and I really like it for most duties (belaying, rapping, etc) I think it works great on skinny ropes as well as mid-fats (10.5) and excellent on icy ropes, too. Here is my beef: I haven't gotten the autoblock to work that well in some situations. Recently I ended up on an ice ledge. The only possible belay was from two ice screws placed vertically into horizontal ice (the next vertical section was too far back). I tried to set up an autoblock (for my two followers), but it didn't work at all. i couldn't take in rope. Is this because the device wasn't hanging vertically? I don't have much experience with the autoblock feature so it is hard for me to troubleshoot on my own.

I almost bought trango extremes once (the old style/notS/leather ones) and my girlfriend has them, too. One thing to pay attention to about fit is that they don't seem to lock down the heel very well, at least on my feet and I have heard that is a common complaint. So make sure your heel won't rub too much. If those don't work, the Scarpa Freney XT looks like a very nice boot too. It too is synthetic, but I have seen the old Freney on sale for very cheap (I forget where) but then you wouldn't be able to try them on.

If you are worried about the fit, maybe try doing a shell fit. Take the liner out, put your socked foot in the shell, with toes just touching the front of the shell in normal standing posture. See how much room there is between your heel and the back of the shell. There should be tight two-finger space to loose two-finger space, depending on how much of a technical versus warmth fit you want. At least you will know if the shell is the right size. Then by some Intuition liners, or stick it out in the stock liners until they wear out and replace them with Intuitions. my 2 cents

I use just fabric softener (liquid) as the soap in a commercial front-loader. Chain the rope (as mentioned above) and also I throw the whole chained rope in a pillowcase.

yeah, that's what I thought.

EMS sells insulative bottle jackets for half the price. I don't know about the OR jackets, but the EMS one has a nifty velcro strap that you can slide through the back of your harness waistbelt. This effectively holds the water bottle close to your back, so you don't even know its there and keeps h20 from freezing. Especially nice if you are not carrying packs and don't have any other way of carrying water.

Nalgene Canteen: I had the same problem with even less time/wear. REI replaced mine.

I haven't found the "autoblock" feature to be so easy to get to work on my B-52. Any thoughts?

I have the Alchemy. It is damn windproof, but not so breathable. I like it for skiing (windproof), but I don't think it is so versatile for highly aerobic activities (climbing, b/c skiing). Adding another windproof layer underneath may further reduce breathability. I was so disappointed in the breathability and lack of hood in the Alchemy, that I picked up a Cloudveil hoody at Sierra Trading Post (cheap!). It is made out of Schoeller Extreme, which is much more breathable than Gore Windstopper, but maybe not as windproof. To combat this, I picked up a wind vest from Mont-bell, similar idea to Marmot Driclime windshirt, but lighter and only a vest. It only weighs 7 oz! Then in windy conditions I can add this vest between my long underwear layer and my softshell. Haven't used it in many conditions yet, but I think it will be very good and, most importantly, VERSATILE. As far as the Alchemy, I just wear a long underwear under it. Thick if it will be cold, thinner if not or I will be more active.

I just picked up a Grivel Air Tech Evo, slightly curved below the head. Haven't used it yet (will this weekend), but I think the design looks very versatile from mountaineering to moderate technical lines where you may use it as a tool, paired with a shorter technical tool. It weighs, I think, about the same as a Raven (not Raven pro, which is lighter), which is around 16 oz. ONly drawback...Expensive.

Has anyone heard of the ipod not working at high altitudes? Apparently, they can futz out above 10k', and it has the potential to be irreversible, i.e. buy a new one. That sucks. Flash memory on the Shuffle and other brands solves the problem, but they don't hold as much music as my 40gb ipod.

Now you can get "flasks" for Gu or Cliff Shot and both of those brands sell their product in larger quantities (Clif Shot's looks like a shampoo bottle). So throw a 6 oz. flask in your chest pocket and take a suck every now and again. Yum! But I'd take along a bagel or two, pre-spread with cheese and meat, anyway. I don't know if they slept at all during the Czech Direct (those guys are crazy enough not to), but MT recommends other foods during bivys etc., just Gu for climbing.

Thanks for the advice. I just got a pair of Volkl Mountain skis from a couple of years ago (before the Norbert Joos), but they are still fairly light. I went with the shorter length (158 cm), per iain and dberdinka's advice. I will pick them up from the shop today with my used Silvretta 500LSVs (which, incidentally, I purchased off the gear board at this site) mounted on them. I'll be taking them for a winter ascent of capitol peak (CO) the weekend after next, which has a notoriously laborious wallow of an approach in winter, so I'll report on the performance...

I don't get the comment about Black Diamond above. He seams to exlicitly worship the company in the text, expecially their carbon fiber tools. Did they have some falling out recently, or something? One of the most useful aspects of the book is all the real-life stories and f***-ups. He has tried everything and some of it DID NOT WORK and we get to learn from those mistakes without putting our own a**es in such grave danger. Yay.

But mark twight does talk about layering with softshells in the book. He doesn't explicitly say "softshell" but refers to stretch woven materials from schoeller, which I interpret as softshell. He emphasizes choosing breathability over waterproofness because "it will get wet anyway" and if it is raining you shouldn't be there. Not that an update wouldn't be helful. I've begun packing w/o hardshell for some of my recent trips and haven't missed it yet (I live in CO, where it is relatively dry, though). thermal top + softshell + down jacket suits most conditions fine.

What is better--shorter for light weight/maneuverability, or closer to a normal length for floatation and ski performance when needed? I am going to buy a ski to mount my Silvretta 500s on. My normal tele setup is a 176. I am considering a 166 or 158 for this application. Any recommendations?