dbconlin

a single private lesson is what I would recommend.

I agree helmets can be more comfortable than a beanie. The most important things are: fit, light weight, ventilation options, music input (?) -Fit goes without saying -Light weight - it is suprising how much difference this makes on your neck when resort skiing and hitting it hard all day. In the backcountry it is going to be in/on your pack during the ascent (probably), so important there too. There is a huge range in weight of ski helmets. -Ventilation - some helmets have removable vent plugs, or a slider switch to allow or block airflow. Very nice if you will be in a range of temps. -Music input - personal preference. The Giro Nine.9 is a classic (is it still made?) and has all of these features.

The DAS is probably more warmth than you need in most conditions...I have one and am now looking into getting something lighter for 3-season use. Except today. Glad to have it.

Crystal today:

Wow, ICE! That looks fun...I miss the frozen stuff.

Yeah, what she said. Softshells range from very thin, very breathable to full wind protection with bonded fleece interior and some even claiming fully waterproof (not a softshell therefore?). I tend to wear the thin/breathable variety. Under it anything from synthetic t-shirt to expedition weight undergarment...but never fleece.

Beautiful.

Wow. yes, let's see that TR and some more photos!

Au contraire, mon frere...I do it all the time. Why not?

Spring conditions: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=676112

Unless you climb with Androids AND umbilicals, you still risk dropping your tools...especially while unclipping/clipping those pesky things.

Old skool!

One advantage to clipping with biners rather than tying or girth hitching to your tool is the ability to move your clip point from the spike to the head when you transition from steep ice to plunging.

I saw a sweet map display in a colleague's office - the map was "laminated" but not in the way I usually think of. It looked like it was imbedded in some sort of resin, or something, that was adhered to a backing board that mounted to the wall. It looked really professional and a little out of the ordinary. It was not framed in the traditional way, nor covered in clear plastic all the way around like you see some posters - I can't explain it. He said his neighbor, who owns a framing shop, did it for him and it is usually a couple of hundred dollars to mount in that way. He no longer works at the company or I would ask again. I tried to find it via google and came up with vinyl or lexan lamination (used at trades shows) as possibilities, but I cannot be sure that was it. I think a pro shop would be able to come up with this, among other, attractive options.

I too was with Phil at the base - each member of our party had some reservation about continuing up the route for various reasons, even though the route looked to be in (and quite good) to me. Our reasons had to do with party ability, fitness, and size. In retrospect, it may have been smart to split into two teams of two - with only two climbing the route and the other two doing the long glacier tour/traverse that we all ended up doing. Four in that couloir is too many climbers. Personally, I was having some reservations about doing much front-pointing and step-kicking given that I had forgotten my boot insoles and had quite a bit of slop going on in there...oops!

Thanks for sharing - I have done the spider gap area twice, once as a day-hike and another as a backpack where we continued on to Lyman lakes and points further, then circled around on the PCT re-route near Glacier Pk and down Jack Cr (?) drainage - highly recommended backpack with gorgeous scenery. But I have never been there in fall and that is extra-spectacular! Those colors are amazing!

I skied the SW chutes on 7/12 (saturday) - the snow was ok there - no suncups but not great. Some friends skied the next day (sunday) and had stellar views of the fire burning below (which put a lot of concern into their heads while they were headed straight toward it to return to their car).

Thanks so much to you guys for putting this together and keeping it running! What ever happened to Cavey? Climbed with him a couple of times...definitely a strong personality!

NF Buckner?

Hi, I am looking to meet more climbers and skiers in the Tacoma/Seattle/PierceCo/KingCo area. I live in Tacoma. I have a preference for alpine rock/ice and b/c skiing. I have 15 years experience at trad leading, moderate ice and mixed, mountaineering, steep snow/ice, traveling in avy terrain, route-finding, etc. I have availability on weekends, primarily. I am hoping to meet people interested in making the most of available time to spend in the mountains. I am happy to get out with people with a range of experience levels. Please PM for more info and to connect. Cheers, David

I don't have one, but one whippet seems like the way to go...probably why they sell them individually.

Amen to that!

I don't think a comparison of MH to BD is a very good one. BD makes really good gear and most serious climbers own some BD gear. MH is becoming more comparable to TNF and Marmot. They are starting to cater to the more-casual outdoorsy folk who go day-hiking, backpacking, perhaps some cragging - not hard(wo)man climbing like all of us at cc.com! Nothing wrong with those activities/markets, but you just don't need to over-analyze and minimize and strip the weight to the bare essential for those types of activities.

Anybody know if the Grivel service will do other brands?

Without the swivel, I have noticed mine getting a twist or two occasionally. I climb mostly alpine. Sometimes at a belay, or in a moderate section, I will untwist them--which is not hard to do nor very time-consuming.