Nick

I am willing to bet that there was a misunderstanding about the "working life" of beacons. The times you quote should be for battery life, not beacon life. Beacons that can only be used for 40 hours in search mode would be garbage. You want to practice searching more than that! I'll bet the Ortovox manual was translated poorly. If a beacon was only good for 300 hours in transmit mode you would have to throw it away after 30 ski trips! On the other hand, I'll bet some beacons run their batteries down faster than 40 hours in search mode. I always carry spare batteries. The best reason to own your own beacon is to use it a lot and become familiar with it. Practice often, it won't hurt your beacon. I wouldn't be afraid to rent a beacon, but it is worth spending some time testing the beacon in the shop, both to make sure it is working, and to make sure you know how it works. Don't settle for a verbal explanation; take the time to play hide-the-beacon in the shop so you are sure you know how to: turn the beacon on, switch from search mode to transmit mode, and back, tell which mode the beacon is in, use the beacon's multiple burial modes check the batteries change the batteries wear the beacon (harness) turn the beacon off and one feature or another on the various beacons While it is important to become very familiar with your own beacon, it can also be useful to practice with as many combinations of beacons as you get a chance to. You never know what mix of beacons will be found in any given group and, in an actual search, you may need to know something about other people's beacons. It can be useful to know the quirks and capabillities of various models. At the very least, you should know how to turn off the beacons of the other people in your group (when you dig someone up you'll want to turn off their beacon to simplify searching for others). You should spend the time to be competent with a beacon. Seconds count in a real search, but never forget that a high percentage of the people you might locate with your beacon would already be dead. Staying away from unstable slopes remains the best way to stay safe.

You will often want a long rope for top-roping as opposed to a short one for glacier travel. You say you will be making short leads, but what about rappels? If you plan to do a lot of top-roping then get a long fat rope. I have had good luck with Beal, Eidelweiss, and Mamut ropes. For glacier climbs, a 30M 8mm rope is cheap and much easier to carry. If you really want one rope to do everything then get a really light single rope (probably a bit over 9 mm). A 50M rope will weigh less and will work for most climbs. This rope will be light, but strong enough for anything you run into. You can always throw it away when you wear it out. You will end up buying more than one rope, so you might as well start with a rope that is good for it's intended purpose.

I spent a couple of weeks kayaking in Prince William Sound some years ago. At the time I was really taken with the idea of using kayaks as roving deluxe base camps for the extensive alpine climbing throughout the area. Glaciers and alpine vegetation start right at sea level up there. You can carry 4 weeks food, comfy camp gear, and some climbing gear in kayaks. The only catch is that there are lots of bears to share the mountains with! Half of PWS is black bear territory, the other half is Grizzly country. Lots of the Coast range can be reached via fiords, but from what I hear it can take days of wild bushwhacking to get from sea level up into the alpine. The alpine terrain around Prince William sound is open and park-like in character. This is because you are pretty near tree line right at sea level.

I have had the best luck in late June, and the routes tend to be covered in nice easy-to-climb snow then.

The structure of the level one avy safety courses that I have been involved with has been changing over the last several years. Many instructors are spending less time on beacons and more time on navigation, terrain and practical snow work, as well as emphasizing the psychological and group dynamic issues that tend to cause people to traverse dangerous terrain even when they know better. From my point of view, as both a teacher and student of avalanche safety, it makes sense to spend enough time on all the basic topics related to travel in avalanche terrain to let the students get a feeling for the breadth of their ignorance and to introduce them to several of the areas that will need a great deal more study to become reasonably competent at avalanche avoidance, as well as rescue techniques. There is no way anyone will leave any level one course with a clear and complete understanding of avalanche safety. The best you can hope for is to demonstrate a few of the most practical techniques clearly enough that the student will be able to continue to practice them on their own. It is also worth trying to impart a sense of the complexity and subtlety of putting together all the variables that may help predict the chances of a slide. Finally, it is worth putting in enough time on beacons to allow the student to practice on their own, and to get a sense of the limitations of beacon use as well.

The threads of a peened-over bolt can be repaired with judicious use of a triangular file. The bolt should back out easily if threads are re-cut neatly. If this can't be managed you can trim off the peened end of the bolt with a hack saw (or angle grinder) and back the bolt out. Messed up bolts should be replaced with new ones.

In the NW a basic system that works particularly well is: 1) Light base layer (I like light-weight long-sleeve wool, but a light synthetic base layer will work too). This layer might weigh 8 ounces in size medium. 2) Very very light and breathable nylon wind shell top. This layer might weigh 2 to 4 ounces in a medium. These layers work most of the time when it isn't actually hot and sunny; if you are moving this should be enough even in somewhat windy or rainy weather. If it's really hot I might just wear sunblock as a top, or just the light nylon wind shirt. Schoeller is great for pants, but the combination of light long johns and lightweight (but tough) nylon pants is similar, and cheaper. 3) A synthetic puffy jacket is far better than fleece (lighter, warmer, more versatile). In winter it is worth having a Jacket with a big insulated hood that fits over a helmet. A good (NW) winter parka might weigh 24 to 32 ounces in a size large. A small light puffy sweater may be all you need in summer, and might weigh 12 ounces or so. 4) The rain/wind shell can be worn as the third layer when moving in colder wetter weather, or it can be worn over everything when not moving in hard rain. The rain shell does not have to be a heavy expensive garment, in fact a well designed but light weight jacket is best, and can be inexpensive if you watch for deals. You will need both a top shell and shell pants. The top shell must have a hood that works well over a helmet. Either the top or the bottom wind shell might weigh less than 16 ounces each. Even less expensive models, like the Marmot Precip, work great and don't weigh much. All of these garments can be inexpensive, and they combine in many combinations to meet a wide variety of conditions. They all manage moisture well, so they reduce the amount of extra stuff you may need to carry (and pay for). Heavy garments are too hot to wear, so you end up carrying them on your back most of the time. One good windproof shell takes care of wind problems, so everything else should stress breathability and quick-drying characteristics. I like clothes that fit well. The only garment that may be worth having a bit large is the puffy jacket, since you often want to throw it on over everything else. The rain shell should be able to go over the puffy jacket, but it doesn't need to be a roomy fit. I'd rather have it fit well over light layers (not a baggy, breezy, sloppy fit). Light ballaclavas are surprisingly warm. Really good "waterproof" gloves are worth the high cost, otherwise carry extras. Good boots are worth money, but the most expensive pair may not be the best.

I have seen slides in the trees, but have seen more slides in the open glades. In some conditions the trees are safer than the open slopes, but when the snow wants to go, then even the trees are no help. Also, trees can hurt you if they are threatened by a big slide from above. There is no alternative to evaluating every run on it's own terms.

Shovels designed to fit on ordinary ice tool shafts used to be made by various companies. You run into used ones from time to time. I use an old Choinard shovel that fits most of my Grivel axes. Black Diamond kept making the design for a while, and there is a scandinavian brand as well. These shovels are a bit on the small side, but I carry one when weight matters a lot and avy danger isn't a big issue. The design is fairly simple; you could make an OK copy of one if you're handy with aluminum. Don's u-bolts would be easier, but slow to put on in an emergency.

Sometimes walking isn't a reasonable option either, especially in the kind of powder that makes tree wells extra deadly. With Tele or AT gear, even without stopping to get skins on, you can get uphill reasonably well (free heels and light gear help). Split boards move well, how long does it take to convert back to the split format? It can be hard to keep each other in view in the trees. Sometimes it pays to ride close together, when chance of avy is low.

Or you could go to one of those baldy cure clinics and get LOTS OF HAIR TRANSPLANTED ALL OVER YOU BODY so that you would not need a bivy bag.

OK here's another idea. WEAR the bivy sack. Just sew a lot of big pockets onto one of those one-peice super hero climbing suits and carry everything in your pockets instead of in a pack. Put a longer zipper on it so you can zip right up the chest and on up to zip the hood shut, and bob's your uncle!

I don't know about you guys but I don't get kinky with gear; I am a gear junkie.

Second Ascent in Ballard also rents AT and Tele gear. I was teaching avy safety recently and one of the students showed up with a rented beacon (a tracker, from Feathered Freinds I believe) that was defective; this beacon was still sending, but in search mode it no longer indicated the distance from the target (it read 40M even when 1M from the target beacon). The moral is, test your rental gear carefully in the store, before you head for the hills. This beacon would have passed a cursory check at the trailhead, but if it was needed for a search it would have been wortheless.

I have always wanted to make a pack by adding shoulder straps, compression straps and a belt to a full size bivy sack. Or converting a pack into a bivy-pack. Shove in a sleeping bag and some food and away you go. When night comes, just get in your pack and go to sleep. No packing and unpacking. Nice and simple. The catch is that if you rip your pack then your house gets a leak in it. I love the Golight Jam pack, but I shredded mine in just three (vigorous) outings. If you build your bivy pack sturdy enough to avoid this danger it may weigh just as much as a light pack and a light bivy. On the other hand, the Granite Gear Virga is very light and has enough of an extension sleeve for a moderate sized person to pull it up to the waist, and it is sturdier than the golight packs. The key for your idea will be to make a watertight seal with your parka (if you want to lie down and sleep at night). The only way I know to make the joint watertight would be with a watertight zipper, which could be awkward. Why not simply cut the big end of a bivy bag and sew and seam tape it to the mouth of your pack to make the pack into a full size bivy. Put the sleeping bag inside the bivy, stuff the bivy into the pack, and pack the rest of your stuff on top of that. You might save half a pound or so.

Grivel makes some tools with skinny handles. Try to find mitts that are warm without being bulky in the palms. Find your little bitty boots before fitting crampons to them.

Your packs look good to me, and I agree that you should rate the pack without indluding the extension sleeve volume. Still, the extension sleeve can be a useful place to carry the overflow gear on the approach to a climb. A good pack usually carries well enough for hiking when overloaded this way, and when you take out the rope, rack, etc. at the base of the real climbing you end up with the right sized pack to carry your remaining gear. You are six inches taller than I am. I carry some size large garments, but do not carry a lot of extra clothes. Other than the sleeping bag, parka, and rain gear we are carrying exactly the same stuff, as you point out, same stove, pot, helmet, etc. As long as we are comparing trips in the same climate your sleeping bag, parka, etc. shouldn't weigh more than 3 pounds more than mine do. Though I probably have about 50 pounds less flesh to carry than you do (no offense meant). I'll bet that we use about the same sized pack. Your 60 Liter pack (3600 ci) actually will hold plenty of stuff for a week long trip as long as the climbing gear is not too bulky, and as long as we're not talking about Denali or the arctic. I use a similar pack and it works great. Using the extension sleeve your 60L pack will grow to 90L (5500 ci). It might not be fun to carry when stuffed all the way, but at 80L it probably carries OK. A great deal depends on precisely what you carry. The size differrence between a big fat 10 degree sleeping bag and a lean 25 degree sleeping bag is bigger than the variation between a size regular and a size long bag of the same rating. Also, if you carry a slightly bigger/heavier version of every single thing you need it quickly adds up to an extra 20 pounds and 2000 cubic inches. Not knowing what Ditchdigger will be carrying it is hard to say if he needs a 5500 ci pack or not. The class he has signed up for may well suggest such a large pack knowing than many of their students will be showing up with a a lot of the kind of bulky/heavy gear that people usually start out with. If he has the typical big gore tex parkas and 4 pound, 0 degree, sleeping bag in a large size, and so forth and so on, then he will certainly need the jumbo pack. After he takes the course and switches to much lighter, less bulky gear, he may find that a 60L expandable pack will work for most trips.

Enough moralizing. Even climbing naked with no gear constitutes deluxe leisure activity. Those of you who are sick to your stomachs should sell all your equipment and devote your lives to good works. The rest of us will buy up your used stuff and roll around on piles of gaudy gear, laughing with glee. I use a lot of Grivel axes and various Grivel and Petzl/Charlet crampons. Each tool is best for a certain kind of climbing. Some crampons fit one kind of boot well, others fit another. On the other hand, if I was macho I would climb everything, including overhanging mud, with a 90 cm wood shafted piolet . . .

I started out with a huge pack, years ago, over time I learned what I could do without and carried less and extra stuff. For a while I improved the Big Pack by cutting peices out of the pack bag and sewing it back up. Eventually I threw Frankenpack away and got smaller packs. Avoid lashing everything to the outside of a pack that is too small. One reason the sizes of packs seems to be wrong half the time is that many makers of packs that have long extension collars do not measure the volume of the extension when they rate a pack. Some of these packs carry pretty well with some extra stuff filling the extension sleeve and so can hold a lot more gear than a fixed-volume pack with the same volume rating. In general, you can get more stuff into a simple tall top-loading bag than will fit into a pack that has multiple separate compartments, zippers, and so forth.

Most of the packs listed are too heavy, though McHale can make you a pack that is both big and relatively light. Granite Gear makes really well designed packs that carry well. Here is the url for a 5500 cubic inch Granite Gear pack built to lug weight. The pack weighs 6 pounds, which is not too bad: http://www.granitegear.com/products/backpacks/standard/index.shtml While it is true that a 3500 cubic inch pack may be too small to carry both a weeks backpacking supplies plus a lot of climbing gear, especially if your course is asking you to carry two pairs of fleece garments for every part of your body, it is also true that you can go for a week with a small pack if you carry less stuff, and if you carry less stuff you will climb better and faster, so you will need less stuff . . . Another problem is that any two packs advertised to carry 5500 cubic inches are likely to be no where near the same size when you go to pack them. The pack companies all measure their packs in differrent ways, and some designs just hold more stuff, they pack easier. The only way to pick a pack is to take all the stuff you're going to need down to the store and pack it into the pack you are considering to see if it all fits inside, then wear the pack and walk around the store for an hour or so to see if it is comfortable. You might as well buy a used pack. As soon as you buy a pack you will see three more that you would rather have . . .

No ice to speak of up to 5000 feet on the west side of Snoqualmie Mt. on Sunday Jan. 8, 2006. Snow was mostly well consolidated up to 5000 feet. There was a thin layer of damp new snow on top of heavy breakable crust on top of older powder. There was lumpy avalanche debris snow in just about of all of the avalanche glades; it looks like everything slid last week. On the lee side (north exposure) of the "valley" below Cave Ridge at 5000 feet there started to be a significant (10 inches or more) top layer of powder and temps were cold enough to be preserving the pow at 5000 feet.

How about the Grivel Evolution hammer? It is 16.5 ounces and has more of a pick than the compact black, better shaft too. I'd agree, however, that you want two full size tools if you plan to climb steep ice.

I recently moved to Whidbey Island from Seattle, and would like to meet climbers and back-country skiers on the island, sea kayakers too. Alpine climbing is my thing, but I do a little of everything. I'd like to meet climbers on the island and do some alpine climbing of low technical difficulty to find out if our climbing styles mesh before tackling anything harder.

You'll have to wait until there is enough snow to work with.

I just got some warm leather boots for winter use in the Cascades. I predict that they will be not quite as warm as my plastic boots, and they only weigh 6 ounces less for the pair than my Scarpa Alpha (with non-thermofit liners), but the leather boots should be quite a bit better than the plastics for rock and mixed climbing. The leathers are much more compact and have full wrap-around sticky rands. The leathers do not have removeable liners, so they will likely not stay dry inside on longer multi day outings.