David_Parker

Pretty impressive accomplishment! There are actually a few other lesser known summits that should not be discounted. Katahdin in Maine is no easy feat in winter, not to mention the bureaucratic bullshit you have to go through to get there. Washington in NH can also be a serious undertaking. Kings peak in the Uintas of Utah is fairly remote as well. Hats off to this guy! What's the lowest of the highest. I'll guess it's in Delaware or Florida! oops, should have read the whole story. duh!

Err, Darren, like the Eiger is quality rock? Personally I thought the rock on NB Fury was pretty damn good. I think a classic North Face should have both ice and rock to test the skills of the all rounded mountaineer. NF Bear is all rock (at least when most do it). Stuart is a ridge, not a face. Goode has a face, but the NE Butt is the classic line. Then again the Grand Jorasse classic is the Walker Spur, an indistinct ridge I suppose. I think the idea of a North Face classic means it doesn't get much sun, therefore it has ice. There must be ICE! I also don't think remoteness or difficulty of access should have anything to do with it. If there were no bivy hut near the Grand Jorasse, it would feel fairly remote too. Intersting topic though!

Colonial, you can see it from the road just like the Eiger! I don't think Colin will be doing it summer though.

I usuallly have my harness over my jacket. I therefore put my extra mittens flat against my side inside the jacket where they stay dry and warm and can't fall out. I put a small platypus in the napolean pocket on the inside to keep from freezing. I usually wear bibs with a chest pocket where I put my knife and a couple chew toys (powerbars or whatever). I sling my camera bag over my head and it zips under my jacket. I hang my v-threader and some cord tightly wound from one of my rear gear loops. I can't remember the last time I wore a pack ice climbing. I regulate heat by what's on my head. I often wear a headband (not a hat) to keep my ears warm. The hood on my jacket goes up over my helmet if I want to get warm. Eat a big breakfast, drink a bunch of water before you head up and you should be fine until dinner!

And then this! 4) I think the main thrust of my reply was to reinforce the need to do research before making any claims. Wayne and DP did a fine climb, but unfortunatly marred their trip report with a claim which can be construed as nebulous. It appears that someone isn't very good at "research". How do you know what WE researched? STFU!!!!

Anyone tried this one yet? Might be good for the ones that top out in brush.

Haven't heard anyone mention saddlewedges. I have 3 of those. Also have a few wart hogs. I learned to ice climb on snargs and have a few other pound-ins by Salwea. Also, have smc camlocks, an "amigo" made in mexico, old chouinard ice screws, homemade ratchet for same, and some older hexes slung with wicked old perlon. It's all at the bottom of my climbing trunk "in case I ever need it!"

Yo Ken, so does that mean you have a kid now? Make sure you teach him to waterski, not wakeboard!

Here's what I have to say about it: Wayne asked me to go do something I knew was going to be as serious as anything I've done before and I went because he's a fuckin' good climber and I wouldn't just go with just anyone and to some effect I was flattered he asked me. We have done other fairly serious climbs together and we know how we work together. The fact the "complete north ridge" as defined as a summer climb had not been done in winter intrigued me. I had only done the upper ridge way back in 1986 and skipped the gendarme. I had always wanted to do the "complete" and figured wtf, winter is ok with me too. Frankly, I prefer mixed ice and rock alpine climbing. I also know that many very respected and quiet climbers have tried to put the whole thing together and to the best of our knowledge, nobody had even done the direct lower north ridge. I still don't know if anyone has done the upper direct north ridge where in my definition direct means you do the gendarme. To me all this banter doesn't really matter much to me. I have respect for all who have gone in there in winter and tried it. If the Canadians did the whole ridge with a variation start and skipped the gendarme, then maybe they can claim the first winter ascent of the entire north ridge. What still remains to be done is the first winter ascent of the "complete" north ridge. I know have a good idea of what to expect if I go back. It will be a great prize whether I'm first or not.

Paint fumes are aid.

I'm still convinced it was religion that had the most to do with Bush getteing re-elected. That is so %&^$#* scary it makes me angry. Either people chose to ignore or were ignorant to the fact that separation of church and state is fundemental to good government. Maybe because it is only on the rise with no obvious ill effects yet, it was ignored. It makes me wonder what grades the "reds" got in history! I found it interesting that further breakdown of King County voters by voting jurisdictions revealed Medina and other "very prominant communities" voted for Bush while the rest of the county carried Kerry. IOW, they voted their own pocket books. I have always maintained that Republicans (conservatives) are selfish and vote for themselves while Democracrats (liberals) embrace forward thinking that benefits future generations (their children). In a country (America) where nothing is ever fast enough and technology is supposed to solve all our problems, it is evident too many of us ask "how is the President going to help ME?" We obviously need another JFK to get us back on track. But who in their right mind would want to be president now? All we get are the same old cronies that pull the wool over our eyes and redirect (lie) our thinking from what is really going on to bogus issues that in the long run have nothing to do with being the President. The government has taken control of the people (patriot act)and it is up to the people to wrest it back. As long as unqualified citizens are allowed to vote, it will be difficult. Just like what we are doing to the environment, I fear it will be too late by the time we figure out what we are doing so wrong. We are too complacent really. Americans are pigs and consume way too much. Our whole existence is based on "what can I buy to make my life better?" That my friends is not healthy. But since when are Americans concerned about their health other than their "economic health?" We are a society of glutonous consumers who demand instant gratification. Is that not selfish? I am amazed when people are shocked when 31 Americans die in a single incident in Iraq. Is Vietnam, Korea or even WWII so far away we forget about the atrocities of those wars? What did we really expect? Our video games have truly affected the way we think. You can "die" and get up and fight again. Get real folks. War is hell. The war we need to wage is right here at home. We have so many problems right here that could be solved if we put 10% of our war expenditures into them! If we are going to be so selfish, why don't we do that? It's all about maintaining that lifestyle, isn't it? It's all about the oil.

A little bit of searching this board or just asking would have saved you a ton of "epic." I always feel so bad for anyone who ends up in the boulder field! It is so NOT the way to approach! Hopefully you figured out not to return that way too. You also should have known to bring snowshoes. Maybe next time we'll have the telepherique installed!

I don't think you have to be a "feminist" to "want to puke" because some people think an accomplishment by a woman appears to be more profound than the same accomplishment by a man. We have "first ascents", "first free ascents" and "first winter ascents" and thank god NOT "first woman ascents." Ironically it might just be some woman that will actually make a bigger deal out of the fact it was a woman who did this or that, and not necessarily the woman who did it but another woman who thinks it was a bigger accomplishment than a man's. Does that mean that woman is feeling repressed by the dominant paradigm that we as a society have no control over? Or is SHE truly a feminist? It seems to me that it is feminists themselves that always bring up the ideals of feminism (duh!). We can't ignore the fact that statistically there are fewer woman doing 8,000 meter peaks and so when one rattles off an impressive list like Wanda did, we can't help but notice it's a woman. That is what separates her from Joe Blow who isn't famous and quietly does the same. Perhaps we should blame the press for bringing the attention to the public it was a woman. And why are women with children criticized more harshly for climbing than men with children? I suspect it would be the "feminists" that would be the first to defend her. As long as people, men or woman or the press, make a big deal about the fact a woman did this or that, then the steps to the podium will always be an easy climb for feminists. If you don't like what feminists have to say you shouldn't be making a big deal out of anything a woman does. Do you think Lynn Hill is tired of everyone saying "the only free ascent of the nose was done by a woman?" I think Bob is a feminist!

No Forrest, you are not the only one with an older tranceiver. I have an older Ortovox, old enough that I don't know if I should replace it or not. It is one of the frist dual frequency kind. It seemed to be fine last year when I did some practice, but I don't have a clue if it's invisible to the newfangled models. I'm guessing I should put the money into a new one rather than have this one serviced as recommended above. Now I suppose I will get a plethora of opinions on which one is best!

I don't think you have to be a "feminist" to "want to puke" because some people think an accomplishment by a woman appears to be more profound than the same accomplishment by a man. We have "first ascents", "first free ascents" and "first winter ascents" and thank god NOT "first woman ascents." Ironically it might just be some woman that will actually make a bigger deal out of the fact it was a woman who did this or that, and not necessarily the woman who did it but another woman who thinks it was a bigger accomplishment than a man's. Does that mean that woman is feeling repressed by the dominant paradigm that we as a society have no control over? Or is SHE truly a feminist? It seems to me that it is feminists themselves that always bring up the ideals of feminism (duh!). We can't ignore the fact that statistically there are fewer woman doing 8,000 meter peaks and so when one rattles off an impressive list like Wanda did, we can't help but notice it's a woman. That is what separates her from Joe Blow who isn't famous and quietly does the same. Perhaps we should blame the press for bringing the attention to the public it was a woman. And why are women with children criticized more harshly for climbing than men with children? I suspect it would be the "feminists" that would be the first to defend her. As long as people, men or woman or the press, make a big deal about the fact a woman did this or that, then the steps to the podium will always be an easy climb for feminists. If you don't like what feminists have to say you shouldn't be making a big deal out of anything a woman does. Do you think Lynn Hill is tired of everyone saying "the only free ascent of the nose was done by a woman?" I think Bob is a feminist!

You can also check out the 3rd annual kid's rope up in 2005, date tba. Here's a report from the first annual. I have a link to shutterfly photos on one of my later posts. http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/231075/page//fpart/3/vc/1

Tell Don Whillans that! I have yet to find a girl who actually wants to have sex EVERY day!

As author of this thread, I am glad to see it revived in another year! So to keep the juices flowing, I offer the following video of a fight between a skier and boarder! Enjoy and feel free to comment, aka skiers kick boarder's ass! http://www.big-boys.com/articles/skiorboard.html

Doing the Haute route on snowshoes seems silly to me. There is definitely technical terrain and you will be exposed to crevasses, albeit there will be a trail to follow. There are some pretty big descents too! In July you will need them in spots so will have to carry them, along with crampons. If you're looking for a great tour in the mountains with your wife and want to stay in huts, I plead with your to consider the Dolomites. You can cover really fun technical ground without using belays on the via ferratta. At least you will have better weather too! Save the Haute Route for skiing! I've done both if you want more info.

Thats interesting because generally speaking fabric gets stronger when wet. A wet t-shirt will not rip nearly as easily as dry one!

And the BD buckle is still difficult to get tight (double back) with cold hands.... Besides that..... Just back from my local shoe repair guy (because he has the beefy sewing machine). I like to use BD ice clippers on both sides. On the right side the little built-in slots for the clippers are not in the appropriate place. The first available slot puts the clipper over the gear loop (stupid!). The second slot back is between the front and back gear loop, but for me WAY too far back. I put my clipper on the main strap between the two orange sewed on straps (one for gear loop) but that still put it over the gear loop. I wanted it even further forward (to match the left side). One of the other problems I had was the padded part of the harness was always sliding up or down from under the main strap and the strap dug in. So I have now sewed on a little restraining strap of 1" flat webbing about 1-1/2" from the end of the padded harness that the main strap goes through/under. This solves 2 problems. The padded part will now stay put under the strap and now I have a stable place for the ice clipper that is not over the gear loop and actually positioned where I want it, further forward. Perhaps some of you don't mind the ice clippers 1/2 way back around your waist so you really have to crank your torso to grab a screw, but I don't. With bulky winter clothes, I want them easy to grab. On the left side, I put the clipper in the first clipper slot and it's fine and far enough forward and not over the gear loop. But someone please tell me why they made the front gear loop on the left side smaller than the others? Maybe I'm just anal and like my shit perfect, but I think I've fixed it. If someone really wants, I'll post a photo!

I have the Blizzard harness. It amazes me how stupid some of the things on it are. I didn't realize them in the store when I bought it. If BD had sent me a prototype I could have told them what to fix after using it one day! It's like who the hell designs this shit and gets paid for it? If you want details, ask.

39 forever, baby!

Ketch and Congress, yes, I agree as I would hope most people would that taking in stuff with holes from wear and tear is not appropriate. But consider this. Last year, my OR gators had the velcro blow off for the second time. (The first time I re-sewed it on.) But if Or can't use strong thread or grab enough material where it gets sewn to have the velcro stay sewed on, that's a defect imo. So yes, my gators had crampon holes that I had patched myself, but that is not why I brought them back. Likewise I have pants that have holes in them I have patched. That is not the reason I have sent them in for repair or replacement. But sewn seams are blowing apart all over and not because I have gotten fat. It's like the thread has suddenly rotted!And what if your goretex delams after 10 years? Get off the holes and normal wear and tear (abuse) stuff. I'm asking what is "lifetime" for delam gortex, thread rotting, snaps breaking, velcro coming off, gortex leaking, stuff that comes apart NOT as a result of user abuse, just normal use?

Glad to hear you're relatively ok. Just goes to show shit happens to good climbers on easy climbs. I imagine the ice was way more brittle on Friday than Sunday. I'm curious if you remember making a tool placement directly horizontal to another one? How about a report of your injuries? Sounds like you got poked somewhere? Hope you're back on the horse soon!