Marko

You oughtta know, eh Jim...

"I would also doubt the possibility of ice crytals coming though a First Light tent wall." We doubted it too for the first half day.

Yeah, for sure the bigger tent for the multi-week trips.

One December trip into Stuart, at the north ridge notch, we watched ice crystals get blown through the Firstlight fabric and build up inside. Gusts were not much over 40-45 knots but the white stuff was coming in through the walls, not just through the closed zippers. Glad we had synthetic bags... That being said, I'd definitely bring one for a climb of less than a few days where you can watch and wait and then blitz up the route before the shit moves in. Hopefully. Really hopefully. For a route requiring more than that, you're probably going to get nailed by some weather and I would personally rather bring the ID bivy tent instead of the Firstlight. The Leaktex or whatever-Tex bivy tents I've had in the past were incredibly bombproof; good for Alaska trips with a compatible partner. -M

Sweet!

That was fun. Now I know what all you freaks are talking about when you say it's "creeeeeeemmmmy!" Ego snow. It was deluxe for the top 600' anyway. -M

Yeah, the snow will probably be sloppy this afternoon but that's the time I've got... Wayne?

Way to be Energizer, you definitely ain't gathering no moss!

Holy frikkin' Christ that's scary shit. Very glad you're all OK. That's one sobering photo.

Once again-- Freakin' stellar work down there, duderino!

Please delete

Well, not knowing your experience with the mighty Stutgart or how much time you have to spend up there... Skiing into the north side is great until you leave the trail, then snowshoes are easier (for my ski skills anyway). I've usually used showshoes and have even walked in a couple times in good conditions. From the meadow below the north side you can easily access the Sherpa Glacier route (nontechnical steep snow or neve) or the Stuart Glacier Couloir (somewhat technical especially once on the W Ridge) or the upper N Ridge (similar to SGC but more rock) or stuff like Girth Pillar and the lower N Ridge (rather technical). The NW Face route would be pretty cool I bet. To access the south side you can ski up Ingalls Creek and then ski up the SE route, or snowmobile and/or ski the road past Salmon la Sac and then cruise up the endless avi slopes to Ingalls Pass. I gotta say though that the north side is one amazing place in winter, go there man. But not after a big dump, it's friggin' heartbreaking. Gearwise; let's say 1 axe and a short tool (or 2 tools I suppose) for the first 2 routes, add a couple screws and a small rock rack for the SGC. A medium rock rack for the upper N Ridge, no pins or screws. Lots of aluminum and a bit of steel for the other routes, and a couple screws for getting up on the Ice Cliff Glacier. And crampons all around of course. Have a blast! -M

Contact ranger Joe Reichert at NPS Denali. He's done Fairweather from the sea; I don't know what route though. And he's a great guy, he'll be stoked to give you beta. Tell him Mark 'Ramenless' sent you.

Dachstein mitts are surprisingly dexterous as far as mitts go since they're only one layer and thinner than insulated mittens; they're very warm, they dry from the inside outward when you're wearing them, and they're easy to take off for gear fiddling and then fairly easy to put back on. When the shit hits the fan and all else fails I've always fallen back on the Dachsteins. And they're cool looking. Sort of.

A dicey icefall, poor conditions, and lotsa snow.

Dartwins, and they're lighter. I like 'em but they need the aftermarket duct tape antibots.

Only because it is... Sincerely, "...yocal lardman Mark Bunker..."

Or just cut with a knife, dress up the end with the red hot burner, and then quench the end in a cup of water.

I'm game for tomorrow (Sunday), anyone? -Mark

That's a much better article, with the killer graphics!

What Selkirk said for sure, along with: Bevel the sides of the pick's teeth for the first 1.5", and dull the tips of the teeth a bit. This'll make it much easier to disengage the teeth from the ice. This made all the difference with the BD picks I've had. And what Andy Kirkpatrick says: http://www.psychovertical.com/?winterbooster

If you're interested, I've got one of these in a gold color: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442622282&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699049&bmUID=1191371416393 Size large I think (I'll check tonight), perfect shape, tags are still on it. $280 or so. -M

Welllllll, here's one thing that definitely works, but can be kinda dicey... Cayenne pepper on the toes! It keeps the circulation up no problem, but you really know it if you put on too much. Unfortunately you won't know it until after you've been pushing for a little while. Maybe a wee bit combined with one of the more conventional (sane) methods would do the trick.

She ain't the latest or the greatest but she still gets around just fine: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=32000&cat=500&ppuser=169

Wonderful!