Thomas

In response to claim that Canadians are fond of "Dubage" (I prefer the term herb), I think it has a lot to do with the fact that if you are caught growing herb in Canada, you do not lose your house and go to jail for 15 years like one would in the USA, due to your minimum sentencing laws etc. Often a grower in Canada will simply have his equipment confiscated and may face a financial penalty depending on the quantity grown. Unless there are weapons charges involved, it is unlikely the grower will see any jail time at all. Besides herb is one of the most benign substances known to man. Legalise the weed, I say. What have I started........

Haven't even tried to find ice on the island. I just suck it up and drive to Golden or LittleWet. No partners up there anyhow. Know of any Forest Companies in the Fraser Valley that are hiring? No....I didn't think so.....oh well

RE Waterworks. I was talking to a friend about it today and he agreed that what I was referring to was the essondale routes. Never been to the area with a guidebook, always with a friend from Field, who apparently doesn't know the names of the local routes. So what is waterworks? Grade 3? I'm only biding my time in Port Alice until the Americans (GO AMERICA!) stop slandering our forest industry and start buying our wood.

Hey Dru, I think Waterworks is about 500 m east of Pretty Nuts. Park on west side of the first bridge east of Golden, and hike under bridge along train tracks for less than five minutes and you can see the ice on the north side of the tracks. Its just east of the Asylum (featured in Beyond Gravity), if that helps any.

Just a quick note to report what we found in the Rockies, from Dec 27th to Dec 29th/2001. The ice in Golden is thin, and chandeliered, compared to previous years. It has been very cold (-20 cel.) and dry, so the routes are not getting any fatter either. A forecasted warming trend will get some more moisture moving through the system. Until then I wouldn't plan on any trips to this area. In field, Carlsberg Column (or Pilsner Pillar, not sure which one) has not touched down. The other one looked real sketchy. The ice at the back of Lake Louise is in much better shape. Louise Falls is in reasonable shape, and the pillar has been climbed lately (but not by us). There was lots of water on the route and it is rapidly getting fatter. Other climbers reported thin conditions in Canmore as well. Best of luck!

Captain caveman, You state that the US keeps Canada around "for the hash production". First of all, hash is not commercially produced in Canada. Canadians only grow the finest hydroponic marijuana available. Hash is a low grade hemp product typically produced in third world countries such as Morocco. I know you Americans are lied to by your own government, so I just thought I would clear that up. As for Canadians being "limp wristed", well, that really hurts...... Thomas

American beer is good, and Canadian beer is 'piss colored sissy stuff'??? To think that all these years I've had it totally backwards.....Coors light (the silver bullet) must be the good stuff then? Thomas

Aidan, With respect to that "looming ice cliff", I remember crossing a huge crevasse once we were on top of the summit ice cap. It looked as if a 'HUGE' piece of the ice cap was ready to scrape the North Ridge off of the mountain. As far as objective danger, that piece has probably been waiting to go for a long time. I would be more worried about the avalanche danger from the Coleman Headwall. Philfort mentions stomping a trail the afternoon before, but be wary as we saw a massive wet snow avalanche come off of the Coleman Headwall and travel a fair distance across the glacier the afternoon we got to the glacier. I agree with Eric that the route could (should) go as a single push from the parking lot. No point in carrying a tent (and associated gear) for only a couple hours sleep. Thomas

I climbed the North Ridge a few years ago in early May, so its not too early to be planning a trip. We camped on the coleman glacier and headed across the glacier around 2 am or so. Even with the early start we didn't reach the summit until around noon. It's a long route. I felt that one of the cruxes was simply navigating our way across the Coleman glacier. There are some huge crevasses, and picking the ideal line through them in the early morning light is difficult. The actual ridge itself is very straight forward. There's lots of steep snow, but nothing too serious (avg 45 deg). We only had one axe each and it wasn't too bad, as only a pitch and a half (or so) were alpine ice (grade 2 to 2+), but that was early May. If I did it again I'd definitely bring Ice tools though. The exposure on the Ridge is minimal, but the views are fantastic. It's a great route, one that I'll always remember. Hope your trip works out. Thomas

My vote goes to the Petzl ecrin roc. No other helmet I have seen can adjust size as quickly. Quick size adjustment is very handy for Ice/Alpine climbing when you take your toque (fleece hat, y'all) off or put it on.

Hey Mike and Rob, Thanks for the beta about girth-hitching slings. I didn't realise that it would reduce the strength of slings that much. I have typically used girth-hitched slings to reach around large trees at the top of a route. I wouldn't consider doing it in a situation where the anchor system must be strong enough to absorb the impact of a lead fall. As Justin mentioned, a cordelette is great for most anchor situations. knowing is half the battle.......

As far as I know (??) there is nothing wrong with girth hitching two slings together. I have done it lots myself. It uses less gear than connecting 2 (or more)slings with a 'biner, and should make for a more secure anchor system, as there are fewer 'links in the chain' (without the connecting 'biner). Ideally you would have the right length sling for the situation, but that rarely happens, unless you're clippin' bolted stations. Does anyone out there have any arguments for not girth hitching slings together??? Hope this helps you out. Thomas

I personally think that an amazing route on Mt.Baker is the North Ridge. An amazing position between two large glaciers. It does require some ability to climb technical ice however, but can be ascended with only one axe in early season (done it, not recommended). The Coleman Glacier route on Baker is popular and has been ascended by four legged animals. Both Routes are covered in one of Fred Beckey's Cascade guidebooks, not sure what volumes (there are 3, I think). Also the guidebook 'Selected Climbs in the Cascades' by Nelson and Potterfield covers the routes. Hope this helps, Thomas

I was wondering if anyone out there knew if the road up to Heliotrope Ridge (the glacier creek road I think) is passable by 2wd. I am planning to head up there before the end of April, but it's a bit of drive for me, otherwise I'd check out the road conditions myself. Any beta would be appreciated, Thomas

In regards to the Freney, a buddy of mine has them and they often destroy his feet on anything but short approaches. I still have nightmares about the heel blisters he has received as a result of those boots. And they don't seem to get better with time. Another friend has the Salomons and loves them. I'm a La Sportiva fan myself. Check out the K3's, they climb and hike great. I have a wide, yet low volume foot, if that's any help to you.

I'd like to comment on the topic of tool tubes vs the 'old school' loop system of lashing tools. I have the 'alpine patch' for the Arc'teryx Khamsin 50 (great pack), but I am not at all fond of the tool tubes. I always seem to be slower breaking out my tools or stowing my tools than my friends that have the 'old school' system. Its also way more fiddly, something to consider when your fingers are so cold they don't fuction well anymore. I think tool tubes are an example of some engineer fixing something that wasn't broken to begin with. The regular system is as fast as tool tubes (or faster) and it's ligher to boot. The simpler the better imo.

Are climbers in the Himalaya's not ethical for using local porters? My question is 'why are climbing styles that are 'OK' in one region of the world considered to be not ethical in another?' In today's small world there is bound to be some blending of local ethics. Maybe porters on Cascade Volcanoes are a sign of the future to come. (As an aside, I once humped loads for another party in the bugaboos as a way to get some cash to extend my climbing trip. Was that ethical??)

In response to the question as to why it was bad to clip double (half) ropes to the same biner; The answer (as I understand it) is that if you start out the pitch clipping separate (double/half) ropes to different pieces of pro, and then clip both ropes to a single piece, there will be different amounts of slack in each rope. If you were to fall at this point, or above for that matter, then the individual ropes would pull through the 'biner at different rates of speed. The friction of the two ropes against each other can damage the ropes significantly. I have clipped both (half) ropes to the same pieces on runout ice pitches, however I think that you should be consistent in your clipping style, so that the ropes experience similar conditions during a fall if they are clipped to the same piece. But that's just my opinion.....

Most people oppose timber harvesting in the National Forests, and yet the users of the forests don't want to pay for the resource to be preserved in its natural state. Will the taxpayers (that don't directly use the forests) want to pay for its preservation? Unlikely. Without funding, the quality of the management of National Forests will be greatly diminished. And don't think that the forests don't need management. If you value the forests as they are, management is required to ensure that they continue to produce these values, whether it be scenic quality or clean water. Why are the users of the forest not willing pay to use the Forest Resource? Is it just because it has been traditionally 'free'? Effective Forest Management requires resources and funding. The money has to come from somewhere. [This message has been edited by Thomas (edited 03-15-2001).]

Has anyone out there climbed Mt. Atwell? We are contemplating whether to climb the South (south-west?) ridge or to do the north ridge from Garibaldi? Any beta would be helpful.

Has anyone been up the road to heliotrope ridge (coleman glacier access) lately? Is it snow free? Does anyone know what time of year you can usually get a 2wd up the road. Thanks for the help.

Lilloet Ice Conditions can be checked out at the Climbers Access Society of BC Website. The reports are updated weekly. www.bivouac.com/casbc/ice0001.htm

I'd like to put in a plug for Vertical Reality in Surrey, British Columbia. There are already a few Americans that make the drive up, as it is only 20 minutes north of the Peace Arch border crossing. Day rates are $14 Can., which is only like $8 US, eh! Its one of the nicest gyms around, leather couches, carpeted floor with 4" of gymnastic foam, and all routes are leadable. There's also lots of bouldering to be had. Check it out. (604) 594-0664 [This message has been edited by Thomas (edited 12-15-2000).]

The Elfin Lakes Hut is a very popular destination in the winter, so don't expect to be up there alone. The lower hut, Red Heather, is only a day-use hut and overnight use is not recommended. There is an overnight fee for use of the Elfin Lakes hut, and expect crowds. The routes on Garibaldi are described in "A Guide to Climbing and Hiking in Southwestern BC" by Bruce Fairly. The guidebook states that the east face of Garibaldi can be ascended in 6 hours from the hut, with no technical difficulty. However, from personal experience the guidebook times are a bit on the fast side. The parties that I know of have taken 3 days car to car.