Rodchester

Make it third or fourth weekend in Sept. Sounds fun..

Just in case you were unaware... Second Bounce in Fremont has closed its doors....and reopened in Ballard as Second Ascent (next to the Tractor Tavern). Same gang with the same great deals in a bteer location with more room. I stopped by the other day and it is a really great store. Want to sell your gear you don't use anymore...second ascent rocks. Anyway I just wanted to pass that info on in case anyone was heading to Second Bounce.

Better idea...don't use them. When your crampons ball up take them off. It works, it doesn't cost anything extra, and it works too.

Cliff, If you are a backpacker crossing snowfields i would say use the aluminum. Sure the aluminum will wear out WAY faster than steel. Sure if you run them over racks all the time they will get beat up. But so what if they get beat up. If you are crossing snowfields then a section of rock then back onto snowfields everyday for a year, yes they will wear out fast. Sounds to me like you are not doing that daily. The weight saved is GREAT. I bet with your use they will last YEARS. Go Light Good luck

Has anyone ever used Granite Gear packs? I was looking at an alpine climbing pack and thought it looked interesting. It has tool tubes, a good crampon patch, and a very light frame (Crabon sheet). It is also fairly light and a good size for the Cascades. Anyone have actual experience with this pack (Nimbus Apline) or other Granite Gear packs? http://www.granitegear.com/products/backpacks/nimbus/alpine/index.shtml

If a route was orignally put up as a trad route...it should stay as a trad route. If a route was put up as a sport route it should stay as a sport route.

I'm not stopping under the original posted circumstances. You go into the wild, and have to go in the wild, you do so with the risk of being seen. It is a whole different thing if it is around a camp site, etc., but ON the trail? I'm coming through. Semper pissing. Stay at home.

We don't piss in your pool, so don't piss on our trail.

Semper Pissing

Just keep on walking!!! Screw her and the husband. Seriously, does she think she owns the trial? She and her husband should stay in Seattle, get off the trail, or expect others to walk on by......

If a route was orignally put up as a trad route...it should stay as a trad route. If a route was put up as a sport route it should stay as a sport route. If a sport climber can't climb trad, he can't climb the route. In turn, if a trad climber doesn't want to clip bolts, he stays off the sporto routes. First ascentionist should decide. I am not thrilled with the chopping and the additude sucks worse...but the bolting of a traditional route is THE WRONG ANSWER.

I do agree that on water ice contacts rock, but in mountaineering you havce to wear glacier glasses anyway...why not prescription?

Bronco, Does the BD Ice Pack have a suspension of any type? I thought it had a very basic two stay system? I know the old Mixed-Master, which the ice pack replaced, had a very light simple system that allowed you to actually carry weight on the frame (hips) as opposed to the "rucksack" mentality (shoulders). I could swear that the Ice Pack had a frame...but if you own it and it doesn't, I trust you. If you can find an old TNF jetstream, it is a great alpine pack. Very lightweight yet still has a frame. Tools tubes, and a real crampon pocket make it sweet. It carries loads to 50 lbs with NO problem. The large is 53 liters and the reg was 50 liters.

specialed, I would be cautious on any eye surgery. You are right that MOST of the research has been done on the older radial caritotimy (SP?). There simply has not been enough research on newer surgieries like Lasix. Your budy at 19,000 was likely there for summit and then descended to 16,000 or so, correct? Point is, is that usually the real problems come with a sustained stay. So if you plan on hitting things in the Himalaya, 7000 meters and up, you will likley spend a large part of time at basecamps located at 18,000 ft and up. Then more time at higher camps. This is where MOST of the problems have occurred. So if you plan on staying in the uSA and maybe nailing some Andean peaks, you SHOULD be fine. There is a risk and it is not proven. Simple fact is, you cannot undo it. I plan on doing Cho oyo next fall, glad I haven't have it done. my send set of pennies....

mtnrgr, A note on Lasix and other surgeries. If you wish to do high altitude mountaineering I would NOT get it done. For a quick reference see Beck Weathers, in Krakauer's "into thin air." Further research, funded by the AAC has shown there to be problems with many of the yee surgeries at altitude. I believe it has to do with pressure, but it has been a year since I read the last study excerpt. As far as skydiving goes, no problem. It does take a bit of time for the eye to shut down from the problem. If I recall correctly, it can really vary on the person and their eyes, and the surgery (amount of shaping required). Anyway with skydiving you rarely go over 10,000 and almost never over 14,000. There is one place south of Tuscon AZ that will routinely take you to 14,000. Your total time at altitude is minutes. Now if you are talking about SF HALO Oxygen jumps you may have a problem. But I doubt SF/Delta would take anyone for a HALO team that has had the surgery anyway. When I tried out for Delta it was clear that you had to have 20/20 uncorrected. While SF was 20/20 corrected with some limitations (I think 20/60 uncorrected with astigmatism) and no surgeries. Granted that was quite some time ago. Anyway good luck...

When I went to Ranger school I had to walk to school in three feet of snow with no shoes, up hill both ways. Actually it was hotter than a half-fucked fox in a forest fire. 11-88

A topic near and dear to me. I have tried all of the ways, contacts, prescription glacier glasses, and ski goggles over glasses. 1) As far as mountainering goes, contacts suck. Too much care, get too dirty, and dry out at higher altitudes. I know some people who still use contacts, but most I know have abandoned them. 2) Ski goggles over glasses, good in winter bad all other times. Fog up and too damn hot. 3) Prescription glasses are the way to go. I have worn them for years. I originally owned a pair of the basic round julbos. Got them for $40 and put prescription lenses in them. I am not sure about the suggestion of "high altitude" lenses. I have taken mine to 19 & 20 on more than a few occasions with no problem. Get 95% to 100% UV a b c protection and a dark lens with low light transmission. The package on CEBE gives the tranmsion ratio. I just ordered a new pair today actaully. Also get them with plastic lenses with anti-scratch coating. I have had my lenses done twice for $60.00 plus tax. Total price for $100.00. No need to pay more for fancy shit. Trust me, it is liberating to have the glasses. Then keep one pair of contacts and cheapo glacier glasses as a back up. good luck

I just lie...anything has to work better than the truth. Peace on earth and at home.

Cone on Wil...don't take it personally.

You know one thing climbing has taught me...there is always someone better than you. Usually a lot better. If they are assholes just ignore them. Another thing to keep in mind on this site. The tone and delivery in a posting is often lost and comes off as more pised off then the poster actually is. Don't take this shit personal. And again ignore the assholes. I have some friends that climb at...well lets just say world class level. Comparably, I am a novice and we talk climbing all the time. Climbing isn't divided up by skill level. It is you agianst, or with, your objective. Not against other climbers. That is one major reason why climbing (mountaineering and alpine anyway) is not a true sport. So Wil, what you want to talk about?

I'd say they are just really lazy. It takes less energy to just lie. Then they don't have to find out the truth. Or expose their own lack of knowledge or inability to comprehend the knowledge. Next, if Homer Simpson isn't lost they don't have to work. Lazy, lieing, bastards. What this comes down to is that anyone with experience knows you outright ignore anything and everything thing they say. In fact I don't even ask much any more. Then they wonder why we don't listen to them.

OK - So I have a buddy (fairly novice) who is doing a traverse of the Wind River Range. He will hit four big peaks, Jackson, Fremiont, Sacagawea, and Gannett. All routes are fairly simple mountaineering routes with some scrambling, so they will carry little in the way of "trad" gear. The trip will last 7-8 days (yes, it could be done in four by Alex Lowe/Carlos Buhler types). I have always been quite successful at keeping my pack weight down to a minimum. My friend on the other hand seems to go heavy. He has e-mailed me and asked for some pointers on going light. So the question is: What are some ways to cut your pack weight on this type of trip? Put another way, what are somethings we see others carry that can be left behind? My initial response to him was that most people seem to carry: 1) Too much food 2) Too much extra clothes 3) Too much knick-nack crap gear (Candle lanterns, crampon bags, etc.) So what do you think?

Viktor = agree on Nelson, good guy, bit odd but mostly in a good sense, straight shooter. fleblebleb: "13 years old -5 degree synthetic bag (still going strong, I think it's made of steel)" Holy shit batman...13 years? It must be a 60 degree bag by now. (Tupperware) Then again, the orginal synthetics tended to last considerably longer but were heavier and less compressible than they are today. "I like to sleep on snow in a bivi bag, which can make for pretty bad condensation, wet toeboxes etc. so I figured I'd stick to synthetics." I assume on a mattress/ thermarest/ ridgerest? If so I still think it is time to get down brother. "Any good or bad experiences with primaloft?" Integral designs is one of the quiet companies out there that make very good products at damn good prices. Usually very simple and lightweight. RE: Primaloft. It has a reputation as being the lightest and most compressible of the synthetics...and the quickest to breakdown. Actually you don't see it used much anymore. It was very common in coats and gloves. 2 cents on that. "Can anyone suggest one or two down bags I could check out that are comparable to the renaissance in terms of warmth" Best down = Feathered friends. Marmot makes some excellent bags as well. Also, if you can get your hands on a Moonstone 800-fill they loft up with the best of them. Best for the money = -5 REI Downtime with Elements. To carry the weight and bulk or not to carry the weight and bulk? That is the question. My 2 cents and your decision. Good Luck

DPS, I can appreciate synthetic in those types of situations. But still a good truely waterproof stuff sack would have prevented that. Nothing fancy either. For the average joe (or josephine) cascade climber...it is time to get down brother!!! But point taken on keeping down dry...it is a must.

Bake a pie, eat a pie. Al Bundy