climbing gear

[jasonbloker]

Hi all, I have gone up hood by my self about a dozen times I am planing on taking some newbies up with me this year and I want to do Ranier among others and I want to know what gear i should invest in ...right now all I have is an ice axe, shovel, crampons, gps, compass, radio, 4 season tent, -15 bag, pad, small butane stove and titanium mess kit oh yeah and good climbing boots.... what else would you sugest and with those sugestions what should I keep in mind when shopping.... thanks for any input...

[TrogdortheBurninator]

A rope, carabiners, prusiks, wands (depending on route), and a copy of "Freedom of the Hills" to make sure you know how to use em.

[mountainmatt]

Do you have any technical gear? Rope? Snow stakes? What routes are you talking about doing?

[jasonbloker]

I have read freedom of the hills sevral times from cover to cover.... and as for technical gear no I have none I will start with the easiest routes until I get my skills up a bit....

[ericb]

Have you ever set up a pulley system to pull someone out of a crevasse?

[jasonbloker]

not yet but planed on doing that as practice up on Hood before going up ranier or any other routes of hood other than the south side...

[jhamaker]

I, personnaly am not fond of compressed gas stoves below about 20 degrees F.

 

If melting snow, a big pot. 1L/person. i.e. a team of three might carry a 3L pot.

 

Yes, everyone practice z-pully (even though there is just one crevasse/bercherund I've seen on the Hogsback rt)

 

Person most likely to fall is lowest on the rope (or sometimes middle), last person in line is most likey to be the one setting up the z-pully

 

Don't rope up unless your travel system can hold a fall (place pro or unrope on the steeps)

 

Puncture proof sleeping pad when on snow

 

Wide-mouth insulated waterbottles

 

plastic boots for winter, or supergaitors/overboots over leather

 

balaclava

 

waxy coating for exposed skin (dermatone, chapstick)

 

brain

 

experience in bad weather

 

clothing of course, wind and waterproof

 

Avy kit when in avalanche terrain (shovel, beacons, probes, dynamite)

 

If you are patient and a good internet shopper good deals can be had. Usually about a month after you realy need it. (shop now for summer items)

[jhamaker]

I, personnaly am not fond of compressed gas stoves below about 20 degrees F.

 

If melting snow, a big pot. 1L/person. i.e. a team of three might carry a 3L pot.

 

Yes, everyone practice z-pully (even though there is just one crevasse/bercherund I've seen on the Hogsback rt)

 

Person most likely to fall is lowest on the rope (or sometimes middle)

 

Don't rope up unless your travel system can hold a fall (place pro or unrope on the steeps)

 

Puncture proof sleeping pad when on snow

 

Wide-mouth insulated waterbottles

 

plastic boots for winter, or supergaitors/overboots over leather

 

balaclava

 

waxy coating for exposed skin (dermatone, chapstick)

 

brain

 

experience in bad weather

 

clothing of course, wind and waterproof

 

Avy kit when in avalanche terrain (shovel, beacons, probes, dynamite)

 

If you are patient and a good internet shopper good deals can be had. Usually about a month after you realy need it. (shop now for summer items)

[jasonbloker]

help....I had someone pm me but it got deleted before I read it could you please pm me again....... thank you

[Bug]

OK here's the lecture; Raineer is big and bad. There are crevasses on every route and you cannot predict where they will be based on someone else's experience unless you go up there on the same day or right after.

The weather can turn ugly fast and give you conditions you would expect in far more exotic places.

People freeze to death hanging in crevasses waiting to get pulled out. They are cold cracks in Ice. Willy Usoeld died on the easiest route up there. Don't underestimate it.

I envy you going up there for the first time. You will have a blast and be humbled. It passes as you move upward.

But looking up from 10k on that first trip is awesome.

Take the ropes and pickets and pulleys and make everyone on the team learn how to use them. It will probably be the only time you do but it will save a lot of time if a gaper eats you. Time in a crevass is deadly. Keep your wits. move efficiently and know your plan all the way through. The alternative is nasty.

[beer_factor]

Helmet would be a good idea, too

[jonmf76]

For anything more serious, I'd suggest a better stove. The MSR XG-K is pretty much a standard on high mountains. I would go where it is cold without it. Field maintainable, multi-fuel, a work horse.

 

The other thing which may have already been mentioned is crevasse rescue gear- minimum 3 pulleys, at least one ascender (Jumar or otherwise), carabiners locking and non-locking..

 

A bivy sack

 

Pickets and/or snow flukes

 

Probe

 

Avalanche Beacon

 

Cell phone

 

Satellite phone (if you can afford it: $750 at REI right now)

 

shall I go on?

 

Remember to never get over confident in the mountains.

[billcoe]

Adding to some pretty good comments up there: IMO, for what you are doing, before you get to pickets and deadmens, I would train train train on self arrests and boot-axe belays until your muscles are totally trashed. You and your buddies. I always tried to avoid tying in with anyone who hadn't spent at least a day practicing this.

 

Training on self arrests may best be achieved by tying in at the base of a nice, steep, good run-out slope (a steep canyon with no rocks at the base, but a gentle u-shape for instance) and having 3 or 4 buddies - after you've hiked up the thing a bit, with no warning - run backwards as fast and as sudden as they can, in unison, trying to pull you off. You then need to practice getting into postion fast and stopping them as they continue to pull.

 

Knowing this alone will work wonders for your confidence. I think, (but I've never used one as they came in after I'd pretty much stopped doing big mountains) if you can figure out a GPS unit and how to navigate with it alone, you pretty much have every Mt. safetly cruised if you head up in good conditions. I'd still take a compass, map and altimeter in case the GPS tweaks in bad weather.

 

I totally agree with the helmet comment. I own 2 and although I rarely ever use them rock climbing although I sometimes carry them a bit on the pack, I NEVER get on or near a mountain without having one on my head at all times unless I'm sleeping. Rocks and ice will show up and wizz by suddenly with alacity at very strange times.

 

Practice hiking with a heavy load too, I've know runners who could race 15 miles who would get trashed walking less than a mile in ankle deep snow with 30 lbs on their backs, and your conditioning is a critical thing you cannot ignore in the mountains.

 

The comment on using your brain is soooooo true.

[jonmf76]

billcoe makes an excellent point about self arrest. Most mountaineering classes cover this but how many of the students really come away feeling confident with it? Not many it always seems. Yet on a big mountain in steep terrain it is usually the first thing on my mind if I think I might fall. In high winds I carry my ax head in my hand with shaft across my body with the other end in my other hand, already in the self arrest position. And I have used this to self arrest many times on really steep terrain in high winds with a large pack.