Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Apache Plume
Monday, December 29, 2014
Shifter Placement on a Mixte: an Aesthetic and Functional Challenge
While I cannot offer a solution that would suit everyone's tastes, I wanted to share the methods I know of and the pros and cons of each, as I see them. How have you set up the shifters on your mixte, and are you happy with them in terms of user-friendliness and looks?
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Light weight kit?
This from a blog reader today,
"Sorry to go off topic, but from looking at your pack contents photo, there were a few pieces of kit that could be substituted to lower the weight/bulk.Swap the GSI cookset, Snowpeak stove and MSR canister for a Jetboil Sol Ti cook system plusa 100g gas canister. Swap your BD krabs for DMM i-beam versions, eg Spectre 2 or Alpha Trad? Finally you could swap the friends for the new 'Helium' version, the Reverso 3 for the 4, and maybe even the harness for an Arc'teryx M270. All
together I think you would be saving over a pound in weight. What are your
thoughts"
Thoughts? Good idea :) I thought it worth weighing the suggestion, Jon :)
1. Jetboil stove 258g
100g fuel can 196g (110g fuel)
Snow Peak stove 128g
GSI cook kit 162g
MSR can 374g (227g fuel)
My kit is 32g heavier (fuel cell sizes change depending on the project)
But bigger fuel cells are slightly more efficient for what you carry in fuel
My Snow Peak stove and cook kit are way smaller/less bulk over all than a Jetboil
2. DMM Spectra 2 biner 32g
DMM Alpha Trad biner 34g
BD OZ biner 28g
Trango Super Fly 30g
with 25 biners my kit is 100g lighter or more
3. Helium Friend [1] 3.35 oz [2] 3.84 oz [3] 5.11 oz
Rigid stem Friend [1] 3.1 oz; [2] 3.80 oz; [3] 5.00 oz (sewn Spectra slings)
Carry only five cams and I am at least 25g lighter
4. Reverso 4 56g (edit of correct weights on my scale)
Reverso 3 78g
same here
5. Petzl Hirundos 315g in a large
Arcteryx M270 310g in a large
5g heavier here
Total difference in weight between the suggested kit and mine?
I am 63g lighter if not more from Jon's suggestions. Or 2.2 oz :)
I don't doubt the Jetboil is a better stove than the Snow Peak but I normally usea MSR Reactor if I want a "real" stove. I like the Snow Peak because of the verysmall volume it takes up in my pack. A full pound savings was being very optimistic on Jon's part. But you never know so I took the time to weigh what I have hereand make a side by side comparison. I have both Helium and older rigid stem Friends and already knew what the result would be there. Take the time to weigh and know what you have in your own pack. Jon, thanks again for the suggestion!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Still Climbing
So as many of you might have noticed our updates have been kind of few and far between lately. We've had some pretty hard times this summer and this site has felt the effects of tired rangers. We as a group definitely want to extend our thanks to everyone that has supported our program and what we do here at Rainier throughout this summer. Your positive support is greatly appreciated!
As we enter the backside of August, a time when climbers start to shy away from Rainier for many reasons, we just want to say that Rangers are still up there climbing, staffing high camps, training (still) with some new and very exciting rescue techniques and pretty much around to serve you for a while still. The standard routes are holding up great right now, with the DC staying as direct as it can for late August and the Emmons holding solid all the way up the Winthrop. Many of the non standard routes such as Mowich Face and Edmunds Headwall, to name a couple, seem to be in really good shape up high still, access over the bergschrunds seem to be the major cruxes. The weather looks good for a late summer adventure, so come on out and get some!

As we enter the backside of August, a time when climbers start to shy away from Rainier for many reasons, we just want to say that Rangers are still up there climbing, staffing high camps, training (still) with some new and very exciting rescue techniques and pretty much around to serve you for a while still. The standard routes are holding up great right now, with the DC staying as direct as it can for late August and the Emmons holding solid all the way up the Winthrop. Many of the non standard routes such as Mowich Face and Edmunds Headwall, to name a couple, seem to be in really good shape up high still, access over the bergschrunds seem to be the major cruxes. The weather looks good for a late summer adventure, so come on out and get some!

Monday, December 22, 2014
Steven's Pass Ski ..
First ski of the season. (Or about four months, ten days since my last ski.) I couldn't get a mid-week partner, but figured it would be safe enough to poach at Steven's Pass. The ski area is planning on opening on Friday, and I had seen a few trip reports reporting an adequate snow pack. The trip reports I saw for Hyak didn't appear as promising.
I left Seattle casually after 8am figuring that would give the DOT some time to clear the road. By the time I got to the pass, it was sunny and there was a bit of slush on the road, so nothing to worry about.
The scene when I arrived
I geared up in the parking lot where there were already 30+ cars! I guess many others had the same idea. I hiked up the stairs and walked in the snow a bit before putting my skis on. The snow was already fairly tracked out from previous days. (Probably Sunday.) So I went in search of fresh tracks by skinning under the Skyline Chair and eventually reaching the top of the Brooks Chair in a half hour or so. I transitioned at the top of the chair. Four months is plenty of time to get a little rusty transitioning. I then turned the skis downhill to go nowhere. The lower angle and deep unconsolidated snow was sticky. (Those factors combined with a need for a wax.) I worked my way to a slightly steeper section and mostly headed straight downhill without turning. It was the only way to keep up speed. Then I jumped back on a cat track for a bit before trying some other slope near the bottom. While I didn't fall, things were not smooth, and I wouldn't exactly say I enjoyed the run. So I decided to try something different on the next lap.
The next lap had me skinning to near the top of the Hogsback Lift. Once near the top, I decided to turn around and head down before getting into terrain I didn't want to be in. On the way up and from where I transitioned, I could see plenty of rocky areas that did not have good coverage, and I wanted to avoid those. So I ended up riding a cat track almost all the way down from my transition with a slight excursion into the powder near the bottom. Once again, the deeper untracked snow proved slow and unenjoyable. The time was now 12:30pm. I wanted to get one more run in that I really could enjoy. So I transitioned to skinning and headed up.
Dork
This time I headed up near the Big Chief Chair, skinning up the Showcase run. It was fairly tracked from early in the day as well as days earlier. (There were about 25 teenage boys with snowboards running up the slope to catch turns. They were also building kickers near the bottom of the slope.) I went up the slope for almost 30 minutes and decided to turn around at a flatter section of slope so I would not have to attempt to ski down this slower low angle area. During my transition I was joined by one of the teenage snowboarders. We had a chat about whether the ski area could kick us out or not and then he took his ride down. I followed shortly afterward on what was my favorite run of the day! Unfortunately, I was looking to get home and get my skis to the shop for a wax as I hope to get out later this week. So I headed to the car after ending on a high note.
Closing shot
Overall, I enjoyed my day out. The weather was mostly sunny, and fairly warm. (High was supposed to be 33°) I skinned in a light base layer and shell pants. I put on a shell jacket for the descents. It was nice to get back into the motion of skinning/skiing as well as working on my transitions without having others to wait for me. I tried out my new ski helmet which seemed to work as advertised and will be anticipating bringing it on other trips in the future.
I left Seattle casually after 8am figuring that would give the DOT some time to clear the road. By the time I got to the pass, it was sunny and there was a bit of slush on the road, so nothing to worry about.
I geared up in the parking lot where there were already 30+ cars! I guess many others had the same idea. I hiked up the stairs and walked in the snow a bit before putting my skis on. The snow was already fairly tracked out from previous days. (Probably Sunday.) So I went in search of fresh tracks by skinning under the Skyline Chair and eventually reaching the top of the Brooks Chair in a half hour or so. I transitioned at the top of the chair. Four months is plenty of time to get a little rusty transitioning. I then turned the skis downhill to go nowhere. The lower angle and deep unconsolidated snow was sticky. (Those factors combined with a need for a wax.) I worked my way to a slightly steeper section and mostly headed straight downhill without turning. It was the only way to keep up speed. Then I jumped back on a cat track for a bit before trying some other slope near the bottom. While I didn't fall, things were not smooth, and I wouldn't exactly say I enjoyed the run. So I decided to try something different on the next lap.
The next lap had me skinning to near the top of the Hogsback Lift. Once near the top, I decided to turn around and head down before getting into terrain I didn't want to be in. On the way up and from where I transitioned, I could see plenty of rocky areas that did not have good coverage, and I wanted to avoid those. So I ended up riding a cat track almost all the way down from my transition with a slight excursion into the powder near the bottom. Once again, the deeper untracked snow proved slow and unenjoyable. The time was now 12:30pm. I wanted to get one more run in that I really could enjoy. So I transitioned to skinning and headed up.
This time I headed up near the Big Chief Chair, skinning up the Showcase run. It was fairly tracked from early in the day as well as days earlier. (There were about 25 teenage boys with snowboards running up the slope to catch turns. They were also building kickers near the bottom of the slope.) I went up the slope for almost 30 minutes and decided to turn around at a flatter section of slope so I would not have to attempt to ski down this slower low angle area. During my transition I was joined by one of the teenage snowboarders. We had a chat about whether the ski area could kick us out or not and then he took his ride down. I followed shortly afterward on what was my favorite run of the day! Unfortunately, I was looking to get home and get my skis to the shop for a wax as I hope to get out later this week. So I headed to the car after ending on a high note.
Overall, I enjoyed my day out. The weather was mostly sunny, and fairly warm. (High was supposed to be 33°) I skinned in a light base layer and shell pants. I put on a shell jacket for the descents. It was nice to get back into the motion of skinning/skiing as well as working on my transitions without having others to wait for me. I tried out my new ski helmet which seemed to work as advertised and will be anticipating bringing it on other trips in the future.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
What we won't see in North America? More Rando gear.
While I am waiting for new ski gear to arriveI've beenlooking around the Internet. Even going to OR doesn't mean you will see "everything" just whatis going to be sold inNA.
If you live in the EU likely you'll have more choices than here in NA. Just makes the choices harder :)

TLT6 with a fiber glass cuff/ plus something else thereand at least something similar to the ThermoLight (CL) foam liner @ 1120g and @ an exceptional price point.

TLT6 Performance version of the same boot is 1050g

TLT6 Mountain CL andthe Thermo Light foam liner is 1225g in a 27.5

TLT "race" CL liner left, the standard NA-US CR liner on the right,
unverified weight difference is a marginal 120g
And the two liner options? Guess they didn't justdropPDG or the oldPliner in the newTLT6. Turns out they are very similar but slightly different, laces now, more reinforcement for durability and a bigger flex cuff in the boot shaft. Thickness of the foam is different (1mm maybe 2mm) as well. between TLT and EVO. PDG and Evo liners are thinner and offer an even easierankle flex for a longer stride. But the thin PDG/EVO linerit might be an option if you need more room in your TLT?! Interested to see what the foam liner will actually be if it is ever available in the US...and what is available in Europe. No question what Wild Snow is showing for the TLT6 is not theliner
Mountainski has pictured here.
http://www.wildsnow.com/10766/dynafit-tlt-6-p-first-retail-look/
I have the Palau liner Lou is showing and it is a thin version with little change other than thickness and flex insert size from the TLT5 P liners.
photo courtesy of mountianski.cz
http://www.mountainski.eu/177/several-days-long-testing-of-prototype-of-new-ski-touring-boots-dynafit-tlt6
Andtwoof the bindings we will be missing.

Low tech Radical

Speed C-One
If you live in the EU likely you'll have more choices than here in NA. Just makes the choices harder :)

TLT6 with a fiber glass cuff/ plus something else thereand at least something similar to the ThermoLight (CL) foam liner @ 1120g and @ an exceptional price point.

TLT6 Performance version of the same boot is 1050g

TLT6 Mountain CL andthe Thermo Light foam liner is 1225g in a 27.5

TLT "race" CL liner left, the standard NA-US CR liner on the right,
unverified weight difference is a marginal 120g
And the two liner options? Guess they didn't justdropPDG or the oldPliner in the newTLT6. Turns out they are very similar but slightly different, laces now, more reinforcement for durability and a bigger flex cuff in the boot shaft. Thickness of the foam is different (1mm maybe 2mm) as well. between TLT and EVO. PDG and Evo liners are thinner and offer an even easierankle flex for a longer stride. But the thin PDG/EVO linerit might be an option if you need more room in your TLT?! Interested to see what the foam liner will actually be if it is ever available in the US...and what is available in Europe. No question what Wild Snow is showing for the TLT6 is not theliner
Mountainski has pictured here.
http://www.wildsnow.com/10766/dynafit-tlt-6-p-first-retail-look/
I have the Palau liner Lou is showing and it is a thin version with little change other than thickness and flex insert size from the TLT5 P liners.
photo courtesy of mountianski.cz
http://www.mountainski.eu/177/several-days-long-testing-of-prototype-of-new-ski-touring-boots-dynafit-tlt6
Andtwoof the bindings we will be missing.

Low tech Radical

Speed C-One
Saturday, December 20, 2014
The Vintage Bike Shop: a Visit to 'Old Roads' in Cambridge, MA
Like proprietors of used bookstores, vintage bike shop owners tend to be genuine enthusiasts - which means that the customer can benefit a lot more from interacting with them, than from interacting with someone who just wants to sell their old bike. Interesting stories, helpful advice, and local bicycle lore are just some of these benefits. Out of curiosity: Are there used or vintage bike shops in your area, and do you find them useful?
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Late Summer Glory
Late Summer, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.
One of the many 'Grandpa Ott' morning glories this summer. They are actually experiencing a second bloom period, and the 'Heavenly Blue' vines are just getting started.
Does anyone else have some morning glories this year?
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
What is it?

Speaking of foals. An email friend sent me a photo recently of a foal that is a cross between a zebra and a donkey. Now that critter is really cute. I WANT ONE.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
House on Fire

After our "rest" day with minimal hiking and another soak in a hot tub last night, we were ready for another full day of hiking adventures. Our first hike of the day brought us to Mule Canyon on Cedar Mesa, to an ancient Anasazi ruin known as the "House on Fire". Since we were now at a higher elevation than we had previously been on the trip, the environment was a bit different from what we had seen so far. Mule Canyon was a beautiful hike with a LOT of trees and shrubs and even a little bit of water in the canyon. It was a shock to do a hike with so much vegetation, because most of the hikes we had done so far were in open desert andextremely dry with very little vegetation.

The hike to the House on Fire ruins was a very pleasant one with minimal elevation change. After about a 1.5 mile walk we rounded a bend in the canyon and immediately noticed the ruins on the right. House on Fire is just one of several ruins in Mule Canyon, and was occupied by the Anasazi. According to literature that we saw about the area, the ruins in Mule Canyon are over 800 years old and have never been excavated or restored in any way. The House on Fire ruin is so named because of the overhanging cliff above the ruins that has patterns in it resembling flames. If you visit the ruins in the morning all of the light illuminating the House on Fire is reflected light from the opposite side of the canyon, which means that the roof above the ruins glows with warm light and contributes to the "fire" look. We found it a fascinating site to visit. We would have loved to hike through more of the canyon to see some of the other ruins but we had a long hike planned within Natural Bridges National Monument so after taking in the wonder that is the House on Fire, we hiked back to the truck and continued on to Natural Bridges.

Sunday, December 14, 2014
Good Skiing and Narada Falls Face Snow Pit
Howdy Everyone!
Afterseveral daysof cooler weather and some precipitation, the mountain has come back out in full sunshine with a good 6" of powder on her flanks. There is some great skiing on the south and west aspects right now; while the eastern aspects are getting crusty.
This weeks snow pit was dug at the top of Narada Falls Face, just below the Steven's Canyon Road. As you can see from the profile, the main layer of concern is between 10 to 20 cm below the surface. Some moderate failuresfor the stability tests indicated that point releases are possible especially on lee slopes. However, no propagation was observed during the stability testing.
CTM(14) @ 12 cm Q3
ECTN(18) @ 12 cm Q3
RB3 @ 12 cm Q2
Keep an eye out for possible point releases on south facing aspects...there's plenty of sluffs coming off all around the Paradise area; especially the face onPanorama Point and the 4th Crossing area.
Afterseveral daysof cooler weather and some precipitation, the mountain has come back out in full sunshine with a good 6" of powder on her flanks. There is some great skiing on the south and west aspects right now; while the eastern aspects are getting crusty.
This weeks snow pit was dug at the top of Narada Falls Face, just below the Steven's Canyon Road. As you can see from the profile, the main layer of concern is between 10 to 20 cm below the surface. Some moderate failuresfor the stability tests indicated that point releases are possible especially on lee slopes. However, no propagation was observed during the stability testing.

ECTN(18) @ 12 cm Q3
RB3 @ 12 cm Q2
Keep an eye out for possible point releases on south facing aspects...there's plenty of sluffs coming off all around the Paradise area; especially the face onPanorama Point and the 4th Crossing area.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Carving in Tree

Thursday, December 11, 2014
Zwarte Pieten in Utrecht
This week has been pretty busy. Last week of the month, although there is still Monday as the last day, but most of the work was done. What can I say—STRESS. I’m gonna need some spa weekenders.
Anyway, I was in Rotterdam meeting an old friend. Rotterdam isn’t really my cup of tea but I’ll reserve this as a separate topic, soon. Another weekend highlight is the birthday of my nichtje, and we are not over yet with the Dutch family birthday season. This is going strong until mid January! lol
And today Sunday, I initially planned on going to the Fluweelengrot Christmas market in Valkenburg, Limburg but thought I’ll pass for now so spent the afternoon shopping in Utrecht instead for Sinterklaas, which is already next weekend. Time fly so fast, I’m still in the November mode.


I came across a band of Zwarte Pieten in Hoog Catharijne (ugly mall which I believe will soon be renovated or demolished as part of a bigger plan, I prefer to shop along the Oudegracht and surroundings anyway). As per Dutch tradition these zwarte pieten are elves, Sinterklaas avid helpers and they are black from the soot, from crawling in and out of chimneys.
Check out the cute little kids enjoying the zwarte pieten... I think kids enjoy Sinterklaas because of Zwarte Piet, toch?
I know there is a mad vicious cycle *ad nauseam* (yawn) debate amongst foreigners here in the Netherlands that happens yearly around November until 5 December on the subject of Zwarte Piet (Black Piet): Racism or Not? Honestly, I think some people are just damn too sensitive. We are in Holland for Christ's sake, traditions practiced here are obviously not the same from where we are from. The key here is placing things and in this case—events and places, in proper perspective.
Personally, I don’t see any issue on the rambunctious Zwarte Piet. He is fun actually and the kids adore him to pieces, more than Sinterklaas.
.
Anyway, I was in Rotterdam meeting an old friend. Rotterdam isn’t really my cup of tea but I’ll reserve this as a separate topic, soon. Another weekend highlight is the birthday of my nichtje, and we are not over yet with the Dutch family birthday season. This is going strong until mid January! lol
And today Sunday, I initially planned on going to the Fluweelengrot Christmas market in Valkenburg, Limburg but thought I’ll pass for now so spent the afternoon shopping in Utrecht instead for Sinterklaas, which is already next weekend. Time fly so fast, I’m still in the November mode.
I came across a band of Zwarte Pieten in Hoog Catharijne (ugly mall which I believe will soon be renovated or demolished as part of a bigger plan, I prefer to shop along the Oudegracht and surroundings anyway). As per Dutch tradition these zwarte pieten are elves, Sinterklaas avid helpers and they are black from the soot, from crawling in and out of chimneys.
Check out the cute little kids enjoying the zwarte pieten... I think kids enjoy Sinterklaas because of Zwarte Piet, toch?
I know there is a mad vicious cycle *ad nauseam* (yawn) debate amongst foreigners here in the Netherlands that happens yearly around November until 5 December on the subject of Zwarte Piet (Black Piet): Racism or Not? Honestly, I think some people are just damn too sensitive. We are in Holland for Christ's sake, traditions practiced here are obviously not the same from where we are from. The key here is placing things and in this case—events and places, in proper perspective.
Personally, I don’t see any issue on the rambunctious Zwarte Piet. He is fun actually and the kids adore him to pieces, more than Sinterklaas.
.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Blue Flower
This photo is one that my email friend Cindy took in her yard in England. It is so nice I had to share it. I just love the blue color and the composition and lighting. You can see more of Cindy's photos on her blog at http//cindyssnaps.blogspot.com or go right to them on my links list.

Sunday, December 7, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
Nomic, Quark and Ergo low profile Hammers?

"Colin Haley photo of Bjørn-Eivind Årtun on their new route, Dracula, Mt Foraker, June ."
Finally!
At Bjørn-Eivind Årtun's suggestion afterhissuccessful '10 Alaskan season, we have redesigned the C-T Nomic hammer to make it even lighter with a 4mm hammer face instead of the previous 7mm face. The new hammer will also fit the newest Petzl Nomic, Quark or Ero tool heads and the newest picks cut for a hammer or adze. The hammer face is thinner to shave some weight andbalance betterbut the hammer still gives complete coverage to the back of the Nomic.
We areFINALLY shipping them AGAIN!
This hamemr will fit the previous and current production Nomic, the new Quark and the new Ergo.
With the 7mm hammer Ipreferred aone hammer set up. The newest 4mm hammers have changed that. The balance is betterwith the 4mm hammers.A technical tool like the Nomic will never be ideal for pounding pins (that won't change) because of their large clearance of the handle shape, but our smaller profile hammers certainly make it a lot easier and save the head of the tools from damage. They are easy to attach with perfect fit and finish.
The C-T makes the newstQuark an even better (sweet!) tool for all technical climbing.
For long committing alpine climbs they are a minimalistic option that works. On the scrappy mixed route where you need to pound the occasional pin or your own tool, they work.
Our current 4mm hammers *easily* fit the newest picks from Petzl. They are CNC machined from bar stock chromoly steel and then heat treated to hammer hardness and hand finished in our shop.
Not all Petzl heads are created equally. I have found a few that require very minor hand fitting the pick and hammer with a file. It won't take much and is easy to do. If you can sharpen a pick any fitting required will be easy. The new Petzl picks require cutting the back off the hammer interface from .15" to .04" on the bolt hole. Again easily done with a hand file. Just cut enough material to line up the bolt hole on hammer and pick. You want to be just shy of the bolt hole when done. Way easier than it looks or sounds.
Hammers are$60 ea. These willfit the current production picks and is now even lighter with a 4mm hammer face...@30g per hammer and much easier to fit than the Petzl offering
Buy them now while I have them in stock and ready to ship. We do fourproduction runs a year and generally sell every run out before the next.
More here:
http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com//08/ice-climbing-gear.html
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