Steve House's next book? "NEW ALPINISM" with Scott Johnston.

 

I have a copy of  "Training for the NEW ALPINISM"  hot off the presses!  I will get a chance to read and review it shortly for C-T.  But having seen a bit of it previous and knowing the authors...like many do already...for our sport this is going to be an amazing book!

Patagonia's Rover shoe take two (the giveaway)

"The more you know, the less you need."

Last chance to tell me why I should give you a free pair of Patagonia's Rover approach shoes.  Just tell me why they should go to you in the comments to have a chance at them.





Been wearing mine over a month now and everything the video says/implies here is spot on.  Nice shoe.  Wish I'd  had them mid summer for some alpine rock.

goulotte allemands tacul

Bravo Bruno!




and the goulotte profit-perroux

and more truly stunning photos here:

http://www.alexandrebuisse.org/galleries/mountaineering/perroux/

Dynafit resoling question?

I am looking for resole info on the Dynafit TLTs. EVO/ DyNA boots this morning.  Anyone had it done?   Called Dynafit yesterday.  No replacement soles available.  Recorder at Rocky Mountain Resoles in CO.  Steve at Komitos has/does them with a Vibram 1276 sole.  Anyone used Komitos for a TLT or any Dynafit boot?  Dave Page locally was not encouraging.

I've got a pair of DyNA EVOs I want to resole.  Suggestions?

2013/14 Dynafit TLT6 shell? Before you panic?

Spring '13 Dynafit demo boots above...the most well used TLT6 boot I have a picture of.   

 

An buddy of mine stopped by over the weekend.  He is a partime ski instructor and a full time  materials engineer (but obviously knows very little about plastics)  about to start his ski season.  During his visit the conversation eventually turned to new gear.  I handed him one of my new TLT6  P as a comparison for his TLT5 P.   Within a few moments he handed the boot back asked with some concern. "are your boots broken?!"  Noting to me what seemed like plastic mold/mixing marks in the base of the tongue at the lower rivets.  After a close inspection, I was pretty convinced myself  (as my heart sank)  that my newest boots were indeed "cracked and broken". 

The 13/14 Season begins!

Photo courtesy of Topher Donahue's blog

Ya gotta hit the link and read the story below from Topher's blog.
Some great pictures to tell a great story.

 

I've already skied a couple of days on prefect snow.  But that is skiing.  This is ICE and it is here  now.  Seen a few glimpses of it here and there but this is too cool not to share!  Congrads to the Topher and Kevin for an a awesome bit of climbing.

http://topherdonahue.com/blog/2013/10/27/chasing-dreams-on-the-diamonds-elusive-ice

Thanks to Topher Donahue for the courtesy of allowing the link and photo.

The Westcomb Cayoosh LT Down Hybrid Jacket

My version which is the original with bigger knit cuffs

I actually got this jacket by mistake.  Took me a while to wrap my head around a use for it.  The idea originally was to do a review and comparison of a few of the synthetic hybrid jackets.  Atom LT, the Mtn Equipment Bastion, Rab Vapour-rise Stretch Top and the Patagonia Nano Puff Hybrid are good examples of what I was thinking originally.
 

Mountain Equipment Bastion Jacket...... think Atom LT upgraded......

Mountain Equipment Bastion Jacket

 

Anyone reading Cold Thistle long knows I am a big fan of the Arcteryx Atom LT.  If not this will enlighten you on my thoughts about the Atom LT.

Patagonia Micro D 1/4 Zip Synchilla

Micro D 1/4 Zip Synchilla over lycra in the boot track on DC, Rainier.

Perfect combo.

The last half dozen times I've gone skiing I took a Micro D along  and used it...June, July and now again on Oct.

The Incredible Lightness of Being!

 

 

Last time I skied was in Early August.  Snow was old, dirty and sun cupped.

The One Piece Union suit is back...

These things rock.  I used the earlier versions from Patagonia for a decade in Canada and Alaska.

Ueli Steck again! Annapurna's South Face...solo

photo courtesy of Ueli Steck

"I think I finally found my high altitude limit, if I climb anything harder than that I think I will kill myself." - Ueli Steck on his 28 hour solo of Annapurna's South Face.

Ueli Steck - Annapurna South Face - Quick Edit from Nepal from Fenom Creative Group on Vimeo.

http://www.uelisteck.ch/

http://patitucciphoto.com/2013/10/13/ueli-steck-annapurna-climb-2013/

From Rock and Ice and UK Climbing:

Jonathan Griffith, a frequent climbing partner of Steck, "I haven't been able to speak to Ueli yet, but I did speak to his wife, and she has confirmed that Ueli has done the route."

Details pending.  Should be a good read!

Congrads to Steck!

"The south face of Annapurna was first climbed in 1970 by Don Whillans and Dougal Haston, members of a British expedition led by Chris Bonington which included the alpinist Ian Clough, who was killed by a falling serac during the descent.

Annapurna I holds the highest fatality rate among all 14 eight-thousanders: as of March 2012, there have been 52 deaths during ascents, 191 successful ascents, and nine deaths upon descent, which means that "for every three thrill-seekers that make it safely up and down Annapurna I, one dies trying."^[7] That same ratio is at or above six-to-one for all of the other eight-thousanders, except for K2 and Nanga Parbat.^[7] Climbers killed on the peak include Russian Anatoli Boukreev in 1997, Spaniard Iñaki Ochoa in 2008,^[11] and Korean Park Young-seok, lost in 2011.^[12]
The first solo climb occurred in October 2007 on the south face by Slovenian climber Tomaž Humar."

Crampons for skimo boots?

photo courtesy of Krister Jonsson  http://www.alpinemadness.se/Alp_Mad_Info.html

One doesn't have to look far to see I advocate ice climbing in ski boots if the climb warrants it.  That hasn't always been the case.  In fact a few years ago I scoffed at anyone unlucky enough to suffer through that kind of nonsense.

The Dynafit TLT5 and now 6 have changed my attitude an opinion.

DPS Spoon?

 

 

Few skis have caught my imagination  like the offerings from DPS.   The retail prices are frightening.  But the product I have skied on and owned delivers in spades.  No question some of the most fun I have had on snow has been in the last couple of years on DPS Pure skis.

I have yet to ski a Spoon.  And I may not ever ski the BIG Spoon,

First thoughts.....TLT boots?

       "Damn I could climb pretty hard in these!"

And I was right.

 

 

 

"Wow!  Really nice LWT ski boot!"

And indeed they are, even better as a ski boot than I ever expected!

 

 

No question some user over lap in these two boots.  But I still think my first impressions defines both boots for its best use.   Happy that I am lucky enough to have booth.  Hate to have to choose between them.  I have been really happy with the TLT5 as a climbing boot, even though it was never designed as a technical climbing boot.  The TLT6 is without a doubt a ski boot first and foremost by design.  And it will still climb reasonably well on alpine and technical ice.

 

Much as I hate to admit it.....if I had to choose only one?  The 6 would be THE boot.  For the 6's added ability on skis..I could suffer some if required to climb in them.

 

 

Touring boot flex ratings?

The ski industry started adding a "flex" number to their boots a short while ago to help customers compare like boots.  Frankly I don' t think it means much other than number given within the same brand by the company making them.  That may change over time but currently the methods of testing are not clear across the spectrum of boot makers.

Imagine?

 

this should be really good!

 

http://youtu.be/drIPZEP17F4