Caribou Lake Colors

Autumn at White Sky Rock along the Caribou Trail in Cook County, MN.

The Gib Chute at speed?

"The best performances in the mountains arise from a combination of preparation, fitness, conditions and some luck. Watching the antics on Mt. Rainier the past few weeks made this perfectly clear. The players were certainly fit. The route was well known to Andy and Jason while Eric Carter and Nick Elson had the advantage of the cattle trail being in. The weather cooperated for both parties and everyone had the chops to ski the line. The result was two brilliant performances and standard-setting times. Daunting, to be sure."



More of Brian's write up here:

http://getstrongergolonger.squarespace.com/journal//6/13/rainier-speed-my-way.html

First time wielding tools again

Manu on the local training route in the Ecrin, France




Last week I was in France, to speak at the Ecrin Ice Festival. On one of the days, I had the opportunity to go and climb with some good climbers. Although I was still uncertain about going winter climbing, it would have been crazy to turn it down. So I turned up and heard from my climbing partners that the plan was to do a very overhanging 6 pitch M9 dry tooling route. This was kind of perfect. The bit I was most worried about was walking in for 30 minutes on snow. But that went fine and my arms proceeded to have a fine wake up call to climbing with tools again. The next morning we did a short ice route with a very rapid retreat due to everything melting around us and making scary cracking noises. I was amazed that my foot was not sore the next day as I expected, and nice to add another first on my list of climbing comeback milestones (or perhaps metrestones).




Obviously I felt quite rusty on the tools. It was quite heartening to see that I could still pull hard, but I’d forgotten so much of the subtlety of the movement in tooling, if I ever knew about it in the first place. I climbed the first pitch in ‘pull up contest’ style with not much weight on my feet. But watching Luca in action reminded me of a lot and by the final pitch I had improved a little.











Luca relaxing on another M9 pitch!




Since then I have stepped up the volume of training a little more, with a 5 days on, one off schedule. This was perhaps a little premature as I can feel my ankle a bit after that. However, it hurts in the context of everything else hurting from the work, so it’s not too bad. I’m still feeling fitter with every session and back up to doing 8a routes indoors. That is pretty much as hard as I’ve climbed indoors ever anyway. Quite soon I may well get the chance to try some hard sport routes outdoors too.




Since it’s rest day time now, I’m back to full on writing of my book..

Winter OR

Remember a lot of the new gear and clothing I am showing here won't be available at your local retailers until summer (at best usually) or Fall of !



It is a BIG show to cover in a couple of days. This year I got a late start and the driving was pretty bad, so my time was cut to just one full day at the show and a day in the BC at Alta on the snow.



Here were the highlights that interested me. Some of it I have been using for a while and will have a review up soon. Some I have and haven't yet used and some of it I will likely never see :) And a bunch of it I am scrambling toget my hands on asap.






The nasty 800 mile drive was a great comparison of old and new technology, Julbo, Vaurnet and Cebe sun glasses. No flies here. Review coming shortly.









Scarpa! Even at the predicted price point (read expensive) I predict the Rebel Ultra will rock the NA alpine market! These are just nowhitting the warehouse in Colorado. Review coming asap. Going to take a lot to get me out of the Phantom Ultra. My hybrid 6000 did that. But the Rebel Ultra may well keep me out of them year around.





Dang! Edit note: 2/5/13 A reader, Zgemba, noted the new toe on the Rebel Carbon which I had missed!! Actually a new boot called the Rebal Pro GTX. Which is a INSULATED Rebel Carbon with clip on crampon attachments. (Thanks Raf! ) The new sole allows for clip on crampons and it is insulated. Both area huge improvement over the Rebel GTX for the majority of my own use. Nice catch Zgemba and Raf! Damn it! Now I want two new pairs of boots. It never ends!!
















Ski Trab, skis and bindings. One of the major players in ski mountaineering which you are about to hear more of.
















Scarpa SkiMo race boots....hugely popular. More to come. Gotta wonder how they climb :)





A quick look at the newest Dynafit skis. I'm waiting for my own pair of the bright red Nanga Parbat. Going to be hard to impress me after two seasons on the Broad Peak and another on the Seven Summit. They promise me I will be impressed.









The newest TLT6with no TLT5 in sight!! That hurts! More weight, stiffer boot. Not the direction I would have preferred. So I am stocking up on the TLT5 first.



















Dynafit 115g (yes 4oz. total weight) and 160g (5.5oz total weight)race bindings. I have been skiing *everywhere* the last two years on the 115g Low Tech Race and theDynafit Broad Peak skis.












And a damn fine climbing boot it is as well!In my size 45s?

La
Sportiva Batura 2.o. 2#2oz / 970g
La
Sportiva Trango Evo Extreme GTX 2#3oz (35oz) / 992g

Scarpa
Phantom Ultra new model 2#3.5oz (35.5oz) / 1006g

Scarpa
Phantom Guide new model 2#7.5oz / 1120g

La
Sportiva Batura 2nd gen. 2#9oz / 1170g

La
Sportiva Nepal Evo 2#10.5oz / 1205g



The
DyNA PDGis 870g per boot in a 29 shell or 1.9 POUNDS....1 # 14oz or 30oz!
Dropping a full 10oz per pair off my size 45 from the lightest FABRIC ice
climbing boot!









More on ski packs from Camp and Dynafit coming

















Outdoor Research just floored me with all the great alpine and ice gloves they are no making today. OR has always been good. Now? Simply stunning with such a broad collection of speciality gloves. Look for a full review of every model I think is exceptional from OR...and there are a lot of them! Bravo OR!












La Sportiva's new SkiMo race boot! You'll have to stand in line to get these. Short line but it is STEEP buy in! Yes, sick as it is I want some!








And La Sportiva's SkiMo boot for the normal folks.








This one from Petzl made me crazy. A bolt on "Dart" reinvented. Now we just need a clip on model...Please!! Oh, PLEASE Santa!!! Lynx meets Dart...finally! Wel almost anyway. My bet is they are floating around Chamonix already. Anyone care to hold that bet for me?







One, if not THE, coolest thing at the show...Petzl's new hand sharpener for ice screws. This thing really rocks. You'll never have to send me (or anyone else) your screws again






Petzls newest ice screws, now with a crank, new teeth and a aluminum version that should again...rock the alpine world! Hopefully more on these two coming up.





Petzl harnesses always deserve a second look.





The one item I saw that really opened up my imagination this show. Always a surprise what that "ONE" piece of gear might be. Last summer it was the new Scarpa Rebel Ultra. This show surprisingly it was the new Arcane Hoody from the Canada's Westcomb. Sewn at home. A stretch Shoeller super light weight soft shell, fully water proof and breathable with taped seams and 180g of Primaloft. This thing is going to make the Duelly obsolete. And almost half the retail price! It is NUMBER ONEon my hit list right now.








Speaking of the Duelly...the Solo (one layer of insulation) now has a hood and is back with the Duelly (two layers of insulation) and some small fit changes! Awesome climbing jackets. And a bunch of new down from Arcteryx as well.













La Sportivas new 4 buckle full on combat AT boots. .the lightest weight boot in that category we were told

The Surest Sign of Spring

Although Friday surprised us with a fresh foot of snow, it was nonetheless a glorious weekend. The plows made their rounds, the sun shone in a clear blue sky, the temperatures rose, and the scarves were distinctly loosened. Navigating through the still snow-covered streets, I could feel something new and fresh in the air - unmistakable signs of Spring.






There was the wet snow, softening under the sun's warm rays.





There were the delicate buds, with their promise of new leaves in the weeks to come.





There were the fences in need of mending, having unburdened themselves of heavy snow banks.






There was a fresher, younger quality of the afternoon sun's glow.





There were the pothole lakes cheerfully reflecting cerulean skies.






There were the colourful chairs on the lawns of local college campuses.





There were the freshly liberated bike lanes.






And perhaps the most noticeable change of all, were the dozens upon dozens of bikes. They emerged out of hibernationen masse, heralding the official start of Spring.






Some of the bikes I had seen in the neighbourhood before, but not since November.





Oh hello again, slate blue Mercier mixte. You look positively radiant!






Long time no see, copper Raleigh Lady Sports. Warming those old bones?





New handlebar tape this season, Bianchi Nuovo Racing?






Oh, but what's this here? You are new this year, aren't you, oh teal Dutch Gazelle with full chaincase?






And you, Babboe cargo trike? I haven't seen you around before. Have you moved to this neighbourhood over the winter? Welcome, welcome.






A local university recently installed bicycle racks along the entire length of their rather expansive Science Center. After sitting largely empty since their installation, on Saturday the racks were suddenly 3/4th full - snow storm of the previous day notwithstanding.






It was not a coordinated effort, but it surely felt like one. The neighbourhood bikes have had their say. And they've declared it the official start of Spring.