Climbing Salopettes (bibs) and the "NWAlpinist Salopette"

The idea of a bibbed pant is so old to me now that I am a not sure sure how I came to it.



Some where between a hike out Marble canyon from Deltaform in June of 1975 or coming down the cow path after doing PtarmiganRidge in single boots and the resultingfrozen feet that fall certainly had something to do with the thought process.



I do remember finally taking mywool knickers off and walking in my shorts as my thighs were bleeding by the end of thewet 25k hike out from Deltaform. My feet? Still an issue with cold today.



I've no doubt that the winter gear suggestions of British Alpinists Joe Tasker and Dick Renshaw in MOUNTAIN LIFE, August/September 1975 had a big impact on us after Ptarmigan Ridge.



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//02/joe-tasker-and-dick-renshaw-english.html



Gwain, threedays out, after a harried retreat down through the ice fall on the north sideof Mt Deborah.

By the spring of 1976 we were kitted in lightly insulated, nylon shelled,ski salopettes with minor modifications to make them climbing friendly. They worked great. Warmer than a normal pant set up while generally enabling you to drop a layer and on long trips and adistinct lack of another "waist". The harness is more than enough there.



By the early '80s many of the professionals working in the mtns around Banff were using a Swiss made wool/nylon blend salopette with cotton canvas reinforcements. The canvas dried slowly and wore quickly so just as common to cut the knee and butt reinforcements off pretty quickly. But the wonderful and warm wool stretchmaterial they used, the chest pocket, internal gaiter (which many just cut out as well) and side zipwere a glimpse as the future in technical mountain pants. It was the '80s so even my shoe laces matched butthese saloppetesreally rocked! Now way to get lost in a white outeither so big bonus points there for pictures.















Take it to the extreme and you get something like our friend Kim wore on the 1st ascent of the East Face of Everest in '83. And hewas back onKanchenjunga with themin 1985. Shown here. Fully insulated and Gortex salopettes by Wilderness Experience. Gregg Cronn photo of Kim on Kanchenjunga. "It's a magical thing with me. It's tough to stay in Kansas when you've been to Oz."(Kim Momb, 1956-1986)





As you might imaginea good pair of salopettes aren't what you would generally see on a day out cragging in Hyalite Canyon for example. The additional warmth and comfort of a pair of salopettes aren't a high priority when some actuallyput theircrampons on at in the parking lot.





The result of the "sport climbing" community inthe ice climbing environment is much of the gear and clothing gets dummied down (and I know people will just LOVE that)to fit the much bigger customer base. No longer a need for double boots, salopettes, or a small, super light weightclimbing pack if you are top roping or leading 50m climbs as the ultimate expression of the sport.



One of the main reasons I write the blog is to make others aware of what is out there for specialised gear and may be even reintroduce some old technology that has gone by the way side. that clearly should not have IMO.



Which is whyI beat the "light is right" campaign, double boots, specialised climbing sacs, better crampon fit/designs and now I am going to get deep into theclothing discussion in a number of up coming blogs posts.



One of the reasons those old red salopettes were so functional is that they were wool, they were a bit stretchy and they breathed well. Sounds pretty modern now for a piece of 30 year old kit doesn't it?



20 years on (2002)and leave it to Alteryx to come up with a better version. Those in the "know" searched them out promptly and bought the Alteryx Gamma Saloppeteand proceeded tolove them to death. Knownbutts I have seen well worn Arcteryx saloppetes on are Cosmin Andron, Steve Swenson, Wayne Wallace, Michael Layton and Bill Belcourt...and trust me I don't make a habit of looking at men's butts! I suspect there are more salopettes out there stashed away for that next "big" project. This was the last time I pulled mine out.











GCC photos below are courtesy of Ken Glover



But the great thing about a correctly designed and sewn set of salopettes is they can be used for cold weather cragging just as easily as on anybig north face..















The Arcteryx Salopette reviewed by John Graham@ http://www.trailspace.com/gear/arcteryx/gamma-salopette/#reviews

January 1, 2002



"This one-piece sleeveless suit has power shield on the lower half and Schoeller fabric on the top, with nylon facing on the upper front. It zips all the way down the front and up the legs. It has removable knee pads that really save the arthritic knees. I wear this instead of bibs and it really comes into its own when exposed to the wind. It can get a little hot climbing steeply below treeline, but vents very well. I wear it with mid weight polypro bottoms and a power stretch top. When I hit treeline, I pair it with the Gamma SV and a balaclava and I'm good to go. Every detail is well thought out and of course the Arc'Tyrex fit is perfect, as usual."



John's comments are prettymuchas I found my own pair of Gamma Saloppetes.





Arcteryx Gamma Salopettes design details:

Designed for mountaineering applications, this breathable garment sheds snow and provides liberating stretch. Special features include removable kneepads and through-the-crotch WaterTight zips.



Features:

Adjustable cuff shock cord

Breathable, wind and water resistant

Four way polyester stretch upper

Internal knee pad pockets

Keprotec instep patches

Removable molded EVA foam kneepads

Stretch woven lower

Two chest pockets with laminated zips

WaterTight side and through-the-crotch zips



Materials:

Polartec Power Shield

Rentex Lofted Lycra

Schoeller Keprotec



It doesn't take much imagination to see that salopettes are a pretty specialised piece of kit and not the best in warm weather. Additionallyif you are using a soft shell material like my original wool blend Swiss salopettes or the more recentArcteryx Gamma how warm do you want to make them, at the risk of making them too warm?



With all the new wonder fabrics and some good design work one would think you could make an almost perfect climbing salopette these days. Likely the biggest *trick* to that would be getting someone that was willing to design with no compromise. No fufu ski fashions or snow board shreddersneeded here. How about for once just a honest to GOD climbing salopette? Justas Tasker and Renshaw first envisionedthem 35 years ago while climbing the hardest North faces in the Alps, mid winter?



I'd pony up some cash for a couple pair of those!



Enter Bill Almos and his start up climbing clothing company NWAlpine. http://nwalpine.com/

Bill is, if nothing else, an alpine climber himself. And willing to take risks.



So when we first talked about light weight pile hoodies and Shoeller style alpine climbing pants we were talking mostly the same language. I'm old so I am not sure what he thought of a "new" old pant idea as a NWAlpine offering. But he didn't say no. So I boxed my last two remaining pair of salopettes up and off to Portland they went. Having never met Bill or owned any NWAlpine clothing (I own several now items now) I wondered for a moment or twoif I wouldever actually see my original and much lovedsalopettes again. Similar things have happened in the past. Same situation and sadly, most unreliable people.



Not so this time!



SoBill and I beganbrain storming via emails,what would we do to make a better *alpine climbing* specific bib? It was a short storm. I wanted a bib that would be warm enough,if a little cool for Alaska in the spring. Hopefully theywouldbe fine for most things if you could move quickly in the Rockies or Alps in winter. And a plenty warm pant for anything in the lower 48. Again, specifically for winter orcold alpine climbs. Ptarmigan Ridge on Rainier or anything in theColumbia Icefields in Oct or Febwas the environment I envisioned.



I am doing much of my own climbing in a pair of Arcteyx Gamma LT pants these days and s single pair of mid weight Costco long johns. I won't kid anyone, at times it is just barely enough when the temps drop below -10C or a nasty cold wind picks up. But going on the theory that cool muscles work more efficiently..so far it has been enough. But for a new pair of Saloppetes I wanted just a bit more. Not as much as the last Arcteryx Gamma MX salopettes mind you. They were more akin to the current Gamma MX pants (Polartec® Power Shield®) which is lightlyinsulated. But I wantedthese to be some where just short of that extra insulationand lighter in over all weight. MUCH, muchlighter,and way less complicated. Less zippers, less pockets for sure, but still a usable. The idea was alwt climbing pant where just the additional bib will add some warmth by design without adding weight. One less belt at the waist line and more comfort was the goal.



Weight comparisons?



ARC Gamma Lt large 12.4 oz

H. Ridge Runner 3/4 16oz

ARC Gamma MX large 19oz

NWAlpine salopettes large 21.6oz

ARC Gamma MX salopettes large 30.4oz



I have to admit "formal", as in basic black, climbing pantsis getting old.





"My" salopettes need to be warm, wind proof, extremely breathable on the upper bib portion, breathable enough in the leg and waistand all made of a 4 way stretch fabric. No baggy legs to snag crampons on, hardcore anddurablepatches of some typeon the lower inside of the calf for when you will eventuallysnag a crampon. Turned over double hemmed cuffs for "gaiter" durability. Simple eyelets for elastic cord to snug down your "pant gaiter". Simple. Succinct. Specific.



Reinforced inside of the leg for cramponsand simple gaiter grommets









Cuffed hems to reinforce the bungee gaiter strap and seal the leg's gaiter, which were designed up front to take a big dbl boot like the La Sportiva Spantik.



A THREE slider, chest and crotch,water resistant zipper. For the call of nature, ventilation and getting in and out of the garment. Easiest pee portal in the world with a harness on. Easy for me and I suspect even better for a woman.







Hey, no laughing here! This is a hard photo topost in public let alone take by yourself! Zipper runsfrom sternumto tailbone.





NWAlpinist Salopette details:

Suggested Retail is $250 sizes XS through XL

The first production run will be presold. via the NWAlpine web site

http://nwalpine.com/





Everyone in the industry these days is using either a proprietary material orsomething from Polartec and/or Shoeller. almost no one is sewing in the USA. These bibs are proudly sewn in Portland Oregon.

The pant material currently in the NWAlpinist Saloppetes is a proprietary material.Bill is already prepared to change the material and still keep the quality if the original supply can't keep up with demand after the first production run.Currently the pant is made of aa high quality four-way stretch, woven, breathable softshell fabric with aabrasion resistant face with DWR coating. The usual suspects use exactly the same material at the moment. Your imagination won't have to roam far to imaginethis material.









The upper fabric of the bibis a "micro denier fleece back lycra". My thought is, it is perfect for the job. And I am reallypicky here because the upper material has to breath extremely well to make the salopette idea work like it needs to. (SAG's)Merino wool hoody shown in the photo as well. More on it lower down the page.







Trust me, this light weight bib top is breathable. It is likely the first thing you'll notice if youtry to use these Salopettes without enough insulation on your upper body as I did. You'll likely not make that mistake twice.



How the upper body fits in the shoulders, armsand around the neck defines how salopettes fit in many ways...these are exceptional on me.











There is a couple of things that become glaringly obvious when you are 50+ and modeling a one piece lycra suit. The first, much to my surprise you know, is I obviously aint a flat bellied stallion no more...no more :) No hiding that one from a camera. But being shaped more like a Pear(as in fruit) also tells me a lot about how well these salopettes might fit, shall we say, amore athleticproportioned climber. They should fit normal climbers exceptionally well. I have a 21" back which is pretty long for my height @ 6'1". So the typical issues andwhere you will have a problem, of not having enough length in the body andhaving "crotch bite" or baggy pants, shouldn't be a problem for most with this pattern. Mine are a "Large" and me fit perfectly..well close, if I suck in the Pear anyway.



This is how I see myself......a long lean climbing machine. It iswhat I can't see that maybe a problem with that glorified self image :)





"A designer knows he has achievedperfection not when there is nothing to add but when there is nothing left to take away" Antoine de Saint-Exupery







Wind, Sand and Stars (French title:Terre des hommes (Land of Men))by Antoine de Saint Exupéry published in 1939



I suspectthe next question is how do you layer under and over salopettes. No question it is a learned skill. The firstpictures of this blog show Gwain in the mid '70s with several light layers inside and a wool shirt on the out side. These days most of our mid layers have snug hems. You don't need to tuck everything in and you'll stay warmer in many cases by not doing so with Salopettes. So nothing has really changed. Just the upper insulation garments have gotten even better and easier to use with Salopettes. My current "go to pieces" for the upper body (with salopettes or pants) are the super light weight Sherpa Adventure Gear (SAG)Merino wool hoody shown in the pictures above, called the "Khushi" (it is a must have). Or the NWAlpine LT Hoody (another must have). Next up is the RI Hoody or the SAG "Tchimi"hoody or again the NWAlpine Black Spider Hoody.



All light weight hoodies suggested here with only the amount of insulation and how well they breath changes for the project, the level of effort involved and temps.



Next up? Lots of mid layer pile pieces to choose from but one I am thrilled with, especially if you are usingsalopettes, is the Sherpa Adventure Gear sweater made of of Merino wool armsand Primaloft One body. It is called the "Mantra".



It adifferent pieceand you'll likely need to figure out if it will work for your system. I really like lightto mid weight Merino wool sweaters with full or half zip for climbings. I buy them at Men's Warehouse on sale and literally wear them untill I have holes in them.So the Matra fits right in and adds some extra warmth with less weight in the Primaloft 1 body. But more importantly the Primaloft One is much easier to dry out than wool and looses only a tiny bit of its insulation values when wet. A hood would make the men's Mantramuch more user friendly for hard climbing. It is a truly dapper casual, around town, garment that I use climbing without a hood. But I'dreallylike to have both as an option! If you think so too let Sherpa Adventure Gear know! I'll buy the first.



I am a big hoody fan. If you are a woman the Mantracomes with a hood in thewomen's verion. I can't imagine a better winter climbing system than a pair of NWAlpinist salopettes and the "Kushi" mated up with Mantra hoody and one or bothof theArcteryx's Atom LT and Atom SV jackets. San's that hood itis my current system. And damn..I'll be looking simply dapper in the Chamonix bar scene in that black (hid the spare tire)Mantra! The woman's Mantra is good enough I bought my wife one...and she is NEVERgoing to alpineclimb. She calls me a "girl" quite a lot so may be I doknow something about women's clothing :)



I'll have to ask.



I have another blog started on hoodies, light and mid weights, and how they fit into my systems along with my pant and base layer choices.But I wanted to give the basics of what I use with salopettes as many have likely never used a pair climbing.



http://www.sherpaadventuregear.com/index.php



http://nwalpine.com/



http://www.arcteryx.com/?EN



And if you wondered? I have no financial connection to NWAlpine but I did come up with the name NWAlpinist Salopettes but only after getting my originals back!

Superior Galaxy

Here is a shot I have been wanting to capture for some time, the Milky Way Galaxy over Hollow Rock on the shores of Lake Superior. This was taken at 12:02 AM on June 9, . The stillness of the night was unbelievable. Rarely have I seen Lake Superior so calm and never before have I seen the stars reflecting so nicely in the waters of the big lake. The sight you see here is a vivid memory that will live forever in our minds. I owe thanks to Jessica for this photo, for it was at her urging that we went out to photograph the Milky Way on this most exquisite of nights!

Caldera Wildlife

It is the wild animals that everyone always wants to see and photograph or at least I do. On this trip I got some good photos of a chipmunk that was eating grass at one of the places we pulled over to take some scenic photos.



At another place a pair of these birds were catching bugs on the ground. So far I haven't been able to identify them yet. They had a lot of yellow/green on them and were just larger than a sparrow.







These prairie dogs were in a large village of them on the drive from the paved road to the Visitors Center at the Caldera. We did see a badger run across the road in front of us but I couldn't get the camera up in time. The Center people said there were lots of badgers in the prairie dog villagetrying to catch them. The badgers help keep therodents down. The 'dogs' are cute but leave lots of deep holes in the ground for deer, elk, horses, cows, and even people to step in and get hurt.




From the paved road we saw a herd of about 30 elk but they didn't want to come close to us. We could barely see some smaller ones, probably this years calves running and playing.







There were elk in the trees here.



We also saw some deer but again couldn't get a photo before they were gone.

The lowly Gear Sling.....

If you climb eventually you drop gear. Accept that fact and move on.





Jack with a "useful" amount of water fall gear on his harness.

Once you know you'll lose gear it is time to figure out a plan on how not to lose gear. I think this topic is as important as any I have written about here to date.



I've never liked hauling around big racks so I tend to not take a lot of gear. What I do take on the climb I expect to have at theend of the climb.





Ice climbing again and a LOT more gear on the harness.

So I have two priorities, keep what I have for gear and just as importantly be able to manage the gear change overssafely, effortless and quickly. I want to do this on longer rock climbs as well as on alpine climbs.



Everyone rock and crag climbs these days. A 6 pitch rock climb even in the alpine isn't alpine climbing. What works in the gym might well work on a short alpine rock climb. But what works in the gym likely won't work wortha shit on an alpine climb all bundled up in several layers of clothing,big gloves and big boots and cold hands.







Clipping bolts on a short mixed climb...prefect use of the harness gear loops.





With the ability of most every one to climb water ice next to the road and "rock climb" right out of the parking lot...it is no wonder that the details get missed.



I've climbed with a number of guys that are new to the alpine. The more someone has sport climbed generally means the more they will want to rack gear on their harness. That might work...if you have tried it out previously with similar gear and in similar conditions. But you are just as likely to find your harness spits gear off the harness loops on a regular basis when you are wallowing in steep snow.







Ejection proof techniques for alpine climbing





I generally climb everything short of WI5 with 8 or less ice screws. Twice I have ended up at a belay with 5 ice screws. My comment to that has been..."lose another and YOU lead EVERYTHING!" May be it is mytone.



I generally rack my ice screws on plastic racking biners in my harness for steep ice. On alpine stuff I may use the plastic racking biners for screws but I also always use a racking sling for the quick draws and rock gear. If I am only carrying a few short screws they maygo on the sling as well. The harness gear loops I keep for my personal gear likeprusiks, a locker or two, my belay plate or even a lwt shell.. Same stuff I will not be trading back and forth with my partner.



To be efficient, safe (as in less likely to drop) and fast, a gear sling makes sense.



I typically find the guys who are most adamant aboutusingtheir harness gear loops, because they hate gear slings, are the ones that "never drop" anything. And the same ones that shed gear on routelike it was free booty.



Hard free climbing at your limit mightwell take advantage of your harness' gear loops. Although it never did for me. Not likely many will be able to take advantage of that tiny performanceedgeif there is one while climbing alpine routes. I found it much better to be well organised with the right gear available, at the right time, on hard rock.I suspect moving faster and keeping the gear you started with will make a bigger difference in the alpine. Commercial gear slingswith winter clothing are comfortable as is afull size runner that does double duty as a gear sling.



When I am handingover gearat the belay, I do it one piece at a time. I make my partner do the same. I don't want afist full of wired stoppers or 3 pitons at once. I rack most pices one to a biner, wires and pitons the rare exception.Keeping it simple and structured for myself and my partner keeps the gear at hand. That keeps us both honest and our rackintact. Better yet I just have my partnerhand the entire rack on thegear sling or I take what is left of his gear sling rack (and throw it over my shoulder) sort it while on the slingand keep climbing depending on the leading plan.











Besides the full size runners I like to usethe Metolius gear sling. I have two and will loan my partners the second when required. It is adjustable but I don't adjust it even while using it in summer. Set it and for get it is my theory.



http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/adjustable_gear_sling.html









Mark Twight offers some good advice on racking gear in "Extreme Alpinism on page 175.



If you don't use a gear sling you should. It is faster, more efficient and the best way to keep your rack intact on alpine climbs. Seems to work well on trad rock too ;)







More here:



http://climbing.about.com/od/speedclimbing/a/SpeedTip9.htm





"To climb faster and save time at belay changeovers, rack all your climbing gear on a shoulder gear sling. The second climber coming up a pitch can easily rack the gear he cleans onto the gear sling rather than clipping it onto gear loops on his harness. When he reaches the belay anchor, all he has to do is take the gear sling off and hand it to the leader. There’s no time involved, it’s just a pure and simple hand-off like the passing of a baton in a relay race.





If you don’t do this, it takes lots of extra time to unclip each piece of gear from his harness and then hand it to the leader, who in turn has to re-rack it on his harness. By having it all racked together on a gear sling, you also avoid the possibility of dropping cams, nuts, and quickdraws during the hand-off. If there’s a difference in body size between your partner and you, then it’s a good idea to use an adjustable gear sling. Just make sure it’s easy and quick to adjust and that it won’t come apart, otherwise you’re screwed."





Adjustable sling? Better yet just make sure it fits the biggest body before you launch......adjusting a gear sling just adds another cluster to the equation.

Scotland and the "kids".......

The line topo of "To Those That Wait"







Big numbers being bounced around @ IX/9



And "It turned out to be much easier than "To Those Who Wait", but none the less "The Secret"was an awesome line ".



The Secret was X/10 last I checked.







http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/thesecretbennevis/







Will Sim:

"Greg gave the pitch the somewhat conservative grade of IX 9.....Its almost certainly the hardest onsight on the Ben to date. Its called "To Those Who Wait""





Will on pitch one...waiting for the money to come.











Saw this on Will's blog a bit ago when he got home from Patagonia. But missed the gist of ifuntil today.



Will Sim,Greg Boswell and Steve Lynch. Three we'll hear more from I suspect.



Obviously some very good climbing being done by all three.



Fun read as we sit out the local monsoon and 55F temps in mid Jan. and



More here:

http://steve-lynch.blogspot.com//01/stob-coire-nan-lochan-8th-jan.html



here:

http://gregboswell.blogspot.com//01/compare-and-contrast.html



and here:



http://willsim.blogspot.com//01/scottish-fix.html

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

My friend Patti asked me this past week if I ever fall in love with some of the cute small towns and want to stay there. We get asked things along those lines quite a bit. The short answer is yes I do fall in love and no I don't want to stay there. Because I want to move on and see the other cute small towns too.

There's more to it than just that though. I had been chewing on this very topic for a blog post when she wrote to me. Because I'd been pondering how surprised I am that I still get emotional when we leave a place. I get attached and do fall in love and am always sad to be saying goodbye. Part of it is just my personality, meaning I hate saying goodbye.

The other part is that there is just something so uniquely endearing about each and every place we visit. Each place has a way of worming itself into our hearts. We find some good there. We find something we admire there. We find something that is beautiful there. We find people that inspire us there.

That might sound really cheesy to those that haven't experienced this way of living and seeing the world. It might sound like someone who says they still love every girl/boyfriend they ever had. Really though, it is quite a bit like all of the relationships one has. There is always some downside or something that is snark worthy, and trust me we do our share of those observations when visiting. We are human after all. Like past loves though, there is always something that touched your heart and becomes a part of you when you live in a place. Even if you do only live there for a week or two.



So yup, I sure do fall in love and as impossible as it might sound-not sometimes. Every time. It's a pretty amazing thing to me even two years later. I hope I never become jaded in this area, because it's a pretty cool part of this journey.



Living the life in our beautiful country!

Ohiopyle (Meadow Run) Conditions

Today I stopped to check conditions at Lower and Upper Meadow Run today. Overall, Lower Meadow is looking bleak. The short supply of ground water is keeping the ice from forming here. Good news is that there IS ice forming on the start to an awesome looking route that I've tried several times over the years. Its in the middle of the overhang between Anger Management (L) and Captain Caveman (R). It comes out the steepest, longest part of the roof. The seep coming down the short face below the roof is almost ready for some action. I think by next week this line will be ready to try. Please don't knock down the icicle that is almost connected to the Rhodie. This is the start to the route.

Just about ready to go. Next weeks line?

The rest of the lines are looking thin, but as you can see in the picture, the finish to Anger Management is looking great for any aspiring senders. Now is the best time to do it. Captain Caveman is also in great condition, but the extension hanger isn't formed up enough to support body weight. Soon enough.

Hemlock is looking thin, but climbable after a thin start.

Walking up to the thin start of Hemlock WI3

The Main pillar is in horrible shape for the amount of cold that we've had. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone at this point. Don't waste your time if you're planning on coming here to climb the normal ice lines, they don't exist yet.

On a positive note. Upper Meadow Run is looking very good so far. The School Yard has a very nice flow for most everyone. Its forming an nice gully runnel just to the right of the normal ice lines. It appears to be thick enough for any length screws. Get it while its good. Here's a photo of School Yard area.

The "NEW" right runnel that usually doesn't form

The steep mixed climbs in the cave are good for dry tooling, but the ice doesn't appear to be long enough for body weight or use. So if you're into the upside down antics give it a little more time and they should be good for some tries. Above all, the best part of climbing at Upper Meadow is how beautiful the area is. Come out to Southwestern PA for some great winter climbing.

The beautiful setting at Upper Meadow Run with the Amphitheater on the right

Another photo looking out of the cave