A look back at this winter's favorite gear

I can't help it.  It's been 70 degrees and sunny in Ogden and my  mind is automatically shifting from ice to rock climbing.  I have been trying to stay focused on ice climbing because I have a trip coming up to some higher mountains and bigger lines.  I have been watching ice climbing videos, training on my ice tools, and playing with my other ice climbing gear, but the whole time I'm dreaming about all the long rock routes I want to do this summer.

So, as ice season is passing in Ogden, I want to briefly reflect on my favorite gear from this winter.  This is gear that has been with me on pretty much every outing and I am very happy with.  I will also add a few pieces of gear that Phil has been using all winter and loving.  I will not be adding pieces that I have taken climbing out of default (because I have no other option).  This is all gear that I love and therefore CHOOSE to take with me instead of a different option.

I have been able to ice climb about 30 days this winter, which isn't a ton, but I feel pretty happy with it, considering I'm a full-time student and in the process of opening a business.

The Gear

Black Diamond Torque Gloves- These gloves are awesome!  The grip is incredible and the dexterity is hard to beat.  I layer a light merino liner under them and my hands have been warm from 15-30 degree teperatures.  I think I only got the screaming barfies once this winter.  These gloves are a little light duty, I'm afraid.  30 days of ice, a few days of drytooling, some training on a plice tower, and some hiking and they are ready to be replaced.  I guess they're not really designed to be a a heavy-duty glove.  But, even though the grip is getting pretty worn, they have still been quite water-resistant.

Arc'teryx Rho ltw zip baselayer- I have a lot of other baselayers, but this is always my first choice.  If I have two or three outings planned in a week, I save this one for the best climb and use the others on lesser climbs.  This baselayer is super comfortable, wicks moisture well and dries quickly, doesn't stink, even after 3 years of using year-round, and fits extremely well.  It has long, stretchy sleeves which I really appreciate for ice climbing.  Sometimes I'll tuck the sleeves into my torque gloves to keep my wrists covered, which really helps to keep my hands warm.  It is also super durable.  I have scummed up chimneys, hiked countless miles with a pack, and washed it probably 150 times, and it still looks new.

NWAlpine Black Spider Light Hoody- I have already written many times about this piece (http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/lightweight-midlayers-my-favorites.html).  The combination of lightweight, quick-drying material, great design and fit, and affordable price tag make this one of the best base/midlayers I have ever used.  I do occasionally wear this as a baselayer and it works quite well.  I rarely go climbing without it.

Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody- I have already done an in-depth review on this piece (http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/02/arcteryx-acto-mx-hoody-review.html), and my opinion hasn't changed.  I have been looking a lot at other softshell jackets, but I can't think of a better material for active use during the winter than what is used on this jacket.  Maybe Neoshell.  This jacket has pretty much replaced my hardshell (I used my hardshell three times this winter, two of which were skiing).  It does let a little bit more wind through than I would consider ideal for a shell, but when moving fast, I rarely get sweaty (I sweat, but it evaporates quickly).

Marmot Zion Jacket- This has been Phil's go-to jacket all winter long.  Whenever we were hiking or climbing and I was sure he'd be overheating and sweaty, I'd ask him how he feels and he'd reply, "I feel great!  I can't believe how well this jacket breathes!"  He'd often throw the jacket on to dry off once we got up to a climb and were racking up.  Read an in-depth review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/marmot-zion-neoshell-jacket-review.html

Arc'teryx Atom LT Hoody- This jacket goes almost everywhere with me, winter or summer.  It has mostly been my belay jacket this winter because temperatures have been fairly mild.  On really cold mornings, it turns into my climbing jacket.  I love EVERYTHING about this jacket.  If you don't have one yet, you're missing out, in my opinion.  A better review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/01/arcteryx-atom-lt-hoody-i-just-wanted-to.html

Mid-October climbing on the Middle Teton in the Atom LT Hoody

NWAlpine Fast/Light Pant- In-depth review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/02/nwalpine-fast-and-light-pant.html.  I love the fit, simplicity, key features, and material of these pants.  They aren't perfect, but pretty close, and for $110 they are hard to beat.  My go-to pant for pretty  much all winter activities, especially climbing.

Cilogear Worksack- I haven't even touched another backpack this winter (except for my bc skiing pack), and I have seven other packs to choose from.  I imagine it will be my go-to pack on most summer climbing outings as well.  Full review here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/cilogear-worksack-60l-review.html.  My only regret with this pack is that I didn't also get a 30 liter worksack.

Camp Awax and Cassin X-All Mountain Tools- I have used many other tools over the years, including Nomics, Quarks, Vipers, Cobras, and Reactors, and I haven't found another tool that I like better than the Camp Awax and Cassin X-All Mountain.  I even spent a week in Ouray with all of these tools side-by-side (except the Cassins), and my consensus was that the Awax was my favorite (the Nomic being a fairly close second).  Phil has been climbing with the X-All Mountain tools this winter and ended up selling his other set (Reactors) because he didn't think he would use them again.  I think that the X-All Mountain is possibly the most underestimated tool on the market.  The picks on these tools penetrate all types of ice extremely well (sometimes too well, but a little modification to the picks help them pull out of the ice easier).  They have held up quite well to drytooling and even camming in horizontal cracks.  Great tools!

CAMP Awax Tools

Cassin X-All Mountain Tools

Petzl Dartwins- This is the first year I have owned Dartwins, but I have never used a better crampon for vertical ice and mixed.  They skate a little too much on low-angle ice, but I don't even want to touch my other crampons when I'm headed to climb a waterfall.  They do tear holes in my pants a little more efficiently than other I've used, but I was amazed at how much more secure my feet feel on steep ice with these crampons compared to some others I have owned or used.

Scarpa Phantom Guide Boots- After climbing vertical ice in these boots, I shudder at the thought of going back to my leather boots.  These boots hold onto my heel and foot so well, they have pretty much eliminated calf burning for me.  Now that's not to say that my calves wouldn't burn on a long, sustained climb in these boots, but my calves would usually start to burn while climbing on our local waterfalls, but I haven't had even the slightest bit of calf strain on these same waterfalls with the Phantom Guides.  Some more thoughts on these boots here: http://gearthirty.blogspot.com/2012/03/few-thoughts-on-scarpa-phantom-guide.html

A few thoughts on the Scarpa Phantom Guide Boots

*You can also read this review at http://www.gearthirty.com/blog/2012/05/04/a-few-thoughts-on-the-scarpa-phantom-guide-boots/.  You can also find information on hiking, climbing, and paddling destinations; how-to articles; and local, national, and world news from the outdoor industry.  Please check out www.gearthirty.com.

I mentioned about a month ago that I now have Scarpa Phantom Guide boots in my possession to test out.  After a month of testing, I now have a couple comments to share.  I plan to write a much longer, more comprehensive review of them in a few more weeks after I get a few thousand more feet of climbing done in them. 

I have currently done about 1,500 feet of ice climbing, about 200 feet of rock climbing (without crampons) and about 15 miles of hiking in them.  That is not a ton, which is why I want to climb and hike in them more before totally reviewing them. 

So far, here are a few thoughts:

The Phantom Guides have a softer shank than I was expecting.  This makes hiking nice but I was afraid that it may cause problems with the fit of my crampons.  So far I haven't had any problems with crampon fit due to the little bit of give in the shank, but the narrowness of the front welt means that only my dartwins fit well.  My Grivel G14 bars are too wide, but I haven't tried the bars from the G20 or G22.  Black Diamond bars are a better fit, but still not as solid as the Petzl bars.  Once my darts are on the boot and snug, there is absolutely no give in the shank.  I think that it is a very good design; a little give for the hike, no give for the climb.

Phantom Guide seems to fit well with the Petzl bars on my Dartwins.

Another thing that I am extremely impressed with is the fit in the heel.  These boots really lock my heels down.  500 feet of steep ice gets my calves burning in my other boots, but these boots lock my heels down so well, I haven't noticed any calf burning at all.

I did about six 150' laps without the slightest bit of calf burning.  That same amount would have meant burning calves in my other boots.  Climbing WI4+ ice in these boots really felt effortless.

I generally wear a size 45-46 in most boots.  These boots are a 46 and, though they seem to be the right length, they are a higher volume boot than I was expecting.  There are a couple advantages and disadvantages to the extra volume.  (My foot is not extremely narrow, nor is it very wide, but it is a little bit lower volume than the average foot)

First of all, I notice my forefoot sliding around laterally a bit in these boots while I hike, especially on the downhill.  This isn't usually too much of a problem, but my feet did get a little sore after traversing a steep slope for about 45 minutes.  My heels don't slip one bit while hiking or climbing.

Second, these boots don't seem to be as warm as my single leather boots (Salomon Super Mtn 9).  I was expecting them to be warmer, but I think the additional volume means there is more room for my feet to keep warm, which isn't as efficient.

For the advantages, the higher volume boot does allow me to wear a combination of thicker socks which helps with the warmth factor and the lateral sliding (though it doesn't solve the problem).

Finally, the higher volume is slightly more comfortable than the narrower fit of my Salomons for general trail hiking.  The Salomons seem to hold my foot in place better on traverses, but the majority of the hiking I have done in them has been on trails while hiking to a climb.

These boots feel significantly lighter than my Salomons and feel much more sensitive, especially while rock climbing.  I am much more confident edging on rock in these. 

I love the built-in gaiters.  I normally hike with semi-loose boots to the climb, and then tighten my boots just before I get on the ice.  This also means that I usually have to untie my pant-gaiters to tighten my boots.  With these boots I don't have to use my pants as gaiters (though I still occasionally may) so it's easier and faster to adjust the tightness of my boots.

Another advantage to the gaiters is that they keep the boots very dry.  These boots are insulated with Primaloft and they use OutDry technology for the waterproof gaiter.  This, in my experience, makes for a waterproof, extremely quick-drying boot.  My leather boots dry quite slowly (think a day at room temperature) and these boots dry in an hour or two at room temperature, depending how much I sweat in them.

Super-gaiter outer with Tizip waterproof zip

Again, my experience with these boots is still somewhat limited, but I plan to climb in them quite a bit in a couple weeks and I hope to have a much more conclusive opinion after that trip.

A Little About Myself

I just realized this morning that I have been writing this blog for almost two months, but most people still don't know much about me.  I'm not sure if this will give me more credibility or less, but I still think that it is important for people to understand a little about me before they decide whether or not to trust my opinions.  So here we go. . .

I am 25 years old and have been active in the outdoors my whole life.  I rock climb, ice climb, mountain bike, road bike, trail run, canyoneer, ski, snowshoe, etc.  I am most passionate about rock, ice, and alpine climbing, but I use all of the other activities as training.

I have been rock climbing for about 13 years, ice climbing for 5 years, and combining the two for a couple years.

I've been mountain biking for 15 years, many of which include competitive racing.  I have been road biking for about 7 years, most of which have included competitive racing.

 I started skiing when I was 10, which soon became an addiction.  I bought a season pass to Snowbasin every winter through junior high and high school and averaged between 50 and 70 days of skiing per year.  My desire to ski more technical terrain and find better snow led me to the backcountry, and the majority of my skiing in the last five years has been backcountry or side-country skiing.

I don't claim to be a runner, but I have done a decent amount of running over the last 10 years. I originally started running competitively in school, but that has evolved to mostly trail running.  I ran a 28-mile trail race last year and really enjoyed it and considered getting more involved in ultra-marathons, but I realized that I enjoy climbing, biking, and skiing more than running, so I mainly run to stay in shape for the other activities.

I have also been a gear addict since I was about 8 and would order catalogs from all the main outdoor companies and compare all their products.  I got a job at a local outdoor retail store at 16 and worked their for a total of 5 years, with a 2-year break in the middle.  I didn't make any money while I was there; most everything that I made went straight toward gear.  I have worked at the Weber State University Outdoor Program for 4 years as a trip leader/guide, and in their rental shop for about a year.

I have taught mountaineering and backpacking courses at Weber State for 3-4 years and have led (not guided) climbing trips to places like the Tetons and Mt. Rainier and have guided some outings around Ogden.

I married my beautiful wife last year.  She is an avid backpacker, hiker, and road biker.  Last year, her first year of road biking, she decided to ride in the LOTOJA with me, which is a 206-mile race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming.  Being her first race, she wasn't expecting much, but ended up taking 1st place in her age group.

I have never been a world-class anything, but I've always been pretty active in just about everything. The hardest climbing I have done is V7 bouldering, 5.13- sport, 5.11 trad, WI5 ice (WI5 ice feels fairly easy, but I've never had the chance to lead harder), M7 mixed.  I have spent a decent amount of time climbing in the Tetons and Wind Rivers, but the majority of my climbing has been in Ogden and Salt Lake.

While looking for gear, I have always found it helpful to read other people's opinions on a particular product, the good and the bad.  I find it especially helpful when that person has similar interests as I do.  I also find it helpful to see lots of pictures, including pictures of the person wearing/using the products.  These are all things that I have tried and will continue to try to incorporate in this blog.

I hope this information will help you understand a little more about my background and the focus of this blog and help you decide whether or not this will be a helpful resource for you.

Thank you to everybody that has started to follow this blog!  It definitely helps me stay motivated to write and share when I know others are benefitting from it.  Please feel free to share your opinions with me and let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to hear about or gear you would like to have reviewed.  I'll do my best, as money and time allows, to address those things.

Thanks again,

Greg, Gear:30

Dean Potter, The Man Who Can Fly

I came across a link from my friend's blog, http://levikepsel.blogspot.com/, of a trailer for this video of Dean Potter.  The video is absolutely incredible!  A bit nuts, in my opinion.

Here it is.  The video is National Geographic: The Man Who Can Fly.  Make sure to watch this in full screen.

Part 1, 15mins

Part 2, 15 mins

Part 3, 15 mins

Cilogear Worksack 60L Review

On top of Pfeifferhorn with stripped-down 60 liter Cilogear Worksack

Phil with 40 Liter Worksack

A couple years ago, I was working in a specialty outdoor retail shop here in Ogden, Utah.  A good friend of mine walked into the store with a big grin on his face.  That smile could only mean one of two things; either he had just returned from a climbing trip and had ticked off one of our dream routes without me and was here to gloat, or he had a new piece of dream gear that he wanted to show off to me and gloat.  Either way, I was prepping myself to be gloated upon.

He was holding in his hand a large backpack stuffed to the brim.  It seemed as big or bigger than my 50 liter climbing backpack.  The simplicity of the pack was beautiful, but I still wasn't quite sure why he was so excited.  Then he said, "Watch this!," and began to take pillow after pillow and sleeping  bag after sleeping bag out of the pack.  Suddenly the pack want from a 60ish-liter pack to a tall-but-slender 15-20 liter pack.  I fought jealousy and envy back as I eyed his new toy.  Then he took out the framesheet and took off the hip belt, removed all the straps and showed me the removable bivy pad.  This was the sweetest climbing pack I had ever seen!

And then he really broke the news to me:  "Oh yeah, by the way," he said, "I just got back from climbing Castleton.  I would've called you but I knew you were working.  I picked this pack up in Moab on the way home."

That was the last time I talked to that so-called "friend" of mine, and the first time I started to dream about Cilogear backpacks.  I mean, friends just aren't that cruel, right?  Well, actually that was the last time I talked to that friend for the week, but the next week we went cragging and all was well again.  I am actually grateful to that friend for pointing me toward Cilogear packs.

My Cilogear Worksack

I got my own Cilogear Worksack 60L about four months ago and have done my best to test it out in all different situations.  I have used it backpacking, ice cragging, rock cragging, on multi-pitch ice, and multi-pitch rock, alpine climbing, and even snowshoeing.  I have carried anywhere from 10 to 65 pounds in it and have used it with and without the frame sheet.   In every situation it has performed incredibly well.  The only downside is that the pack that I have is 60L.  There are times that I wish I had a 40L or 30L.  But, the 60L has been able to compress down quite small to carry well with small loads and not feel too big.

Here are some specs:

These weights are from my own scale, but they are almost identical to those found on Cilogear's website.  It's always refreshing to me when companies present their products accurately.  This pack is a medium torso. 

• 4lb 10oz - The whole pack, including an added wand pocket and all of the straps the pack comes with, and a rope catch.
• 4lb 2oz - The pack with no straps or wand pocket.  Does have top lid attached.
• 3lb 10oz - The pack with no straps or lid with connecting straps for lid also removed
• 2lb 11oz - Same as previous but with framesheet removed
• 2lb - no framesheet, hipbelt, bivy pad, straps, or lid.

Features:

• Pack is made of some of the best materials available while keeping the pack affordable
• Reinforced in high-abrasion areas
• Can transform from expedition load hauler to stripped summit pack
• reflective trim makes the pack very visible in the dark.
• Two reinforced haul loops allow the pack to be hauled if necessary.
• Long, 12" extension sleeve allows for extra large loads or for the pack to be used as a short bivy bag if necessary.  The pack from bottom to top of extension sleeve is 36" long.
• Ice clipper slots on hipbelt
• D-loop/Slider system allows for incredible versatility.  Straps can be configured however you want to carry pretty much anything.  Also, strap-attachment points can be used for compression without straps.
• Crampon pouch and ice tool/ice axe attachments.  Tool attachments can easily carry two sets of tools or tools and an axe.

Pictures, lots of 'em

60L worksack stuffed full.  About 36" tall and probably closer to 75L with the extension sleeve.

Crampon pouch and ice tool attachments.  Ice tool slots easily accomodate multiple sets of tools or axes.  Note the reflective trim.  Yellow strap is one reinforced haul loop.  Gray section on the bottom is an extremely burly material, dimension polyant VX51.  It is essentially 1000d cordura laminated to x-pac fabric.

Fully-loaded pack.  The obvious V-shaped wedge that is the side panel really helps to transfer weight to the hips and lumbar region.  Fully loaded pack is about 75 liters, maybe more.  In case anybody is wondering why I'm squatting, I am taking a picture of myself with the camera sitting on our piano, so I'm crouching to fit the whole pack in the frame. 

Long extension sleeve.  Fully loaded without top pocket is about 65 liters or so.

Pack is now about 50 liters.

Compressed further on both sides.  Pack is now about 35 liters.

Compressed totally.  The pack is now approximatley a 20-liter summit pack.  An actual 20-liter summit pack would feel much lighter and less bulky, but this would work just fine.  It amazes me that somebody could make a pack that is 75+ liters and could comfortably carry 60+ pounds, and then strip down to a 20-liter summit pack.  Definitely a great design!

Ninja pocket.  This pocket folds over bivy pad and framesheet and velcros in place.  To remove the framesheet and bivy pad, just pull up on the ninja pocket.  There is a hydration sleeve below the ninja pocket.

Inside ninja pocket.  The whole pack is a white color on the inside to make it easier to see pack contents in the dark.

Framesheet and bivy pad under ninja pocket

Framesheet consists of one aluminum stay and a stiff plastic sheet.  The framesheet does not come pre-curved but it's easy to shape.

Bivy pad is pretty stiff and comfortably supports 25 pounds.  The foam is about 3/8" thick. 

The pack's interior.  The strap in the middle of the picture is an internal compression strap.  This strap significantly improves the comfort and carry of the pack with heavy loads.  The reflective detail on the strap make it nice and easy to find in the dark.  It's the little things.

The Backpanel.  The adjustment for torso length is with the hipbelt and lumbar pad.  This hipbelt, though minimalistic, is incredibly comfortable.  I have often had a problem with hipbelts rubbing my hips raw under heavy loads.  The only pack hipbelts that haven't so far are the Arc'teryx Altra's hibelt (and their other packs that use the same hipbelt), the new BD hipbelts that are used with their ergoActive suspension, and this hipbelt.  I was surprised when it comfortably supported 65 pounds with no funky rubbing.

Hipbelt removed, obviously.

Ice clipper slots on hipbelt.  I only wish they had dedicated gear loops.  I'm not sure, but Cilogear might be willing to sew some in.

Simple strap attachment for compression

The plastic slider feeds into the metal D-ring to make a compression strap.  This modular system is genius, but takes some practice and is a little difficult with bulky gloves.

Comes with all these straps (except the blue rope catch) which make the compression/rigging options endless.

Zippered underside of lid.

Main zippered pocket of lid.

From Cilogear's website:  We manufacture our packs in house. Our office and workshop is in a building over 100 years old. Our electricity is hydroelectric, from the Columbia river that runs between Oregon and Washington. Our materials are sourced in the USA, and the vast majority of our materials are made here. I doubt that there is a 'greener' backpack manufacturer out there shipping as many units.

The Verdict

If it's not extremely obvious yet, let me say this in the clearest language I know how: This pack is the best climbing pack I have ever seen!  I have used probably 15-20 different packs over the years for climbing, including Black Diamond, Arc'teryx, Wild Things, Osprey, Granite Gear, Dana Design, and others, and I have never  used a pack that carries so comfortably with heavy loads that can also strip down so light and simple for climbing and as a summit pack.  There are some packs that are as simple and climb as well, and there are packs that carry loads as well, but there are no other packs that I know of that does everything as well, and for an affordable price.  My pack retails for $260.  Not bad for what you get.  They do also offer a non-woven dyneema and a woven/non-woven dyneema 60L Worksack, but they are significantly more expensive ($750 and $775, respectively).  They are lighter and significantly more durable than mine, but I think mine is durable enough to last at least 3-4 years of heavy use.

I would give this pack 5 out of 5 stars.  The only thing I would add are dedicated gear loops on the hipbelt and maybe a couple retaining clips on the shoulder straps for the extra webbing from the load lifters so they don't hit me in the face in high winds.  It's not difficult to tuck this under other straps though.

For any climber that wants a well-designed, extremely versatile climbing pack, Cilogear Worksacks are for you!  For a backpacker that climbs, worksacks are for you!  For a backpacker that doesn't climb, these would work fine, but there are probably better options out there for you.

For a lot more information about Cilogear, check out their website

http://www.cilogear.com/

And search Cilogear on YouTube.  Their "Propoganda Films" are very informative.

Quilts continued. . . more pictures

The other day when I wrote about the benefits of quilts, I took a lot of pictures and then my camera battery died, so I didn't download all of them.  So, here are the rest.  Hope these are helpful.

Phil's Down quilt and Marmot Lithium.  Lithium is EN comfort rated to about 10 degrees F.  The Lithium on my scale is 2lb 13.8oz in a regular length.  Phil's quilt is Phil-comfort-rated to about 20 degrees F and weighs 1lb 5oz.  Either option is easily warm enough for winter when combined with other warm layers.

Phil's quilt used as additional warmth over the Lithium.

The Marmot Lithium and Phil's quilt equal 9+ inches of loft, about 6" of which is on top.  This should, when used in combination, equal approximately -30 degree F comfort rating depending on how well you can seal out drafts with the quilt.  This combination gives 3 bag options: The quilt for 3-season use, the Lithium for 4-season use, the combination for extreme cold.  Total weight of the two bags is 4lb 2.8oz.  Not bad for a bag that warm, and a heck of a lot cheaper than buying an $800 -40 degree bag you'll use twice.

Lithium vs. Down Quilt is size.  Let me remind you that the Lithium is Marmot's ultralight, ultra-packable 0 degree bag.  My Marmot Couloir, also a 0-degree bag, does not pack up as small.

When used in combination with the Rab Neutrino and Compressor pants, the quilt will easily reach 0 to -10 degree temps.  The key to having a warm quilt is sealing out drafts!

The Lithium, in comparison.  It's much larger when packed and more than double the weight.  Most people will be taking a belay jacket and insulated pants on a winter climbing or backpacking trip anyway, so why take a heavier sleeping bag if you can use these as part of your sleep system?  Some people claim they sleep better without having to layer clothing under a sleeping bag.  I understand that, and that's fine.  For the rest, think about trying out a quilt.  It's a great way to lighten up and trim down pack size.

 

First Winter Ascent of Gasherbrum 1

The first successful winter ascent of Gasherbrum 1 was completed a few days ago.  Adam Bielecki and Janusz Golab, members of a Polish team, reached the summit on March 9 without the aid of supplemental oxygen.  They followed the Japanese Route.



Here are a couple links from Alpinist, Rock and Ice, and Planet Mountain:

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web12w/newswire-gi-winter-1

http://rockandice.com/news/1842-first-winter-ascent-of-gasherrum-i

Planet Mountain has the most information so far:

http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=39292

Jonathan Griffith's Video - Denali

One of my favorite blogs to follow is Jon Griffith's, http://www.alpineexposures.com/blogs/chamonix-conditions. His photography and videography is top-notch. Jon is often the photographer and videographer for Ueli Steck. One of my favorite videos, partially because I have a slight obsession with Denali (though I have never been there), is Jon's video of he and Will Sim climbing the West Buttress and setting the speed record on the Cassin Ridge. Speed records on the Cassin (or on any route, for that matter) are controversial because it is very much condition-dependent. For example, Colin Haley and Bjorn-Eivind Artun climbed it the year previous with the hope of breaking Mugs Stumps' record of 15 hours. They finished the route in 17 hours, running into deep snow for the last 3,000 feet or so. Either way, if you can climb the Cassin in a day, you're incredibly strong.

Another great video is of Joshua Lavigne and Raphael Slawinski climbing the Cassin in a day. I can't seem to figure out how to embed videos from vimeo, so here's the link to his video:


http://vimeo.com/26046094


Joshua Lavigne's Blog:


http://alpinesummits.blogspot.com/


Colin Haley's blog is also one of my favorites. Read about their Alaska 2010 trip climbing both the Cassin and a new route on Mt. Foraker, Dracula, here:


http://colinhaley.blogspot.com/2010/06/alaska-2010-dracula-and-cassin-simul.html


and last but not least, Raphael Slawinski's blog is always good. He is a great writer and I always enjoy reading his posts.


http://raphaelslawinski.blogspot.com/

Birthday Party at Hidden Valley

Kelsey has been bugging me to go backpacking for the last few weeks.  Yep, my wife has been trying to convince me to go backpacking in the snow with her.  I am a lucky man.  And since today is Kelsey's birthday, backpacking over the weekend seemed like a good way to celebrate. We decided to go with Phil and his wife, Katy, to Hidden Valley for a quick overnighter.  Hidden valley is a steep 3-mile hike just above Ogden.  Katy is 7 1/2 months pregnant, but she's also super tough so she handled it no problem.  It was a beautiful hike, didn't see a single other person, and woke up to perfect blue skies and comfortable temperatures.

Unfortunately for me, I poked a hole in my Neoair mattress and spent a cold and uncomfortable night on the ground.  Luckily I had a 3/4 length z-rest as well and I could pull a foam bivy pad out of the back of my cilogear pack, but I was still quite chilled.  The view in the morning made up for it.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Kelsey and I near the trailhead

Katy and Phil also near the trailhead, looking toward hidden valley.  Hidden Valley is at about 7500 ft, the trailhead is at about 4700 ft.

Katy bundled up for the night.

Myself getting ready for bed.  Didn't realize how long the night would be without a good pad.

Phil warming up and cooking breakfast in the sun the next morning.

Phil and Katy with Mt. Allen and Mt. Ogden in the background.  Mt. Allen is the most prominent mountain from this angle, but Mt. Ogden is actually higher, it's just slightly hidden behind Mt. Allen.

Kelsey and I.  After a 20ish degree night, we are enjoying the 45 degree morning sun.  The temperature had risen to 60 degrees by the time we got back to the trailhead at noon.