Simple solutions, leash, sock and picks

When I start thinking I know what I am doing I usually get a lesson in humility.



Umbilicals? To connect the umbilical to the tools we have mini lockers, flat steel wire gates and a host of do-it-yourself solutions with all offer varying amounts of success. How hard does it really need to be? Not very it seems. For the home made ones just tie a big loop in the end and do the same. Easy on and off for the alpine where you may want to remove the umbilical all together. Thanks Jim for pointing out that obvious solution to my my overly jaded imagination.

















Boots that don't fit perfectly? Feet a little different in size? Not unusual for most folks.



How about using different thickness sock on each foot? It might just be the simple fix you require to get a better fit. Not one I have needed but so simple when it was pointed out to me I had to say, "duuuu, of course!" It is at least worth a try. Thanks for that idea!







Another one that seemed to escape me and most of my climbing mates. Sharpening tools? For most things including vertical ice and the majority of alpine mixed a razor sharp pick isn't required. In fact it is just a waste of good steel (and your hard earned cash) to always be sharpening and resharpening your picks.



I know, BTDT myself on numerous occasions. And until now I am generally loath to go on anything I think is difficult without a set of "properly sharpened" picks. This spring I decided to see just how much difference it really makes. Short of super cold or old hard and brittle ice I suspect it doesn't matter much. Now I intentionally sharpen my picks differently.



I think the ability to hook the tools easily is equally important as getting the initial stick.

With the best of the new tools hooking is easy and secure. Which allows us to worry less about the condition of the pick's tip. Much as we want to think it really does and I have been convinced it does for years.








Pick at the left is now 3.3mm and the newer one on the right is 3.1mm




The difference in how the picks actually climb in the majority of terrain I use them on is nil.























To make a point the two sets of picks below started out new and got some use.









The pair above was used on the first ascent of Dracula, Mt Foraker.





This pair was used on a solo ascent of the Cassin, Denali





As I said unless it is really hard and cold or just old ice the pick can be pretty well worn and still very usable. More so than you might first think. Certainly on a lot of the mixed we do by simply hooking you don't need a razor's edge on your pick. The first time you miss judge a placement and slam the pick into rock you'll end up with a dull edge anyway. The cutting edge of a splitting maul will last a lot longer than that of a scalpel. Each has their own place in the tool box. Best to know which you need for your specific job.



I still have picks I haven't touched with a file that get used on fat Canadian ice. Going a full season there without intentionally hitting rock is not unusual. They start out sharp from the factory and stay that way if I pay attention. I also have the pair of picks I climbed on in Chamonix last winter. Down into the teeth on those simply from wear on the hard granite and old black gully ice there. One is the rounded and shortened pick seen in the first picture. The pair look remarkably the same.









I used that pair of picks on several pure ice climbs this spring including the scariest lead I have been on in a while. Sticks are easy in the spring time slush :) The shape of my picks never once entered my mind.

Squirrel

Grivel's G20 Monopoint

The crux of the Croz Spur, photos and content courtesy of Dave Searle



So I had a problem.... I had just bought a brand new pair of scarpa 6000's and I didn't have a crampon to fit on them. I prefer using Mono points for mixed climbing and I knew that if I wanted a super-light crampon I only really had two options. The Grivel G20 or the Petzl Dart.



I bought the G20's from a shop here in Chamonix over a year ago now and I have used them for nearly all my climbing. I have used them on the north face's of the Eiger, Droites and Grandes Jorasses. I used them water ice climbing and I have also used them mixed climbing in Scotland as well as using them as my dry-tooling crampon. Are they reaching the end of there life? I'd say so, but hey they have had a good innings.



I knew when I bought them that unlike a modular crampon like the G14 or M10 it would be expensive to change the front section when the front point became to short. I do a lot of climbing and I was willing to take that financial hit for saving the weight and having a more technical crampon. I really wanted a crampon with rear facing secondary points for dry tooling and steep mixed.



These crampons have worked really well in all but one area..... ridges. I know that they weren't designed for that and to be honest any climber who looked at them or used them would say the same thing. If your looking for a crampon that will cover classic alpine routes then look somewhere else. If your looking for a super-light mixed climbing mono then these baby's are well worth a look.



Why aren't they any good for ridge's I hear you ask. Well they are built around Grivels own “mono rail” concept which means that the front of the crampon is attached to the back by a single rail with four teeth along its length. It sits right underneath your foot so when you put your foot on any flat or rounded rock your balancing on one of the rail points which is isn't that stable.



I used these crampons when I climbed the Colton/Macintyre this year and they worked really well on the face, but after we topped out we continued straight into the traverse of the Jorrases, a long and precipitous ridge climb to get to the Canzio Bivi. It was quite hard work with these crampons on but I still managed it ok. I'm not saying you won't be able to climb ridges with them on, all I'm saying is if you want one crampon to rule it all then there are probably better designs out there.



What you loose in stability on that kind of terrain you gain in other area's. For example not having the 4th row of points on the side of your foot means that the 3rd, rear facing points are easier to use when drytooling or steep mixed climbing because there isn't anything in the way on the side of your foot. If you've ever properly used the 'rake' points for there intended purpose you'll know what I'm trying to say. Also having the points underneath your feet on the fixed bar means that if you ever kick your foot out or use it sideways around a icicle you can really get them in because they are so solid on the bottom of your foot.



As can be expected from Grivel these crampons are really well made and I have had no issues with the build quality. I'm not sure what to say about the longevity of them as I personally think they have lasted really well for the use I have given them but some of my friends who have used them as well don't feel the same way. Perhaps I'm better at hitting the ice rather than the rock when I'm mixed climbing?



One thing that Grivel have gone for over Petzl is three adjustments holes for the front bail. This means that you can have the front point super short for technical mixed climbing or super long for ice. Its useful to have that adjustment for when you've filed the front point down a bit as you can push it further forward to get better hold on softer ice or snow.



When I bought these crampons they did not come with the subsidiary horizontal front point that they now come with. I'm not sure how much this will help with grip in snow or soft ice but I haven't had any issues without it. They don't grip as well as a traditional crampon in snow but all you need to do is kick a bit harder up that snow cone before the fun really begins.



I thought that I was going to have some problems with balling up (when heavy wet snow collects under your crampons in a ball, which is heavy and annoying on the flat and pretty dangerous on a slope!). I can honestly say that I haven't had any issues with this with these crampons and that's not because I haven't encountered the right snow for it. I can recount a few times when partners that have been using the Darts have had a total mare of it when its been fine for me. You can buy an anti-balling plate for the front but I haven't felt the need for it yet.



There is only one thing I would change about these crampons. I would get rid of the first point on the mono rail (the furthest forward one). Why? Because I find when I stand on a large spike it takes me a bit fiddling to locate the front of my foot onto it securely. I think if this point wasn't there not only would it be a few grams lighter but it would be easier to nestle your foot on the top of that big granite block your eye-balling.



Pinocchio, Mont Blanc du Tacul

http://searler.com/



"All in all its a great technical crampon that excels on mixed terrain and water ice but also copes really well with big stuff and dry tooling." Dave Searle





Pinocchio, Mont Blanc du Tacul from skigrandbec on Vimeo.









Sometimes you just wear gear out and it simply needs to be replaced

Falling for Fillets

This morning I ran into Nao Tomii - a Boston area sculptor, bicycle component manufacturer, and recently launched framebuilder. I was excited to see that the roadbike he had been building for himself was now finished: There he was, riding it... in a matching outfit!

Tomii frames are fillet-brazed - a process I've been intrigued by after watching Ian Sutton building Icarus frames in the same workshop occupied by Bryan of Royal H. Cycles. Nao learned fillet brazing from Ian and began making his own frames this year.

Fillet brazing (pronounced kind of like "fill-it") is a lugless method of joining steel tubes together using a heated filler material. The construction, as far as I understand, has the strength of lugged steel. The look is absolutely unique: seamless and "liquidy."Whereas lugs create interruptions at the joints and welds create visible seams, fillets givethe impression of one tube flowing into another. There is no beginning or end to the joint and the effect is mesmerising.

It almost looks as if the frame is sculpted, which makes it easy to understand how this particular method would appeal to a sculptor.

To my eye, the streamlined look of the joints lends itself especially well to road/racing bikes - reinforcing the idea that they are light, unencumbered, fast. And on this particular bicycle, this is further reinforced by the "airy" colour.

Lilac-gray and white -

- with strategically placed powder-blue accents (an excellent paint job by Circle A).

The "lighter than air" effect is a clever way to suggest racy qualities without resorting to a traditionally aggressive colour scheme, like bright red. I love it and would like something similar should I ever have a road/racing frame built from scratch, or an old frame repainted.

The pewter headbadge, handmade by Nao, adds just a bit of flourish as the finishing touch to an otherwise minimalist frame. Sigh, I love it. This bicycle is just so perfectly elegant and tasteful.

Nao's frame is what I would consider my size, very similar to myMoser. I rode it in the parking lot very briefly, but would need to lower the saddle a tad and attach my own pedals in order to try it properly. The bike does not have toe overlap, proving once more that this can indeed be achieved with small frames. I look forward to seeing more of Nao's thoughtful and beautiful work in the future. If you'd like to inquire about a frame, his email address is posted here.

What is your take on fillet-brazing? anyone a fan, or own a fillet-brazed bicycle? A labor-intensive process that - when done well - delivers a flawless finish, it is the choice of some of the best custom builders.

OUT

Tuffee knows when I tell her OUT she is to get out of the horse pen. This is her slipping out the gate. She knows how to push it open just enough she can get out.

We'd Like a Table with a View... of Our Bikes!

It is perfectly normal to stare at your bikes while out having coffee or dinner. Right?...

Look Once, Look Again...More Free Books

Here is the second set of books I have to give away. This is a set of "Look Once, Look Again" books. Again, these are hardcover with library bindings. I have a set of five of them: Mouths, Tails, Feathers and Fur, Leaves and Eyes. They are recommended for ages 4-8. You can take a peek at one of them here: Amazon

Greetings from Texas :: Caddo Lake State Park

First off, I hope that my friend Ruth will forgive me (and understand, as we saw each other last week) for not stopping to see her, but I did think of her and "wave" as I drove through Monroe!



Thursday, March 31st - - I got off of the Natchez Trace Parkway a little north of Jackson, Mississippi and spent last night at a State Park (whose name I don't recall). This morning I hopped onto I-20 and zipped through Louisiana (again, my apologies to Ruth and her family).



Caddo Lake State Park is on the eastern edge of northern Texas just a few miles north of I-20 and northeast of the town of Marshall. The park's website states “This lake was the only natural lake in Texas until it was artificially dammed in the early 1900's when oil was found and for flood control in 1914. A new dam replaced the old one in 1971. Caddo Indian legend attributes the formation of the lake to a giant flood. Scientists believe the lake formed when floodwaters, blocked by massive log jams on the Red River, backed up into the Cypress Bayou watershed, forming the lake.”



Regardless of how it was formed it was quite interesting... and pretty.











Later in the evening, as the sun was setting, I noticed the trees along the eastern shore were aglow with this amazing yellow light. It was almost surreal, but quite beautiful.