"Power of Light"

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Petzl_logo

Petzl, the originator of the modern headlamp, today announced the launch of a global “Power of Light” Photo/Video contest, in line with the launch of the new series of Tikka2 and Zipka2 headlamps.

A jury of international filmmakers and photographers, along with the viewing public, will weigh in on the best photos and videos created on one of two themes: “Illustrate the Power of Light”, or, “What Do You Do with Your Headlamp?”

Entries will be accepted beginning November 1st through December 31st, 2009, and the grand prize winner will receive their weight in Petzl gear – a package worth over $10,000. Loads of runner-up prizes are also up for grabs.

Here’s How It Works

• Participants submit one photograph or one video no longer than 2 minutes maximum on one of two topics:

“Illustrate the Power of Light” or “What Do You Do With Your Headlamp?”.

• A Grand Prize will be awarded for the best video and the best photograph. Each grand prize winner will receive their weight in Petzl gear.

• Runner-up prizes include a full selection of gear for a specified activity, the entire range of TIKKA2/ZIPKA2 headlamps, and more

• Rights-free music will be made available on http://video-contest.tikka2.com for entrants to download for use in videos.

• Awards will be based on criteria of originality, humor, quality and aesthetics.

• Winners will be announced in early 2010.

Jurors and filmmakers Josh Lowell, Sean White and Guillaume Broust have created and posted videos to inspire entrants (as jurors, the aforementioned will not be qualified to compete or win). The video jury includes Guillaume Broust, Bertrand Delapierre, Josh Lowell, and Shaun White. The photo jury features Stephan Denys, Tony Lamiche and Petzl’s own Laurent de Lafouchardiere and John Evans. To tip the scales, the public will have the opportunity to vote online.

For complete contest details, visit Petzl’s contest page http://video-contest.tikka2.com. The site features a cool calculator for entrants to estimate their potential winnings by calculating the equivalency of their weight in Petzl gear.

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09/10 Ice Season Under Way!

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Pinnacle Gully, Mt. Washington NH

pinnacle-gully-10/15/09Broken Spectre approaches the second belay on Pinnacle Gully, Mt. Washington NH. 10/15/09. The route had to cross the open river at that point to continue.

More Photos

Photo by Alden Pellett – Vermont Daily News.com

Time to Sharpen your Gear!

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Climb safe, Climb sharp!

IceAd2Ice Season is upon us and now is the time to sharpen your gear for the sketchy early season thin conditions and the mid-winter fatty flows.
Griz Guides offers a complete ice gear sharpening service for screws ($8, Ti $12), crampons ($25) and picks ($5).
Check it out online at: www.grizguides.com or call at 215.499.7832

Griz is a long time NEice contrubiter and auther of the guide book, Ice Climbing in Pennsylvania.

Site Make Over!

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Welcome to the New NEice!

It has taken me many hrs and some big bucks to do this remake but we celebrate 10 years this year and we needed some new tools! ;-). I upgraded the community board, photopost, classified and the front page. This system will take us well into the future. I have put all I have learned over the last 10 years and the latest technology into this new site, I hope you like it. I still have lots of archival content to post, and the eguide & video sections to complete but we still have to wait for the ice so I have some time, but not much. This year we also have a Facebook and Youtube presence. Enjoy!

This starts the Fall Fund Raiser. Help with the expense of this new site and make a Donation today. Thank you.

I hope it’s a banner ice year!

Let the games begin!……Doug

Please report any errors to doug@neice.com

Rope Tips #1

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Skinny Singles: How Thin Can You Go?

by Justropes.com

Modern single ropes keep getting thinner and thinner, pushing the envelope of what is possible for a balance of performance and weight savings. Is a “skinny” single right for you, and if so, how thin you should go? The answers depend on the type of climbing you intend to do with these thin single cords.

“Skinny” single ropes are those below 10 mm in diameter, and they seem to keep getting thinner each season. While these ropes typically range between 9.4 to 9.8 mm in diameter, the cutting edge at present is 9.1 to 9.2 mm (the Beal “Joker” and the Mammut “Revelation”). Maxim will have a new 9.1 mm single in 2006, and the envelope will be pushed even further by a new 8.9 mm single that Mammut will market in 2006!

These thin single cords typically weigh in around a lean 53 grams/meter (for 9.1-9.2 mm), 58 grams/meter (for 9.4-9.5 mm) and 62 grams/meter (for 9.7-9.8 mm). For comparison, a 9.5 mm, 60 m single rope is almost 1.5 pounds lighter than the equivalent 10.5 mm cord! Of course, you don’t get something for nothing. As common sense would dictate, the thinner a rope is, the fewer falls it can hold, and the less durable it will be. Super-thin skinny cords (e.g. 9.1-9.2 mm) have UIAA fall ratings of about 5, while the fall rating improves to about 6/7 for 9.4-9.5 mm ropes, and to about 7/8 for the more beefy 9.7-9.8 mm skinny ropes. Compared to the typical UIAA fall rating of 11 for a 10.5 mm single rope, one can see that the weight savings of skinny singles is gained at the cost of fall rating and durability.

While a few of the skinny singles are UIAA Sharp Edge rated, by far most are not. At present, only the Beal Joker 9.1 mm is UIAA rated for use as both a twin and half/double, as well as single. Using this rope as a twin increases the fall rating substantially.

So, how do you decide if a skinny single is right for you, and just how thin you should go? The key factor in choosing will often be whether you intend to use the rope to climb long, wandering, alpine-style routes, where rope drag will be an issue, or whether you intend to mostly climb routes that are linear and don’t wander, such as typically found at the local ice or rock crag, or cliff. Another important factor is whether you intend to use the rope for hard redpoint/onsight attempts, or for working routes and/or toproping.

Skinny singles are a solid choice for rock/alpine/ice climbers expecting to encounter many pitches and looking to save substantial weight. They still offer a solid safety reserve in terms of falls rating, and on many climbs, any rope drag can be controlled by careful use of longer slings (if the skinny single is also rated as a half/double, it can also be used in this format for any wandering pitches). They are often a great choice for climbers working hard routes for redpoints or onsights, where you don’t want extra pounds holding you down. On the flip side, they are probably not the right choice for working routes or doing a lot of toproping, where a thicker more durable 10+ mm single rope is going to shine. And they are probably not the best choice for use on any type of route, whether alpine, ice, or rock, that is going to wander to the point where the only way to control drag is with a double/half rope system.

As for how thin to go, just remember that the thinner the skinny single, the less falls it will hold and the less durable it is likely to be. So, most climbers considering their first thin cord will likely want to consider something 9.5 mm and up, saving the super-thin cords for redpointing, etc. If you decide to grab one this season, Beal, Esprit, Edelrid, Maxim, Mammut, and PMI all offer a range of great skinny single ropes. Get out there and climb safe!

How to make a V-tread

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by Dave Furman

More and more recently I’ve come across all sorts of gear left on ice climbs, left when people rap off or when people can’t finish a route and rap or lower off. In the interest of keeping the chat room posturing to a minimum and to help preserve everybody’s rack, here is how I place a V-thread and retreat from an ice climb. (I feel like I’m uniquely qualified to write this, as I have retreated off of ice climbs in fourteen states, including almost every route at lake Willoughby and in smugglers notch.) A V-thread is stronger than a screw because the surface area of the ice you are supporting your weight on is much greater than that of the threads on an ice screw. Many people don’t trust them however, so what follows is my method of backing up and testing rappel anchors in general, as well as directions for making a V-thread.

Once you’ve decided you’re done, whether you’re at the top of the climb or not, you’ll want to examine your options—if there’s an easy walk-off or if there’s a shiny new bolt station nearby, obviously it may be faster and easier to frig your way over there. That never seems to happen to me, but I do run into all sorts of sketchy looking fixed anchors attached to all manner of trees, shrubs, rocks, blocks, icicles, threads, pins, etc. Usually they have eleventeen different pieces of tat all semi-equalized somehow, and it still looks sketchy. My rule of thumb is always back up my anchor—but that may not mean leaving anything behind. Often what I’ll do is create my own separate anchor, unweighted by the rappel rope through the fixed anchor, so that I have the opportunity to vigorously bounce-test the fixed one. If anything rips, I’m protected by my backup, and then can start leaving all my own gear…more likely the anchor holds even my heavily aggressive more-than-double-my-body-weight testing, and I can safely clean my backup (after my partner completes the rappel) without leaving a thing behind. I do the same thing with fixed V-threads. Place a screw or two far enough away that if the thread rips it won’t undermine your placement, and clip it to the rappel rope as well—it’s important that the rappel rope does not weight your backup anchor, or you won’t be testing the fixed one. This way, any anchor you see on the ice, as well as most tree and pin anchors, can be tested to ensure their solidity. It doesn’t hurt to carry a small knife, some extra cord or web and a couple rings to replace (not just add to) the really ratty fixed stuff.

To place a V-thread, first find the area of solid ice that has the least air pockets or cracks through it. It helps to find a small pillar or convexity, as this will aid in placing the holes for the thread. Place the longest screw you can in the ice, at an angle and location that will allow you to drill another screw to meet the first hole (the convexity allows you to place a hole on either side of it, increasing the size of the ice column in between). It is nice to leave the first screw partially in the ice so you can use it as a gauge for the correct angle and location for the second screw. You will be able to see the second screw intersect the hole from the first. Push a piece of cord or 11/16’’ web through one hole, and pull it out the other with the hook you brought with you. (This can be either a homemade job from coat hanger, or a pre-fab one—several are available, Charlet Moser makes a good one that is easily available. See directions below to make one) Tie the ends of the cord together, and you’re done. If the hole is shallow, or cracked, or hollow ice, or you’re just into public service, place a second thread 18’’ or so above the first, so that the rappel rope weights the two cords equally. If you practice, this really only takes five minutes to make a double thread anchor—I’ve often been able to place a thread between the time that my partner finishes a pitch, calls off belay and finishes constructing an anchor, and when they put me on belay.

To make a v-thread tool, get one of the all-wire heavy-gauge coat hangers from your closet, and cut a piece of wire about fourteen inches long. Bend one end to form a loop that you can clip to a carabineer. Bend the other end into a hook that will easily fit through the inside of one of your ice screws, and sharpen the point of the hook with your file. You’re done. I fold mine into a loop, hooking the hook end through the loop so it doesn’t catch on my precious gore-tex, but be careful of this as the wire will fatigue and break before too long—luckily they’re really cheap! Good luck and be safe!

See an update from Dave, and comments below

IN PRACTICE – #2

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By Scott Backes
Alpine Mentoring.com

Alpine Mentors Canada Alpine Climbing

“IN PRACTICE”

What separates a good day of climbing waterfalls from a bad one? In the first half of this In Practice piece, we dealt with the physical factors that influence our ascents. This second half deals with a much more nebulous and individual topic. What psychological and mental attitudes are responsible for our experiences on the ice? What can we do to influence them, and what pitfalls do we need to avoid? Obviously the answers to these questions are as varied and numerous as the individuals who climb ice. There are, however some general principals and techniques that all of us can use to put ourselves in the best possible mind-frame given our circumstances. These ideas and practices will be the focus of this In Practice piece.

When I was younger my need for recognition from my peers, and my desire to prove myself to myself often drove me to undertake ascents of ice-climbs at or above my ability. These “skin of the teeth” ascents were often begun with a samurai’s nonchalance towards the outcome. But, when grappling with the ice itself, it was mostly a different story. Often shaking with fear and failing upwards, I would flail my way to the top. These are the experiences of youth and some of you will be driven to this path. This is what is called surviving the learning curve. I cannot recommend this course, but I will put a few addendum’s on it.

When you find yourself above your head in a dire predicament stop and breathe. Slow deep breaths can do as much for calming panic as anything. If you ice tools are secure, close your eyes for a few deep breaths. Just slowing your breathing and closing your eyes will give you back some of your perspective. After your break, steel yourself to the climbing above. What I mean by this, is you must accept where you are at and accept what work must still be done. Feet are often neglected when we are afraid. Take the time to look down and find good features to stand, at the least look for solid-non-chandeliered ice to frontpoint into. When I am afraid there is a tendency to stop looking anywhere but at the ice directly in my vision. I know this about myself, so I make a conscious decision to keep looking around at my environment. So many, many times when I stop to look, there is some feature to stem to, or some mushroom I can do a back-step or drop-knee on. If your arms are so tired that you can’t control your swing, you must drop one arm at a time, resting it enough to get a good controlled swing. Each placement must be tested before you drop the next arm. It is a slow excruciating experience, but I have managed on several occasions to climb the last half of a pitch using this method. If you can find the will to stay with it, if you can accept the discomfort and pace, you can make it off the climb (at least physically) intact.

So often I have seen climbers let panic overtake their skills. I see them hurrying their placements, or pulling on tools that I wouldn’t trust in a million years. Their feeling of panic is so painful to them, so overwhelming to them that they will do anything to make it cease, they will do anything to get it over with-even if it means risking their lives. Some times they get away with it-sometimes they don’t. But, the mistake they have all made is too let panic rule them. The difference between surrendering to panic and using your fear to propel you to the top, is attitude. Before you even get out of the car, think about the breathing and use your own reservoir of experiences to consider how you have gotten yourself out of difficult situations in the past. If you believe there is a way out, there is. If your panic adds hopelessness to its burden of overwhelming fear; there is a good chance you will be lost. If you can summon hope based on past experiences, and then focus it on the situation at hand, the deep breathing and some methodical climbing will bring you back from the edge.

As I continued my arc towards ice climbing excellence, I started applying my hard-earned knowledge to each new challenge. Instead of the Samurai’s nonchalance, I adopted the attitude of the journeyman. I had a quiver of techniques and mindsets that I applied as needed. The fear of the unknown became the fear of the known, which for me is much more easily managed. My systems were ingrained to a degree, that I was able once I left the ground to forget about them. This left more time for strategy and creativity.

As you approach your objective, take the time to view the route from a distance. See the formation’s cruxes and its natural rests. Consider in your mind how much energy and mental strain will be required for each of the difficult sections and how much you think you can get back from the rests. Plot out ahead of time which aspect of the route you will climb. If you haven’t scoped the route out from a distance, once you get right underneath it, all objectivity and route choices go out the window. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started up a route by what from underneath it looked like the wrong way, only to have my earlier scouting vindicated high up on the route. This however is not an absolute, sometimes when you are standing at the bottom; a better way-a way unseeable from a distance will present itself. Even so the work you did on the approach will still be of service. You will still know what is coming next. By keeping an open mind and by providing yourself with more options, you have spiritually strengthened your resolve and multiplied your chances for success.

Take your time at the base of the climb to secure a belay that is safe from falling ice, and one that you as the leader will have confidence in. If you have correctly positioned and set up the belay, it will be the last time you will need to concern yourself with it. You won’t be taken out of the moment by your partner shouting at you to quit knocking ice on him. You won’t have to consider when you are at the crux runout whether or not the belay will hold. Be methodical racking up and preparing your tools and yourself for the ascent. It is easy when you have adrenaline clanging around in your head to try and hurry. Usually, this results in something being dropped, something being left behind or gear being haphazardly organized. The hurried mindset carries over to the lead and it is a short step from there to panic. I am known for my speed ascents, but rarely do I hurry. I move continuously with intent and by the end of a day I have covered immense amounts of terrain. I take the time to chop away the surface ice for every screw placement, but I put each screw in at my waist to minimize the strength required to turn it and then clip it into the rope. As soon as the screw is in, I start climbing with focus and to emphasis the point again, with intent. I am always amazed at how quickly the screw is twenty or thirty feet below me, and how quickly I am at the belay.

For most of us, looking up at the first section of the climb is intimidating. The ice doesn’t look so good and the angle seems too steep for our abilities. There is a reason for this…its because its true. As I mentioned in the first piece, the first thirty to forty feet of most ice climbs is the crux. When you take that moment to compose yourself right before you start, think back to what you saw on the approach and what you’ve seen on other climbs you’ve led. The knowledge that most pillar climbs let off after the first bit can give you confidence to punch through that beginning section and get into the better ice just above. Perhaps the best compliment I was ever paid, was when one of my partners remarked to a mutual friend, “you can tell that Backes is headed for the belay”. I start up that first difficult section with fear and uncertainty in my heart, but also with a bigger measure of decisiveness and confidence that at the end of the struggle, I’ll be shouting down to my partner “off belay”

As I said earlier, there are as many strategies to cope with fear and panic, as there are climbers, but the ideas I’ve talked about here are pretty universal. The main idea with these pieces is to get you to think about your climbing from a different angle. I have found my greatest jumps in ability have come from new understandings of my self. If you are honest about what you fear and why, you can figure out methods to cope with them. In my experience, it is when I try to deny fear that it has the greatest hold on me.

Scott Backes

IN PRACTICE – #1

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By Scott Backes
Alpine Mentoring.com

“IN PRACTICE”

One of the worst moments in every ice climb that is near the edge of our ability, is that instant when you stand with your tools in the ice, but your feet still on the ground. You’re looking at your belayer and he or she gives you the nod and its time to go. You feel the flush of chemicals course through you from head to toe. A more than reasonable doubt exists as to whether or not you can do it. There may be dread or a feeling of being over whelmed by the task at hand. You may even feel a little doomed as you bring that first foot up to start the process. You may even feel what I have felt on a number of occasions, “What the hell am I doing here?” So you commit to the route and lo and behold, it does suck to be you. The ice is worse than you hoped and it feels steeper than vertical. As you stop to place the first screw, the ice is airy and brittle. The screw won’t start, so you chop away some more ice and peck a little starter hole to help the screw get going, but it doesn’t help. Finally you feel the threads catch and you twist it home. The problem is, that half way through, the screw hits an air pocket and spins in with no resistance the rest of the way. It wobbles as you try to clip it. You start to feel the pump coming on almost immediately. Panic sets in and it’s time for either retreat or a real epic…

We’ve all been there. Grade III or Grade VII it doesn’t matter, if it’s near your ability you will undoubtedly encounter at least some of the fun described above. What the next two “IN PRACTICE” pieces will deal with is how to eliminate as many of epic makers as possible. The causes for our meltdowns are many, but can be divided up into two categories: The Physical and The Mental. This “IN PRACTICE” will deal with the physical  details that can enhance or derail your efforts. The physical factors I am referring to are not your fitness, but rather all the actual implements and the physical circumstances that can affect the outcome of your performance. The next “IN PRACTICE” piece will deal with  how to influence the mental and psychological circumstances of a difficult lead. These  conditions obviously include will and courage but also include a number of relatively easily amendable attitudes and assumptions that are often undervalued or overlooked. Taken together the sum of these parts can change a routine ascent into an emergency room vacation or, if properly applied, change an out of control “Shakefest” into a difficult, but memorable personal best.

The physical manifestations of ice climbing are many. From the medium itself: the flow of ice we’ve chosen to climb, to the instep strap of our gaiters, everything used to ascend has weight in the relative difficulty equation. Lets start with our mode of expression, the ice. Ice is by its nature a changeable medium. We can use this malleability to shape our ascent; even shape our experience with it. Hooking up fragile features with little or no protection during an early season foray is completely different than thunking hero ice in 28 degree March afternoon. You are in charge when and where you go climbing and you are in charge of what routes you do. Be careful to chose your ice climbing objectives to match your needs. Early in my career, being in Canada in March helped me to have the confidence to tackle big routes right at the edge of my ability. The solid blue single swing ice meant that I would have good gear to keep my head in the game and the ease of placements allowed me to marshal enough power for the crux. Conversely, these days easier routes of wonderful quality often times are left untouched. With limited time and unlimited ambition I have often neglected easier classics in favor of an at my limit hit list. Early season ascents have changed that somewhat. By visiting areas right at the start of the season, I have been forced to backed off of climbs two grades below my “normal” ability and have put adventure into routes that I would have normally left for retirement days.

The knowledge of how ice forms and having enough experience to know what to expect, can make a difference in how we go about our ascent. After years of climbing steep pillars I finally started to notice some patterns in the way they formed and the way the difficulty was laid out due to those patterns. In most cases the first 15-35 feet are the technical crux of the route. Because it is the last section of the climb to form, the ice at the bottom of the pillar is more aerated, more brittle and steeper than anywhere else on the climb (umbrella roofs excepted). Obviously knowing this gives you a psychological edge, which I’ll talk about in the mental factor section. But, there are also concrete steps you can take if you know this information. Where are you going to stop for the first screw? Because the ice will most likely be funky, always make sure the first screw on your rack or clipper is a 22cm(long) one and that you have a screamer for it. Look carefully to see where the telltale white/gray ice gives way to blue. Is one side of the pillar a better color or better consistency (even if its steeper) than the other?  Lastly look for rests-mushrooms to stand on, grooves to stem, or subsidiary pillars to lean against or stem out to and plan your ascent around them. My biggest mistakes on those early test piece leads were failing to look ahead and failing to reap the benefits of foresight.

There are two other physical contingencies’ that affect your experience on the lead. The first is the set-up of your gear. The second is the mobility of your clothing system. The single most important lesson I can teach you about gear, is that it needs to be dialed in to the point of invisibility. Your tools leashes, your racking system for your screws and other hardware, your crampon straps-basically every piece of gear you climb with needs to be set up correctly. The experience you are looking for, is one of having all your gear work together so well, that you never think about it. Every time you have to fight to get the right size screw, every time your leashes come loose, every time you are taken out of the moment to deal with circumstances outside of the climbing, you have failed. It might be as minor as a single curse-it might mean a leader fall. Take the time to have your gear in order before you launch up that cauliflower pillar, and you experience will improve immeasurable

The last issue I want to touch on, is mobility. Once again the principal I want to stress here is invisibility. Gone are the days when a set of heavy Gore Tex bibs and jacket was the only real choice to climb ice in. by taking advantage of “soft shell” technology, we can feel much more like rock climbers in tights and a tee shirt than a knight in armor. Scheoller, Powershield, and a host of other like fabrics have set us free. By taking advantage of these stretchy warm and durable fabrics we can let go of another distraction and concentrate more on the matter at hand-surviving our lead. The energy savings that come from unencumbered movement can be put towards the crux.

Taken together, all of the physical factors I have talked about can make a major difference in your next difficult lead. I hope you will take advantage of my learning curve. Next time I’ll talk about the intangibles that come in to play on difficult leads.

Scott Backes

Climber’s Library

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by Richard Doucette

When I first began climbing I had no idea there was such a thing as climbing literature.  A few years into it, I was hanging out with all these AMC types.  It seemed they were all a hundred years old and knew a lot more than me.  I made a fool of my self in a conversation when I admitted to not knowing who Fred Becky was.  This is like a basketball fan not knowing who Red Auerbach is…or a young republican unfamiliar with Ronald Regan.  I figured I oughta read up on things before I make a complete ass of myself.  But where to start?  I looked over the bookshelves at the local climbing shop.  I picked up a copy of Chris Jones’ “Climbing in North America”.  This was a good choice.  It wasn’t literature or anything, but gave me a good overview of the sport and a lot of names to look up.  At least now I knew who this guy “Whitney Gilman” was.

So I started reading and about 10 years later I have a few opinions on what’s worth reading among climbing literature (and books too).  I have asked others to recommend their favorites and this has expanded my list.  I will refrain from saying these are the best books; they are just the ones I like and can recommend.

First off, I will not make any recommendations regarding books on technique or other reference material (although “Climbing in North America” and “Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills” should be read by all.  (There I go recommending things in a category I said I would not get into.)

Here is my list of favorites:

“No Picnic on Mount Kenya” by Felice Benuzzi

Amazing story.  Check this out, an Italian diplomat is imprisoned in a POW camp in Africa in WW2.  Gets bored, sees this really nice mountain off in the distance.  Decides to escape and climb the mountain.  Gathers up a few prisoners to go with him.  Scrounges and manufactures gear and provisions.  The approach is through uncharted parts of deep/dark Africa. You won’t believe what they do after the climb…

“The White Spider” by Heinrich Harrer

A look at all of the ascents of the Eiger’s north face.  See what one can do even if you forget your crampons…and have Anderl Heckmair to lead the hard stuff.

“Starlight and Storm” by Gaston Rebuffat

Accounts of climbing the 6 great north faces in the Alps, by the first person to climb all of them.  Rebuffat’s great joy of climbing shines through.  (If I had categories for  guidebooks or coffee table books, Rebuffat’s “Mont Blanc Massif, The 100 Finest Routes” would make the list in both.)

“Annapurna”  by Mauric Herzog

I believe this was (at least until recently) the highest selling mountaineering book in History.  The story of the first ascent of an 8000 meter peak.  Those French are a tough lot.  The book was a bit too…something…I never could quite put my finger on it.  Herzog just made everything sound too positive.  People were losing fingers and toes left and right, it can’t be all THAT positive.   Turns out maybe it wasn’t.  Consider reading “True Summit” by Dave Roberts.  Some might not appreciate revisionist history.  Herzog may have been brought down a notch by Roberts, but then again so was Rebufatt.  Terray comes out on top though.

“The Breach: Kilimanjaro and the Conquest of Self” by Rob Taylor

If you read this one, just remember that it is only one person’s account of a tragic climb.  The writer comes across as too angelic, and his climbing “partner” was likely not the evil one he was portrayed to be.  But a great book nonetheless.

“Seven Years in Tibet” also by Heinrich Harrer.

Just barely made the list of “climbing” books because it starts out as a climbing expedition but goes far beyond that.  One of the great stories of all time.

“Touching the Void” by Joe (I’ve fallen and can’t get up) Simpson

This appears on everyone’s list of favorites.  An absolutely amazing story.  I will never bitch again if I sprain my ankle and have to limp an hour back to the car.  When you have a bad day, or a bad climb, or a bad trip, remember this story.  Your day coulda been worse than it was.

Also in the “I am lost and screwed, now what do I do” category, are a few of my other  favorites.  In “Into the Wild” by John Krakauer, the protagonist doesn’t climb, but Krakauer gives some personal accounts of his own climbing.  Great book for the nonclimber.  Also, any book about Shackleton is a great read (Alfred Lansing’s account is my favorite).  This amazing story ends with a brief but still significant climb.  “The Long Walk” by Slavomir Rawicz is another hard to believe but true story.  Similar to Harrer’s “7 Years” but with no rest after the escape.  Not much actual climbing, but after reading this you will never ever complain about a “long” approach.  Trust me.

But, getting back to real climbing books, Honorable Mention goes to the following:

“In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods” by Galen Rowell

I knew the guy could take great pictures, but he can write too.  It’s interesting to read a book about an expedition which failed miserably.  This is one of the few books where the writer had access to the journals of several of the other expedition members.  These accounts are woven into a great book.

“Yankee Rock and Ice” by Guy Waterman (Rest in Peace)

A must read if you are from these parts.  Worth reading just to try and find the picture of Bill Atkinson among the other Appies, and the very 70s looking shot of Al (I once had a lot of hair) Rubin.

“A Most Hostile Mountain” by Jon Waterman

Waterman (local boy) re-enacts the Duke of Abruzzi’s sail to Alaska and ascent of Mt. St. Elias; thought at the time to be the tallest peak on the continent.

“Burgess Book of Lies” by Adrian and Alan Burgess

These two crazy characters kept turning up in other books.  I finally found out they had a book of their own.  I would love to party with these cowboys…but I would likely end up dead.

“K2 Triumph and Tragedy” by Jim Curran

One of the first climbing books I read.  Tragic story, well written.  Other writers (including the aforementioned Burgess Twins) have written about this same season on K2 when 13 die on the mountain.

One of the best “other accounts” of the 1986 K2 story is covered in “The Endless Knot”,  which I discovered in the “Kurt Deimberger Omnibus”.  (Omnibus = collection of the works of one author.)  I read in that hefty volume that Deimberger was one of only two men to complete first ascents of two 8000 meter peaks.  Hermann Buhl is the other; and of course he has an omnibus also (but doesn’t call it one).  “Nanga Parbat Pilgramage” is a fine account of the life of this important individual.  He was doing “light and fast” long before Messner, who was before Bouchard or Twight or these other Johnny-come-latelies.  Other good Omnibuses include:  “Boardman Tasker Omnibus” by Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman; and (my favorite) “Six Mountain Travel Books” by Eric Shipton.  If you call yourself a mountaineer and don’t know who Shipton and Tillman were, then shame on you.  That might even be worse than not knowing who Fred Becky is…

But the typical Omnibus can be bit cumbersome.  Collections of Short Stories are easier for most people to handle, particularly for us TV-degenerated Americans.  Among this category one must include:

“Eiger Dreams” by John Krakauer. Stories of climbing in Chamonix and The Eiger are a good read.

“Tales from the Steep” by John Long includes rousing stories by one of the great storytellers in the sport.  Long’s description of a notable fall (referred to as a “Homeric whipper”) in the “Green Arch” is particularly memorable.

“Thin Air, Encounters in the Himalaya” by Greg Child (Child’s “Postcards from the Ledge” is good too.  A catchy title always helps.)

You will note that I haven’t yet mentioned the most popular mountaineering book ever, probably sold more copies than “Annapurna”…well I will add it here.  John Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air” is a riveting account of a very well known tragedy.  But I am sick and tired of reading about Everest.  Poor Mallory and Irvine roll over in their respective graves every time a new book is written on this topic.  But, I will make a deal with you…I will give it at least an honorable mention if you will promise to read Anatoli Boukreev’s “The Climb” also.  Its only fair, as Boukreev came out looking a bit shabby in Krakauer’s book.   Too bad Henry Barber (oops that’s Harley) never wrote a book to respond to Taylor’s “Breach”.  Then again maybe he did and I have not read it.

That’s it so far; but there are still many books to read.  Some are old and hard to find…others are yet to be written.  I haven’t yet read anything by the two men who were perhaps the best mountaineers of our time:  Reinhold Messner and Jerzy Kukuczka.  Messner has many to chose from, the late Kukuczka has one that I know of.  (Note: the Poles make even the French look like pansies.)  I still haven’t read “Seven Summits” by Bass, Wells & Ridgeway or Paul Pritchard’s “Deep Play”, but I will.  Hey, I am a slow reader.

Two things I just realized after writing this.  First, three of the books mentioned here include escapes from prison camps…perhaps escapism, striving for freedom and disdain for authority are important themes in climbing literature (and climbing itself).  Second, none of the recommended books is written by a women.  Either I need to branch out a bit more (Julie Tullis…Alison Hargreaves…) or maybe there just aren’t enough women in prison camps.

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X-treme Tape

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Originally developed for the military, this new silicone tape is ideal for wrapping your ice tool. And with the 6 different colors it is easy to individualize your tools.

It’s self-fusing, and requires no adhesive since it only bonds to itself. X-treme tape stretches to 3 times its length, conforms to irregular shapes easily, and withstands UV rays, acids and fuels. Won’t melt to 500° F. Remains flexible to -60°F. Insulates to 8000 volts. Forms a permanent air and watertight seal. Once wrapped over itself, it forms a bond immediately, and is permanently fused in 24 hours. Each roll is 1″ wide x 10′.

This is the best tape I have found for wrapping ice tools and is similar to the original tape that comes on the Petzl charlet Nomic. Sticker but not as durable.

Available from

Duluth Trading Company