Obsession and Ingenuity, Part II: The Old Man and the Ice Tower
The fixtures of Silver Gulch–a bar and microbrewery in Fox, Alaska–had something to talk about: an 152-foot ice blob rising out of the flattest part of Alaska. What they didn’t know: The Ghost Raven Ice Tower was a proving ground for the precocious.
Wild Country Infinity Sprint 8.4 60m Double Rope: Infinitely Durable?
Over the summer I tested the Sprint double rope (8.4mm, 60m), a member of the new Infinity line from Wild Country. While the company is a relatively new rope manufacturer, they’ve got the time-tested reputation to back up their products, and I was not disappointed. The rope, weighing in at 64 grams/meter, has a UIAA fall rating of 8, a relatively high impact force rating of 875 daN, an 8 percent elongation and 0mm of sheath slippage. And as a double-dry rope, both the core and sheath are treated to resist saturation. All of the aforementioned specs prove that Wild Country is truly putting safety and functionality at the forefront of their rope design.
Stolby Style: Siberian Free Soloing
Jonathan Thesenga and Brittany Griffith, the first American rock climbers to climb at Stolby, Siberia, share the madness of the local ethic–family free soloing en masse.
KILTED ICE CLIMBERS IN MINNESOTA
While reading the weekly feature about Ontario ice, I noticed the sole picture of Minnesota ice climbing. I felt it necessary to add to the discussion by indicating that Nightfall (WI4+, 60m), Minnesota’s longest natural ice fall, is also the site of the Gentleman’s Occasional. This almost annual event is, likely, the most important gathering of ice climbing enthusiasts in the country.
WORST. CLIMBING. VIDEO. EVER.
I wanted to like this because I love the Huber brothers. If I could climb 5.14 in leather pants, I would. Actually, if I could climb 5.14, I would do it in leather pants to prove a point. Much like the Hubers. Alex is a physicist, too, just to spice things up. In any event…
Petzl e+lite: For Emergencies and Every Day
The luggage gods are not kind. Multiple times, when traveling internationally, I’ve had to wait days for my luggage to catch up with me. I’m starting to get used to it–but it becomes problematic when I’m scheduled to guide clients and my gear is in airline purgatory. This was the case at the outset of a recent twelve-day trip to the Alps. Luckily, my bags arrived on the first evening as we prepared to leave for a backcountry hut. But one of our clients was not so lucky–her bag had not arrived by the time we departed. Between me and the other guide, we assembled an ample amount of climbing gear for the client. She ended up with my normal LED headlamp, and I pulled the Petzl e+lite from my first aid kit to use for myself.