Mountaineering Gear

“I know what you mean lady! Luckily Moosejaw was having a storewide 15% off sale and I get addtl 5%. Wow, I actually caught a sale for once!

My next purchase will be the ascenders.”

“I have been walking up mountains for a long time.
I have been rock climbing since 1999 and leading since 2000.

I can tie a prussik, Kleimheist, or Hedden knot with 1 hand.
two 6ft lengths of accessory cord weigh so much less, cost so much less, and pack so much smaller than ascenders that I have never considered buying an ascender.

I also consider that things that weigh less and take up less space are more likely to be carried and with you when you do need them.”

“Dhutch & Gemni - What rappelling device did y'all get?
I like a plain ol' figure 8 for shortish drops or a cavers rack for free hanging drops.”

“StoveStomper, I used an 8 until the time I went over a big roof and when swinging in after clearing the roof, the rope slipped up to girth hitch the top of the 8.

A PIA (Pain in A) to set a prussik above the 8, stand in it and reset the 8, take on the 8, remove the prussik before continuing.

Went straight out and got an ATC which I have used ever since.
May not feed as smooth, but more than made up by not twisting the heck out of the rope as an 8 does.

ATC wins hands down.”

“manuka - Ever used the caver's rack? Smooth as silk, but not something I want to backpack in. Those suckers are heavy!”

“I'm a fan of prusik knots too.
I used them for many years, but also used a Clog ascender for my seat and prusiks on my feet in an inchworm rig for standing rope climbs over 100 feet or so.
I always carried a 300 foot rope with me for doing pits and caving.”

“Stove, played with 1, but never actually used it.

Neat how you can lock off, and add friction, mid climb. Essential really for really high rappels.
With 200ft of rope out I have to feed the rope through the ATC for about the first 20ft as the rope weight is enough to lock off the brake.
When cavers have about 300-400ft of rope out most trad devices will have too much brake weight to work.”

“That's why we used the racks. Easy to control the friction.”

“Do not be in a hurry to get a rope.

There are ropes, and ropes, and yes there are ropes. I have 3.

a 10.5mm by 50m (150ft) climbing rope. My first rope, great for climbing at the nearby crag.

a 8.8mm by 100ft 1/2 dry rope.
The short rope is what I use for mountaineering, same reason as everything in the mountains, weighs less, packs smaller. 100ft is normally enough to get you past most obstacles. For Glacier work, 3 people can tie in. A 1/2 rope is not for vertical climbing or lead falls unless there are 2 of them, but sufficient for risk mitigation in the Mts.

A 10.5mm by 60m (200ft) dry climbing rope. 200ft is preferred for climbing at the gunks because you can get down a lot of climbs with a single rappel. I really only have this rope because REI made a pricing mistake and advertized a $129 rope for $69, I ordered, they corrected the price within a couple of hours but honored the price on any ordered at $69.

No I did not know it was a mistake, just thought I would never see a bargain like that again.

What I am saying here is decide what you want to do with the rope before you buy. You do not want to drag a full rope on a mountaineering trip.

For most mountaineering take a short 1/2 rope.
Check the short ropes section at gearexpress.com a couple of times a week as stock changes all the time. Look for 100+ feet dry dynamic rope, smaller dia is better, 1/2 or twin rope is best.

Do NOT get static rope it is not for climbing.

If you are rock climbing do not bother getting a dry rope, no one I know climbs in the rain. Ice climbing or mountaineering needs a dry rope. You need at least 50m (150ft) 60m is better (200ft) 10.5mm or 11mm.
MUST be dynamic.”

“Do NOT get static rope it is not for climbing.

manuka
01:35:34 PM
07/23/04

Static ropes are for climbing....up the fixed rope itself. Static ropes are about the only ropes cavers use. Don't use a static rope for belaying!”

“Thanks guys, I'm not really climbing mountains at this point. Mandatory gear for the ropes section at an upcoming adventure race calls for us to carry and be certified to use the harness, a locking caribiner and ATC rappeling device. The ascenders are mandatory for a race I'm eyeing next summer.

Not planning on buying ropes just yet, but if I need to, I know who to ask :-)”

“LOL, ask manuka.
All I know about are caving ropes.

You never did say which ATC rappeling device you got.”

“i want to go caving really bad. stovy, don't have time to take me caving sometime soon??”

“??? It's Black Diamond, I'll have to go look at it to see a model # or something.

Caving sounds cool to me too!”

“the glue came unglued on mine- i slopped em up with shoe goo, but my New Balance are just way, way, better”

“oooops. Those boots look real good. I was commenting on my trail runners-light hikers. I have an ATC, locking biners, and a couple 36" leaders. I'd like to have a 100' rope myself, they have some ultralights and I have been trying to justify the cost, but I just can't see myself hauling 15# rope in addition to my backpack. Guess i'll have to hire a mule.”

“Done checking our REI AGAIN!!! I am staring at the gear that I ordered.

I finally figured out my problem: I am waiting for my stuff to arrive. I don't get why I have to stare at the pictures of it though...

that's pretty bad huh?”

“If you find your feet getting too cold you can always buy insulated overboots...”

“so my asolo plastic boots came today too. A bit too large, but okay if I wear 2 pair of socks. What do you think? should I keep them? I figure i won't wear them during warm weather anyway...

the do feel very stiff though. that's normal huh? I have no clue!!”

“having a bit of a spending spree there Gem... you get me anything?”

“Send em back. Boots should fit right.”

“just selling old gear and buying new gear. LOL. I had A LOT of good gear :)”

“I like one pair of thick socks, and 1 pair of light ones. If your boots require two pair of thick socks, I'd send them back. This is too important of an item to have it not be just right.

I was recently reminded that the boots can't let your feet touch the ends of the boots, or you will lose your toenails in a slow and painful way, as well as be made into a hobbling cripple, when you hike down a trail that loses 5600 feet of elevation in 4.5 miles. The fit of my boots saved me, thank God. If your boots are that loose, I wonder if you will be toe jammin on the downhill? Send em back if so.”

“i'll send them back. Thanks!! I wasn't sure if a second pair of socks would be okay. They actually still felt a bit big.”

“If anybody who wears an extra large is looking for some goretex mountaineering pants, check these out.”

“Cool, thanks!”