Gear Review: Petzl Hirundos Harness

The hirundos harness is my new, favorite all-around harness. It is both very light weight (280 grams, size M) and versatile. I have used it for sport climbing, trad climbing and alpine climbing and have not been disappointed in it. Since it is so light weight, it fits easily in a pack and doesn’t add too much additional weight to heavy loads. This was especially nice on a recent trip to the Bugaboos in Canada where heavy packs are the norm for the brutal approach. It also dries very quickly since it is made of lightweight mesh material, which is also nice for snowy alpine routes.

The harness has two gear loops that are large and stiff enough for the heavy racks associated with trad and alpine rock climbing. The belay loop is super skinny but just as strong as a thicker belay loop. A small piece of improvement would be to add a skinny haul loop to the back of the harness.

The leg loops are not adjustable but are designed with stretchy material so that they do not add any bulk to the harness. This is especially nice feature for the athletic movements associated with steep sport climbing. The harness ‘double-backs’ automatically. I did notice that the leg loops are sized a little smaller than other harnesses and I had to order a bigger size than I have with other brands. Although it fits women fairly well, it would be nice to see a women’s model in bright pink or purple! I would not necessarily recommend this harness for routes or climbs that require a lot of hanging in the harness, as it is not very comfortable. But aside from that this is my go-to harness for everything else. It has worked great on alpine routes in the French Alps, to trad climbs at Index, WA to sport climbs in Italy!

Europe - Part 1 - Climbing in Chamonix

Views of Mt. Blanc from the climb

My first night in Chamonix began with an amazing meal. We began the meal with a warm, goat cheese salad, which consisted of greens and tomatoes topped with a light creamy dressing, ham and goat cheese wrapped in puffed pastry. I ordered Raclette for the main course, which is a local cuisine that includes cheese, meets and potatoes. Its not just any cheese, the cheese comes with a Raclette, which is an electronic machine that melts the cheese making it all gooey and drippy and perfect to top on potatoes and meats. After that meal, I knew I was in for a good vacation!

The next morning Jonathon and I awoke to bluebird weather and warm temperatures. We packed our little backpacks for a day of climbing on Le Brevent, a multi-pitch and cragging venue on the north side of the valley. We climbed Le fin de Babylon, which is 8 pitches and rated 6c, 5.11-. It was a great introduction to the area. We took the trams up and down so walking was very limited, which I like a lot! The climb was entirely bolted. It was bolted very well during the cruxes and then a bit run out on the “easier terrain.” Jonathon had climbed the route the year prior and the first thing he said to me during my first lead was, “Remember if there aren’t a lot of bolts, its supposed to be easy.” I tried to remember that as I headed into the forty foot runouts between the cruxes!

Following the 3rd pitch

Its been awhile since I’ve been sport climbing and its quite nice to have such a light rack on my harness. You do need to carry a pack with shoes, a layer and some water. We each took bullet packs. The climbing had lots of positive and sloping holds. If you looked around long enough, you usually could find fairly positive holds all the time. The most exciting pitch was a traversing pitch under a huge roof. It was rather airy. Fortunately I didn’t fall!

The traversing 6c crux

After we got to the top, we took in the views of Mt. Blanc and the French Alps. We finished up our croissants from breakfast and completed the five minute hike back to the tram deck. It was a great introduction to the area and I can’t wait to do some more exploring.

Views from the tram deck

The Bugaboos

Crossing the Au Chevel on Pigeon Spire. Photo Loren Rausch.

I have wanted to climb in the Bugaboos since I first heard about the park seven years ago. I bought a guidebook about five years ago and since then it has been sitting on my bookshelf waiting to get put to use. Last winter, Sam and I started scheming about adventures we could do during the summer. We both were super excited to check out the Bugaboos and finally a trip to the area was put together!

The place lives up to the hype of an awesome alpine playground. Once at the basecamp, the access is great and amazing climbs can be reached within a 30 minute walk. The rock is generally excellent and there are many bolted rappel stations that help make the alpine terrain feel very safe.

Evening light on Snowpatch spire. Photo Sam Goff.

We packed food for about a week and began our hike into basecamp on July 30. It was hot and sunny and it looked like high pressure weather would remain throughout the week. The trail is steep but is immaculately maintained with lots of stairs cut out of the rock and handlines made from chain that have been bolted into the rock in the exposed areas.

Our packs were really, really heavy. We guessed between 60-70lbs and it took us close to 4 hours to slowly and leisurely hike in to Applebee campground. We were a little taken aback at how many tents there were at the campground. It was quite crowded and earplugs were a mandatory piece of equipment. It didn't exactly feel like wilderness experience. But there is a reason that many people tend to visit this park. It is a beautiful place with great access and quality rock. Sometimes climbing isn't entirely about an isolated, alpine adventure. Instead it can be about sharing the routes and the beautiful places with others. It can be about meeting new people and creating a sense of community at a tiny belay ledge.

The "scene"

On our first climbing day, we went up McTech Arete, a 5 pitch 5.10a on Crescent Spire. There were 4 excellent pitches and 1 short pitch of 4th class choss. There is only a move or two of 5.10 climbing so the climbing goes pretty quickly. It was a great introduction to the area and also a great route for a short, mellow day.

Sam following the first pitch

The second pitch

Topping out on the McTech Arete. Photo Sam Goff.

The next day we work up early so that we could do the Northeast ridge of Bugaboo Spire, IV, 5.8. The first 4-5 pitches were interesting and fun, crack climbing and some face climbing across a dyke. The remaining pitches were pretty low angle and went up through a chimney system that is best climbed by stemming and using the holds on the outside of the chimney. But what makes this route awesome is the amazing setting. The views from the ridge are outstanding and you can see far into the north and south. Views of granite spires and glaciers are endless! The descent for this route is down the opposite ridgeline (the Kain route) and so you end up traversing the whole peak from North summit to south summit and then down the Kain route. We had heard that it is easy to get lost on the traverse and descent and maybe if there weren't so many people descending we might have gotten lost but the guidebook (by Chris Atkinson and Marc Piche) also describes the terrain and descent in quite accurate detail. Or maybe we are just amazing routefinders?!

The NE ridge climbs the right skyline and the Kain route descends the left skyline

Finishing the second pitch

Up high on the NE Ridge. Photo Sam Goff.

Doing some routefinding. Photo Sam Goff.

Somewhere between the north and south summit. Photo Sam Goff.

Our final climb was an ascent of another one of the Bugaboos famous moderate classics, the west ridge of Pigeon Spire, 5.4). We simul climbed up and solo-ed down. I'm not that into soloing but this felt very secure and I would definitely solo it again. The funny part about this climb is that we just brought rock shoes and there was quite a bit of snow on the route (which you could see from the approach, if you were actually looking). So it was a bit slippery and cold climbing the snow with our little rock shoes. Fortunately there were some nice steps and I pioneered my own way towards the summit on the final 100 feet through the undisturbed lichen covered slab instead of remaining on the snow covered steps up the slab. It was entertaining!

Descending down to the first summit.

Sam and myself on top of Pigeon

With this trip, I have gotten a taste of what the Bugaboos have to offer and I look forward to going back and having more adventures in the future!

Dirtbag Diaries Episode

About a year ago my friend Fitz interviewed me about my epic in Patagonia for his podcast the Dirtbag Diaries. Fitz and his wife Becca put together another great episode and I am super pleased at how it turned out. These guys continue to set the bar high for creativity and thoughtful storytelling. Check it out: http://www.dirtbagdiaries.com/

Gear Review: Petzl Sum'Tec Ice Axe

Petzl’s Sum’Tec ice axe is my new favorite mountaineering ice axe. It has the features of both a traditional mountaineering axe and a more technical tool so it is ideal for glaciated and alpine routes with shorter sections of steep ice and snow. It could also just be used as a single tool for mellow mountaineering routes in addition to becoming a second tool for steeper alpine routes. The tool swings well and is easy to climb leashless since it has the adjustable trigrest hand rest, which is an excellent feature in itself. The pick is interchangeable and it is curved and aggressive enough for swinging into vertical terrain.

Drawbacks are the weight of the tool. It is a bit on the heavier side for a mountaineering tool at 485 grams for the 52 cm tool. Also the trigrest unfortunately did not remain very tight on the tool and slid off the tool at one point in time. I’m not sure if this was due to cold temperatures or a lack of tightening of the screws. It would also be nice if this tool could come with a hammer instead of an adze for added versatility. Apparently a hammer version will be released soon.

Overall, this is a fantastic tool for alpine routes that have both mellow glaciated walking sections combined with steeper snow and ice sections. I look forward to taking it with on my next alpine adventure!

Topping out on the fixed lines (16, 200 ft) on Denali

Spring Rock Climbing

La Cucaracha in Icicle Canyon, Leavenworth. Photo Jonathon Spitzer

It has been a rainy spring in Washington and sunny days have been limited. Despite the lack of sunshine, I have still managed to hit up most of the local Seattle cragging areas. During the long winter in Seattle much of my energy gets directed towards school, so the first couple days back on the rock always feel a bit awkward and clumsy. For me, the spring rock climbing season is about re-learning techniques, getting a feel for the rock and getting the mental game back in shape. I spent a day or two warming up on the mellow sport climbs at Exit 38. I went out with my rope gun friend, Kevin, to climb some of the classic overhanging sport routes at Little Si. It is always a little humbling to struggle up a climb that I once had felt so confident on. But so it goes. There are ebbs and flows in all parts of life and that includes climbing too.

Kevin warming up on the polished rock on Girls at the Gym at Little Si

A couple days were spent in Leavenworth getting in milage on moderate climbs, honing slab climbing techniques, and hanging out with my east side friends.

Sam on Straight Street. Photo Kelsey Ferguson.

Givler's Crack. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

Bo Derek. Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

Photo Jonathon Spitzer.

I had a couple glorious days cragging at Index. When the sun shines at this crag and the temperatures remain around 65-70 degrees, there is not a whole lot to complain about. After several rainy days, parts of the climbs can still remain wet and that makes for some extra excitement!

Top-Roping an obscure, bolted offwidth/layback through the mossy wettness

Can't complain about views like this!

Gear Review: Petzl Nomad 9.8mm & Fuse 9.4mm Climbing Ropes

by Jonathon Spitzer

For the past couple years, I have been climbing on Petzl ropes. In both the alpine or cragging environment they remain durable and trustworthy, while also keeping weight to a minumum. The following is a review that Jonathon Spitzer wrote about our favorite Petzl ropes.

Nearing the summit of Poincenot, Patagonia, Argentina

In 2008 I was training for my AMGA rock exam. This exam would be the final exam to complete my IFMGA guide certification. I purchased my first Petzl rope to use for training and during the exam. My climbing partners and I traveled around the Western United States in search of ideal training grounds. We subjected this rope to coarse granite, sandy belay ledges, big whippers, extensive short-roping, precipitation and dirt bag style living. It was even a pillow for a night! This rope remained durable and trustworthy throughout the process. Since then, I have been using Petzl climbing ropes for both guiding and personal climbing. I primarily use the 9.8mm Nomad and a 9.4mm Fuse.

All Petzl ropes come with the “climb ready coil” which helps avoid the agonizing rope cluster and endless re-stacking of the rope before being able to use it. The distinct middle mark is a requirement for me these day before purchasing a rope. All Petzl ropes have a large black section denoting the middle mark of the rope. The Duratec dry treatment helps prevent the rope from absorbing water, which is key when you find the rope in a puddle of barley freezing water at the base of an ice climb. Both of these ropes are offered in 60 meters or 70 meter lengths.

Coiling the rope on the top of one of the Bridger Jack Spires, UT

The Nomad 9.8mm is a great all around rope for rock and ice climbing. I tested this rope on Indian Creek’s splitter cracks, coarse granite at Index, WA, and New England ice climbs, and have found that the thick sheath has held up well from abrasion. This rope has become my “go to rope” for rock climbing and ice climbing. I recommend this rope for multi pitch rock climbing, top-rope climbing, cragging, and ice climbing.

The Fuse at 9.4 works great in the alpine environment and also on long multi pitch rock routes. Last spring, I used this rope while climbing technical alpine mixed routes in the Alaska Range around Mount Hunter. I also use this rope on a professional level and it has become my “work horse” rope while alpine guiding in the Cascades, WA and the European Alps.

The solid foundation and creative design that has given Petzl a strong reputation in the outdoor industry has also been used in the development of these ropes. Petzl continues to deliver quality equipment while keeping safety paramount. A Petzl rope will always be in my backpack for the next day of cragging, guiding or international adventure.

For more information on the entire Petzl dynamic rope line visit http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/verticality/dynamic-ropes

Jonathon in Red Rocks, NV