[pct-l] Gear for late spring snow?

Fri Nov 12 09:37:44 CST 2010

Good morning, all,

I’ve never used the Katoolas, but I’ve encountered many hikers who
have, and all
those users enthusiastically endorse the MicroSpikes.  I don’t know if
they’ve used anything else as a frame of reference.

I prefer to use CMI instep crampons.  They have longer spikes than the
Katoolas but weigh about the same.  I don’t believe regular, full-platform,
10-12 point crampons are necessary or advisable.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264768

I don’t believe an ice axe is a must.  Thousands of hikers have successfully
thru or section-hiked the PCT without an ice axe and I believe that will
continue.  I generally believe that without having practiced arrest methods
an ice axe is less valuable to carry, however I also don’t believe that an
“untrained” hiker is doomed or should avoid the PCT.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=264671

Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09

On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 1:53 PM, <ned at mountaineducation.org> wrote:

> I'm not sure, yet, what this thread is all about, but I'd like to add a
> bit.
> I am in the middle of weeding through 26,000 emails received while not
> checking my account during a Search and Rescue training weekend this last
> Saturday and Sunday. Many of the individual emails are multiplied hundreds
> of times and corked up my mail something terrible. Took most of Monday to
> upload them. Now to go through it all....
>
> Ok, as many have already said, it isn't the gear that will keep you alive
> out on the early-summer snow, but what you know and how you execute it.
> Durable gear and clothing certainly helps when you're miles or days from
> any
> trailhead, but just being aware that you will need to include it, like
> traction devices or ice axes, once on the high and steep pitches of the
> Sierra Passes is a major start to your hiking safety.
>
> Everything safety starts with your feet. Your balance is crucial on snow.
> What you wear contributes to that predictability and certainty. You only
> want to slip and slide when you want to and when you're ready for it,
> otherwise you're in for a potentially wild, quick tumble down the slope
> (ask
> Calorie!). So figure out before your big thru hike what kind of footwear
> works for you to maintain your balance and comfort while on snow and
> crossing creeks. Boots work for us and we're out in the snow all winter
> teaching Snow Skills Courses (they don't get wet, keep our feet warm, and
> only freeze slightly if the temps drop to single digits).
>
> Traction devices, Yes, like Katoolas, just know how to identify the danger
> ahead, stop and put them on (and grab the axe), before assuming that you
> "will be ok" and just push on without them in place. You may not need them
> at all, but safe is better than sorry (again, Calorie, are you out there?
> Would you mind telling your story?).
>
> The ice axe is a must, but you've got to have practiced with it to know how
> it works and what you have to do with your body to get its full benefit for
> self-arrest deployment. Glissades are much safer with an axe as a rudder!
>
>
>
> "Just remember, Be Careful out there!"
>
> Ned Tibbits, Director
> Mountain Education
> 1106A Ski Run Blvd
> South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
>    P: 888-996-8333
>    F: 530-541-1456
>    C: 530-721-1551
>    http://www.mountaineducation.org
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim & Jane Moody" <moodyjj at comcast.net>
> To: "Jeff Davis" <jeffd1242 at fairpoint.net>
> Cc: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2010 6:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Gear for late spring snow?
>
>
> >
> >
> > Here we go again. The answers to all your questions are "yes".
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm an old guy whose only mountaineering experience was at Mtn Ned's Snow
> > School in December. I have hiked the AT, however, so I wasn't a complete
> > neophyte.
> >
> >
> >
> > Here's what I did. I switched from sneakers, aka trail runners, to fairly
> > sturdy boots (Garmont Synchros) at Kennedy Meadows. I didn't have
> crampons
> > till after Forester Pass, w hen th e rest of my group told me they
> thought
> > I was endangering myself and them without them. I bought a pair of
> > Kahtoolas in Lone Pine , and I'm glad I did. I wore them infrequently,
> but
> > when I wore them, they really helped with traction. By the way, 4 of our
> > group of 6 wore sneakers. The other wore boots, which were lighter than
> > mine. If and when I do it again, I will wear boots from Lone Pine
> > (Horseshoe Meadows, south of Forester Pass) to at least Sonora Pass. They
> > gave me stability on snow (especially on traverses) and on stream
> > crossings. Yes, th ey got wet. Yes, they were slow to dry. So what! And y
> > es, they froze at night, but when I remembered to loosen up the laces a
> > lot, I could still get them on fairly easily.
> >
> >
> >
> > As to ice axes, we all carried one north of KM. A very valuable piece of
> > gear for conditions we faced this year - self-belaying, rudder when
> > glissading, digging catholes, holding up tent lines, self-arrest, etc. If
> > 2011 is anything like 2010, I definitely recommend carrying your ice axe
> > from south of Forester. You might also need it in the San Jacintos above
> > Idlewild (Apache Peak, South Peak, Fuller Ridge).
> >
> >
> >
> > Good luck and have a great hike.
> >
> > Mango
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jeff Davis" <jeffd1242 at fairpoint.net>
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Sent: Sunday, November 7, 2010 2:34:05 PM
> > Subject: [pct-l] Gear for late spring snow?
> >
> > ?I managed Oregon and Washington this year so it's time to do the whole
> > thing. Right now I'm worrying about gear for snow in California and would
> > like to know what the list thinks after dealing with the late snow of
> > 2010.
> > More specifically:
> >
> > Is an ice axe necessary? I've got a mountaineering background and am very
> > familiar with self-arrest. I could use a trekking pole to stop on fairly
> > steep slopes if they're not really icy.
> >
> > Are running crampons like Kahtoola Microspikes effective or should I go
> > with
> > lightweight regular crampons (or maybe with none)?
> >
> > Running shoes versus light boots for snowy sections?
> >
> > Grendel
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