New and Experienced climbers over 50 #23

I’ve ice climbed, but can confirm that what Nick is doing, even in that context, is pretty ‘out there’—-going solo, often in very marginal conditions ( something all too common in New England, especially in recent seasons). He tries to present it as ‘routine’—-it isn’t!!!!

Alan. I am almost never out of my comfort zone on ice. I tend to make good decisions on ice as far as conditions, best line and staying within my difficulty range.    Naturally my current level of decision making/ experience was only achieved through making poor decisions at times in my youth. Its quite different from the folks who are brave without knowing what can happen.   I see folks climb at Willoughby on a warm sunny day and post up about how awesome it was  completely clueless of how close they were to dying..   So while what I am doing is beyond most folks comfort zones its reasonable for me and kid stuff for real climbers. Now what you guys did @ Willoughby in the 70s was cutting edge though I suppose with Hot henry on the rope  it wasnt quite as stressful as it could have been. I know the days i go out with a genuine rope gun are ususally pretty relaxing for me. 

I’m not saying that what you are doing is ‘crazy’ ( as it is clearly within your comfort zone), but still ‘out there’ in terms of what even many other experienced ice climbers would consider to be with their comfort zones. I’m saying this just so some on this thread, with no ice climbing experience, such as Carl or Lori, don’t get the impression that such solos are routine for most folks. 

Off to Potrero Chico tomorrow for a couple of weeks of warm temperatures and fun climbs.  Of course, here up north it's finally started snowing after two weeks of dry weather and F3 skiing (firm, flat, fast).  Yesterday the skiing was good off piste and after snow last night it might be very good today. 

Idaho Bobwrote:

Off to Potrero Chico tomorrow for a couple of weeks of warm temperatures and fun climbs.  Of course, here up north it's finally started snowing after two weeks of dry weather and F3 skiing (firm, flat, fast).  Yesterday the skiing was good off piste and after snow last night it might be very good today. 

Have a great trip!  Post photos!!

Safe travels, Bob!

I’ve had a week of visiting with siblings, spouses, nieces, nephews. So ready to come home. 

 Alan was part of the first ascent of this in the 70s.. It would be awesome if he could post up photos. 

It was a lot thicker that day, though very cold, so brittle ice. I didn’t have a camera with me, Henry was the only one who did have one ( I don’t remember that, but there is a picture he took of Mike leading the first pitch in Yankee Rock and Ice). While I do have memories of the climb, especially how cold it was ( my car wouldn’t start and had to call for a jump from a phone booth that happened to be there in what in those days was pretty much the middle of nowhere), my strongest memories are of my epic drive home. We’d had little sleep the night before ( had driven from the NH/Maine border that morning to get to Willoughby). I then had to drop off Henry in Hanover and Mike in Henniker ( both in central NH) before driving home to Cambridge. The final stretch, despite it being very cold,I drove with the window open and singing out loud  (I never sing) to stay awake.  Epic end to an epic climbing day.

Alan Rubinwrote:

It was a lot thicker that day, though very cold, so brittle ice. I didn’t have a camera with me, Henry was the only one who did have one ( I don’t remember that, but there is a picture he took of Mike leading the first pitch in Yankee Rock and Ice). While I do have memories of the climb, especially how cold it was ( my car wouldn’t start and had to call for a jump from a phone booth that happened to be there in what in those days was pretty much the middle of nowhere), my strongest memories are of my epic drive home. We’d had little sleep the night before ( had driven from the NH/Maine border that morning to get to Willoughby). I then had to drop off Henry in Hanover and Mike in Henniker ( both in central NH) before driving home to Cambridge. The final stretch, despite it being very cold,I drove with the window open and singing out loud  (I never sing) to stay awake.  Epic end to an epic climbing day.

Well, I wasn’t going to post this but speaking of singing… Yesterday while Bob and I were leaving Brownie Girl Dome, we heard some pretty strange grunting sounds coming from a neighboring route that he had recently put up so we stopped and watched for a little bit and I took some pictures. This guy was giving it his very best, but with every move he made loud animal sounds. After a while, the belayer, who must’ve been his girlfriend, started singing to him in the sweetest voice. So it was quite an unusual scene this guy grunting his way up the route while the girl at the bottom was singing to him.

As for snow skiing if you can be creative, you can ski here. I happen to see an Instagram video by a local guide. He had become so jubilant over some snow in the park that he hitched a snowboard to the back of a Chevy pick up and off they went down the main drag until he careened off the side of the road and impaled himself on a yucca. I understand he had to go to the hospital, but he seem to not mind. I was howling. 

Alan. you guys were totally bad assed with crappy clothing, crappy tools, really crappy screws and lousy mittens. Not to mention no hourly weather reports and no prior knowledge of what the thing climbed like yesterday  ... 

None of it was “crappy”—it was all pretty much ‘state of the art’ at the time—-everything is relative. Think of the gear that Scoville and Whittlesey had on the FA of Pinnacle Gully in 1930—and they were both total novices ( on both rock and ice)—or that of still earlier generations.

Alan I suspect you havent used the new gear ;) Especially the screws...  before.. 

After

I don’t know what the heck is going on here but it was like a hurricane last night, right out of the wizard of Oz.  The whole house was shaking, power went out, snow came, it was 31 degrees and we had no heat or lights.  

With everything out I realized there would be no coffee which meant I had to get to McDonald’s.  Despite being warned about the icy roads I very nearly careened into two cars trying to stop at Alta Loma… I mean my brakes were to the floor but the car would not stop until last second. 

So, I’m pondering exactly what we should have had as emergency backup.  Going through that list today. Backup generator?  Firewood?  Coleman stove? Phone charger?  

^ Solar panels on your roof, induction stove, Tesla Powerwall backup batteries. :-)

Terry Ewrote:

^ Solar panels on your roof, induction stove, Tesla Powerwall backup batteries. :-)

That’s us but our stove is gas. Plus rv with generator if all else fails. 

phylp phylpwrote:

That’s us but our stove is gas. Plus rv with generator if all else fails. 

Being in the Northeast, cold of course is the biggest worry, followed by blizzard conditions.
We have gas stove and gas water heater, neither of which needs electricity to work.
And I have a butane powered camping stove.

I am considering a Tesla power pack so that we can use electrical resistance heater if the gas is cut off too.
That will also give us another way to boil water and make coffee. And a way to charge our electronics back up.

Basically, we had planned for 2 to 3 days of being snowbound with no electricity. And I had to put that to the test twice in the past 20 years.
I really should take it to the next level by being able to stay put and warm without electricity and gas.
Luckily we are on municipal water and sewer so no well. I know friends who had to get a backup generator so that they can run the well pump. A major inconvenience.

We now have lots of small LED 'candlelights'. We are also loaded down with printed books and board games (so quaint!) so that no one should go bored without our handheld eletronics.

Here's a tip that not many will think to recommend. Have 200 to 500 dollars in cash. I have had to shop at stores which were without electricity and a backup generator.
Strictly cash based transactions. Unless you can strike up a barter. All those fancy cards, Square, Venmo, etc, are *useless* when there is no power and/or no internet connectivity.

S. Neohwrote:

Being in the Northeast, cold of course is the biggest worry, followed by blizzard conditions.
We have gas stove and gas water heater, neither of which needs electricity to work.
And I have a butane powered camping stove.

I am considering a Tesla power pack so that we can use electrical resistance heater if the gas is cut off too.
That will also give us another way to boil water and make coffee. And a way to charge our electronics back up.

Basically, we had planned for 2 to 3 days of being snowbound with no electricity. And I had to put that to the test twice in the past 20 years.
I really should take it to the next level by being able to stay put and warm without electricity and gas.
Luckily we are on municipal water and sewer so no well. I know friends who had to get a backup generator so that they can run the well pump. A major inconvenience.

We now have lots of small LED 'candlelights'. We are also loaded down with printed books and board games (so quaint!) so that no one should go bored without our handheld eletronics.

Here's a tip that not many will think to recommend. Have 200 to 500 dollars in cash. I have had to shop at stores which were without electricity and a backup generator.
Strictly cash based transactions. Unless you can strike up a barter. All those fancy cards, Square, Venmo, etc, are *useless* when there is no power and/or no internet connectivity.

I appreciate this more than I can say. Naïve city girl still doesn’t have a clue here. Last year when I was pretty sure Putin was going to lob one on us I made a couple trips to Walmart to get a supply of shelf stable food. bought some batteries and then let it go.  

When I thought about it today, I realized I was lucky. I had already charged my insulin pump or I would be SOL with that. (I guess I could have plugged it into my car and let it charge there for awhile). My phone was fully charged. Tony has a CPAP machine. Be kind of nice if that still had power during a storm.  I was thinking about my Coleman stove and at least if I brought that in I could boil water and make breakfast but I seem to remember that’s not for indoor use. I could have sat outside with it for awhile.  Mostly I kind of freaked out about how cold 30° is inside, especially when you have no idea if it will let up, so is the Tesla power pack a solution and is that an Amazon thing?  We have floor heaters in 3 rooms that keep us warm without ever using propane but even if I wanted to use propane the actual heater is electric.  So no go on that.  

our electric company advised to have a landline phone that you do plug into the wall and I’m not sure why that would help these days. Isn’t everything satellite-based? But I did buy a couple back up batteries for Cell Phones, but do you have to frequently recharge them or are they good to go even after they’ve sat for a year?

I like the LED light idea.  I have one burning in the kitchen.  Easy and bright so thanks for that.  

It occurred to me too late that even if I had just filled some thermoses up with boiling water, it would’ve taken care of the coffee and some other things for a day. Live and learn.

——

This is for Russ.

Lorie, You live in Cali. you would be nuts not to have enough panels and a battery bank big enough to power your home providing you have the funds  to do so. If you cant afford the full solar set up get a van sized system. 400W, 400amp hr and a generator that can run your well pump, furnace  power tools. etc.

 WATER . you live in Cali. Keep lots of water on hand.

 Medicine kit, your choice but have enough of all your critical meds/weed etc to last at least 3 months.  plus a trauma kit.. 

Rice, pasta, canned goods, flour, baking powder etc. 

2 burner propane Coleman stove. or van with nicer stove in it. 

extra fuel for cars, plow truck, van and generator, etc.

lots of matches.  I have several cases at all times. 

headlamps and batteries. 

 Good stash of propane for the coleman or van. 

It seems like you live in a rough neighborhood. some sort of defensive firearms that you are proficient with and a good supply of ammo. 

 

I don't know, this seems way overkill to me.  A five gallon water bottle, a couple warm down jackets and sleeping bags, a coleman stove and a pot or two and you can be just fine.  Will you really spend thousands and thousands for that 'just in case' time that happens once every ten years in California?  Or just hunker down for a couple days and make believe you are camping.  I do agree that several hundred in 20s will go a long way if you do actually need to leave the house.

If you really need power, go get a couple panels and a battery that you can take camping or use at your house if you need to charge stuff.  Just don't be surprised when there isn't any sun when it is 10 degrees out.

Lori,

Buying extra cell phone batteries is a waste of money. Instead, a portable charger is a good idea. You can recharge phones or laptops.