MTN Sense

My obsessive quest for the perfect DIY climbing skin tail connection continues…I think I’m onto something with this.

We’ve all seen the 3 little lines in the skin track created by the tail connection rivets. That’s worthless drag. And we all know people whose sewn tails need repair.

Epoxy is slow and messy but solves both these concerns. So for the dedicated tinkerer, this could be the jam!

I’m curious why the epoxy didn’t pe*****te deeper through the blush into the backer??? I had it clamped tightly to the table with a 400lb clamp.

Next test: 100% mohair vs hybrid vs 100% nylon, does epoxy bond to each ‘good enough’

Would you trust epoxy to hold the tail connection?

Bitter sweet to be writing this. Bitter because moving is a can of worms and sweet because we love looking forward to the next adventure. Where that will take us, time will tell.

This place is totally custom, built in 2013 and has a legit (coveted) bed and breakfast license and three total units. Two car heated garage/mad scientist lab. Bike and hiking trails right behind the house.

DM for more details.

We are going to explore Whitefish MT, Hailey ID and Mammoth CA for potential new locations to raise the kids. Anyone want to house swap, for keeps?

Chapstick containers are guilty of making at least 12 holes in perfectly good pants and shorts. It’s not the end of the world, but there must be a better way.

This oval container is on the right track, but the lip balm inside is only so so. Shaka Laka spf 30 is my favorite but it’s getting harder to find and comes in the pants-thrashing cylinder shape.

Have you found the best chapstick ever?

Bonus question: have you made your own lip balm?

I initially made this to test durability. Tyvek homewrap passed the test after two years of cragging abuse in four countries. The material starts to fuzz which collects moss and pine needles so it was time to make a freshy.

Super 77 spray adhesive to bond the two sides together. I’m going a little bigger too, cause why not, it’s cragging. 5.5ft x 5.5 feet.

For Grade 4+ routes, every gram counts. Having a way to create a bomber-enough snow anchor can unlock a level of confidence, leading to success and safe return. Cause sometimes pickets are heavy and good rocks are hard to tricky to find and treeline is thousands of feet below.

If you don’t know how to use a deadman anchor my Online course The Ultimate Guide To Modern Alpinism covers it in depth.

Some have used USPS tyvek mailers for something similar but the glue blows out and they are much smaller than this solution.

Safe is safe. Extra safe is mostly a waste of time, resources and often increases confusion. Two alpine runners is totally unnecessary.

Another Example: using a locker draw on a cragging anchor, then pulling the rope, and when the next person leads the route they can’t clip the top draw as quickly because the gate is locked. It’s not a common situation, but worth considering. When good enough is good enough it’s good enough.

Crusher duo and are heading to Alaska for adventures unknown. I get to play a supportive role by making 3 ‘get out of jail free cards’ in the form of strong tyvek anchor stuff sacks. Double the strength, half the weight and bulk.

God’s Speed!

Winter still hanging on up high

The skin tail connection was a win, both for the new ski insert and the skin connector. I’m stoked!

Skiing unroped on a glacier is waaaay more fun than being roped up. It also increases the risk of death by crevasse. Probing occasionally can tell you how thick this year’s snow is on the glacier (the old snow will be rock hard ice).

This info is helpful to get a glimpse of an idea of how thick (and therefore strong) the bridges of snow are that cover the top of a crevasse. If thin, you better rope up. I should have a harness on here, but it’s February, and I’m on a tiny glacier, and I’ve traveled on this glacier mid summer and know the crevasses are small. But best practice is to have a harness on and the tools to haul in both partners packs.

The width of the crevasse is also a consideration. Big glaciers you get big crevasses, like on Denali.

The .research ski pack makes whipping out the probe and checking the height of snow a breeze.

The .research backpacks have a clever probe pocket for fast action deployment. Checking cornices is a common use for probes when trying to scout big line entrances.