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General Climbing Discussion

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NZ Mountaineering 6-Nov-2003 At 1:53:47 PM Nich

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Hey John, enjoy your trip (I'll enjoy mine and i'll post some conditions here for you in a couple of weeks). I never use a greater than 9mm rope. From my experience, big ropes get heavier when wet and are harder to dry. I also only carry one. If we all did a Noahs Ark and carried 2 of everything for fear of damage we'd never fit our gear on the plane!

Personally, i find snowshows too bulky to be worthwhile. Get out early on the hard ice and you'd only need them in the arvo anyway. And slogging through softening, knee deep glue is sooo much fun...

I believe 2 stakes per man are essential in NZ at the moment. I've heard its still wintery, with lots of snow. Bollards are a pain in the ass in the afternoon. I carry 2 stakes, one is an aluminium T-offcut I got from a local scrapyard. It does the job if need be.

Are you planning on walking out from the Plateau? You're mad. The plateau's an airstrip this time of year, always flights in and out and always a plane to jump fairly cheaply. Alas, if you want to traverse the Boy's Glacier...good luck.