Mediocre Mountaineering

Welcome to Mediocre Mountaineering

These are my Mountaineering, Climbing, Skiing, and Outdoor Pages (with some camera and gadget stuff thrown in for good measure.)

Why the title, “Mediocre Mountaineering?” Because these pages aren’t about the extreme, hardcore, or difficult. The focus of these pages is on moderate climbs by a mediocre climber, backpacker and outdoor person.

Although I really love climbing, I am a mediocre mountaineer at best. The best evidence of this is that I’ve climbed for 30+ years, and I’m still not climbing anything truly difficult. I have a desk job, where I mostly sit all day long. If I’m lucky, I can get out and climb on the week-ends, and maybe take a multi-day trip every so often. I’m not a guide, not an expert, and not a very good climber. I’m just a guy who’s been climbing for a while, who has figured out a few things that work, (and some that don’t work) for the mediocre stuff that I do.

This web site is for mediocre folks like me; people who just like to get out and climb in the mountains every so often, and are looking for a few tips and (possibly) useful advice.

Posts are listed below in chronological order. You can use the Search function or the category listing above or at the bottom of the page to find specific posts.

Hiring a Guide

A rope joins two beings who have only one life; the guide for some hours ties himself to an unknown man who is going to become a friend. When two men share the best and the worst, they are no longer strangers. The guide does not climb for himself; he opens the gates of […]

June 5, 2014
Ricoh GR Pocket Camera

I am a big proponent of using small, compact cameras when climbing. Although I sometimes take larger, interchangeable lens cameras with me on climbs, there are many circumstances where the bulk and weight of a big camera doesn’t make sense. If I’m climbing something difficult, I will often opt for a pocket camera. Even if […]

May 10, 2014
Patagonia Knifeblade and Northwall Lines: Winter Clothing made from Polartech Powerstretch Pro Fabric

Polartech Powerstretch Pro is a new highly breathable and water resistant fabric from the folks at Malden Mills. Patagonia incorporated it into two different lines of clothing, the Knifeblade and Northwall lines, which are blurring the lines between softshells and hardshells. The Knifeblade line is uninsulated, and the Northwall line has a light gridded fleece […]

May 9, 2014
Backcountry Skiing in the Tetons at the Baldy Knoll Yurt

For the past three years, me and a group of friends have done a backcountry ski tour together. Last year, we did a Sierra tour, and the year before, we did a tour in the Tetons. This year, we got back together, but rather than do a point to point traverse, we decided to rent […]

March 27, 2014
Desert Ice Climbing: Hidden Haven Falls

Hidden Haven is a red rock canyon in southern Utah. It’s not far from Parowan, on the road to Brian Head ski resort. In winter, the falls at the top of this narrow canyon freezes up, providing one of the most aesthetic ice climbs I’ve ever experienced. I’m used to climbing frozen waterfalls, but climbing […]

March 9, 2014
Eddie Bauer Guide and Guide Lite Gloves

I have 30+ pairs of outdoor gloves and mittens. It seems like every year for the past 20 years, I’ve bought one or two new pairs of gloves, searching for the elusive perfect glove. However, for the past couple of years, I’ve been using two gloves almost exclusively for my climbing; the Guide Gloves and […]

March 8, 2014
Skyward Mountaineering: Winter Alpine Climbing Intensive Workshop

Skyward Mountaineering is a guide service operated by alpinists Steve House and Vince Anderson. In addition to offering guided climbs both locally and internationally, they also teach instructional workshops focusing on various aspects of climbing. I was lucky enough to participate in their three day Winter Alpine Climbing Intensive Workshop. The workshop took place in […]

February 28, 2014
Training for the New Alpinism by Steve House and Scott Johnston (Book Review)

This is a new book on training for alpine climbing, by uber-alpinist Steve House and elite sports trainer Scott Johnston. There are tons of books on the market that deal with getting in shape for various sports, (including rock climbing) but to my knowledge, this is the first and only book that focuses on training […]

February 20, 2014
Cassin Bladerunner Crampons

The Cassin Bladrunner crampons are a new modular design that is supposed to provide both maximum versatility and excellent performance. The design allows the crampons to be set up with either horizontal or vertical front points, (or, I suppose, one of each,) and there’s a great deal of choice on how the front points are […]

February 13, 2014
E Climb Klau Aluminum Ice Screws

The E-Climb “Klau” ice screw is not widely available in the United States. As of this date, I couldn’t find a single U.S. seller. I ended up ordering the screws directly from Spain, where E-Climb is headquartered. E-Climb Website HERE The E-Climb Klau screw has a couple of features that make it different from most […]

February 6, 2014

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