Hardwear Sessions

Will hobbles around in PT

See More Pix of Will and his Injuries on Flickr.

By William Meinen

I sat down the other day and reflected on the past year. I was trying to come up with a 2008 resolution. I looked back and felt it wasn't as productive as it should have been. A broken metacarpal at the start of January kept me out of the winter mix for 2 months. A broken tibia in the spring left me hobbling around on crutches and forced me to forgo most of the summer rock season. Recently during an apres ski/stunt-gone-wrong I ended up with a broken calcaneus and a cast on the other leg, putting myself back on my arse for another solid stint of reading old climbing magazines and drinking stiff cocktails. All in all I was out a total of six months this year due to injuries.

My resolution for 2008 was clear. I will be attempting to get a year in without injuries or broken bones.

It seems easy enough. We'll see how it goes.

Anyways, I thought I would take a moment and discuss the lessons I learned about getting hurt, and some things to do to help get you back in the game as fast as possible.

By Will Meinen

As the snow begins to fall in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and old man winter takes his grip once again, the alpine rock season abruptly comes to a close. With a very short alpine rock season here in the Rockies, the apprenticeship of an aspiring young alpinist is a very testing process. However, with persistence and a humble attitude, alpine climbing can bring forth moments and memories that can be treasured for a lifetime.

Reflecting upon my alpine rock season I must say that it definitely brought forth more failures than successes, but (with my limit experience) this seems to be the nature of the matter. My new motto has become "failure and hardship brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character." I figure as long as I take away lessons with my failures they are not failures at all, but rather mini-successes.

Several weeks ago a friend and I attempted to climb the East Ridge of Mt. Edith Cavell (III 5.3 3373 m) in Jasper, Alberta. Mt. Edith Cavell is considered one of the 50 classics of North America. As I read the guide book description, prior to my attempt, it sounded too good to be true: Easily done in a day, the best route on Mt. Edith Cavell, etc, etc. I was shut down. Hard.

This article is our first installment in our ongoing series dedicated to outfitting you with the best gear possible. Check back regularly for more trail articles.

The Pacific Crest Trail (also known as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail) runs from the Mexican Border through California, Oregon, and Washington states and up to the Canadian border. The trail runs through almost every climate and ecosystem the West Coast has to offer including deserts, glaciers and mountains, as well as the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest. This American trail showcases many of the unique natural gems the West Coast has to offer.

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is 2,650 miles (4,240 km) long^[2], and follows many high points across the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges changing elevation from sea level up to 13,153 feet (4009 m)^[1] across Forester pass.

Terrain
The PCT tends to follow through wilderness instead of passing through civilization. Most of the trail stays on the mountain ranges of California, Oregon, and Washington states. Expect to cross over 60 mountain passes and ascend at least 300,000 vertical feet of elevation change. Gaiters help keep snow out of your boots. Below snowline even low gaiters over running shoes help keep out dirt and debris.

Weather
Due to elevation change and varying climates and ecosystems hiked through, expect a wide range of climate changes. Thunderstorms are known to be quite common across the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges. Throughout summer months, most hikers are quire comfortable without jackets during the day, however during the night, temperatures can drop fairly low so plan to bring at least a +20° down or synthetic sleeping bag. You might choose to add a bivy-sack at Kennedy Meadows in early season as conditions get rather chilly. For most nights on the trail you can sleep confortably in a 32° F bag, however, durring chilly nights prepare to wear extra layers to stay warm.

Gear List

I'm preparing for a hike of the Pacific Crest Trail next season and I love the Mountain Hardware gear that I currently own, but I was wondering if anyone at Mountain Hardware has any recommendations on a clothing list that would be perfect for a Thru-hike of the PCT? I would really appreciate any advice you could give me. You guys make the best superlight gear around
—Bryan Kenton
Boise, Idaho

By Neil Gresham

AVOIDING FINGER TENDON INJURIES
With the gym season in full flight it can be worth taking a step back just to check that you're doing everything you can to avoid injury. Fingers are the first link in the anatomical chain for climbers and hence they are the most susceptible to going twang. Sometimes finger tendon injuries appear to strike cruelly at random — you did your warm-up so what went wrong? A complex combination of factors can be responsible. Lets examine the most significant ones:

By Andrew McLean

The other day I took a run at a ski resort before heading out of bounds and almost froze to death in the middle of the groomed trail. It was COLD! I was dreading a day of frigid touring, but once we slid through the gate, I immediately warmed up. It's not like one side of the rope was warmer than the other, so what's the deal?

Backcountry skiing and resort skiing have a lot in common but require much different clothing strategies. Resort skiing has the ying and yang elements of exerting no energy while riding the lift then suddenly exerting lots of energy as you ski down and get blasted with the wind chill. Backcountry skiing on the other hand is all about maintaining a smooth operating temperature.