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Mt. Whitney’s East Face

When I close my eyes I see granite.

Gray-white blocks angle sharply beneath my feet, plunging downward past my rubber-tipped toes. I press my back against a wall of rock as if I could somehow dissolve myself into the mountain.

Everything feels like it’s moving—the rock, the ground, the air—all conspiring together, pushing me toward that void…(read more)

Posted in Climbing | 5 Comments

Sierra Journal: New Look, Features

Matt DiPietro’s blog, sierrajournal.com has debuted a new look and added functionality. Sierra Journal started as primarily a backcountry skiing website, but has grown nicely into a source of broad news and features on the Sierra year-round. And of course, you’ll also find regular inspiring reports from yet another cool climbing or skiing trip that Matt has failed to invite me to join.

Matt’s goal with the new design is to emphasize community building. Sierra Journal adds a new forum space, plus other interactive goodies intended to get visitors involved in the site’s evolution. For more info, see Matt’s latest webcast, which walks you through the highlights.

Posted in Internet | 2 Comments

Sigg’s BPA Deception

As of August 2009, Sigg has revealed that the secret ingredient in their top-secret formula was, in fact, BPA.

SierraDescents’ position on BPA in water bottles has (hopefully) been clear: since good alternatives exist, I see no reason to use containers where BPA is present, and no need to get into endless arguments about just how dangerous (or not) BPA actually is.

What I find despicable, however, is that Sigg marketed itself to consumers as one of those BPA-free alternatives during the height of the BPA scare, even while it knew its linings in fact contained BPA. Further, Sigg aggressively challenged anyone who suggested otherwise via carefully worded denials that, in hindsight, appear to have been deliberately orchestrated to mislead consumers.

Sigg, we now learn, released a BPA-free lining in their bottles sometime prior to 2008. So why wait until now to reveal that their previous liners contained BPA? A cynic would suggest that allowed Sigg time to sell off the tainted stock and avoid a product recall. See here for information on how to tell if your Sigg bottle uses the old or new lining, plus more commentary on Sigg’s behavior.

I’ll be honest with you—I’m fairly outraged by all this. It was clear that Sigg was withholding information about its lining if you looked carefully enough at its statements (indeed, the SierraDescents review on the Sigg bottle calls the bottle “safe(?)” with regard to BPA and other toxicity/leaching issues). Still, Sigg’s campaign targeting consumers seeking BPA-free products and Sigg’s threats of legal action against those who suggested their bottles contained BPA is galling.

There is some talk that Sigg will replace the old bottles with new ones free of charge if you contact them. As a natural skeptic, I would not be quick to assume that the new lining is 100% safe. And there is certainly little reason to believe anything Sigg says about product safety whenever it conflicts with their sales goals. I think I’ll keep one of their old bottles as a reminder not to blindly trust what corporations say. And I think I’ll stick with my good old HDPE Nalgene bottle in the backcountry.

Posted in Gear | 5 Comments

The Fresh Air Traverse

→ info & HD instructions:

Mount Whitney’s East Face is perhaps the classic Alpine climbing route in the Sierra, featuring an otherworldly mix of moderate climbing and breathtaking exposure. I had wanted to climb the East Face from the moment I first summited Whitney—but at the time it seemed like a dream that would permanently remain unfulfilled. Last weekend, I got the chance to give it a try with help from Kurt Wedberg of Sierra Mountaineering International. The experience was extraordinary. For the full report see: climbing Whitney’s East Face.

This also happens to be the first trip where I carried an HD video camera (actually two), so I’m working on a bottom-to-top video of the climb. While you’re waiting for that, here’s a taste of one of the climb’s most famous segments…the ‘Fresh Air’ Traverse.

Some notes on HD: unless your connection speed is very speedy, you’ll likely want to let the video buffer fully before watching. Click the play arrow on the player toolbar, then the “HD” button (which then appears), then immediately hit the pause button. Go have a cup of coffee and let the video load (10-15 mins), then hit play and finally click the rectangle button to expand the view to full-screen. The video should now play smoothly from start to finish.

As you may be guessing, switching from SD to HD video has proven to be a total trip down the rabbit hole. Basically every downstream software/device/system I owned had to be replaced to cope with the file size, plus there’s literally a graduate degree’s worth of standards and compatibility info to learn. So, I’m beat and my operating budget for the rest of the year has been annihilated. But it’s hard to argue with the end result.

Posted in Climbing, video | 9 Comments

Off to Whitney…

Off to Whitney to try to redo a climb that got canceled last June when a surprise snowstorm blew in over the Sierra. This time looks like a go. I’ll be carrying a record number of cameras for the trip, including two HD video cams (three if you count my new D5000), so I hope to be able to put together the most media-rich trip report ever when I get back. If all goes well. No updates ’till next week, so have a great weekend.

Posted in Climbing | 2 Comments

New Yorker on SPF Ratings

The New Yorker has a fascinating piece on SPF ratings in suntan lotion. Looks like I may have to rethink my standard SPF 50…

Posted in Health | 0 Comments

Smith Sunglasses Roundup

Smith’s ultralight Toaster is one of my all-time favorite sunglasses. Light, small, and inarguably snazzy, the Toaster features interchangeable polycarbonate lenses so you can effortlessly customize your shades to match existing conditions.

The Toaster is best for casual wear, hiking, and easy cycling. For skiing, look to the Factor and Factor D-Max, which offer more coverage but remain very light. Like the Toaster, the Factor series also come with interchangeable lenses, which proves invaluable when you’re skiing in bright sun one day and flat light the next. You’ll also like the Factor’s frameless design, which gives you unobstructed peripheral vision.

The new kid on the block is Smith’s Haven, which comes with dazzling TechLite™ glass lenses. Smith says their TechLite lenses are essentially distortion free. I’d have to agree. Compared to the not-at-all shabby view offered by Smith’s polycarbonate lenses, putting on the Haven is like opening your eyes for the first time. Clarity is breathtaking; the world looks sparkling-clear. Get the Haven in the Polorchromic lens model, which automatically adjusts its density to match ambient light levels, and you’re as close to sunglass heaven as mortals can get.

The big problem with the Haven (and Smith’s other TechLite sunglasses), as I see it, is that once you try these, you’ll wish all your other sunglasses had the same lens. I’m pushing for a Toaster with the Techlite glass, as it remains my favorite Smith frame. Until then, I think I’ll spending a lot of time hiking in my Havens.

Posted in Gear | 0 Comments