A couple weeks ago I kicked off this seasons weekly gear reviews with Outdoor Apps Review Part 1, where we looked at three of my most used outdoor apps; ViewRanger GPS (USA), MyRadar, and PeakFinder Earth. While those apps covered navigation & weather, for Part 2 of this series I’d like to focus on snow safety apps. Check them out below and if I’m missing a must have app please let me know in the comments below so I can check it out!
“Theodolite is a multi-function augmented reality app that combines a compass, GPS, map, photo/movie camera, rangefinder, and two-axis inclinometer into one indispensable app. Theodolite overlays real time information about position, altitude, bearing, range, and inclination on the iPhone’s live camera image, like an electronic viewfinder.” – developer’s website
I use this app mostly in the winter while teaching avalanche courses and ski touring in the back-country. You can look down a slope or gully and get accurate information on aspect, elevation, and angle, three critical components to terrain selection when managing avalanche risk.
Check out this short video showcasing its features.
I usually suggest to my students on the first day of an avalanche course to download this free App, finally available on Android as well as iOS. It is packed with functionality but I use it most often for its quick and simple clinometer. Check out the other cool features here (and brush up on your German):
There are a few different “observation & recording” snow science type apps out there. This is definitely one of my favorite for its comprehensive scope and intuitive design. It is however an advanced app requiring a strong foundation in snow science and avalanche phenomenon to really be utilized. To put it bluntly, if you have never taken a formal avalanche course or had an amazing mentor this app may be a bit too much. Seek qualified instruction!
Automatic graphing of snow pack observations and instant aspect/angle/incline measurements using iPhone’s camera, GPS, and gyro-meter.
So there are three apps to check out for this upcoming winter season. I’ve used them all on an iPhone 5s but will be switching soon to the iPhone 6s Plus, and I’d be lying if I’m not a bit giddy about all that screen space for navigation focused apps. I’ll also be testing a Thule phone case to protect that beauty from the type of abuse I expect it to take. Who knew Thule makes phone cases?
I have some other snow focused apps I’ll mention in Part 3 of this series. In the meantime let me know what apps you rely on in the winter in the comments below!
It’s definitely still rock climbing season in the Mount Washington Valley! Yesterday regular client Manny joined me for some fun on Cathedral Ledge. We started the chilly morning up at the classroom to review some anchoring strategies but the NW 15-20 mph wind combined with 40 degree temps had us heading down to the Thin Air face to get warmed up by 9:30. A visiting party was about to start and offered to let us jump on the route ahead of them. I was very gracious as I knew we would move fast and stay a lot warmer if we weren’t behind a party on-sighting the route.
Manny on the classic Thin Air Traverse, Cathedral Ledge
The clouds cleared out as we started the 3rd pitch and the sun kept us quite comfy for the rest of the route.
All smiles on the crux 4th pitch of Thin Air
We topped out at 11:15, had a quick snack, then made our way down to The North End for some crack climbing practice. We took a quick lap on Child’s Play (5.6), Kiddy Crack (5.7), and the unknown classic 1st pitch of Raise The Roof (5.8+), and called it a day.
Always a good time hanging with Manny, and I’m looking forward to introducing him to ice climbing in just a few months!
Reminder there are currently two gear giveaway contests running right now!
It would not be a stretch of the imagination to state that I have spent more time in the Five Ten Guide Tennies in the last 10 years than any other shoe! From May to November if I’m heading out with the sole purpose of rock climbing I am wearing these. This staple of my closet has recently undergone some changes and improvements that help guarantee it will continue to be my go-to shoe for all technical climbing. To really point out the changes it would be best to look at the pro’s and con’s of the older version first.
Previous version of the Five Ten Guide Tennie- photo from fiveten.com
Simply put, they climbed better than any other approach shoe option out there, but lacked durability. I can attest to this as I happily replaced mine about every other year. Considering I would guide or climb in them 100+ days a year I was happy to sacrifice some longevity for how well I could climb in them, essentially being equals to dedicated climbing shoes on almost all routes up to 5.7 in difficulty. In many situations I felt I could climb better in these approach shoes than in climbing shoes. Two examples;
Moderate slab climbing. The amount of Stealth rubber surface contact you could get with these on sub 5.7 slab climbing made long run outs seem like semi-technical hikes rather than climbs. They actually felt even more secure as the “dots” on the soles wore down leaving a smooth climbing shoe style sole for maximum friction.
Foot jam territory. No better example than the classic Reppy’s Crack on Cannon Cliff. This crack is notorious for making your dogs bark like crazy when jamming it in snug fitting climbing shoes. Climb it in your wider more protective Guide Tennies and it feels a whole grade easier to me.
Peter Sielicki styles Reppy’s Crack in his Five Ten Guide Tennies
There were two disadvantages to the older version. The first was the well known durability issue. I know some guides who were just not willing to keep replacing them after each season of guiding and looked for alternatives. Some would land on the much more expensive La Sportiva Ganda. Other’s would go for the more affordable Scrapa Crux. The durability issue seems to have been addressed as the new version is noticeably reinforced throughout, but especially in the heel and forefoot of the sole.
More supportive and robust heel cup than previous model- photo from fiveten.comThicker and slightly stiffer outersole made with C4 Stealth Rubber- photo from fiveten.com
I’m expecting these to last a bit longer than the older version. I plan on maximizing their life with two tactics;
Maintenance: Treat them with Nikwax. The uppers of the shoe are made of Nubuck Leather. Nikwax Waterproofing Wax will protect the leather from both drying out over time and from abrasion. I’ve been using this on leather for 2 decades. It darkens the leather a bit, which I like. After trips brush off loose dirt/mud and put them away dry. I’ll reapply the Nikwax at the start of every rock season.
Selective use: I don’t wear these when I’m not going rock climbing. Ever. Walking down sidewalks wears C4 Stealth rubber down. I have another shoe I prefer to use for dedicated (non-technical) hiking and I’ll be posting a review for that updated model soon! If I save these for only technical rock climbing days I’m quite certain I’ll get 100-150 days out of them.
The latest version of the 5.10 Guide Tennie
As with the previous version these shoes can still climb technical rock like no other in their class. The thicker outer sole and heel cup will definitely last longer than its previous incarnation, however it has stiffened the shoe up a bit. The “hand-ground beveled toe” makes this newer shoe edge better than its predecessor with only a small dip in smearing performance. The stiffer sole has another more subtle advantage over the previous sole in regards to foot fatigue. The older version was so soft you could feel every pebble you stepped on during an approach. I once hiked Mount Washington in my older Guide Tennies and could tell the next day it wasn’t the right tool for the job. Every rugged section of the trail massaged the bottom of my feet in a sadistic way. Rugged trail hikes require a bit more support on the bottom of the foot. The new version seems to have found the balance between sensitive-enough-for-technical-rock-climbing, but supportive enough to handle approaches that are a bit rougher than strolling up to Cathedral Ledge.
Another noticeable difference with the new version is the lacing. While the Guide Tennie has always had lacing similar to a climbing shoe Five Ten is using a thin low friction lace that allows the shoe to be snugged up from “Approach Mode” to “I Should Probably Put My Climbing Shoes On But I Kind Of Want To Show Off Mode” with out having to start the snug-fest all the way at the bottom. Subtle, but there.
Tight lacing
At 14.43 oz these pack away small enough in my light alpine rock pack to not be noticed, though if the climbing is moderate I’ll probably just keep them on my feet!
Top of Cannon Cliff after climbing Lakeview, Grade III 5.6
Bottom line, the company that has been designing approach shoes since 1988 has redesigned this time tested model based on 2 decades of feedback. While no shoe will ever be absolutely perfect the Five Ten Guide Tennie does pretty well at trying to obtain that goal.
Friendly Foot Giveaway!
No matter what approach shoes you go with one thing is certain. Climbers feet stink. Luckily there is a company called Friendly Foot that understands this, and sells a product that actually works. You can refer to their website for all the details, but all you really need to know is my wife is adamant I never run out of it.
Works better out of the bottle
So, to enter to win a bottle of this great stuff just comment below on approach shoes, foot stink, the weather, what ever. That’s it. One comment = one entry. One entry per person. Contest ends at 11:59pm on 11/18/15. Drawing held 11/19/15.
Don’t like leaving it to chance? I got you covered. Use Coupon Code “FF14” at checkout on their website to get a 10% discount on your order. Shipping is free on orders of 4 bottles or more! Pro-Tip, these are excellent stock stuffers for all the climbers on your Christmas list!
The Five Ten Guide Tennie- Best technical climbing shoe in its class!
Thanks for reading! See you in the mountains!
-NEAlpineStart
Disclosure: I bought these with my own money. This post contains affiliate links which help to fund this website.
It was 1994 and I was 16 years old. I had been spending every paycheck I earned after school at the Salem, NH EMS on climbing gear. While cooling off one night at the long since closed Mill City Rock Gym I thumbed through a climbing magazine article titled “Ten under 10- Ten Classic Trad Climbs Under 5.10”. Number 6 on this list? Lakeview, Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire, Grade 3 YDS 5.6.
I was intrigued. Moderate multi-pitch climbing in New Hampshire? I had to do this climb. I started obsessing about it that summer. My first attempt was with my Assistant Manager Peg Foss. We drove up 93 in a light drizzle that ended right as we arrived in the iconic Franconia Notch. The cliff looked like it might dry, so we hiked up to the base. I took the first pitch, damp 5.3 climbing, but do-able. Peg started up the 2nd pitch, and at the first over-lap struggled, yelled “watch me” and slipped off.
It was her first leader fall.
It was my first leader fall catch.
She slid past me on the slab with enough time to make eye contact and ask “You got me!?”
Her only piece, an inverted pink tri-cam, kept her from going more than a few feet past the belay. Her ankle was bruised and she had torn through her nylon hiking pants to her underwear, but we somehow decided it would be a good idea to keep going. I volunteered to do all the leading.
2 pitches from the top the description in the guidebook confused me. Up this gully into a left facing book?
“Well this must be it.” I thought.
20 minutes later while sketching out in what I later discovered was off-route 5.8x terrain I finally admitted defeat, lowered off a suspicious horn, and we bushwhacked our way off the route to the north. After 20 years I still remember it as being one of the most heinous bushwhacks of my life.
My junior year of High-school started.
For my 2nd attempt I convinced a school mate to play hookie and “come try rock climbing”. I drove us north up 93 with a borrowed harness and convinced myself he would be fine following in sneakers. At the top of the 2nd pitch he declared he was terrified and didn’t want to continue, so I traversed out right into the shrubbery and embarked on the 2nd worse bushwhack of my life.
On my 3rd attempt I teamed up with “Tom”. We arrived at the base of the route just as another party was starting. I did everything I could to stay on their heels so I would find the correct finish to the climb. Finally, I stood out on the Old Man’s brow and tried to take in the amazing valley that sprawled below me, having just completed my first multi-pitch rock climb. In only 3 attempts. In just under 9 hours.
Top of the first pitch during a subsequent ascent, probably Summer of 1995We decided to take a break under the last pitch. Don’t ask me about my anchoring strategy here.Tom poses out near the top of the Old Man. This stance is still intact.
It’s been 20 years. What has changed? There was the 4 years in the Marines. 18 countries. 5 continents. Getting out and moving back to NH. Going back to work for EMS in Newington, NH. Transfer up to North Conway EMS. Retail. Waiting tables. Bartending. Seeing people die in the mountains. Avalanche courses. Guiding courses. The Old Man falls down! Get hired as a guide. More courses. A couple more deaths. Some… strangers in the mountains doing what they loved, others… much closer.
A girlfriend. A fiancee. A wife! A son! A daughter!
Here I am. 20 years later. Back at the climb that made me a climber. Leading Oliver, who started climbing a decade before I was born, and making his way back into the sport after a 30 year hiatus. Still using the 40 year old backpack he climbed with in Yosemite and the Cascades!
We leave the car at 10:35am, a late start for Cannon in my opinion but Oliver has showed endurance and skill over the last few weeks climbing with me on Cathedral and Whitehorse and I’m confident we can make good time.
Cannon Panorama
We reach the base of the climb in about 35 minutes. I mistakenly took us up the Moby Grape approach trail forgetting that the Lakeview trail requires taking a hard right on the Pemi Trail after crossing the bridge. No matter, this only probably cost us 5-10 minutes. We rope up and off we go.
Oliver climbing up the scenic second pitch
We make fairly good time up the first 4 pitches. The Old Man falling in 2003 has greatly altered the 5th pitch, and I choose to do the “uphill tree thrutching” bypass to the right to gain the traverse over to “Lunch Ledge”. Here, at 12:30, we take a minute to eat and drink.
Oliver at the “Lunch Ledge” 2 pitches from the top
Then up the two iconic last pitches… some of the best 5.5 & 5.6 climbing anywhere.
Oliver on the 2nd to last pitch
All day in the back of my mind I had been thinking about the memorable “Archival” Flake that guards the fun stemming corner at the top. This flake has frustrated quite a few good climbers, and for the leader it is a bit of a “no fall” zone due to the low angle slab below it. I had it mastered 20 years ago, and today muscle memory brought me up it via “monter a cheval”, or “mount the horse”.
Oliver finishing up the last pitch
At 2pm we were on the top. While the flake move had provided a solid challenge for Oliver the reward at the top was obvious.
“This may be the greatest climb I have ever done” says the guy who used to stay in Camp Four and lead friends on climbs in the Cascades in his college years.
It was at this moment I realized I first stood up here 2o years ago, a somewhat reckless teenager getting hooked on something that would steer my life forever.
Taking it all in
After a 30 minute break we make our way down the descent trail reaching the car at 3:15pm. I peak Oliver’s interest in some of the great climbing across the way.
Hounds Hump Ridge and the striking Eaglet, reflected in Profile Lake
Here’s to the next 20 years of adventure, and what life will bring. They’ll be plenty of ups, and a few downs, but I couldn’t be more excited to experience them.
In the spirit of Columbus Day and exploration I’d like to share with my readers some of the outdoor apps I regularly use to assist in my own mountain exploration. These apps have been on my phone for a couple of years. Check them out below and find details on how to enter to win the coolest climbing knife in the world or a bottle of the best foot powder on earth!
1) ViewRanger GPS (USA) – Topo Maps, Trail Navigation and Route Tracker for Hiking, Skiing & Cycling By Augmentra (Free)
I experimented with a couple GPS apps before settling on this app about 3 years ago. I have now logged hundreds of trips with it and barely used all of its features. The main draw to this app is its simplicity to record a track log and how quickly I can switch back and forth from Bing Aerial Imagery (Satellite) to USHS 24k Topo maps (with USA Trails overlay). Here’s a screen shot of both maps:
Satellite or USGS 24k Topo
Track details like duration, average speed, distance, are easily captured along with GPS Altitude Graphs and Speed Graphs showing you where you were really moving and where you were really hurting.
It looks like the publisher, Augmenta, has released a large update, basically a new app, and plans to discontinue support on the original app. The new app can be found on the iTunes store here. I just downloaded it and will update this post once I’ve had a chance to form an opinion on the new version.
ProTip: The big downside of GPS apps is how demanding they are on your cell phones battery. For that I never rely on them as a sole means of navigating (still carry map & compass). I also tend to only record my track on the way back from somewhere. This works great back-country skiing as I save my battery for the descent. If I really want to get a track of a 6+ hour trip I’ll carry the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus to recharge my phone on the go. You can pre-load map data if you are heading somewhere off grid (No 3G+ service), . If that is the case I would recommend a dedicated GPS like a Garmin Etrex.
2) MyRadar – Weather Radar – Forecast, Storms, and Earthquakes By Aviation Data Systems, Inc (free)
Something wicked this way comes
This is the best weather radar app I have found. I have astonished countless clients by predicting when the rain will start to fall within 10 minutes of accuracy using this app. So many of our cliffs, Cathedral, Whitehorse, Cannon, all face east and this app shows me incoming thunderheads before they hit. If the National Weather Service issues any storm or flood warnings for the area I am in the app alerts me with the classic annoying sound that comes over the radios & TV when alerts are issued ($1.99 in App purchase), even if the app isn’t running.
This is kind of a “fun” app when exploring. It can help you quickly name visible peaks at your viewpoint. One especially cool feature is it can work in reverse, i.e. “I think I should be able to see peak X right now, where is it?” You can select from a list of peaks that should be visible from where you are standing and the phone’s compass and screen will guide you to look at it. Very neat!
This is the view through my office if I had no walls and all the trees and the houses to the north were leveled.
The last couple weeks Oliver has been climbing with me to prepare for his Yosemite trip later this month. Having climbed Whitehorse and Cathedral with me over the last two weeks I wanted to get him on something a bit more committing and thought linking together Lost & the Sun and A Bit Too Short on Mt. Webster would be a great day out, especially considering how the foliage is progressing up in the notches. This plan would give us 13 pitches and about 1,600 feet of climbing.
Unfortunately Friday saw a fair amount of rain but early clearing plus breezy conditions and clear morning skies in the notches had me optimistic enough to make the drive up there. It was obvious from the road that both routes were still soaked; the morning sun glistening off the wet granite from bottom to top. We headed back to North Conway taking West Side Rd to get to Cathedral Ledge by 10:30am.
Oliver hadn’t yet climbed the classic Thin Air route, so we made our way up to the base. I wasn’t surprised to see a few parties on route considering it was a beautiful Saturday morning during a holiday weekend. We decided to take a number and I set up a top-rope to the left of the start to keep us occupied while we let the party of 2 ahead of us get established. Once the leader started the 3rd pitch we finished our lunch and climbed the first pitch right at noon. We followed behind the party of two as Oliver commented on how every pitch seemed classic.
Iconic traverse
It dawned on me that somehow I hadn’t climbed Thin Air once this year. It really is an all star classic route. I prefer the direct 5.8 finish which keeps every pitch of the route high quality, but I couldn’t quite see if that slippery slab had completely dried off yet so I opted for the slick pine-needle strewn gully finish. From there I could see the direct finish was dry, and since I had run the rope up the pitch with out any gear it was easy to walk over to above the direct finish and flick the rope over so Oliver could enjoy the cleaner finish to a great climb.
After chatting a bit with the couple we had followed we made our way down the bike trail to the base. While this is a bit of an un-official bike trail I have yet to come across a mountain biker on it on any of the dozens of times I’ve used it to hike off. It is definitely faster than the climber’s trail down and 1/4 the distance of walking down the auto-road. Obviously give way to any riders you encounter.
Cathedral Ledge Mountain Bike Trail, the quick way down
We had a little bit of time left when we got to the bottom and Oliver was up for one more route so we dropped a quick top-rope on the first pitch of Raising The Roof, 95ft 5.8+. This is my favorite route at The North End. It’s just SO good!
Oliver takes a run on the first pitch of “The Roof”, “The Corner”, or “Raising The Roof” depending on where you get your info 😉
We walked back to the car and started making plans for our last day before the big trip. If the weather holds steady we have our sights set on Cannon for this Thursday. Stay tuned!
I only had a few hours this morning after dropping the kiddo off at daycare so I stayed pretty close to home and met up with long time buddy Tom C. for a quick trip out to Found Ledge, pg 42 of North Conway Rock Climbs, here on NEClimbs, and here on Mountain Project.
These pretty little cliffs sit on the west side of the scenic Kancamagus Highway which, by the way, is starting to overflow a bit with the leaf-peeping crowd. Tour buses and rubber-necker’s abound, so I suggest parking well off the shoulder.
The approach is an enjoyable 15-20 minutes of gentle uphill, the majority of which is alongside a babbling brook.
A good example of how slope exposure effects the type of vegetation
We started at The Little Slab and within an hour and a half Tom dispatched the four right most routes;
Unknown; 5.5? 75′
Cast of Chicken Heads; 5.5 75′
Brilliant; 5.8 80′
A little Slabba Do Ya; 5.8+, 80′
Tom cruising up BrilliantTom works up “A little Slabba Do Ya”
The two routes to the left, Elvis in the House and Found a Line were pretty wet (despite no rain in 6 days) so we skipped those and hiked along the intimidating Lumberjack Wall before scrambling up a easy corner/gully to take in the view from the top.
Crag Y top left
It’s a neat little spot up here with some nice views to the south and some cool boulders perched in a few spots. To the east we could see some of the open slabs above the Main Cliff and decided to go poke around over there before leaving. This line caught my eye;
Unknown route far right on the Main Cliff
We scrambled up the slope to the right of the wall and looking back at the upper slab section saw what looked like a bolt just above the steeper section and perhaps an anchor 10 feet higher, unfortunately not very visible in this photo;
Looks good! There is a 40 foot more vertical section below the rock you can see here
I think this line is referenced in Handren’s new guide on Pg. 44. “There is a line with a couple of bolts here, but it is unclear if it was ever finished.” I’m going to ask around. It looks pretty cool.
This place, along with nearby Lost Ledge, offers some really nice friction climbing this time of year. The approach is really pretty chill, though you have to pay attention to stay on track. At one point this trail was over blazed. A little bit of foot traffic would help keep it obvious without resorting to over blazing it again. You should go check it out!
