To see more pictures click on the this link.

Reports are just emerging of what looks to be the worst climbing accident in years at Chamonix, where an avalanche early on the morning of July 12 has killed nine people and injured as many as 20 more.

Among those who were killed was Roger Payne, a well-known British climber and guide. He was highly experienced. According to the British Mountaineering Council, Mr Payne had been climbing every year in the Alps since 1977.

He took part in more than 20 expeditions to high and difficult peaks across the Karakoram and Himalaya – from K2 to little-known mountains on the borders of Sikkim, and Sichuan in China – as well as North and South America.

He was a former president of the British Mountain Guides, an avalanche instructor and held coaching badges in a range of other outdoor sports. He also had a strong interest in the mountain environment, working on projects with the United Nations on climate change, and was involved in raising awareness about the conflict on the Siachen Glacier.

In its report on the incident, the BMC said that:

The avalanche came down around 5:30 from the Mont Maudit slope. It was triggered by a serac fall, but windslab snow accumulated in the last two days by prevailing south winds may have contributed.

According to Daniele Ollier of the SAV,  the avalanche was huge (150m wide) and the exact mechanism was in two steps: the initial serac fall hit the climbers who were higher on the Maudit face, then the windslab avalanche took out the climbers below, sweeping them for 200 metres.

According to the BBC (you can find the full story here):

The local authorities described the avalanche as “the most deadly” in recent years, according to the AFP news agency.

Mont Maudit – meaning the cursed mountain – is the third-highest peak in the Mont Blanc massif range, rising to 4,465m (14,650 ft).

This area has been known to suffer fairly large avalanches in the past. In 1999 the Village of Montroc was hit by a massive snow slide that killed 12 people in their homes. You can read more about that here.

An overview of the Mountain Hardware EV2 Tent

Source: Mountain Hardwear

This Mountain Hardware tent is a single wall expedition tent. The single-wall bit is self-explanatory. Instead of consisting of an inner tent and a waterproof fly sheet, this just has one layer of fabric. That means a sacrifice of some comfort for a big saving in weight. It also means, however, that the cost goes up because the tent needs to be constructed from a breathable fabric that allows water-vapour out but also keeps the rain on the outside.

The main specs are:

• Weight – 2.36 kg (5lb  3 oz)
• Capacity – 2 people

(You can get more from the manufacturer’s website here)

The tent evolved from some joint work on the design between Ed Viesturs, the mountaineer, and Mountain Hardwear. Mr Viesturs has climbed all of the worlds 14 8,000 feet peaks and is also famous for having filmed at the summits of many of the world’s highest mountains. And it shows the benefit of his extensive experience. The design challenge that Mr Viesturs set for Mountain Hardwear was to make a tent that was as light as possible but also as roomy as possible. The result was a tent that has to rank up there as one of the most suitable for fast and light alpine style ascents on big mountains.

The tent also had to be strong enough to withstand the strong winds and snow storms that batter mountains at high altitudes. The Mountain Hardwear EV2 uses poles made from Scandium alloy. This is light and strong and also resilient. The poles also widen at the end to strengthen the most vulnerable section.

What I like about the Mountain Hardwear EV2

• Low weight
• Spacious
• Integral vestibule gives good space for storage and cooking
• Easy pitching
• Strong design with tough fabric and strong frame
• Good ventilation with plenty of  vents and breathable fabric.

What I don’t like about it

• High price tag
• High price tag
• erm, high price tag
• Some people don’t like the integrated vestibule because it provides less protection than an old style “airlock” that you get from a door on the inside of the vestibule.

What do others say?

Outdoor Gear Lab call it:

a well-designed, strong, and highly livable expedition-worthy single-walled winter shelter.

What they didn’t like were:

Downsides include a canopy that is hard to tension properly and a fabric that is less breathable than those on other tents (you’ll want some wind to circulate air through the vents). On the whole, the EV2 is a marvelous shelter for demanding alpine pursuits.

Everest News says the EV2 is:

This specialist tent includes all the features you’d expect to shelter you in winter and high alpine conditions.

The review on Alpinist.com says:

The R&D that must have gone into this tent is mind-boggling. It seems as though every tiny, little detail has been well thought out and executed in complete style. If you can afford it, whether it is for Denali, Ama, or the Grand in winter, this tent will not let you down.

Backpacking lite has a review but it is blocked unless you are a subscriber. If you are, you can read it here.

There is also a great Youtube video review you can see here or below:

They’ve spared little expense and adopted some pretty cutting edge technology in this tent, all in the aim of shaving off a few ounces here and there. So how does it stack up?

Well, on the weight front, it is hard to fault this tent. It comes in at just 1,2 kg in its minimalist pack weight. That’s 2 lbs and 11 oz for those of you who haven’t gone metric yet. But that’s not all. In this configuration we are still talking about a full tent. Switch to a footprint and fly sheet only, and although you will lose some convenience, you’ll still have something that keeps you dry and out of the wind. In this stripped-down configuration and you’re adding just 853g to your pack (1 lb 14 oz). That seems hard to beat. In fact a lot of sleeping bags etc. weigh more than that. Carrying such a light tent would really push me over the edge into ultra-light geekyness and I’d end up sawing the handle off my toothbrush next.

So how do they get the weight so low?

There’s a clue in the name. The MSR Carbon Reflex 2 ditches aluminium poles for carbon fibre poles. These are a lot lighter and, according to the company, a lot stronger than aluminium ones used in the similar (and heavier) MSR Hubba Hubba. Now I’m not against this idea. Carbon fibre has found its way into space ships, jet fighters, tennis rackets and golf clubs. I just have had bad experiences in the past with badly-made cheap tents that used fibre-glass poles that snapped. I know there is a world of difference between glass-fibre and carbon-fibre in terms of strength and all, but I remember how those poles used to fracture and break under stress. Aluminium tends to bend before it breaks, so you have a greater safety margin in high storms and all.

Still, these poles shave a pound off the weight of the Carbon Reflex 2 tent giving a really lightweight package that still offers all of the comfort of heavier tents including lots of room.

I just wouldn’t use it for high altitude or really bad weather camping. For summer or, at a stretch, three season use this should be more than adequate and if you follow through and reduce the weight of all your other gear, will offer a really enjoyable and lightweight experience.

What do others say about the MSR Carbon Reflex 2?

The guys and girls over at Backpacker magazine said that:

 The featherweight structure withstood moderate winds. Biggest concession is durability: After test trips from Vermont to Colorado, the all-mesh canopy had snags and the carbon pole had a stress fracture (but didn’t break).

I’m afraid that just goes to reinforce my original judgement about its durability. A point that is noted in some of the Carbon Reflex reviews over at Trailspace.com:

So I take it out for my long 80-mile hike and it breaks.

This is like the fourth MSR tent I have owned and I so wanted it to work. I liked the door, the rectangle floor design, the weight, everything about this tent I thought was great. Then on the seventh night the long carbon fiber pole breaks on me and the repair part duct taped into the broken section is too long and can’t bend at the correct angle, hence the tent will not setup right and the fly wall touches the inner tent and condensation wets my sleeping bag.

I end up finishing my hike a day early because of it. So the tent went back and I now own a Big Agnes. I wish someone could combine the best of these tents.

I’d be misleading you if I left you only with negative reviews. The team at National Geographic Adventure really liked this tent (and gave it an award in 2009). They even thought it was sexy.

It’s impossible to look at the MSR Carbon Reflex 2 and not think about lingerie. (Bear with me.) This featherweight backpacking tent is mostly see-through mesh, so light it’s hardly there, and is, yes, kinda sexy. And it should be: This is one of the lightest two-person backpacking tents you can buy; MSR pared down the Carbon Reflex to the bare essentials—a body, two poles, and a fly.

You can find the full specs on the manufacturer’s website here.

What about the MSR Carbon Reflex 1?

This is the slimmed down 1-person tent version. It is (according to MSR) the:

The Carbon Reflex 1 tent is the lightest, double-wall solo tent we’ve ever made, crossing the barrier from ultralight tohyperlight.

In its slimmed down minimalist, fly and footprint only setup it weighs just 688g (1 lb 8 oz). That’s insane. Throw the inner back in and it goes up to 1.1 kg. Again, that’s really not much. It has about the same internal volume as the MSR Hubba but weighs  almost (but not quite) 1 quarter less. It comes in in a totally minimalist set up at 979g. The downside is that you pay almost double for the weight saving, so unless you are rolling in cash you may be better off just going with the Hubba.

The MSR Carbon Reflex 3 is the big daddy of this range. It has space for 3, nice straight walls and a roomy top and in its usual set up weighs in at under 2 kg, stripped down it is less than 1.4 kg. Split that between three people and you are carrying just a few hundred grams each for shelter. Now that is hard to beat. There is more on the range of tents at MSR’s site.

Let’s start by looking at what the MSR Fury tries to do. The company considers this to be a lightweight expedition grade tent. And in many respects this. It sleeps to people, and pitches in compact places because it has a relatively small footprint. You’d be surprised at how important it can be to have a tent with a very small footprint up on high mountains when you have to pitch on the smallest of ledges
It is also relatively lightweight, weighing in at 2.8 kg, or just six pounds and 4 ounce it is also relatively roomy inside given its small sizes.
The inner itself is freestanding, so you have the otion on clear and beautiful days of just pitching the inner without the fly sheet to keep the bugs off you (though frankly, in conditions like that I just prefer to sleep right out in the open and to see the stars directly). It is also a genuine four-season tent and should withstand strong winds and heavy snow. Its also capable of withstanding tough storm conditions on most mountains, making it genuinly expedition grade.

What’s not to like

The older versions require you to thread the poles through fabric loops. That’s just time-consuming and clumsy. The newer ones have pole clips that work great and are nice and quick to use when pitching the tent.

What do others say about the MSR Fury Tent?

Users over at SummitPost Gear generally give it fantastic reviews. One user notes that:

I Owned this tent for a 6 month trip in the Andes, and used it from sea level to 5700m. camps. This tent is just Great : Incredibely resistant, spacious, bright inside, small footprint, beautifull (in my opinion) ! I would recommend it for all conditions mountaineering and winter trekking.

At TrailSpace.com it also gets pretty good reviews. teh only real gripe that people had was its weight (though to be honest, it is tough finding a strong, 4 season tent that weights much less – also note that the tent has come down in weight over the years and is also a lot easier to pitch in its current configuration). Anyhow, most give it 4 or 5 stars on the Trailspace rating.

The users over at Backcountry also give it pretty good reviews. This is what one said:

I’ve noticed some of the reviews of this tent rate it poorly and I have to disagree. The tent is as solid a 4-season tent as you’re going to get. It’s not made for giving you creature comforts when backpacking, like enough headroom for two to sit and chat. The headroom was sacrificed for a good wind profile, so that when you’re stuck in your tent in a nasty storm(read wind, snow and sleet…not rain), it won’t blow apart on you. I’ve had this tent for 3 years now and have loved it, using it in BC and the Yukon. That said, I don’t use it in the summer cause it doesn’t vent as well as other tents and weighs more. For climbing and ski trips, it’s one of the best. There’s enough room for two adults and two midsize packs inside.

One of the most comprehensive reviews out there comes from Outdoor Gear Lab: Their conclusion is that:

The Fury is a versatile four-season performer capable of everything from ski mountaineering to high alpine ascents. Our only complaints lie with a lack of support in the rear sidewalls and its heavy and impractical stuff sack. We recommend the Fury over the company’s Asgard ($580, 8 lb. 8 oz.) because it has better ventilation (less condensation and safer for cooking), larger and more varied pockets, and a vestibule that is easier to open and close and better to cook in.

They also have an awesome video review that really gives you a great sense of the tent.

 

Trail Magazine just awarded it their “best for climbing” award in January 2012 issue . They reckon that this new ice axe is:

“perfectly balanced for both plunging and swinging and the trigger can be put in the perfect position depending on what technique you are employing. A flexible axe that will take on everything from winter Munros to fairly technical climbs.”

Another set of rave reviews comes from the American Alpine Institute which gave it a “guides choice” award. They say that the Petzl Sum’Tec:

“combines the qualities of a technical mountaineering ice axe – thanks to its curved shaft – and a classic mountaineering ice axe. Light and versatile, this ice axe has an adjustable hand rest and an interchangeable pick.”

Outdoor Gear Lab also really liked it. They said:

This is one of the heavier ice axes we tested and a little overkill for moderate routes. But if you climb a lot of steeper terrain, this ice axe is tough to beat.

Speaking of weight, The Petzl Sum’Tec ice axe weighs in at a respectable 485g for the 52 cm shaft. This is a T-rated shaft and comes in 52cm or 59 cm lengths (the longer one weighs in at 505 grams)

An Overview of the MSR Asgard

The MSR Asgard is billed by the company as a 2 person expedition tent or a “lightweight option for three”. The company calls it the  ”the most livable, 2-person expedition shelter we’ve ever made”

The tent is a classic double wall expedition tent. It has pretty steep walls (thanks to its bow-frame design) that gives it plenty of head-room and also steeply sloping side walls that maximise internal volume. This also helps to reduce condensation. It is very streamlined, so if pitched correctly facing into the wind it should be able to cope with quite serious storms by spilling wind over the top. It also has a strong construction and strong poles that should also allow it to shed high wind loads and snow.

The fabric itself is 40D x 238T ripstop nylon 6 1500mm polyurethane & silicone coated, which is proven to be strong, long lasting and waterproof.

As for weight, it comes in pretty well for a double- tent of this size and specification. Its minimum weight is 3.4kg (7 lbs, 6 oz).

Like most MSR Tents, it is also very quick and easy to set up.

What’s not to like about the Asgard Tent?

If you stopped reading now, you might be perfectly happy and could end up with a tent that would provide great service. But if you are looking for a real expedition tent then this falls a little short in a few areas. The most comprehensive review I’ve come across is by the American Alpine Institute which looked at the tent. I highly recommend you read their full report.

In their tests, which were conducted by experienced mountain guides, in Mt Baker and Red Rock. They found that it is a good tent but with shortcomings. Among the ones they identify are that its vestibule “warrants a thorough redesign”

The primary concern with the fly is the layout and function of the vestibule space. The vestibules are simply not large enough for extended expedition usage. The zippers down the roof apex are also challenging to operate and impossible to reach while inside the tent body, making venting and peeking outside a chore.

The testers noted that this is a roomy tent and quite liked the fact that there is space for even the tallest climbers to sit upright. But they didn’t think that it would be a workable tent for 3 people (other than in an emergency) because the two sleepers on the outsides would be pressed up against the tent fly and would get wet sleeping bags from the condensation gathered on the inside. In this they suggest it is a roomy two-man tent rather than a lightweight option for three.

Their conclusion was:

Overall, this is a good tent, but not quite up to expedition standards. Its lightweight design is likely to withstand a few seasons or expeditions of abuse, but the setup complexity, vestibule spaciousness, and other assorted shortfalls warrant minor redesign. The MSR Asgard has not been awarded a Guides Choice Award at this time.

What do others say?

Some other reviews are more complimentary. Backpacker Magazine looked at the Asgard tent and their testers were impressed by its strength and durability. In an October 2009 review they said:

In violent, late-winter winds at the base of Colorado’s 14,265-foot Quandary Peak–gusts that snapped two poles on a competing tent pitched 10 feet away–the Asgard remained rock-solid. It has five 10.2mm DAC poles and “bow-frame” geometry that proved to be the toughest in the test. “I set my 45-pound pack on top of the tent, and the poles didn’t even bend,” said one tester.

If you own this tent and have any views please contact me, as I’d love to get a first-person MSR Asgard review posted up here as this is not a tent that I’ve used myself.

I’ve thought for a while that the OmniFuel probably deserves the mantle of being one of the best if not the best mountaineering stoves on the market. The OmniLite Stove builds on that reputation with an ultra-lightweight stove made of titanium. The stove weighs in at just239 grams (although that goes up to 339 grams when you add a pump and even more once you include a fuel bottle and cookware).

That compares with a base weight of 339 g for the OmniFuel (441g including pump).

The main weight savings come from using titanium in the windscreen, legs and pot supports. In addition, Primus says the new stove has a burner that has been optimized to work best with heat-exchanger pots such as the Primus ETA pot. It claims that you will get better fuel efficiency (and thus a lower fuel burn) with the new stove compared with the OmniFuel.

The burner was explicitly built for the usage of special pots with a heat exchanger like the Primus Eta Pots: compared to the OmniFuel, the younger brother consumes less fuel thanks to a optimized heat output.

Moreover, the reduced distance between nozzle and flame spreader results in a strong flame and therefore less heat loss at the sides. OmniLite Ti is classified with an efficiency of category C, but in combination with the super efficient Primus Eta Pots the stove jumps up to level A (the highest efficiency class in a scale of four steps).

You can find out more by visiting the manufacturer’s website.

The links between science and mountaineering have now been put to formal study by a researcher at Montana State University. Michael Reidy, who specialises in the history of science, has combined his own love of mountains with his scholarly work. He recently presented a paper at the university of the Rockies on the life of Irish physicist John Tyndall, a pioneer climber in the Swiss Alps. Among his many first ascents was that of the Wiesshorn.

According to a statement by the university on the talk:

At the time of his most daring climbs, Tyndall was also celebrated as one of the greatest and most controversial scientists in Europe, Reidy said. He was a staunch defender of Darwinism and the discoverer of the natural greenhouse effect (which is why all climate research centers in Britain are named Tyndall Centres). He combined his two passions — climbing and physics — by incorporating a vertical orientation into his research.

Tyndall died two strange deaths, both at the hands of his wife Louisa, Reidy said. In his first death, she accidentally gave him an overdose of a powerful narcotic. In her grief, she demanded control of all his correspondence and journals to write a biography glorifying his life. Twenty-five years his junior, she outlived him by forty-five years, without publishing anything. As a result, Tyndall endured a second, more prolonged death, and today he is largely forgotten.

The tale is a compelling one and I wish I knew more about it. I’ve searched around a little but can’t find more on this. Still, the combination of science and climbing is one that fascinates me too. You can read more about a post I wrote a few years back on the climbing gear worn by Mallory that has been recreated and tested. To find out about what he wore on his 1924 Everest expedition click the link.

The gear used in this  case was the Backcountry Access Float Airbag, which is one of the newer ones out on the market. The most established is the Avalanche Airbag System (ABS) although Snowpulse has also been around for a while. Anyhow. Enough of my rambling on. Check out the video and be amazed.

On the subject of airbags and avalanches there is a timely warning in the Utah Statesman newspaper of the risk of avalanches in the state as well as of some sensible precautions that people should be taking this year. One bit of advice comes from Toby Weed, a forecaster and avalanche expert at the Utah Avalanche Centre. According to the article in the Statesmant:

Weed said another effective piece of avalanche safety equipment is an avalanche airbag — a deflated bag attached to a canister of compressed air. In an avalanche, a victim can pull a trigger or a lever to automatically inflate the airbag, creating a breathable air pocket and increasing their buoyancy, along with their chances of being found near the surface of the snow when the snow stops sliding.

There is also a useful reminder that you need to have snow beacons and all the rest too. Don’t think that an airbag or Avalung is enough. You may still have to be dug out, or to dig someone else out. So remember to pack a full set of beacons, probes and shovels before setting out this winter.

The Snowpulse is also racking up a few saves. Here is a great first-person video of a snowboarder caught in a slide. He deploys his Snowpulse and you can see how it keeps him head-up facing the sky and on top of the snow.

Snowpulse in action

Snowpulse in action: Exclusive video of a Snowboarder caught in Avalanche – one more time the Snowpulse Avalanche Airbag shows is efficiency in saving life during an avalanche: the personal video of this snowboarder shows how you are during the avala…