FEATURE ARTICLE: Success in Sichuan - An AAI team makes the second ascent of China's 20,050-foot Reddomaine      by Aidan Loehr, AAI Instructor and Guide

Mountain climber or not, most everyone has heard of the Himalaya, home to the tallest mountains in the world. What many don't know, however, is that just east of the Himalaya, at the convergence of eastern Tibet and the Sichuan Province of southwest China, stand some of the world's tallest remaining unclimbed mountains. Only recently opened by the Chinese government to outside visitors, many of these ranges, consisting of young, sharply etched peaks with beautiful rock faces and pristine glaciers, still await their first exploration.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Don't let the arrival of winter mean your climbing season is over!

WHAT'S NEW AT AAI:

E-NEWS SPECIAL OFFER: Receive a $200 gift certificate!

EXPERT TIPS: Snow Locomotion - Should You Use Skis or Snowshoes?

by Dylan Taylor, AAI Instructor and Guide

In the mountaineering courses and expeditions that we run at AAI, there are many instances where we must bring some form of snow travel gear. In places like the Sierra and Cascades (in winter and spring), and especially in the Alaska Range, we frequently travel on deep, unconsolidated snow, fragile sun crust, and sometimes on wet spring snow (which, while rock-hard when frozen, can be armpit-deep when thawed under a mid-day sun). All of these difficult snow conditions necessitate snow travel gear - either skis or snowshoes. We have to choose our equipment carefully because one or the other may be better, depending on a lengthy list of criteria. These criteria may include (but are not limited to): Terrain type (steep, flat, glaciated, heavily timbered, rocky, lots of streams, etc.) Personal skill level or background Type of locomotion chosen by the rest of the group Goal of trip (expedition, personal trip, instructional course, summit climb, etc.) Pack weight Anticipated snow conditions Distance to travel I will address these criteria in later paragraphs, but first I want to briefly discuss some of the characteristics of modern ski and snowshoe equipment. Read the full article.

GUIDES CHOICE: Winter Sale!

Guides Choice is an independent, international gear evaluation program started by the American Alpine Institute in 1989. Our professional climbing and ski guides are continually field-testing equipment and clothing in a variety of mountain environments and conditions throughout the world. Guides Choice awards are given to the top item of gear in each product category based on excellence in design, performance, and durability. Each year new Guides Choice awards are presented to manufacturers at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show in Salt Lake City. View the list of 2006 award recipients or all Guides Choice award winners.

Winter Sale: Everything 25% off until January 8, 2007! It's getting to be that time of the year again; the snow is falling, and we're almost over the solstice brink when the days will soon be getting longer. Time to get out in the mountains! Check out our killer deals on winter clothing - just in time for the holiday season. Supplies are limited to what's on hand. Arc'teryx, Patagonia, Black Diamond, and more. MSR Denali Ascent Evo Snowshoes MSR Denali Classic Snowshoes MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes Patagonia Spraymaster Jacket Patagonia Core Skin Jacket Black Diamond Whippet Ski Pole Black Diamond Covert Ski Packs Black Diamond Anarchist Ski Packs Black Diamond Patrol Gloves Black Diamond Punisher Gloves Black Diamond Ice Gloves Black Diamond Kingpin Glove Arc'teryx Norsenoggon Toque Arc'teryx Classic Beanie Arc'teryx Emissary Beanie Arc'teryx Alpha SL Pants Sale expires January 8, 2007.

For advice on other gear, browse the Guides Choice web site. We feature weekly specials on a handful of items at substantial discounts. The clothing and equipment that is on sale changes every Tuesday, so check back each week. You'll find great items on clearance, and we are regularly adding products, photos, and testing notes. Snoop the website for a few items at 50% off.

ASK A GUIDE: Your questions answered by Michael Powers

CAUTION: Mountain travel of any kind carries significant risks to the participants, and travel on rock, snow, and ice carries inherent dangers that can lead to injury or death. Every situation is unique and calls for use of different techniques, gear, and methodologies. Those choices must be made in the context and location where the activity will occur, and final choices require an assessment by the person on the scene. Therefore, AAI assumes no responsibility or liability for your use of the suggestions offered in this article or by guides and staff. AAI offers tips to assist climbers to expand their skills, but makes no assertion regarding the appropriateness of choosing particular techniques, gear, methodologies, or ways of proceeding in any given circumstance. You must make your own assessments and decisions, and you assume all risks in applying them.

Question:

I am looking to get out in the backcountry more, and have noticed there is an option for a ski pole with an ice axe pick on the top, specifically, the Black Diamond Whippet. Is this a good item to have, or should I just carry an ice axe on my back and use it when necessary? What do you use?

Thanks!

Sarah Jorgenson,
Bend, OR

Dear Sarah:

Great question. As you might imagine, a Whippet can come in handy on certain slopes. As you might also imagine, a Whippet is no substitute for a proper ice axe when the terrain necessitates a more serious tool.

A Whippet is a ski pole with an ice pick-like attachment that can be used to self arrest on steep snow slopes. It does not offer the holding power (nor the strength or multi-function) of a designated ice axe, but it can be sufficient to hold a small slide and thus prevent a larger fall. A conventional ice axe, on the contrary, offers a larger pick and a stronger shaft, which increases the chance of self-arresting.

Let's talk about actual use of a Whippet and what situations you are likely to be in. Neither an ice axe nor a Whippet will help when falling on very steep hard slopes. Your best hope is to stop the slip before gaining momentum - that is, before it turns into an actual fall. In this sense, a Whippet is helpful because it's already in your hand and can be applied to the slopes quickly. An ice axe, on the other hand, is much more difficult to ski with and prevents you from using a pole in your hand, thereby putting you in a defensive ski position which in turn may make you more likely to fall.

I'll describe how I decide what piece of gear to use . . . Read Mike's full answer.

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Read Ask A Guide questions and answers from previous AAI E-newsletters.

To ask Mike Powers your own climbing questions, email him at askaguide@aai.cc.

The Ask A Guide was created to answer your most pressing climbing related questions. Michael Powers, AAI Senior Guide and our Assistant Director for Staff Development, answers all questions. Michael oversees field staff, training, and continuing education, and serves as an instructor in mountaineering, ice, rock, and skiing. He is an IFMGA certified climbing and ski guide, serves as an instructor and examiner for the AMGA's National Guide Certification Program, and is a former Technical Director of the AMGA.

THE CLIMBERS PATH PHOTO CONTEST: Winners announced!

We are pleased to announce the winners of AAI's current
Climber's Path Photo Contest:

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1st Place:
Derek Boniecki of Calgary, Alberta

Cerro Torre from Circo de Los Altares at sunset - Patagonia

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2nd Place:
Wally Young of Weston, Connecticut

Windy day on Mt. Hood - Oregon

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3rd Place:
Wade Johnson of Arden Hills, Minnesota

En route to the summit of Spearman Peak - Waddington Range, BC

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Next Photo Contest now open. Send us your photos and have a chance at winning:

• 1st Place: $200 gift certificate for trips or $100 for gear
• 2nd Place: $100 gift certificate for trips or $50 for gear
• 3rd Place: $50 gift certificate for trips or $25 for gear

Email photos to climberspath@aai.cc. Multiple entries are OK, but only one prize will be awarded per contestant. The act of submission constitutes your consent for AAI to publish your photo(s) on its web sites and in its newsletters.