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Day 3: The Hang Continues, Dangers Denali Gear List & Danger the Magnificently Unequivocally Grand Eloquent
10 Jun

Day 3: The Hang Continues, Dangers Denali Gear List & Danger the Magnificently Unequivocally Grand Eloquent

In Gear,State Highpoints by Robert Danger Byrd / June 10, 2015 / 3 Comments

Several of you have asked about my gear list, so here is a link to Danger’s 2015 Denali Gear List.

We are halfway through the 3rd day and the weather has still not been cooperating, so the Talkeetna Hang Continues. They have however asked us to get ready and we are standing by the runway suited up, but looking at the skies, I’m skeptical.

In other news; as many of you know I have developed an interest in illusion and sleight of hand. Larry from the Historic Fairview Saloon saw me practicing and invited me to perform. There were around 30 people a mixture of locals and climbers. I did a 20 minute routine and produce hurling was kept to a minimum so I condider my first public performance a success. Need to work on my stage name now. Last night I used Danger the Magnificently Unequivocally Grand Eloquent and I think it was a bit over the top.

I’m open for suggestions on that matter

Danger Performs Magic at Fairview

A Better Way to Rig an Alpine Sled
01 Jun

A Better Way to Rig an Alpine Sled

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / June 1, 2015 / 0 Comments

The typical way to rig an alpine sled is to wrap a loop of webbing around the pack down low and fasten the sled to this loop with a locking carabiner. This is how I have done it on previous climbs and on my first Denali attempt.

The trouble with that is the packs gets pulled out awkwardly and depending on the packs geometry the sled can pull on the shoulder straps as well as the waist belt shifting the load higher on your body and away from your power base. And if the sled gets out of control, it is yanking the pack to one side or the other which can take you off balance, which is not good on a mountainside.

I tinkered with a few different methods, and came up with a pretty simple solution that puts all the sled weight on the waist belt and let’s my legs carry all the load without wasting any core strength. It only required a bit of filing to enlarge the existing strap slots in the waist belt former and a bit of CA glue.

The result is a much more balanced pulling arrangement the puts the load where it needs to be. I have tested it with my sled training chain setup and it feels good. The only potential downside I see is that since the waist belt is now carrying all of the sleds load, I’ll most likely lose some skin where the straps contact my hip bones.

My straps are retained by folding a 2″ section over and drenching the fold with CA glue. It welds them together and creates a tab that gets trapped behind the hip belt keeper.

I tested it for strength by doing a Tom Cruise from the pull-up bar in my home gym with 240lbs counting myself and my pack and it was rock solid.

If it does not work out, as I anticipate it’s an easy matter to revert to the more traditional tie in method.

Classic Ice Axe for Denali
22 May

Classic Ice Axe for Denali

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / May 22, 2014 / 2 Comments

Denali is considered the classic American mountain, and I got the idea a while back that I would like to climb it with a classic wooden ice axe.

So I set about to find an extra long wooden ice axe ( I am 6’3″ tall), and when I finally did, had it engraved with “Denali, Alaska 2014” on one side and “Robert Danger Byrd” on the other. It is considerably heavier than the modern aluminum ice axe I typically climb with, but I will carry it proudly and try real hard to make it in 2014.

It was not easy finding an engraver willing to touch this project, but Lloyd at www.engraveithouston.com did the engraving work with one of his big lasers and far exceeded my expectations.

 

Thanks Lloyd!


Recovery Time
16 May

Recovery Time

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / May 16, 2014 / 0 Comments

Only 8 days until I leave for Denali, so it’s time to get off the pain train and let my body recover. I had worked up to 160lbs. 100 in the pack and the 60lb drag chain.

Once I get Denali behind me I don’t think I’ll ever need this level of fitness again, and I won’t miss that accursed chain.

13 Apr

The Absolute Best Alpine Sled Training Rig

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / April 13, 2014 / 0 Comments

Living at sea level, it is not so easy to simulate pulling an alpine sled such as required on big climbs like Denali. I poked around the internet, and saw examples of people pulling everything from spare tires to igloos but wanted something a bit more elegant and portable. I logged quite a bit of sled time on my recent winter Rainier climb so I know what a real sled feels like, and this setup appropriates it very closely.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Read more →

Underwater Glacial Pool Photo
01 Mar

Underwater Glacial Pool Photo

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / March 1, 2014 / 0 Comments

This is a photo I took while climbing Mt Baker. I used my Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Digital Camera which is a waterproof camera and placed it half underwater in the glacial pool to shoot this. So this shot captures both the under and above side of the ice.

I took several shots like this, and was enjoying the novelty of it, but had to stop when my hand began to freeze.

I did a lot of research before purchasing this camera and it has been the best outdoor camera I have ever used, and I have gone through several of them. It also meets my USB chargeable requirement for gear so I can keep it topped off from my Goal Zero solar panel.

Modeling the Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero Parka
01 Mar

Modeling the Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero Parka

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / March 1, 2014 / 0 Comments

Here is my beautiful wife Susan and granddaughter Valentina modeling the Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero Parka I’ll be wearing on Denali in May and Mt Rainier next week (where temps are already in the teens). This parka has already been to the top of Denali with my friend Allen Wilson whom I borrowed it from, and he assures me; “it knows the way”.

I’ll do a review of this jacket when I get back, but for now I can tell you it is well made, comfortable and has some well thought out technical features characteristic of Mountain Hardwear products.

The Danger Network, Under the Hood
01 Mar

The Danger Network, Under the Hood

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / March 1, 2014 / 0 Comments

I’ve been updating www.robertdangerbyrd.com have finished all of the technology integration pieces I set out to accomplish. For example; This post is being made via email, allowing me to post remotely. I carry DeLorme inReach Two-Way Satellite Communicator allowing my location and progress to be tracked real time from www.robertdangerbyrd.com/track.  Since this satellite beacon also allows me to send email, I will now be able to update my adventure log real time during mountain climbing expeditions or anywhere I find myself simply by emailing my Adventure Blog. When the blog is updated, subscribers will be notified via email and the post will be copied to Facebook. Any replies to the Facebook post will be copied back to the original blog post comments. This was accomplished with a WordPress site and a variety of WordPress plugins, with no programming whatsoever. If you care to receive updates to your email inbox visit www.robertdangerbyrd.com/subscribe or you can follow the posts on Facebook if we are friends, or you can just ignore me.

New Sponsor: Goal Zero
28 Feb

New Sponsor: Goal Zero

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / February 28, 2014 / 0 Comments

I want to thank to good folks at Goal Zero for their support. They have a remarkable product line and I have used several of their products in some very challenging environments.

For mountaineering expeditions I use the Goal Zero 41022 Guide 10 Plus Solar Recharging Kit, and it has always functioned reliably. Now that all of my gear is USB chargeable, I can recharge everything in the field provided I have some sun.

Mt. Baker Pack
15 Feb

Mt. Baker Pack

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / February 15, 2014 / 0 Comments

This is the 62lb pack I carried up Mt Baker last year. It was a 7 day expedition so a lot of food was required.

09 Feb

Rob’s Gear Guide!

In Gear by Robert Danger Byrd / February 9, 2014 / 0 Comments

Since I am often trusting my life to my gear on these adventures, I choose every piece of gear carefully. I spend countless hours researching, reading blogs and trip reports, talking to guides and climbers to find best, safest, lightest, most reliable gear money can buy. I will often buy several different brands of an item and test them myself to determine which does the job to my satisfaction. I never buy the cheapest, always the best performing.

So I am currently working on a gear guide with the items I have chosen and field tested and found to be up to the task so you can benefit from my efforts.

© 2014 Robert Danger Byrd