The climbing wall on Penn Ave.  Every tuesday and thursday I'll be there at 4:00.  I got a membership now.  I'll probably be in the bouldering area but I will have my harness with me too.  My rock leading/top-rope level has remained fairly static for the past 2 years.  This year I plan to raise it to the next level.

So this year I want to start leading on ice.  I have a couple routes in mind already.  Kinzua ice, it's easy, closeby ice I am very familiar with.  Chapel Pond slabs is supposed to be fun.  Willey's slide up in NH is low angle ice.  I am eagerly checking weather reports.  Turns out this won't be an early season ice year in PA, I doubt there will be anything significan't til the later part of January.  People are climbing all kinds of stuff up north however...

 I decided to get a small ice rack.   No, you cannot borrow anything (at least not yet).  I chose the new BD Express screws.  I think they start much quicker than the rest.  I am fully aware of the benefits of Grivel vs. BD, but for now I'm going with BD.  I also found a killer deal on them (cosmetic blems).  I got a 13, 2x16, 2x19, and a 22.  I also got 2 screamers and a Grivel Candela.  This should be good for awhile til I get more experience.  If I do any climbs that need more I'll probably be climbing with somebody that has more.

This jacket is frickin awesome.  Ever had to wear a shell cause it was windy/snow was falling/very cold etc. but you didn't want to because you knew you would sweat?  This thing breathes like a shirt does, cuts the wind, and snow falls right off.  Anything short of pouring rain I would bring this.  It weighs 4oz and fits in your pocket.  If I had this in Canada on the silverhorn I would have brought this only, nothing else.  If I had this on the Presidential traverse I would have brought this with a paclite in my pack as a backup.  I would have worn this 90% of the time on presi instead of sweating it up in my 3-layer shell.  It is a very supple thin fabric, not stiff like a shell, it's more like a shirt than anything else.

 Paclite shell 11oz + Houdini 4 oz = 15oz

Gore-Tex XCR shell = 22oz

Today I went and hiked 20 miles on the Laurel Highlands Trail in double plastic boots.  I did mile 0-10 and back, its about 5000 feet of elevation gain total.  My average time per mile including breaks was about 25min/mile.  Not the fastest speed but not bad for going solo.  It's hard to maintain a pace by yourself.  And 20 miles in plastics is not bad either.  My feet didn't get really chewed up until about mile 15 or so.

 I want to do speed work now.  I'll do 5min reps on the Cathedral stairs.  Try to do as many floors in 5 min as possible as fast as I can.  Get a full recovery, then repeat about 10 times.  Hopefully the number of floors I do will increase over time.

Christian, I had no idea you were working for Petzl.  It seems they've come out with a headlamp made just for you.  I just got one of these e-lites and it is an amazing little light.  It's about the size of a matchbook and less than 1 ounce.  This thing is better than the BD Ion in about 10 ways.  For that size you get light output similar to the Tikka when its on the high setting, on the low setting it is more like a key chain flashlight.  It also has a flash setting, a red light, and a flash red light and a "locked off" setting.  They claim the nickel sized batteries will last 45 hours.  The batteries are also quite cheap online, about 50 cents each.  The light is supposed to work in extreme hot or cold temps and can be submerged in 1 meter of water.  It also has a build in clip so you can clip it to stuff, the cordlock on the strap doubles as a tool to open the battery compartment, and the light is on a "ball joint" so it can be swiveled in any direction.  The batteries are supposed to have a shelf life of 10 years with no loss, so its perfect to keep in your first aid kit or TAPED UNDER YOUR HELMET FOR UNEXPECTED BIVIES.  It's marketed as an emergency light but I'm considering making it my primary light for hiking, climbing, camping, etc. And, at less than 30 bucks you can buy two of them!