Gear for winter alpine climbing

[jamiewakeham]

Morning, all.

Wow - lots of responses. Guess I just had to wait for you all to wake up on your side of the pond 🙂

The main objective is the Darbellay Route on the N Face of the Petit Clocher du Portalet. It's a very steep (in fact, mostly overhanging) aid route. I'm not going to be on the attempt on that route; I (and my partner) will there to help with the carry to our base camp and get the guys established on the wall. When they're on their way, we'll have free time in base camp - maybe three or four days before they get back down, epics notwithstanding- to go climb some easier stuff in the area ourselves. Amidst this, they'd be chuffed if I got some nice photos of them on the first few pitches.

So, I probably won't be trying anything sick hard myself - Scottish III or so, which I suppose is Alpine PD or AD. We'll keep these routes short (not planning on any bivvying, though I've said that before...) so I'll have time back at BC every night to change rolls of film and so on.
I thank you for your concerns about my safety, and I can assure you that getting back safe is very much my first priority! If, subject to that constraint, I can get the shot, *then* the camera comes out...

My EOS set-up is an EOS 620, 50/1.8, 28/2.8, horrible nasty 75-300/4-5.6 (must sell it), and (via adaptors) Zeiss 35/2.4, SMC Takumar 50/4 macro, Zeiss 135/3.5 and a Pentacon Zeiss 180/2.8. Lovely kit (apart from that zoom) and capable of giving wonderful results - but I think it's just too damn heavy. It's not impossible that I could keep batteries warm, especially by rotating them in and out of my inner pockets, but I just don't think I can bring myself to add more weight to the initial carry to BC! Having said that, I can concieve of taking, say three or four RF (or mechanical SLR) bodies so I can have a choice if waht to take on a given day.

I knew about the electromagnetic discharge on rewind (another reason I don't want the EOS up there, as it rewinds at its 4fps rate!) - thanks.

So, I need to go get all the mechanical cameras winterized? How much might this set me back, and is it a permanent process? And is there some sort of hood that'll go on my orange filter over my I-22?

Thanks, everyone.

Jamie

 

[Frank Granovski]

I'd go for a Spotmatic 11a, a couple of sharp screw-on Pentax lenses, a hood, and a linear polarizing filter. Oh, and you'll probably need a bag and battery adaptor. This should set you back about $300 to $400 USD. 😉

 

[djon]

Winterizing cost me $100 for a IIF and IIIF together in 1968. The shop (Adolph Gasser, in San Francisco) gave me the choice of whale oil (legal, traditional) or a then- illegal synthetic from Dow OR no lube at all. I chose no lube. The problem with no-lube, I discovered, was that it didn't protect the axles of the shutter from rust...which quickly became a problem. I think no-lube was a good idea in the Antarctic, a frozen desert, but not for a camera that would spend a lot of time coming in and out of a warm, humid living space (condensation, rust, freezing).

The reason I'd thought to have my Leica winterized was in fact because they'd earlier failed to operate at mere 32deg. Perhaps if they'd been in fine condition with modern lube at the time, that would not have happened. $100 was certainly a lot of money for me in 1968!

 

[jamiewakeham]

Crikey - $50 each, almost forty years ago! I dread to think what it'll cost today...

Both my Zorki and Canonet have had recent (last twelve months) CLAs. I may risk not doing any more to them, and just trying harder to keep them from getting *very* cold.

Do I risk any actual damage to them by doing this, or just a temporary jam?

Oh - anything on the hood for the orange filter on my I-22, btw? Suppose I could fabricate something, but if there's a product out there...

Cheers,
Jamie

 

[varjag]

Be aware that common problem with Zorki (or any other system using cloth shutter) is that the rubberised cloth can lose elasticity. Maybe that could be avoided if the camera kept in warm most of the time, but it probably ain't too convenient. I know that some folks just always keep the equipment in the cold - helps against condensation too.

Another issue to be aware of is focus drift. With low temperatures, contraction of metal parts is unavoidable and the working distance of your camera becomes shorter. Not a big deal with SLR, but definitely a problem with a rangefinder. E.g. at -36C, the actual inifinity focus of 50mm lens can be found at 5m mark; for 35mm lens at ~3m.

 

[sf]

buy a Lowepro Dryzone backpack for your gear. Totally waterproof and insulated. Look it up. I bought one, and the thing is perfect for taking gear where it will be wet, might be dropped, submerged, or used to float down a river. Makes the wet experience, a totally worry free and dry one for the gear.

man, I sound like a marketing freak already.

 

[ducttape]

I just posted this in the Epson in Winter thread.

I did an M7 to Hudson Bay last Feb. NO problems what so ever. My F3 even worked. It hit -30C

For the F3 I bought a winder because it had NiCads. Used NiCads suck, and these wouldn't hold a charge very well. Even so, I had no problems with the bodies at all.

Hudson Bay or Bust II ALL these pictures (of mine, there are a few from other people here) are mostly Leica, with a few Nikon F3's

By all means, whatever you take, we want to see pictures 🙂

 

[pab]

If you are doing serious mountaineering you should be carrying the bare minimum you think you need and then throwing half of that out! Also, when you are climbing in the Alps you have to be obsesessed by speed, so forget about changing lenses, unless you are resting down in the valley. Believe me, your partners will not appreciate frequent stops to change lenses. Even changing film will be a major hassle. I'd go for a quality p & s such as the Ricoh GR1 or a fully mechanical RF or SLR with a single lens. With a 35mm or 28 mm lens you won't have to worry too much about focus accuracy and getting good compositions quickly at these focal lengths is not too difficult.

If the route is not too serious I find a R2 with 90 mm lens and a GR1 (28 mm) make a good combination. On a technical route I'd forget the 90mm.

 

[jamiewakeham]

Varjag - are you saying that my focussing will become inaccurate? That's slightly worrying! I doubt I'll be going much wider than f8 anyway - any focussing more accurate than 'close up or hyperfocal' is unlikely to take place.

Shutterflower - thanks for the tip; I went out last night and (amidst £400 worth of kit) bought a few Ortlieb drybags. Fags, phone, down vest, cameras...

Wonderful shots, Ducttape, thank you! What film did you use, and what metering regime? I'm unsure of whether to even look at a meter, or just to go by sunny (hopefully VERY sunny) f/16 and bracket a bit.

Cheers,
Jamie

 

[terrafirmanada]

I use Canon F1s for all of our technical rock climbing/ backcountry shooting. They are rugged, and have great optics. They were designed with extreme in mind. Even if you were to find yourself in temperatures that might disable your batteries, you could still use the sunny 16 rule.
Now carrying your camera is another thing you should spend some time thinking about. Galen Rowell, who was already mentioned designed an inventive camera harness for running. This might not work for you if you are mountaineering with chest harnesses. If this is the case, then you could use a small fannypack worn on the side. Make sure to connect the camera by at least one other means to the rope or yourself.
Have a great trip!

 

[terrafirmanada]

Oh, one last thought. If you can climb first or second, then your pictures are going to be much better of others climing up. Otherwise you are going to come home with lots of butt shots.

 

[Kin Lau]

Hudson Bay or Bust II ALL these pictures (of mine, there are a few from other people here) are mostly Leica, with a few Nikon F3's

Yup... you're nuts! But you're a happy nut 😀

 

[jamiewakeham]

Pab - yep, I know what you mean about not wanting the weight; I've done areasonable amount in the summer out there. Hopefully, in Winter, with less threat of the sun causing rockfall and opening crevasses, we won't be *quite* so speed-obsessed (start at 3am rather than 2am... 🙁) but I still have no intention of changing rolls of film or lenses on route. Like I said, no (planned...) bivvies, so will have the chance to set everything up the previous afternoon for the following day.

I reckon climbing with a camera on each side of my harness in a Lowepro will be ok - there shouldn't be too much technical rock, more snow- and ice- tromping so I don't think it'll be crowded with too much gear. Moving together on the easier stuff allows me the freedon to drift off to the side of my partner(s) to avoid the traditional climbing butt-shot! Must get some of those clever attachments that go into the tripod thread to attach some cord to, so as to loop them back to my harness.

Cheers,
Jamie