Thursday, January 15, 2015
Nomics? 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation?
Ally Swinton on a 15 hr ascent of the Colton- MacIntyre, GJ, 9-. photo courtesy of Dave Searle
The 1st gen Nomic and Cold Thistle hammers. Dbl click to get the full effect of Daves' photo.
Below Colin Haley photo of Bjørn-Eivind Årtun on their new route, Dracula, Mt Foraker, June .
"The old Nomic and a pair of C-T hammers"
Up front...the old Nomic is every bit the equal for climbing difficult ground as the new Nomic.
No need to panic. (and thatremains true)
Info on th current thiord generation Nomic is at the bottom of this article..which was firstpublished last fall .
Major change on the new Nomic? It is the new pommel that has a serrated stainless blade. It will add some stability on hard ice and can be used to give the pommel some stability as a cane on easy terrain. Better yet just use the top of the Astro or Dry pick while reversing the tool in that same easy terrain. Not suggested by Petzl but the new pommel can be retro fitted to the old Nomic. Just bolt it on...no issues what so ever.
Biggest over all improvement? New pommel fits bigger hands and thicker gloves much, much better. But it can be bolted right on no fuss, no muss to the older tools if that is something you want to try. The new Pommel offers a tiny bit more support and more coverage and hand protection on the upward curve towards the ice. Maybe the most important improvement is a metal to metal interface where they mate up on the end of the shaft. BUT...the metal to metal female/male fittings have some slop in the mating surfaces so they move backwards and forwards a bit even when cranked down tight . That is not an improvement. You won't get every advantage of the size improvements for big hands using the new pommel on the old tools but a good bit of it. Worth buying that piece of kit and trying it on your old tools. It is an option now.
I don't like the serrated blade in some places on hard technical climbing...it gets in the way during extreme rotation. I put the old pommel on my new Ergos because of it. But I do like having the option.
Hammer and adze? Yes you can add either the hammer or the adze designed for the new Quark to the Nomic. A small bit of round file or Dremel work to the tool head will allow you to fit the new Petzl hammer to the old style Nomic head. (see the detail photos below) But why would you? Needing a hammer is one thing, using the one Petzl made for the Quark is another. There is a better answer that is about to get even better shortly. That would be the Cold Thistle, 4mm, Nomic hammer. If it was not a LOT better than Petzl's offering I wouldn't bother making it. C-T hammers will also be much, much easier to change in the field using the newest Petzl picks or older style picks we cut for you. And the C-T hammer will fit the old and the new Nomic head with NO changes. Having it difficult to fit the hammer or change picks with the required spacer is a down side to the newest Petzl pick/hammer design. The new pick and spacer is truly a bitch to change in the field if the pair of Nomics I have here is any example.
C-T hammer info and pricing can be found in this link:
http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com//08/ice-climbing-gear.html
The new umbilical attachment? Good move on Petzl's part but if you want it to hold more than TOOL weight on your umbilicals you need to do a small mod on the newest Nomic's pommel. There isn't enough clearance between plastic and aluminum to get even 3mm cord through which you'll need to opened up for 4mm + cord. The hole Petzl drilled in my samples are 5.9mm. But these samples had some threads showing internally which will need to be taken out if you want to use 4 or 5mm cord there. The edges of the hole are well chambered on these but I would check that as well and do it if there is a sharp edge on either side of the shaft. Easy enough to drill out and chamfer the hole. I like 5mm cord there because you always know what the knot will do and it is easy to inspect cord for wear. Again easy to modify the older Nomic and now even easy enough to modify the new Nomic as well.
After cutting up the pommels on my first new set of Nomics I might modify these a bit different the next time around and cut up the grip a bit instead of going under the pommel. Looks like to me that you could now easily run a cord from the full strength hole in the handle and go behind the new smaller pommel. Done right it might be a better answer. I'm undecided at the moment. But the new tools are easy to cut with a Dremel or a round file where I used a vertical milling machine on the original Nomic's pommel. The best answer on the new tools is still a work in progress. What ever the answer the factory version isn't it for me.
New picks...DRY and ICE? Same materials, same heat treat, slightly different designs from the Astro and the Cascade. Still great picks...all still 3mm tips. Now rated as T picks instead of B picks. Little or no change in strength more likely just the label. Truly awesome picks, old or new!
Old picks fit new tools, new picks fit old tools. New picks require a spacer...which is a major PAIN to replace in the field. Buy the old Astro or Cascade if you need to carry spares and think you'll break or bend a pick or need to replace them on a climb. I like the original Cascade pick design on pure ice better FWIW. Either way buy the old picks because they are easier to replace and no spacer required if you aren't using a hammer.
Is it worth selling your old Nomic to get the new one? Obviously not....no way in fact. Worth making a few mods on either tool to suit your own climbing...you bet.
My old Nomic and umibilical about to pull a bulge on Curtain Call
Here are the details:
Tool weights:
old shaft 366g (+4g)
2nd gen.shaft 362g
3rd gen shaft with 4mm steel insert 362g
pommel old 20g (-4g)
pommel 2nd gen(one tooth) 24g
pommel 3rd gen (2 teeth) 28g
old Cascade pick w/weight 188g (+8g)
new ICE pick w/weight 180g
Old Nomic is 8g heavier with the old pick design. Old Nomic is the same weight with the new "ICE" pick design. 3rd gen has gained 4g of that back with the new pommel.
8g = 1.4 oz. 4g= .7oz Few, if anyone, will ever know the difference climbing on them . Dbl click the pictures for the details where required.
The same change inthe first tooth profile on the ICE and DRY pick can been seen when you compare an older Cascade to a new ICE here.
Myappreciation to Daniel Harro for loaning me his new Nomics for this review :) But..... you'll need to get in line for the hammers!
The link below is worth a read as well.
http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/947206/Re_New_Nomic
More on the newest version. Comparison photos are 1st gen and 3rd gen here. Bigger umbilical hole is easily seen. Teeth are now bigger and more square on the cut than the 2nd gen version.
The flip side of 1st gen and 3rd gen tools shown belowwith the pressed and swagedsteel insert clearly visable.
Below is the 2nd gen pommel on the right and the newest version 3rd gen on the left.Same thickness of tooth but biggerteeth over all and a second one added for security and durability.
They look good to me!
The 1st gen Nomic and Cold Thistle hammers. Dbl click to get the full effect of Daves' photo.
Below Colin Haley photo of Bjørn-Eivind Årtun on their new route, Dracula, Mt Foraker, June .
"The old Nomic and a pair of C-T hammers"
Up front...the old Nomic is every bit the equal for climbing difficult ground as the new Nomic.
No need to panic. (and thatremains true)
Info on th current thiord generation Nomic is at the bottom of this article..which was firstpublished last fall .
Major change on the new Nomic? It is the new pommel that has a serrated stainless blade. It will add some stability on hard ice and can be used to give the pommel some stability as a cane on easy terrain. Better yet just use the top of the Astro or Dry pick while reversing the tool in that same easy terrain. Not suggested by Petzl but the new pommel can be retro fitted to the old Nomic. Just bolt it on...no issues what so ever.
Biggest over all improvement? New pommel fits bigger hands and thicker gloves much, much better. But it can be bolted right on no fuss, no muss to the older tools if that is something you want to try. The new Pommel offers a tiny bit more support and more coverage and hand protection on the upward curve towards the ice. Maybe the most important improvement is a metal to metal interface where they mate up on the end of the shaft. BUT...the metal to metal female/male fittings have some slop in the mating surfaces so they move backwards and forwards a bit even when cranked down tight . That is not an improvement. You won't get every advantage of the size improvements for big hands using the new pommel on the old tools but a good bit of it. Worth buying that piece of kit and trying it on your old tools. It is an option now.
I don't like the serrated blade in some places on hard technical climbing...it gets in the way during extreme rotation. I put the old pommel on my new Ergos because of it. But I do like having the option.
Hammer and adze? Yes you can add either the hammer or the adze designed for the new Quark to the Nomic. A small bit of round file or Dremel work to the tool head will allow you to fit the new Petzl hammer to the old style Nomic head. (see the detail photos below) But why would you? Needing a hammer is one thing, using the one Petzl made for the Quark is another. There is a better answer that is about to get even better shortly. That would be the Cold Thistle, 4mm, Nomic hammer. If it was not a LOT better than Petzl's offering I wouldn't bother making it. C-T hammers will also be much, much easier to change in the field using the newest Petzl picks or older style picks we cut for you. And the C-T hammer will fit the old and the new Nomic head with NO changes. Having it difficult to fit the hammer or change picks with the required spacer is a down side to the newest Petzl pick/hammer design. The new pick and spacer is truly a bitch to change in the field if the pair of Nomics I have here is any example.
C-T hammer info and pricing can be found in this link:
http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com//08/ice-climbing-gear.html
The new umbilical attachment? Good move on Petzl's part but if you want it to hold more than TOOL weight on your umbilicals you need to do a small mod on the newest Nomic's pommel. There isn't enough clearance between plastic and aluminum to get even 3mm cord through which you'll need to opened up for 4mm + cord. The hole Petzl drilled in my samples are 5.9mm. But these samples had some threads showing internally which will need to be taken out if you want to use 4 or 5mm cord there. The edges of the hole are well chambered on these but I would check that as well and do it if there is a sharp edge on either side of the shaft. Easy enough to drill out and chamfer the hole. I like 5mm cord there because you always know what the knot will do and it is easy to inspect cord for wear. Again easy to modify the older Nomic and now even easy enough to modify the new Nomic as well.
After cutting up the pommels on my first new set of Nomics I might modify these a bit different the next time around and cut up the grip a bit instead of going under the pommel. Looks like to me that you could now easily run a cord from the full strength hole in the handle and go behind the new smaller pommel. Done right it might be a better answer. I'm undecided at the moment. But the new tools are easy to cut with a Dremel or a round file where I used a vertical milling machine on the original Nomic's pommel. The best answer on the new tools is still a work in progress. What ever the answer the factory version isn't it for me.
New picks...DRY and ICE? Same materials, same heat treat, slightly different designs from the Astro and the Cascade. Still great picks...all still 3mm tips. Now rated as T picks instead of B picks. Little or no change in strength more likely just the label. Truly awesome picks, old or new!
Old picks fit new tools, new picks fit old tools. New picks require a spacer...which is a major PAIN to replace in the field. Buy the old Astro or Cascade if you need to carry spares and think you'll break or bend a pick or need to replace them on a climb. I like the original Cascade pick design on pure ice better FWIW. Either way buy the old picks because they are easier to replace and no spacer required if you aren't using a hammer.
Is it worth selling your old Nomic to get the new one? Obviously not....no way in fact. Worth making a few mods on either tool to suit your own climbing...you bet.
My old Nomic and umibilical about to pull a bulge on Curtain Call
Here are the details:
Tool weights:
old shaft 366g (+4g)
2nd gen.shaft 362g
3rd gen shaft with 4mm steel insert 362g
pommel old 20g (-4g)
pommel 2nd gen(one tooth) 24g
pommel 3rd gen (2 teeth) 28g
old Cascade pick w/weight 188g (+8g)
new ICE pick w/weight 180g
Old Nomic is 8g heavier with the old pick design. Old Nomic is the same weight with the new "ICE" pick design. 3rd gen has gained 4g of that back with the new pommel.
8g = 1.4 oz. 4g= .7oz Few, if anyone, will ever know the difference climbing on them . Dbl click the pictures for the details where required.
The same change inthe first tooth profile on the ICE and DRY pick can been seen when you compare an older Cascade to a new ICE here.
Myappreciation to Daniel Harro for loaning me his new Nomics for this review :) But..... you'll need to get in line for the hammers!The link below is worth a read as well.
http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/947206/Re_New_Nomic
More on the newest version. Comparison photos are 1st gen and 3rd gen here. Bigger umbilical hole is easily seen. Teeth are now bigger and more square on the cut than the 2nd gen version.
The flip side of 1st gen and 3rd gen tools shown belowwith the pressed and swagedsteel insert clearly visable.
Below is the 2nd gen pommel on the right and the newest version 3rd gen on the left.Same thickness of tooth but biggerteeth over all and a second one added for security and durability.
They look good to me!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Meanwhile Back in Time
Scenes from Bethany beach,
JULY 1940...
George on a Mule
Peter and Pat
George and Bebe, John and Dorothy Monaco
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Frozen Fog
3 mornings this week we woke to find a strange world of frozen fog. We couldn't see any farther than our own yard. It was as if the world didn't exist anymore beyond our place. It gave a odd, fantasy-like feel to everything. I took some photos but they don't have the true feel that I was getting as I wondered about. Within a few hours the fog was mostly gone but it was still dark, dreary days. It made me want to hybernate instead of getting out to finish my Christmas shopping.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Remembering Joe Puryear
Last Wednesday, October 27th we received tragic news that friend and former climbing ranger Joe Puryear lost his life while climbing Labuche Kang, a remote peak in Tibet. His partner on the climb was David Gottlieb, a current climbing ranger.
This loss has deeply affected everyone in our community. Joe was an incredible person and he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Joe's family and with David, as he continues to deal with this situation in Tibet.
To read more about Joe's incredible life and climbing adventures please visit his website.
This loss has deeply affected everyone in our community. Joe was an incredible person and he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Joe's family and with David, as he continues to deal with this situation in Tibet.
To read more about Joe's incredible life and climbing adventures please visit his website.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Orange goo
Me: Did you see this wierd orange fungus stuff all over the grass?! What is it?
Hubby: Isn't it from that cedar tree right over your head?
Me: D'oh!
I shouldn't be surprised -- I have a hard enough time recognizing people when I see them out of context.* So I guess not recognizing the cedar-quince rust I wrote about last year when it was in the grass (instead of on a tree) is not so surprising.
This is near a bird feeder, so I'm not sure if the birds knocked it off, or if it just fell off.
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* If I normally see Ms. XYZ only in a certain place, then I'm not guaranteed to recognize her if I see her somewhere else. For example, I might not recognize my librarian if I run into her at the grocery store. This has gotten worse since we started doing craft shows and see a LOT of people. It probably also has to do with age. (I just realized that this doesn't usually happen if I know the person's name. But since I'm so bad at remembering names that revelation is probably not going to help me much.)
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If it had been cedar-apple rust (see last year's post) I think I would have remembered those alien-invasion-looking things, even in the grass!
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