Originally Posted By chimpac
Originally Posted By phat


I have no problem with you advocating your favorite rig, even if not my choice of rig - to the point where you are advocating someone do something dangerously risky. A tarp shelter in such a place is probably not a good idea.

A tarp that is plain dangerous, what tarp are you talking about? Dangerously risky, like no floor, or the pegs might pull out.What is it.
Those that have been such places, make some sense here, blizzard -30C. I do not have to go far to find hostile weather.


I find the same hostile weather as you my freind, and my favorite winter shelter (my golite shangri-la, modified to accept a stove boot and my homemade stove) is the same basic idea as to what you are referring to.

Facing -30 in some trees with some shelter from the wind, and alberta type -30 snowfall, I love it, I can rig the shelter in some kind of not incredibly exposed place, put up my chimney and stove, a sledful of firewood, and I'm very comfortable.

I'd never go near denali with it, a floorless single pole tarp shelter. I would expect to either get flattened by a meter of snow or by 100 kph plus winds with nothing but rock and snow as an attempted place to anchor it

The dangerous part of your suggested tarp shelter is it simply will not take the exposed winds and lack of good hard anchor points, and possible snowload that one migh face in that sort of environment. It'll be flattened or picked up and blown away leaving it's occupants in a dangerous situation. *that* is where a mountaineering tent is not a waste of money. yes, everywhere else, and using them for general backpacking is a complete waste, but NOT THERE.

I'd take my black diamond tent there. freestanding, good crosspoles for a snow load. and side braces, I can put big old rocks in the corner to hold it, it won't get flattened in a 100 kmh wind on an exposed ridge. I don't need the chimney since I'm not going to try to warm the tent and I can cook with my gas stove in it with the top vent open just fine.


Edited by phat (01/04/11 12:34 AM)
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