Ice Climbing in the Ghost: Candlestick Maker and Hidden Dragon

[ascents3353ers]

carpe diem

canadian rock-eeees!

Good job!

[Vincentdienst]

Hello! Wich model of Go Pro HD is it ? I really like the wide angle, very usefull for climbing... compared to other brands it looks way better.

Thanks for answering and btw very nice video !

[petervalchev]

@Vincentdienst It is the Helmet Hero HD ... actually they are all the same, the only difference is the mounts! Highly recommend it.. enjoy and thanks for the nice words!

[Demon00ko00die]

im not good climbing....

[englandvacation]

nice <img !!

[englandvacation]

nice < b!!

[englandvacation]

nice world

[englandvacation]

nice!

[englandvacation]

like <video!

[PointOfViewCameras]

Looks great Peter. The 3 minute version is definitely the way to go.

[sstrong42]

Great video and really really nice climb man. I tried my hand at ice climbing this year in Arkansas and it wasn't the best ice, but I still had a blast. I really want to do some more.

[petervalchev]

Thanks for the comment... that sounds awesome that you tried it out! You should make a trip to Ouray as it's not too far and there is a canyon full of ice. Cheers

[sstrong42]

The Ouray festival was the week after my Arkansas trip. Now that I've got a taste for it, I plan on buying some gear this year and make it out there next winter! The tools are fairly straight forward but I'm completely lost on the boots and crampons.

[petervalchev]

Awesome. Basically any boots and crampons will do, I like La Sportiva as they fit me well, but find some that fit you. For crampons you can get the Petzl Dartwin's/M10 or BD Cyborg's for example. Hope that helps a bit.

[ninjabomber1]

@petervalchev I use normal sturdy leather boots and some Stubai Trekking Crampons (10 Point) The work well for moderate climbs with chutes, faces and long distance.

[happyjoyglad]

Maybe a very short clip of you gearing up at the start of the video would be a good intro and put things in context especially for non-ice climbers. Maybe show your face too (for the girls, you know :P) Crazy ice climber dude, stay alive ok?

[petervalchev]

Good idea about the gearing up... will have to try that out in Italy :) Thanks Happy!

[youngjdunn]

Sorry for 21 questions but I have a few more! :)

Was it difficult to switch between rec and standby? Do you take the helmet off, or just the cam? I've also heard its sometimes difficult to see if the camera is recording or not, any such problems?

How is the battery life, especially in the cold? Also how much footage do you get on the memory card, what card are you using here?

If your ever in Scotland and fancy a climb just drop me a line!

Thanks again,

James

[petervalchev]

I don't mind the questions, feel free to email me direct too :) Yes it's kind of a pain to tell whether it's recording or not. One of the days I used it, I ended up recording during all of the time I was on standby, and vice versa... oh well.

Battery life.. I used it at -20 C and it wasn't the best, maybe an hour, or an hour and a half of recording with a couple of hours of standby? Card is 16GB class 6. 8GB would be big enough too probably.

Let me know if you come to Canada/California too :)

[youngjdunn]

David,

Super nice video man!

Did you film this on the GoPro HD yeh? The quality is excellent and gives some great views. I'm really looking forward to getting mine. Really nicely edited as well.

How did you attach the cam to your helmet; with the standard suction mount, or the helmet mounts through the vents or something else?

Did you have any worries with dinnerplates damaging/knocking the cam off? Or is it well stuck on!?

Also; what ropes are you using? Nice colours!

Thanks

[petervalchev]

Hey James,

Yes this is the GoPro HD :) Thanks for the nice words, I appreciate it! I used the 3M adhesive mount on my helmet, I was a bit worried about it but it's pretty damn strong. It got hit by ice a few times but it's fine, the casing is pretty sturdy. The vent mount does not work with my helmet but it could possibly work with others. I am not worried about it, plenty strong!

Ropes are petzl dragonfly 8.1mm :)

Peter

[richardcreagh]

Brilliant video! I've never seen a helmet camera view of any climbing before, excellent stuff! The wide angle is great I think, the dizziness effect suits the steepness. Well done!

[petervalchev]

@richardcreagh Thanks for the comment Richard, yeah the wide angle gives you a better perspective, otherwise it would be boring since the camera is only a foot away from the action... amazing piece of technology!

[richardcreagh]

What's the music?

[MixmasterM10]

Great idea, very cool, maybe less of a fish-eye lens might be a little easier on the eyes when watching. Great editing to keep it interesting!! Cheers!!

[petervalchev]

@MixmasterM10 Thanks for the comment, it's my first video and I was afraid of not being able to "keep it interesting" so feedback is welcome, editing takes a long time! Agreed that the super-wide-angle contributes to a bit of a dizziness feeling sometimes :)

[alpinestarnr1]

Awsome video! wich recording equipment did you use?

[petervalchev]

It's a Go Pro helmet camera, I just got mine, pretty fun! Hey your stream has some Canazei videos... do you live there? I'm coming to visit & ice climb in February, would love to get some locals info :)

[alpinestarnr1]

ok cool! Will have to check that helmet cam :) Nope unfortenetly I live in Denmark where there are no mountains :( There are quite a lot of nice ice around that area, but the best place to go for ice in Italy is Conge!

Canazei is great for skiing though.

[petervalchev]

@alpinestarnr1 Yeah we are renting a car and plan to hit it all over the Dolomites and might even go to France depending on the conditions... thanks!

[alpinestarnr1]

No problem! :) Sounds like a great plan! Dont miss going to Cham!!

[orignalsbystacy]

Love the video Peter!

[petervalchev]

@orignalsbystacy Thanks :-)

[petervalchev]

Thanks! Yeah sometimes driving there is the crux of the day!!! There have been a couple of times when we got so badly stuck climbing didn't happen, or was reduced... definitely a true adventure! Best of luck on your return trips :)

[superjenkster]

wow this looks cool i was going to go at the weekend but we couldn't get there because the roads we needed to go on were blocked