4x5 tripod for mountaineering

[Patrick Gauthier]

Part of the problem or possible disagreement is the loose definition of mountaineering.

Yea for sure, and I haven't offered my understand of it in this thread. I don't really want to go into it because describing it wasn't the intended theme of this thread. My goal in using it as a descriptor was trying to emphasize the necessity for something compact and light.

So few people get into the high, snowy, steep mountains with LF cameras, so high quality pictures of dramatic terrain are rare and worth seeing.

Thanks, that quote captures my general goal. I've slowly become comfortable and successful shooting 4x5 in alpine environments, and now have several projects in mind that requires travel across riskier terrain, or more accurately, a combination of riskier terrain including glaciers, steep snow fields, and short (hopefully) sections of class 3 rock.

Bradford Washburn took many nice photos in snowy mountains

His story, as well as Vittorio Sella's, has inspired me quite a bit. I may end up playing around with an orange filter, but I find even the r25's are not enough most of the time, and I prefer the 091 that B+W offers. There is method to my madness, please trust me.

I am familiar with Jimmy Chin's work, and for some years he lived a few miles from me until he moved to NY. We had fun on the same local mountains -- Wyoming's Teton Range-- , but not together. All of the routes on the Grand Teton, for example, would still be considered as "alpine", yet, in 1898, on the first definite ascent, William Owen took a summit photo with a camera that we would call large format, probably whole plate. Of course he did not have much choice in camera size, and he was a little crazy.

Thats pretty awesome, would love to visit Grand Teton.

I do see what you're getting at. I'm just not ready to give up the 4x5 format. I enjoy the process too much, it's one of the main reason why I go to the mountains. There is definitely a limit, beyond which I'd just bring a small camera or even just my GoPro and not focus too much on photography as an art form.