UKC

What would be the better stove to take to the Alp's, mountains like the Eiger, Dru etc? Jetboil?

In reply to Steve (The Steve): No replies Steve...

Perhaps others will reassure me but if it's really cold I mistrust gas stoves.

My climbing partner has a Jetboil that we mostly take when going up high but if it was likely to be cold I think I'd accept the extra weight and take the petrol stove (MSR).

For melting snow I would use a petrol stove, mainly because you need a big pan.

Someone might chip in with experience using those fancy gas stoves you hang up in your bivvi perched on a ledge above a 2,000m drop...not something I'm likely to be doing...

In reply to Steve (The Steve): Personally I think the jetboil is too heavy but it does boil fast which for me is not a big deal. If you have stopped to bivi what else are you going to do. I use an Optimus Crux lite and a titanium kettle. It's called a kettle but is actually a tall, narrow pan. It's the lightest combination I've found but I'm paranoid about keeping the weight down in the alps as it makes climbing a far more pleasant and faster experience.

Al

In reply to Steve (The Steve): Just out of interest I checked and Jetboil is rated to -6. I guess other gas stoves have similar performance as long as you use the right type of 'kettle' as Al indicates.

When are you going? In planning out Oberland trip for September we felt we needed to be equipped for -10. In summer from what we can tell lower than -5 is unlikely. Same would probably be true for western Alps.

In reply to Gaston Rubberpants:

The new jet boil sol titanium is proper light, if I didn't already have the old one, I'd be spending. It weights around 5g more than a simple pocket rocket and pot combination: http://www.facewest.co.uk/Jetboil-Sol-Titanium.html

In reply to Steve (The Steve):

I've always used a Jetboil and never had any issues.

In reply to Steve (The Steve): Have used the primus omnifuel quite a bit high and cold and have on a few occasions have melted snow for people with jet boils who have run out of gas, depends how long you're going to spend on the face I guess but petrol stoves are worth their weight in gold.

In reply to Steve (The Steve): We took a jetboil when we climbed it earlier this year and was glad because it ment that we could hold it as the bivvy spots aren't very big. Took two small cylinders of gas and kept warming one whilst using the other and managed ok with the temps. Agree that you can get lighter setup but think ease of use makes up for it with the jetboil.