chucK

Infinite Bliss is not terrible, but certainly does not live up to its name. West Ridge of Thomson is also one that does not live up to the hype.

Here's a fun story by a good writer: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/041021

Usually at sales, they say something like, "sale prices limited to stock on hand". So since that was probably the case, you're SOL for rightfully getting a non-sale one without paying the extra 30$.

The reason REI still has their "satisfaction guaranteed" policy is because it makes them money. It helps them make money by pushing people over the edge when deciding whether to buy REI stuff. Like, for example, you are thinking about buying this jacket see. It might be too small, but it might work out fine. It's difficult to tell when in the store. Happy REI serviceperson comes up and says, "If you're not sure whether it's the right size, why don't you just take it home and use if for a while? You can see if it will work for you. Then if it just doesn't work, you can just bring it back, SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!" This tactic gets a lot of merchandise out of the store, much of which does not come back. So...with respect to the original question, if something happened like my above scenario, even if the salesperson didn't come into the equation (e.g., you were persuaded to give the weird size a try because you were aware of the option to bring the jacket back), then I say take it back, no shame. That's why REI still offers its SG service. REI is selling this SG option. It adds value to the REI product. I don't see why you can't use it. If you just bought it thinking you'd use it for a while then scam your money back, then maybe you should just consider for a bit how much your honor is worth to you before engaging in said scam.

Palisade in Magnolia will work for both requests. It's over in Magnolia, so the view is of downtown Seattle (which will be OK even if crappy weather). If the weather is nice, you get a big Rainier view too. Anthony's is a good "drink with a view" suggestion as long as the weather is good enough to be able to see the Olympics (and it's not nightime ).

There's not comment because all the damn liberals here sit on their hands when a conservative commentator does something they agree with.

How do you guys feel about the rap-anchor bolts on the summit of Prussik? Placed there for people not up to the task of downclimbing the summit block pitch. Do they belong?

Perfect weekend to do Dreamer!

US soldiers may have refused orders to go on what they deemed a suicide mission: link Does this happen all the time and the biased media are just reporting it and making it sound like a new thing, or is this quite unusual? Anybody know?

Sounds like it makes sense to me. If you think noone will pay those prices, then yes, it does seem funny. However, if they can get people to pay that much, why not?

I saved a bunch of weight on a couple trips this year by not bringing rock shoes. I used my tight-fitting Cinder Cones. They're not optimal on the hike in or on the hard climbing, but they work, and they're just right for med-hard ground, and especially great for climbs when you're frequently transitioning between rock and non-rock (snow, pine-needles, heather). I find less-weight to be especially critical when it's weight you need to carry while on the climb. Not having to carry boots or shoes in your pack while climbing rules! Whiskey, not beer. Carefully think about where you can get water. Carrying an extra liter of water is an unwieldy 2 lbs heavier than you need to be. I got the Serratus Genie too, it's great. I was just out yesterday though and noted that it had a little key-clippy thing in the flap pocket. Extra 3 grams!! Time for that to go. Also this super-light Wild-Things windshirt. It's especially good because you can shove into a large pants pocket on a long climb and not need a pack. Pants with zip-off legs save a little bit of weight, and allow you to transition between long and short pants easily in the middle of a climb. Plus you don't need a pack to carry just the pant sleeves (nest them inside each other and clip 'em in somewhere, or stow them in a pocket).

Scott, I think it's obvious that some people reading this support all four above (with maybe the exception of 2). I'm not talking about the AF and WCC, but am talking about Dane's vociferous opponents in the early parts of this thread and previous Dishman threads. If I remember correctly they justified these things because Dishman was a trash heap, etc... The people that replaced the chopped bolts and artificial hold may be reading this too. I'd suspect they endorse your 1-4. I agree that 1-4 suck, but Dane already tried "taking that shit down" and that shit was almost instantly replaced. So, unfortunately it's not that simple.

I just got it, and only read the "Ignorant Bliss" article. I thought the article was alright, a little one-sided (they make it sound like the access trail is barely there, when in reality it's only indistinct right at the start). A nitpick that struck me is that the topo is quite significantly off in a couple of places. I guess the editors felt they needed to put a picture in and just guessed where the route went (the author claims to have climbed it). Notably, the line is not completely correct on the part that everybody gets lost on! Although, their line does go by the key bush (once you find that, go straight up to bolted anchor).

RuMR, You're acting like a spoiled kid who isn't getting enough attention. Your contributions to this thread are about as entertaining as continual dinner-interupting telemarketer calls.

"The bushes"

Scrub 'em out (inside) with mild soap, warm water, and a scrub brush. Then put them somewhere they can air dry. If you've got shoe-funk problems, try to always give your shoes an edge in terms of drying out after climbing. That is, after climbing don't immediately shove them inside a plastic bag or deep into your backpack. Let them air out. Clip them to the outside of your backpack, even though this will make some insecure types think you are a poseur. Also try to store them in a place that facilitates the drying (baking hot non-insulated garage is a good place). If your shoes really stink, make sure the place you store them is isolated from humans.

Whoa! 2000m climb. Where can I find one of those in Washington?

Yeah shit! You wouldn't know which rope to pull when rapping

Caption This!

Something makes me think Steve House et al were doing very steep, icy stuff. Rope drag would not be an issue for that terrain. And Dru, I was talking about a pair of 100m ropes! Please stay on topic. Single, skinny 100m rope sounds like a pretty good idea. It is basically the double 50m setup I have been advocating, with the extra bonus of having a 100m rope if you really want it, no knot to hang up rapping.

Think of all the belays you could skip with a pair of 100m ropes!

Should Edwards be publicly flogged for using Cheney's daughter as a political tool?

I just thought of another excellent training characteristic of 60m ropes. Once you're winded from 10m of extra Xtreme rope drag; then, you sit down to belay and you get to yard the extra draggy rope up another 10m with one hand while belaying your second. This gives you a bit more of a grip-strength workout. re: N Ridge of Stuart, we used a single 60m and we were happy to have the extra length for the crux pitch on the lower ridge. We then doubled it for the Gendarme pitches (so we could haul the packs with one strand). I guess if you had twin 60's you could link the gendarme pitches. That might have saved us 10 minutes.

Agreed. Double 60m ropes are excellent for training! It builds your hiking endurance with the extra weight on the approach, make you a better climber from practicing climbing with the extra weight of Xtreme ropedrag, and give you 20% more practice in rope management skills. Finally, once you've mastered all this stuff, you can cut off the extra 10m and use 'em for dogleashes. ps: and that excellent alpine training route Infinite Bliss possibly requires 60m ropes.