Gerg

Anyone know the address of the Dutchess? greg

How 'bout Dante's? Cheap Suds Thursday nights between 8pm and 10pm--$2 pitchers of beer. Oh wait...that's not tuesday...

Unlike Greg W, I have actually gotten responses from Maria and Patty. Maybe it was because I was living in rural WA at the time, where Dems are always hurting for votes. greg

I've seen rocks poking through in sections of the bobsled runs as early as July. It will really depend on how long the snow lasts *duh*. If the glissade will be the deciding factor, I would ask about conditions later this summer rather than make speculatations right now. greg

I think the answer is obvious as to which area is preferred, but I still need a partner for this weekend, weather dependant. Would prefer an entire weekend of climbing if possible. FYI lead 5.9 sport, 5.8 trad, C2--been climbing 7 years with a forced haitus the last few due to injuries. Willing to follow anything (even if it means jugging). PM me if you are interested. Greg

there is also http://www.active.com greg

Don't forget the triple threat series at Fort Lewis. There are also a series of dualathons on Fort Lewis too. Check out http://www.ontherun.com/raceschd.sht This is mostly a running site, but they also have triathlons and duathlons listed. Greg

Might want to call to make sure that the park is open. It wasn't a few weeks ago. Greg

One could always go low-tech and use something like a prussik or kleimheist. not quite as convenient as ascender though. any thoughts about a ropeman, tibloc or equivalent where the ascender is prevented from coming off the rope by a biner? greg

is july any better (drier weather)? Greg

For comparison, here are some single ropes from Mammut. The numbers correspond to Impact force (kN). Flash 9.2 (10.5mm)Galaxy 8.9 (10mm)Tusk 8.7 (10mm) The stated impact force for the PMI Verglas when used as a twin rope is 8.4kN. This is actually better than the Mammut single ropes! But, having a dynamic belay can have the most significant effect on reducing the imact force, so perhaps this is all a moot point? greg

I'm trying to convince the wife to come with me (not usually a problem ) for a week to Squamish this June. What other non-rock climbing activities are there in the area to keep her and me entertained during non-climbing days? greg

PMI Verglas UIAA Ratings - Half / Twin Weight (per meter), 40.9g. Number of UIAA Falls, 8 / 12 (single strand with 55kg load) (two ropes with 80kg load) Impact Force, 5.8 kN. / 8.4 Static Elongation, 10% / 8%Elongation after 1st fall 36% / 34% Sheath Slippage, 0 mm. So verticalturtle's statement is correct, but the impact force of double clipping THIS rope is comperable to a larger diameter single strand. g

http://petzl.devcross.com/petzl/statique/sport/promotion/eliosclass/eliosclass1.htmlElios Class: White ABS shellSize 1: 48-56 cm, Weight: 300g Size 2: 53-61 cm, Weight:­ 330g I confirmed this when I weighed one this weekend (see earlier post). Greg [ 03-27-2002: Message edited by: Gerg ]

I just replaced my busted Ecrin with the Elios. Fit is great. I really like the one adjustment knob instead of two. Jim Nelson is selling it for $52 plus tax at Pro-Mountain Sports. Comes in three sizes, but unless you have a really huge mellon you will only need sizes 1 or 2. It is lighter than the comparable Camp helmet by 3oz but is also $3 more. Not a bad trade off if you ask me. The Elios weighed in at 9 or 10ozs on the scale at Jim's shop. Some small details you might or might not care about. The outer shell is smaller, e.g. it doesn't flare out over your ears like the Ecrin or other full sized helmets. The recommended temperature range is smaller. The Elios is not recommended to be used where the temperature is over 96F whereas the Ecrin is ok to use to over 125F. Not sure what happens to the plastic when it reaches this temperature, nor if you would really want to be climbing when it is over 125F. Greg [ 03-27-2002: Message edited by: Gerg ]

The thermometer at the outside benches at Heidleburger Drive In were reading 60 in the shade. Doesn't matter that much what exactly the temperature was as it was a hell of lot nicer than the west side of the cascades. greg

Sunny and 70F at Leavenworth this weekend. Most south and east facing rock lower down was dry. There are still patches of snow and wet spots. Would have been more fun if my partner had remembered his rope and harness. As it was, it made for a nice 4-hour round trip drive greg

I've never had any real problems with circular polarizers causing overexposure. The polarizer should be reducing the amount of light making it through to the metering system. It could be that your metering system over corrected, but I doubt that. I would be highly suspicious of where it was developed/printed. If you are lucky, it was just a bad print job. Charlie Don't Surf could probably enlighten us all. Maybe

Dru's right on about this one. If I ever have to do a biner to biner link at an anchor or other critical point (like first piece of gear), I try to use locking biners. Aiding is another story...

Have you received much criticism about your decision to utilize prison labor? If so, what kind and from whom? Obviously, when you participate in a controversial program there will always be criticism. We have not lost any customers due to our participation in the program and, in fact, have actually increased our customer base. The criticism we have experienced is from supposed socially responsible people who actually are terribly uninformed and media biased regarding the program. They believe the program offers us many cost competitive advantages. However, when comparedto offshore costs where many of our competitor's products are manufactured, our costs are actually higher. After listening to an accurate explanation of the program and its overall benefits, they generally have a completely different outlook. How do you respond to those who would raise the following criticisms of utilizing inmate labor: a. the use of prison labor creates an unfair competitive advantageb. the use of prison labor exerts downward pressure on wages in the labor market c. prisoners are exploited because they* are paid low wages* receive no health benefits* receive no pensions The unfair competitive advantage and downward pressure on wages is not a true statement, as previously addressed. Inmates do receive full health benefits which are provided by the State. Inmates do not receive pensions because we, like many small businesses, do not currently have a pension program for inmates or staff. d. Safety and quality are inherently compromised by a work force comprised of sociopathic individuals who have already proven their untrustworthiness by virtue of their convictions for murders, assaults,robberies and other crimes against persons and society. It is unfortunate that the general population's perception of inmates is as negative as it is. Frankly, these men do not get the proper PR they deserve. Most of what is written and thought about inmates is extremely negative. The media thrives on the dark side most often only writing about the shocking and bizarre. They are not really interested in informing the public about the inmate who set up an entire computerized accounting system, or built an entire forging press, or wired an entire building to code. Or the inmate with college degrees who has an impeccable Q.C. inspection record and greatly assisted in our UL and CE product certifications, or the inmate who can manufacture 30% more parts than anyone on the outside ever did with minimal scrap. Don't get me wrong! There are some hard core inmates inside a correctional facility. But the majority are just regular people who have made mistakes and are paying their debt to society. Our current employees take great pride in their work and the product they produce. Safety and quality is part of their every day modus operandi. e. The use of prison labor to manufacture products for sale into commercial markets is contrary to international conventions and treaties and weakens the ability of the United States and other nations to eliminate human rights abuses in China and other countries. I could not agree more with that statement if it were accurate. However, I believe my previous discussion of the program clearly indicates that the parameters under which we must operate precludes any chance of human rights abuse and, in fact, protects the rights of inmates. f. The use of inmate labor is inherently unethical and socially irresponsible. Quite the contrary! Not only is it ethical, since the inmates are treated the same as outside employees; but is socially responsible because the inmates benefit, the institution benefits, private business benefits and the taxpayers benefit with the combined ultimate goal of reducing recidivism.

Wopper, I picked up a bunch of the JC wiregates at the Marmot store in Bellevue last year on the cheap. They are nice and light. If you have bigger fingers and/or are wearing gloves these 'biners can be a bit more difficult to use than a regular size 'biner because of the smaller gate opening. This has all be mentioned before. Overall, I'm happy with the gear and would buy more. I would give the Doval a look though, since it does have a bigger gate opening and is a few grams lighter. Greg

1-trad 2-7 to 9 3-Alpine 4-2 5-#people (small) 6-yes 7-male 21-30

Lambone,Four days, while not enough time to tick too many climbs, is still worth the trip. Last time I went, I was only there for 2 days in mid-February--did Tunnel Vision one dayand hiked way past Cat in the Hat on accident and blew the second day. Even so, it was totally worth it. Greg

Lambone, As per johnny's suggestion earlier, Questions 16, 17, and 18 could also be "Have you ever..." type questions. For those "Have you ever..." questions, there should probably be a second part that details the frequency (if you are interested in that type of info). gev

A buddy of mine had a carpentry hammer. He had welded the claw shut then drilled it out for attaching a funkness. You might also want to look at a bricklayers hammer. It will save you the trouble of welding the claw shut. All you would have to do is add a hole for said funkness. The other bene is that there is already beveled face for pasting copper heads. (go to www.sears.com and do a search for "bricklayer") Not quite sure how you attach a leash to either. Maybe an eyebolt screwed into the bottom of the handle. I've not used either so I can't comment either way on how effective they are. gev