freeclimb9

Do you have a lycra confession to make?

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion."

No one was more pleased with the anit-war rallys than Saddam himself (okay, maybe Tariq Aziz was happier). Protesters in Amman shouted "Our beloved Saddam, attack Tel Aviv! You Arab leaders, where are your armies?"

You were surprised? How many European nations stepped up to the plate to prevent 200,000 deaths on their southern doorstep? Answer: 0. As if China has any moral authority. Or Germany, or France, for that matter. The whole thing is a tragic play, and Bush was an idiot to try to get UN support at any time.

Consider the underlying substrate's ability to absorb water. That may resolve your quandry.

Glad you like www.iceclimb.com Cracked's initial question was phrased strangely. Low elevation ice-climb formation doesn't happen solely in Washington state. All that is needed to form ice is below freezing temps and a water source (it doesn't even have to be liquid. Snow can be sintered into ice). That's the extent of "geographical influences". The specifics of what forms a particular ice-climb can be varied. All of the mechanisms listed on www.iceclimb.com/science.html can come into play, or only one. And that can vary week to week and season to season for an iceclimb. I provided the information on the science.html page so that a climber can evaluate the ice in front of his eyes. Is it anchor ice, or icicles, etc.? And ice does form in Oregon.

I have pairs of Salomon (guide 9) and Tecnica (altitude plus) boots, and highly regard their quality.

Why would someone's "report from the field" affect the way the boots fit your feet? Salomon makes great products. Tecnica makes great products. Scarpa makes great products (they actually have a new boot series that looks good). The list goes on and on. Get the boots that fit.

ride a bike.

beefy:

I hope you all get a bunch of nice "osculatory appositions of the orbicularis oris and levator labii muscles with posterior involvement of the sternocleidomastoids, commonly in a dexterous orientation" ( i.e. kisses).

"There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.." - Tolkien Read into it what you want.

Hey, at least now you have a great excuse to buy a new ride. I'm loving my Surly. They've got a 29" coming out in a few weeks that has a bracket for a derailleur too (Karate Monkey).

Those aren't troops. They're called "inspectors" now.

Ah, the visual and olafactory assault of Venice Beach. Mary Kay consultants have yet to crack that tough egg.

Looks like styrofoam. Super schweet! Thanks for posting the photos.

Sounds like CSI needs to be called in to ID the turd.

ROTFLMAO. As if carrying a hammer and pins wasn't retro.

Watch the film: Our Very First Sex Tape

You got it, sparky.

dude, troops are on the ground in Iraq, and have been there for months. Irregardless of your political flavor, wake up and smell the hummus. It will require great effort to stop the momentum that already exists; something like Saddam relinquishing power.

meanwhile, that giatn sucking sound is coming from down south. Chavez has fired 10,000 striking oil workers (like, who's gonna replace them? Chico the glue-huffing homeless kid?), and their economy is going to crap fast. Nobody thought Chavez would screw the Venezuelans just to hold on to power. Wrong. Maybe the Pope should weigh in on this, too.

erik, what are you screaming about? Just because another 'biner design is stronger than an oval doesn't negate the oval's value. With regard to some carabiner's gate key engaging under a body-weight load, it does happen. I've had it happen with wire-gate 'biners and shaped 'biners. But I've never experienced it with old-skool chouinard ovals. And I never mentioned "BINER SHIFT".

Oval 'biners are good for everything. They're strong and reliable. For aid, they're great because they don't flex and lock when weighted like many "D"s do. If you think yours are good for nothing, send them to me.

I won't be there in spirit, or in body. But I respect your right to protest.