hasbeen

Another Crosstrek owner here. Gets up to 38 mpg highway. If I drive it in the city, I can get upper 20s but if my teen/twenty-somethings drive it they get low 20s. It's been good in the snow and with a roof box, good for long ski trips with a car full of my son's friends. Plenty of ground clearance. It's smallish and easy to park, etc. in the city.

Another data point. I had ACL replacement surgery about 10 years ago. Patella tendon graft. It took about 1 year to fully recover the knee function and a few more before I could kneel comfortably. I think if I had to do it again, I'd very seriously consider an allograft (cadaver tendon) because it really speeds the recovery. Heed the other advice and hit the PT hard. I think that within the year, my knee with the replaced ACL was more stable than my other one. I don't worry about it at all any more, ski hard, climb and hike, and have never used a brace (my doc said that they don't help that much and you should just work on strengthening your quads and hamstrings -- YMMV). Good luck.

Indeed. I certainly didn't expect it, even with the fires and bad air of late but it turned out to be pretty much perfect for us. Couldn't have been more lucky. Hope things are OK for you folks today and that you get some more relief.

It was quite clear yesterday and we had Snow Creek Wall practically to ourselves. I hope the conditions continue to improve.

Sorry to hear that. Thanks for the response. Hope it improves for you soon.

Thanks. Doesn't sound promising for the weekend.

Any new news on the air quality? Any information appreciated. Thanks

That works for me. I'll bring it to my office. Check your PMs for my phone number and CALL me to make specific arrangements. Hope that works for you.

Check your PMs for contact info. Next week is fine. Curt

Thanks for the reminder. I read about that but never put the two together. That could explain things. I'll see if I can figure out if they are related.

I found a rope on Sunday, June 24. If you lost a rope and want it back, describe it and tell me where I found it and we can make arrangements for you to get it back. Send me a PM. Curt

Another vote for Eneloops. I've been using them as my primary camera batteries and they have worked great, summer an winter.

Pro Ski on Aurora if you are looking for a shop in Seattle.

Found a shovel in the woods climbers left of the Phantom on Sunday, 4/13. If you lost it, PM me with a description and we'll arrange a return.

Northwestern Mutual was unwilling to underwrite my long-term diability because I indicated that I was a climber. They did not seem to care about any other of my outdoor pursuits. The interesting thing is that they were willing to underwrite my life insurance, which confirms your suspicion that the actuaries have concluded that you are more likely to get disabled than killed climbing. Unum/Provident was willing to underwrite my long-term diability, for a pretty competitive rate.

Anyone have any recent information on snow level/conditions in the area of Singing Pass/Musical Bumps? I'm particulary interested in whether there is any skiable snow below Singing Pass on the way down to Whistler or if it will be all waking from the pass down. Anyone? Thanks.

I was on the N. Ridge on Monday. There is still some ice in the bypass. There are just a couple of places where you might have to take three to four steps either along an edge or sort of on top of the ice. There were also some steps visible across one of the ice/snow patches but those might be melted out by now. Hope that helps.

I went up to Three O'Clock Rock yesterday. I frankly cannot believe the road is closed. There is a bit of a washout on both sides of the road where they put up the barrier but the middle of the road seemed perfectly passable. The road was then just fine (OK, maybe a little rough in a few places) until about 150 feet from the Eight-Mile Creek trailhead. At that point, there was a washout on the left side of the road (as you are going up) but, again, the road appeared passable to me on the right side. I took pictures of the barrier and the washouts and the washout at the trail head and if I can figure out how, I'll try to post them. Having said all that, however, I have to say that the bike ride up to the trailhead was quite pleasant and it was screaming fast on the way down! The climbing was also great -- it felt like spring, maybe even summer. It was warm, sunny, and there were only a couple of patches of snow (one of which made for an excellent water bottle refill source). We climbed Cornucopia and Under the Bored Walk. It was a fun day.

Five to six months after surgery seems pretty typical for enough recovery for faily intensive activity. I had surgery in May (Memorial day weekend) a couple of years ago and was skiing by December. The suggestions about PT are good ones. Get yourself a good therapist who understands sports medicine and what you want to be able to do and stick to the regimen religiously. I have to say that my leg strength/balance, etc. is better now than before my surgery. I'm skiing better and climbing better. One word of caution, however. My doc said that there is no brace made that is going to prevent reinjury and that if you use a brace, you have a tendency to rely on the support it provides, rather than on your musculature. I'd say talk to your doc but consider leaving the brace alone. Good luck.

I have a Khamsin 30 that I use for day trips and a Khamsin 52 that I use for multi day. They are light but seem pretty tough. The 30 holds skis reasonably well and has a hypalon reinforcement on the bottom compression strap to resist cutting by ski edges. I cut a small hole in the 52 at the top compression strap with a ski edge but a little seam grip fixed it right up. For lightly constructed/lightly padded packs, they carry weight surprisingly well. Because neither pack is particularly adjustable and rely on "crush pods" for padding, fit seems to be pretty important. I like the packs because they are simple and light. Too bad the 30 is no longer made. I can't remember if the 52 is still available.

Check out Click me . It's a video from ttips.com. Worked for me.

I blew my acl skiing April before last. Complete rupture. Had 'scope procedure, using patella tendon for replacement on Memorial day weekend. I was walking in about 4 days, biking inside on stationary bike in two weeks, commuting to work by bicycle in about 4 weeks. Lots of PT/strengthening work. Light hiking by early July. Skiing by February. Pretty much fully recovered in one year with no real problems. Running, skiing, pretty hard alpine climbing all OK. Still a little uncomforatble to kneel on the knee, because of the tendeon harvest. If you want more info, pm me and I'll be happy to give you the blow-by-blow.

I scrambled up the S. Ridge so I wasn't on the snow that gives access to the E. Ridge. However, I don't think you will need an axe or crampons. I got to the snow leading up to the S. Ridge at approximately 11:15 a.m. and I was in approach shoes with two treking poles. The snow was quite soft by that hour (but not so soft that I was postholing) and going up the slopes was quite secure. Coming down things were a little softer and it was no problem at all without an axe or boots, for that matter. I can only assume that the snow up to the E. Ridge is similar. If you head up significantly earlier, it may be a bit firmer.

Thanks, HappyCamper. Just a cable. I never really thought a U-lock was necessary. You can bet I'll use one the next time I ride in.

OK...It's not climbing related but I thought I'd see if anyone can help me out. My commuter bike was stolen yesterday from a parking garage downtown (Washington Mutual Tower) . I ride to work and really want to get it back. My homeowners insurance will cover it but I'll have to eat the deductible... Anyway, the bike is a Surly Karate Monkey, small frame with pretty much full Shimano XT except for Avid mechanical disks. It's got a Salsa stem, raceface bars, Flite saddle, and Salsa Delgado X rims. It's got a Turbocat headlight. It's running pretty skinny WTB tires (at least it was yesterday). The bike is pretty distinctive... If anyone sees it at a shop or hears of a bike like it for sale, I'd really appreciate it if you would pm me. Thanks.