mwills

i don't think you would be doing any plunging with those ergos , so building the grip up shouldn't be a problem.

a friend of mine here at iowa state climbed it in the summer of '01. he's not a cc.comer but i'm sure he would be more than willing to give you some info. send me an email ( mwills@iastate.edu )and i'll give you his e-mail address.

i would suggest checking this site once a day or so: techbargains for example, here was a deal posted on Dec 5: Back! Hot! BestBuy.com has the Toshiba Satellite Notebook Celeron 1.5GHz 256MB/20GB DVD 14.1" Screen Ethernet, 56k modem, XP Home $1049 - $350 rebates (Only 1 Toshiba $200 rebate needs original UPC) = $699 shipped free. (Thanks Steve) so, if you are willing to deal with rebates and wait a while for these deals to come up (there are at least a couple each week) you could get a nicely loaded laptop (with warranty) for under $700.

lets see, here are the flatlander's highlights for this year : -NF of Shuksan car-to-car -NR of Stuart (with gendarme) -NW corner of NEWS -Direct Petzoldt and Upper Exum on Grand Teton (along with some other Teton classics: Baxter's Pinnacle, Irene's Arete, Guide's Wall) -Kiener's Route on Long's Peak (in winter) Biggets dissappointments: -getting caught in a bad storm in the Tetons while on the Cathedral traverse in the Tetons (take a look at the latest Climbing - same storm Mike Gauthier epiced in). -back in Iowa for school

freeclimb - you are right. i meant the bionics ~43 oz. as for the sabertooths, i'd still take the 5 oz and vertical front points any day. fishstick is right - get the antibotte plates. bought the crampons from europe for ~100, now i'm looking at $30 for the antibotte here in the US . as for climbing vertical ice - no problem. oh, and you can walk in these .

have the step-in version with the rear's of the g10L's - very light ~30oz (thats almost a pound light than sabertooths ). i didn't get the newmatic version as i've always used grivel's step-ins on my newmatic boots (trango plus and trango s). i used them last week in RMNP - i think the rambocomps might stay in the closet this season .

i have both wild things wind shirts - go with the epic! . i have it and love it. as for the nylon windshirt - not as windproof, or water resistant, or durable. it really is a waste of money. barely lasted me a summer. by the way, if you are looking at getting any wild things stuff they are having a sale. take a advantage - it doesn't happen very often.

for a rain shell - just go with the cheapest "breathable" jacket you can find. you will hardly ever wear it and when you do you don't want to give it special treatment since you paid $300 . i have the precip and while it may not be a GREAT jacket, it does its job. as far as the jackets wetting out - be sure to use some sort of DWR on them regularly (at least a couple times a year). they bead water nicely when you buy them, but slowly turn into a sponge. techtron works well, some like the wash-in nickwax stuff. epic is great stuff, but won't keep you dry heavy rain - in that case you should just go home anyways .

good topic bone - i'd first check out the fang for the viper and see if there is anyway you could modify it for your cobras. it will take some creativity since the points of the two tools are quite different . for those wondering what a rope thimble looks like:

gendarme on the n ridge of stuart - especially the 2nd crack

wild things belay parka - only way to go. check their website, they are having a special on last year's model. the jacket has a great cut (much better than the marmot belay parka) and an epic shell. i'd also try to stick with primaloft as it is more compressible than polarguard (not sure how it compares to the new polarguard 3d though). anyways, check out the wild things belay parka and their bouldering pants......

anywhere but IOWA

yep, as with any waterproof/breatable fabric you need to have some sort of "driving force" to get the moisture out. this "driving force" usually comes in the form of a gradient in temperature and/or humidity.

i've been very impressed with MEC stuff - good quality, but most of all it fits! no akward cuts, clean designs, etc. i look at it like patagonia on pro-deal .

ok, these questions are for any of you ID MK1 MK3 tent owners/users: one or two doors? i know the second door is a "mini-door" which adds 5oz. is this only useful for ventilation, or is it a functional door? snorkel vents - one or two? at only 1oz it seems like a light way to increase the ventilation of the tent.

if i were to do it over again and buy one helmet it would be the petzl ecrin roc. although a bit on the heavy side it is a workhorse - made very well, adjusts easily, headlamp stays put, etc. same goes for the edelrid - a very simple design (not much to go wrong in the field). the elios seems like a nice helmet and is lighter than the ecrin. i wasn't impressed with the adjustment system on this helmet - seems too fragile . i would stay away from the meteor . these types of helmets tend to be less comfortable than suspension style hemets. also, the meteor would likely have to be retired before either the ecrin or elios. so if i were to have one helmet - it would be the ecrin roc (or edelrid). instead i have the half-dome and can't wait to get rid of it. the adjustment system is a joke .

quote: Originally posted by Beck: but down side of suspension system, and why I call "mank" - fixed torso length, low tech materials, no thermoforming comfort there either. can't loan it to wife to carry heavy load.Also , hipbelt a biggun, lots of cush ala 70's style, but THERMOFORM would take his maxipad hipbelt into the 21st century. He says you don't need (or even want?) load lifters, i call BULLSHIT. sorry beck, i would have to disagree with you here. load lifters, or load stabilizers, are not necessary on ALL packs - only those where the load extends above your shoulders. for dan's line of packs this is only the case in one model - the alpine II. it does have a "load lifter" of sorts, but it is incorporated in the shoulder strap. if you look closely at the pictures of the packs: pack pictures you will see that the harness system for the alpine II is different than that for the SARC series. the SARC packs are sized to a specific torso length, and the load stops at shoulder level. in the SARC series, a correctly sized pack that has been packed correctly - load lifters aren't necessary. in this design, the should straps function as the load stabilizers. so, in short - load stabilizers on alpine packs (where the load stops at shoulder level) allow these packs to fit a range of torso lengths - by placing an attachment point (the load stabilizers) where the shoulder straps SHOULD be. as for the waist belt, true, it is simple and only made of some nylon and a sleeping pad. however, for what it supposed to do - take the load off your shoulders and distribute EVENLY on your hips - it works better than any thermoform belt out there.

if you want to buy one crampon i'd vote for the sabertooth. though a bit on the heavy side (34oz), they can be used for everything - moderate/steep ice, snow slogging, mixed. you will see gadd pulling m10 or some weekend warrior front-pointing up the pearly gates. step-in, new matic, or strap-on - that is up to you. depends on the assortment of boots/shoes you plan to where. if you only wear boots that are step-in compatible, get step-ins. i've never heard of the toe-bail "failing". i've seen crampons attached incorrectly, sized wrong, or bails that didn't match the welt on the boot - but no failures.

i too have one of those fancy mchale packs - best packs made, period . i have the super SARC and will be getting a zero SARC in the next year. they do look a bit analogue compared to the new space-age packs but load up one of his larger packs with 70lbs and you will become a believer. take a look at one and turn it inside out - look at the workmanship. an abundance of stitching - most seams on the pack could hold the weight of the full pack, whereas some companys have trouble doing this with the haul loop. go to his shop (with your checkbook), load up a a pack and get your order in so you can have it before next summer .

here is a vote for the valdez. packs well, carries well, climbs well and is cute-to-boot. would have liked tool tubes on this pack as well but i manage.

quote: The weather looked good, and I was cleared through the higher authorities (new wife)!!! what happened to the old one bone? hey, nice job again on stuart!

here is another fairly recent tr .

anyone done it? attempts? suggested bivy spots? what do you suggest for the route - climb se face of torment, traverse, up wr of forbidden, and descend wr? i remember glancing at the route in kroese's book but the details are vague. i suppose i could get it straight from the horse's mouth at pro mountain, but then i would probably have to buy something . anyways, i'll get my beckey guide out when i get home and should have more questions. cheers

for a comparison of sizes/weights/price of most manufacturers, check out these links: by size by manufacturer i eyeballed a few of the ranges/weights with manufacturers specs and they agreed. great info - this guy had too much free time [ 08-06-2002, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: mwills ]

partner has other plans this weekend and i must get out . would be up for pretty much anything from a moderate alpine rock route to a marathon sufferfest (no snow slogs ): anything on forbidden, washington pass (liberty crack), etc. could be persuaded if you have something else in mind - even some lounging at index. help me out here - have to head back to the flatlands in 2 weeks. live in portland, so p-town folks don't be shy. pm me if you are interested. cheers. matt