Beck

no go on the double leather boots, all of the advantages of leather, light weight, closer fit, abrasion resistance, etc'-are redundant once you go into a double boot- Lots of the newer insulated leather boots are plenty warm enough for Rainier winter, and not tooo toasty during the summer volcano thing I've not frenched in koflachs, I'd bet it's pretty tough. The Lowa civettas are more traditional mountain boot dimensioned, and would perform better there. Asolo plastic boots, have a more traditional, no hinge, plastic shell with a lower cut, that has an even more mountain boot dimensions,and go pied a plat, or pied assis quite well. And please, please DON'T order boots online or mail order, particularily from "closeout" houses. They often have limited size runs available, and once you go thru and return an ill fitting boot, they may not have the right size for you, also each maker's boots fit diff (and ya'll know THAT already). AND, the troubles of European boots/gear not warrantible in this country. Don't forget upgrading the factory footbeds with a good insole.

Just got back from an "outside myself" shopping experience from one of our local co-ops. I had difficulty finding clevis pins and glacier goggles; these had been replaced by thirty varieties of color coded keychain biners, 15 types of collapsible doggie bowls and bins of "Northwest" chocolates. When I asked the staff if they had any piolets, they said they didn't carry those anymore.

i need a nappy fleece latte holder to cruise the aisles at REI supership and pick out some gourmet candy and colorful keychains, while updating my pile motif for the year and picking out some new athletic slippers to cush my tootsies in the new SUV I put 80 dollars a week's worth of gas into. Man, I love Seattle.

Rei is teaming up with RJRRenyolds and RedHook/Anheiser Busch to push fleece, overrosted coffee, heady beer and ciggs onto Seattlites, keeping them in doughy, pasty condition and too pussy to enjoy a little weather. They are hosting Joe Camel night at your local pub soon.

why a canook would be drinking budwiser is beyond me... try a Kokanee, indeed. I'm trying to remember my last trip into a Canadian "Beer Store" and what the cheap choices were, In america Budwiser is brewed with trace amount of Formeldehyde as a preservative, as well as other cheaper beers. Doubt any Canadian brewery except Elsinore is that devious!

try to be brief on some death defying epics. Fall thru thin ice into Lake Michigan (thanks, Dad, for saving my life!!) in with skates on hypothermic in woods twice as kid, serious enough to have been dead if wasn't found... fun wandering around in woods, wet, and delirous, curling up under pine tree to sleep the big sleep swimming half mile in Lake Superior to rock island, both me and friend hypothermic in swim, sluirring words, friends swimming in circles... we get to rock, thunderstorms roll in. Peel off cliff, 40 foot to deck, luckily slabby, brush at bottom falls out of tree, wake up with concussion fall off 3rd floor roof, go back into party, thinking i crashed bike, missed rake/cement hazards by inches and lots of less scary events

Neccessity, no. Valuable safety feature, absolutely. That's why you're considering them. A few options to consider: Voile release plate or Completely Releasable Binding (CRB) time tested, bitch to reenter at mid to high range DIN settings. rottefella plate- easier reentry, heavier plate, not available in binding combo, harder to field adjust DIN in field. Silvretta's design team's tele binding- the 7tm- easiest reentry, not as time tested as prior two. looks hinky but melds with modern tele boots real well without overpowering them. Ski on lighter equipment, go old school, try three pin w/o cables and focus on technique, slow and in control. Don't discount proper avalanche awareness as the BEST way to stay safe, and skiing in control on every slope a close second. As a nod to our north of the boarder brethren, who are more advanced in the ways of Backcountry science then us Bushittes, they tend towards towards releasables as part of the total safety package.

well, being a townie, I'm down with al's, I can't seem to find any bar with soul on the eastside, except the Roanoke on Mercer Island. Since I'm working on the Eastside now going to a place there after work is easy for me, and i thought a couple folk expressed interest in downing some beverages that side of the lake. But isn't Al's kindof small to accomodate Pub Club numbers? A much bigger bar nearby would be Goldie's on 45th- or we could go to a bar with Free popcorn, free apps (you old farts remember free appetizers at happy hour, don'tcha? There's still some bars that offer chafing dishes of free grub) or rediculously low food prices for us non-yuppie climbers.

I had plans to ski, but got talked out of carrying my boards by a snowboarding climber buddy- what a mistake! We were slogging thru a foot of dense powder that more than covered up the rocks, The touring and turns would have been Fantastic! Why do i keep listening to bad judgement snowboarders?

I think there's some prestablished precedent for an eastside pubclub meet tommorrow-

the bus for Mount Dainiel freshies leaves 6pmish tonite! for a stop at The Brick before a trailhead bivy, to set out on a killer day tour Sunday- anyone interested (coz' if not, I'm not going to go, partner flaking and not wanting to face early avy season solo)shoot me a PM.

Fendall's back in on the tour, room for 2 more snow riders ready to get the planks out tommorrow. Leaving Seattle 6p- ish

I've seen thisd vicius wabbit, indeed! Run away! The Rabbit, she has fangs like THIS!! Good thing Teddy Rux tried to get a date with "old toothy" and distracted her whist we made our escape

wool sweater thrift store 70's athletic suits (pick good, like Adidas Xc outfits, etc.) webbing food bank food don't buy tent learn to like the cold and wet sell your other non climbing shit to buy gear closeout section,used gear, learn to sew enjoy your inner dirtbag

Everyone should take a MOFA course. The "scenario" approach to first/extended aid instruction via the overnight field trip is INVALUABLE and worth the guilders spent in GOLD. Learn emergency skills in real life settings! Rain, fatigue, cold, wet, dark, on a hill, in the trees, THIS is when an accident occurs, and learning how to cope with THESE situations make MOFA tops for recreational backountry user. The Mounties require it for basic climbing class graduation.cost, 150-180 or something therabouts. Call Red Cross for details.

Hey, TLG, you should come down to Daniel this weekend with Fendall and myself. Not exactly a high altitude 02 brain starve (7980',) but long walk to some great early season sliding on Hyas Creek Glacier. Bring partner and ice tools if needing an ice fix by cruising over to Lynch Glacier. But I think the weathers going to be dropping freshies in a whiteout on us.

Yes I know his" theory" on packs, I call his no thermoform, no load lifters BULLSHIT, retro grouchism-- or just plain old refusal to recognize progress and innovation in industry. Similar to the combustion blowback valve debacle as it related to fuel economy and the automobile industry. [ 11-07-2002, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: Beck ]

thanks, Tex, you're such a sweetie- Did you know, Teddy Rux was asking about you as a snowshoe "partner" for this weekend?

ice leads, or early season pow pow ?

that stagnant glacial snowfield is still there above Peggy's pond, though, right? The Hyas Creek Glacier? I was shooting for the heathery benches of harts pass, but am leaning in Daniel as where to go.

second on that, AlpineK. What the F*** kind of "Irish" pub did you drag us into, there, Sayjay? I say, NO MORE PUB CLUB VENUE CALLS by sayjay. Do you go there? there's two much more appropriate bars to dirtbaggers just a block away from that one you "reccommended" An Irish pub with no guiness, or harp, or toddingtons, or, tetleys on tap? no pitchers? WTF?????

Ibex, I have considered buying the grail of packs but, alas, am a poor climbing dirtbag not worthy of a McHale creation. MY first two posts were highly in favor of the purchase of a mchale.i've had a hands on of the packs and checked out more than a couple of them in the field. Also talked to many owners about their McHales..I have checked them out extensively.Bomber construction (I think the Super SARC would be the one i would choose.) However, my read on on Mchale's sunspension an why I rate it as "manky" tried and true, but manky. For heavy, heavy loads their the best carry, no frame buckling of the framesheet like most other makers (and we all hate it when that happens!) 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.

trip to Mount Daniel with boards this weekend to hunt up some redeeming early season powpow- camping in bowl above peggy's pond should ensure turns right back to camp, 009 and myself leaving saturday AM, extra room in car for jonesing snowdog.

TSUNAMI! me and some buds were surfing lake superior years ago, at one of our city point breaks, 4-6' that day, and watched two kids dissapear, no 27' -55' swells on the lake, though...that's hella huge- The only surfing I'd be doing in them waves would be lashed to a crash boat!

A nice, nonsmoking....