Beck

Sorry, Rodeo, I was working and didn't catch this thread...I'm now working Bellevue way and NE8th so can get drinks eastside more often now...you'll find me slinging gear to shoppers down in the basement

actually, a mid weight fleece made of stitched snafflefur might be a better performer for RobBob. RB- iguess the question is, what are you going to use it for? If it's stepping out of the 4x4 to run into the local latte lay, get a nice, nappy, thick fleece. With large, colorblocked label the chicas can read from twenty feet away. Or, are you're going to be wallowing out in snowsville,a living iceworn out in frozen wasteland? plus how cheap ARE you? can you spend 100 bucks? stretch fleece, tight to body, preferably with a smooth face. or for a bit more $$$ Think ...Powertec Powershield or Patagonia coreskin... those are fleeces you can really get some value out of cheapest sources of good gear... your local independants closeout racks or a secondhander

Bill, the Suunto sets the standard for altimeter watches.Easiest to program, most intuitive to use/ battery replacement. Some consumers may not like as large of a watch (they are a bit big) can try one of the Casios (which are a solid reliable watch, but many come with an auto-tilt light mechanism that may drain too much use in an activity driven sport. Avocet's are easier to use with gloves on but definetly aren't as durable as the afor mentioned ones. Stay away from Swiss army brand, too much engineering... as for the other, new ones just hitting the market I don't know...come on in and talk to me at Marmot if you want some more info about altimeter watches.Bill, I know watches from old job,have helped Seth [ 10-31-2002, 11:26 PM: Message edited by: Beck ]

the only rocks you'll see in ensenada are the ones in the icebucket with your pacificos collin therin. Maybe up on the hill between there and tijuana

Thanks, TLG! I was looking forward to swinging picks with you foos this weekend, looks like it shoul be great weather. I'll cook you and the Col. vonspanker some haute cuisine at some other haute outing,enjoy some vin blanc and vistas manifique, comiserate about being underpaid gear slingers

wool union suit with a 60/40 parka and some Joffe skipants, with the contour stitching

remember, DFA-fleece sux-the less fleece the better. a softshell with out a waterproof breathable barrier can be either shell like or a bicomponent weave like Scholler Dryskin. come down and see me at the shop if you need a full dissertation on the subject

in the morning when they clipped in to generally terrorize the clients with their skiing skills, first turn, POP! and they're headers in the powpow, but did Teddy get a kick out of his days on the haute route... oh that's right, Tex. Skis and mountains don't go togther.

it's selling gear for an independant, so I'm actually quite happy about it

Beck will make his way up on Saturday AM to 5000 foot pub club- will bring euro delicacies, perhaps some procuitto, panne e vin blanc. Black Diamond betamid with vents. Con von spank, when are you two driving up? If no one else wants to go I don't want to drive it alone (Anyone?), do you have room in vechicle for dirtbag climber?

Teddy Ruxpin was always getting up in the middle of the night, sneaking out of the hut, and dialing the Guides DIN settings WAY LOW, man did he cause some spectacles in the morning!!

my latest season of gainful unemployment just ended today and am sorry to report I will not be bringing the cornichons and grand crus this weekend...DAMN my unemployed climbing stint didn't last nearly long enough, i was hoping to avoid work like I did in the eighties [ 10-31-2002, 12:04 AM: Message edited by: Beck ]

That's right carolyn and Dru, the less fleece the better... I wear a 100 weight stretch fleece with smooth face as mid under softshell in active sports, reserving a snuggy warmer piece for rest breaks and bivy

fleece=YUCK

check out Jim Nelsons' site if you need some help on this fleece thing

as adjunct to this topic, here's some more input on jacket choice. We all need a mountain hard coat for the conditions that hit, but for most winter forays the user wearing wool and a softshell winds up being drier throughout the day and that comfort level is there, regardless of how foul it was out. Do face plants with your buddies all day, you'rs still drier than if you wore shells. In my experience, after a day of hard skiing, all the people that wear Gore top to bottom are soaking wet and freezing themselves to death, while softshell users are almost uniformally drier (a LOT) and lots more comfortable. A soft shell with a quality laminate lightweight hard shell that lives in the backpack seems to be an enlightened way for winter BC travel

Patagonia Dimension jacket is burly, but maybe TOO burly. Pros: durable, more windproof than Scholler. Excellent hood design.great in colder temperatures. Cons:Coat not breathable enough, get a wetting from inside just wearing the thing during exertion. Encapsulated fabric makes coat feel moist more noticably than Scholler. Also, doesn't handle near freezing glop nearly as well Scholler. Heavy and bulky. I tend to grab my MEC Ferratta most any time of year as soft shell over the Dimension now, Dimension for colder temps/higher altitude/ full conditions.

being that dewpoint is a result of temperature varience, possibly. However, the relative thinnessof the bivy most likely keeps the depoint temp inside your bag still. It seems condesation occurs inside of bivies, eh, crew? There's some explaination of some sorts on MEC's site. in matter of temperature enhancement -Overbag vs. bivy for long trips, overbag. Bivy'll wet you out damn quick. you still need protection from the elements so this topic presentssome slippery vectors to gauge [ 10-30-2002, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: Beck ]

Barring me becomming gainfully employed,Cascade Climbers Pub Club bus of fun departing Seattle Nov. 6th at 10:00AM for a foray to the lands of our savage neighbors of the north.Meet the locals and their strange represtatives from the climbing community and get a chance to say "horsecock" at key points in Dru's speech. room for three, no room for gear- sounds like it's getting ripped a lot up there anyways. Visits to savor good gear selections at MEC and Granville Island or a hash bar. Complimentary touque with every round of beerhunter.Bus to return in a state of confusion that evening.

avenues are leaning in that direction...where all will you be pitching camp? Look for you there, praps. I'm trying to russle up some perpetrators of similar ilk for a weekend of lowgrade icebashing french footwork and frointpointing-anyone else?

Thanks, colin , I'd really appreciate being able to give you some $$$ for one- I'm interested doing a project showing the recession of the pocket glaciers in that area, showing the changes from when that topo was published. This appears to be an alarming indicator of global warming, and I would like to do a comparison and "updated" overlay.

DUDE, I wish...I've got a damn job interview at three or it'd be FRESHIEZ.. have a blast and be safe!

as Jordop states, something more breathable for active sports is the only way to go. a nice nubby harris tweed if you're out in typical NW winter crapola works better than gore or any other type of "storm" coat

Anybody got any extra copies of the 1977 Beckey/Rands map, "Hikers/Climbers map of the Monte Cristo region"just laying around they'd want to sell, or photocopy the one they've got? [ 10-29-2002, 05:32 PM: Message edited by: Beck ]

on a technical note to second on Mattp's suggestion of a synthetic overbag. The addition of an overbag moves the dew point (the temerature that moisture condensates as liquid out of it's vapor state) out of your down sleeping bag and into the outerbag. this keeps your down drier because H20 stays vapor in the down and condenses in the overbag. you get a better transpiration rate and moisture movement out of down bag into next layer. This will keep your down drier than having a full winter temp down bag and one arguably reccommended for extended trips.