Beck

Ya,tanks, Jonathan,I'm trying to not comment on how much MSR stoves suck but rather the better alternative... as to white gas and lacquer issues... I understand this is an interaction between the oxygen and fuel in fuel container... same for auto fuel tank or stovetank..everyone's got some beatup, leftover fuel bottles, right? The trick is to distill your whitegas into the smaller bottles as soon as you buy it, then keep trying to keep your fuel bottles topped off until you've run thru the entire gallon, this seems to help reduce/eliminate fuel clogging/age contamination... And MSR stove problems? Let's see, better not be a dirtbag or you'll find there's lots of chances to contaminate your fuel, or pump... how about when you need to change fuel bottles and it's freezing out, wet , and muddy and you drop the pump mechanism?

On the subject of gear shops stocking stove stuff, has anyone seen any Svea 123 's sitting on shop shelves anywhere locally? (I might want to get Xmas presents for some whisperlite loving friends of mine!)

TR's are in from Teddy's last epic misadventure, coming this fall to CC.com

BridgeCreek Campground Oct.19-20, should be a full moon right about then, too, sounds excellent for a fall shindig

There's NO WAY Teddy Ruxpin would write for such a professional operation like Alpinist.com or gumbynist, he's been too busy this summer chasing new love interests up at Poodle Dog Pass anyway- sorry, Jon!!!

anybody put the boards on the pow this season yet? Snow isn't FRESHIEZ if you're not shredding it up, I'm sure a lot of people got snowed on this weekend if they were up high enough (I was getting snowed on Saturday but I wouldn't call it FRESHIEZ)

Dudes, I think made in the USA is worth paying extra for. Wouldn't it be a better world if huge corporations got a little bit LESS and small companies got a bit MORE? TNF gets less money and FF or Nunatak or WM got a bit more of our biz? As a comparison- In footwear, you can purchase great shoes that are fullgrain leather with a leather lining,resolable(naturally),Vibram soles and removable cork footbeds that are made in the USA and last you 20 years-cost 250 bucks; OR you can buy petrochemically produced Made in China tennis shoes you throw out every six months and cost whatever they can soak you for. parallel to this argument- does one choose the Starbucks for coffee or an independant barista? Why complain about being able to buy a 300 down jacket that's made in the USA- I'm always thankful I didn't grow up in Poland or Albania, Blah blah blah, I'm happy to have all these great choices to make as an American

Ah, the administration's intent on lessening restrictions on logging is their desire to minimize environmental group's ability to influence government's changes to environmental rules

Jon, check out the Gregory Bike bag sold at MEC, it's made out of hypalon or sheltertite waterproof material and the price looked right. Or, I can sell you a set of the smaller Ortleib panniers for 25 bucks if you want them. [ 04-12-2002: Message edited by: Beck ]

Damn, DRU that truly is a quantum leap in pub club theory- but who wants a couple dozen drunken climbers milling about their pad? Maybe we need to have a good old fashioned KEGGER party out in the sticks

...maybe if there's waist high coyotes with white neck ruffs, klenke

Wolves getting de-listed from the Endangered Species Act? WTF? Is this a response to their population becoming vibrant and sustainable (which, 30 pairs of introduced wolves do NOT a stable population make) or a financial decision to place the burden of wildlife management on the shoulders of state government? Methinks the latter. It sounds like the special interest groups (ranchers, farmers, scared townies) are trying to burden the feds with the costs associated with keeping species on the ESA, and the feds at the D of I responded by saying, essentially, "you won't get the money from us to administer your state programs, set up your own plan and we'll stop overseeing endangered species in your states that come up with a plan." I DON'T think they have the best interests of the wolves first in mind. Oh, and wolves run thru the Cascades- I saw one last summer up off Mountain Loop Hiway.

Don't take this as difinitive, I'm no gear head but... to the best of my knowledge, UIAA and CE approval are certifications both established by the European Manufacturing Community.UIAA certs are for products that are safety related(climbing gear, bike helmets, etc.), the UIAA cert came first and has slightly more relaxed testing standards then CE. (not regarding the strength of any materials, I think the testing process itself is more extended and expensive.) CE certification covers a lot more than just climbing gear (look at the back of your DVD player, or telephone) It certifies the product is approved for sale in Europe. When it comes to climbing gear, either UIAA or CE gear is tough and tested. However, if it hasn't met the CE certs, it's not going to be sold in Europe. Some manufacturers are choosing to not test to CE standards as a cost issue, so these goods are only available domestically.

The more you post on cascadeclimbers.com, the less time you have to actually spend working!

Hard to see Rebuffat confused with a lecturer! He was one of the pioneers of big wall climbing in Europe, wrote a book, "Starlight and Storm" about climbing six classic North Face routes, (The Eiger, etc.) He was a lyricist, not a lecturer. Sounds like he enjoyed the bivy for all it's cold dark and damp aspects. [ 03-22-2002: Message edited by: Beck ]

...get the review of all the transceivers Couloir magazine this season, it really spells out the differences in detail. Generally, digital beacons have a greatly reduced receive range vs. analog beacons. The F1 can pickup signals up to 70 meters away versus 30m or so for digital beacons. The plus side of digital beacons are ease of use, directional prompts and accurate distance readings in meters. The Ortovox M2 people are reccommending is a digi/analog beacon. The advantages of analog signal reception strength with the benefit of digital processing and display to make it more user friendly. the Barryvox and The Tracker are digital beacons but are very easy for an inexperienced user to use. If you intend to wear your beacon regularily and practice often for real life burial scenarios, pick up an Ortovox. If you only need a beacon on occasion to ski the backcountry at the resorts and DON'T intend to practice actually using the thing, get a Barryvox or the Tracker.

There's two cobblers in Seattle who make shoes- one is "Mobeta Shoes" down on Western Ave just below the Pike Place Market, and the other is ??? who had a shop up on capitol hill in a small shop right close to Charlie's on Broadway. I imagine there's more but none I know of.

All the more reason to fight the war on drugs! More bodies into the labor pool! And no early release for you possessors of the evil weed (or the evil speed, a whole different can of worms)the states would rather let the rapists and murderers out first. Lady justice may be blind(ed) but she's weeping thru the blindfold.

It may not be that bad for the prisioners and I can't expect profit driven corporations to make ethics based decisions vs. economic forces. Or to have legislators stop listening to PAC contributors. It still gets me, that states encourage the growth of prison labor. It's preferential treatment all the way, the state wins out, the manufacturer makes out, the prisioner makes out. So why stop with the manufacturing sector? I've got a great idea. Let's get the prisioners jobs in Olympia! They could replace the french chef who caters to the state senators. Maybe the skilled ones could become Social Sercice workers or run the phone lines for the govenor. Or, get the guys on work release to become school bus drivers. Hey, they've BEEN rehabilitated, haven't they?

Prison labor is a bad trend in America- the largest office furniture manufacturer in America was forced into bankruptcy by Michigan prison labor producing same type of furniture. There the prison system itself is the manufacuturer of all sorts of products and the prisioners get the 75 cents or buck fifty an hour. I understand market trends drive industry and understand how cutting costs increases the bottom line and can help keep consumer prices down-but, essentially, any manufacturer who's using prison labor makes the decision to employ convicted felons instead of hardworking law abiding citizens to save some bucks, taking jobs away from average joes and having rapists and child molesters work for them. That pisses me off! Same with the Bush administration plan to make it easier for illegal immigrants to work here. WTF? Why? Oh, I'm NOT pro union, I own things made in China and I have OP gear. The world's not a perfect place. [ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: Beck ]

Let's keep the venue for next week at the Alki as I think it's already been decided- As for the Buckaroo, it's a SMOKEY bar with lotsa bikers and people who pride themselves on their RENAGADE status, might not like a bunch of dirtbag climbers crampin their "local" bar- It's a nice place to drink, but not for big groups like us, me thinks.

All good, joe, I like sewing up gear as well, just tossed out some beta/logistics. Also , I hear it's real tough working with the silcoat stuff, as I'm sure you've figured if you've already got the fabric. Let us know how the finished product turns out!

Integral designs is making a silicone coat nylon pyramid teepee tent, also the Betamid by BD sleeps 3, regular coated nylon, weighs 2.2 pounds and costs 99 bucks. Might save a bunch of hours tracing,cutting, felling, searing, pinning and sewing.

Here's a Wyoming joke- Don't tell it in Wyoming- what do you call four cowboys in a pickup? a Wyoming double date.

The two work in conjunction to give you better results than just glucosamine alone, from what I understand- BTW, the vitamin packets known as "Emer'gen'C" just came out a glucosamine-chronadotin vita C vitamin packs. 17 bucks for 36 packages. Goes great in a nalagene to cut the taste of Iodine.