Beck

Good one, A.K. you one serious badass skier thas for sure

lightweight and low bulk, go for a down w/ wb shell, unless your doing lots of 5 day trips I think you'd be okay. none of the synthetic jackets pack up "small"- but primaloft is supposed to compress more than other synthetics, I don't think there's that much of a diff- LL Bean used to sell "belay" style primaloft jackets with hoods for cheap! I wouldn't take it to AK with me but it likes Cascade nights just fine- as to my edit, I went and looked at LLbean.com and it looks like they've discontinued making it- which a lot of manufacturers do with even quality clothing and gear that doesn't meet their sales goals- [ 02-28-2002: Message edited by: Beck ]

... Cavey's either out on some chosspile with Beckey or his boss at work found out how much productivity time Ray put in at CC.com and pulled the e plug!

...I think 4mm cord wouldn't have enough safety margin to be using in an anchor setup-what's it rated breaking strength, 600 lbs- 3kn, something like that? and a knot reduces cord strength by like 50%- Kurt H., how's a 6mm cord worked for you? Notice a diff from 7mm weight/durability wise?

...Have you guys seen the wall that sits just outside Eatonville? I only noticed it last week driving back from Rainier, North east of town...

...I'm looking to pick up a gross of those really nifty bigass plastic REI tags to sew on all my non REI clothing/gear

..whatever, rat, I didn't go.

...I posted this in the hopes of enlightening any cc.comers who want more info on skiing Snoqualamies' backcountry as he's got a lot of good info

It's the full macho, that's for sure. I rode one while training in luge at Mount Van Hovenburg back in 1984-85 and let me tell you, us lugers' IQ's seemed to go up about 15 points whenever the skeleton team showed up to practice. Those sleds are 80 pounds of steel and lead and the runners are frickin' ROUND, totally circular, with only the smallest of hairline ridges in the back foot or so to aid in tracking, I guess. You DO steer them, somewhat, by shifting your weight side to side and dragging your toes. I took a couple runs on a skeleton and found it to be a reckless, extremely dangerous way to enjoy yourself.

Hi all, just read in the Times that Marrin Volken's giving a talk tonight at 7pm at the main REI store on "skiing Snoqualamie Pass"- I think he's got a new edition of his Backcountry guidebook out or something. In addition, he might drop some beta on the upcoming Randonee Rally his store's sponsering with Lifelink up at the pass March 31

What a vaucous NON-event- a 1000 years ago they weren't looking at their digital watches and thinking "wow, in a thousand years..."-

.. I think Tele's going to be a demo sport in the next olympics, and it will have both uphill and downhill legs to the race- I think there's a tele race official FIS version that's already done in Europe. Anybody correct me if I'm wrong... I'm giving up Teleskiing to take up Curling, I found the competition fascinating.

I think it's a blanket rule in ALL national parks that prohibits pets in ANY backcountry- pets on leashes in parking areas only

...recouping after a weekend from hell...I'll still go drinking tommorrow if it's biking distance to my house, call the pub someone!

Beta on the Bibler tripod suggests they pole/bivy connections are NOT that burly, also prone to blow out. If anyone's tried to set one up, the mothers' are TIGHT- I was worried I was going to blow out the corners on the floor model- I went with the bigwall by Bibler and have found the hoop provides plenty enough room to eat, drink and read in there, the long model is 6'10" or something like that and broad at the bottom- plenty or room to store gear boots etc.

Pink slips? Pink slips... I'm getting my around May first so I'm salting the money away, get to be a travelling dirtbag for the first time in 7 years. I'm totally looking forward to having a summer free of work constraints, collecting a small amount of unemployment and bombing around the American west in a beat up station wagon, rolling thirty minute spliffs out of Great Basin HG and taking my upcoming unemployment in stride!

... Dave, you used to ski jump? you're NUTS,man... how big a jump did you get to? I bailed after trying twenty meter jumps for a while as a kid, then settled for a safer sport, luge. Both get you totally FLYING, that's for sure.

"Touque" I Beleive is the spelling on that, all, and not a new slang word at all

Skeleton is to luge as demolition derby is to formula one races, or more appropiate, lugers are to skeloteneers as fencing is to WWF.

(skier response, over 25,)"freshies"-skiing ungroomed fresh snow of a delightful light n fluffy quality, inspires emotions of great pleasure witn it's emphereal nature

Come on all you Olympic naysayers, the Olympics are about international competitions of the best atheletes a country has to offer- it's not about the commercialism,or how cool a sport is- these atheletes are some of the most dialed in humans on the planet in their respective disciplines- Rebalagiti exceptions occur in every sport though. Sure, TV coverage of the Olympics degrades the competition, but doesn't TV kind of do that with everything? And Allison, BTW, skeleton sledders are absolutely INSANE. I rode a skeleton in Lake Placid and found luge to be a calm, controlled sport in comparision. Skeleton sled runners don't even have edges and the sleds are 90 pounds of steel and lead.

Cavey, if you're not stashing food use 5gal pickle buckets or go buy some bigass ammo cans.

...I had a chance to check out all the new MSR tents before Christmas- a lot of their new tents are Moss or Walrus designs reworked with some ultralite fabrics- their plan is to offer top quality tents with Moss tent features- Their copy of the Black diamond Betamid is worked a little better, it has a vent opposite the door for good cross flow ventilation, but IMHO it's not worth buying the MSR unless you can get it on Prodeal. 2nd to Mattp about the tarp, BUT these new two pole "duex teton" style tarp tents hold up in hella high winds, are extremely taut in the pitch, AND are sweet to dig into the snow for an easy standup height winter abode.

Mount Rainier is in a "Trial" or "exploratory" (not official but being exercised to some degree, some rangers more than others) procedures on their chain requirements- the SOP's going to be changed at some time in the future to require all vechicles to have chains OR YOUR VECHICLE WILL NOT GO TO PARADISE. When they actually enact it, or if, is yet TBA.

...licking your partner's Patagucci longjohns!