Beck

Chiming in on Kayland, I've got some of their scramble shoes and think they are the best set of approach shoes I've ever laid eyes on- The quality is top notch as well, I'd give Kayland products a big thumbs up! Backpacker had a short review on Kayland Revolutions in the last year or so, you might want to do an archive search at Backpacker.com

Where is the next drinkin' fest?

Well, better check with our fellow boozers and pick some place, there's a strong Ballard Luddite congregation on CC.com, maybe they'll pick out a spot, cheap drinks preferred over atmosphere- Sorry I missed Tuesday's fest in Issaquah, Cavey, last minute booty call took precedence over the drinkin fest!

A quick fix- preheat your canister with your headlamp as well in an inside pocket 1/2hour before you're stopping for the night, and get a cute little neoprene muff for it,set it up on a cut up base of foam or light wood. No probs, I'm still carrying whitegas for planned overnight outings, pocketrocket for midday hot cocao or unplanned overnights

I think Mountain Gear in Spokane's got em, mzone.com i think is the web address

Well, some people are convinced THEY'RE not having fun and they go about making everyone else as miserable as possible in order to justify their own crappy attitude- I've run into these kind of people and you all have too, I'd imagine... I'm usually smiling even if I'm postholing uphill through a thin crust over waist deep rockies powder...no, I take that back. I'm smiling even if I'm snowshoeing with a friend who's never been in the mountains in winter, even if it means not cutting turns because yes, it is real cool to see other people getting out and having fun.

Cavey, are we drinking at the Issaquah brew pub next Tuesday for Pub Club or what?

Yes, yes, Judge Judy was unduly harsh to our climbing contingent last night, or I guess we're just dumber than the rocks we climb on. I do try to emulate those dudes from Dumb and Dumber in my everyday life, it helps me get out of tough situations by appearring disarmingly stoopid~!

This triple crown acheivement seems dubious to me; hiking the North Cascades in mid march? Only if he had some serious resupply going on- also, think of the navigational difficulties of following trails under snow- I'd like to see some more details on this guy.

Scholler Dryskin's a great fabric, I've worn a MEC dryskin jacket for two years now most every winter outing and it is great to not be inside a goretex sweatbox all day. I've been using Patagonia's new Dimension jacket for the last coupla months, it's made with this new Dupont fabric that's like Dryskin on Steroids, it way outperforms my MEC Dryskin jacket in stormproofness, durability and water resistance- look for it right now in Patagonia's Regulator series coats and Marmot's Rock Suit- although the price is over $200 for the coats this is the best softshell fabric I've seen so far IMO. [ 10-30-2001: Message edited by: Beck ]

Lots of cash strapped pinheads have been screwing three pins onto alpine boards for the last 15 years or so, there's no reason you can't take some alpine boards, make a fifty dollar bargain basement investment into some cable bindings, and be doing tele turns in rented boots for pretty cheap- and I think I heard you right, you stated you DID want to learn how to tele? It's is the true bliss of the glisse that sets tele apart- sometimes a step behind, but singular in it simplicity; you never change the configuration of bindings, you ski with a form that isn't predicated by changing binding style, clipping in, or going from snowshoe to snowboard- it's also the way modern skiing evolved, on free heel equipment- Sondre Nordheim from Telemark ring a bell with anyone? Snowshoe Thompson of the Sierra Nevadas postal service? Or the first organized skiing events and clubs in America? Free Heelers, all.

Dwayner, So on Sunday me and a buddy head up to Mount Rainier in hope of scoring some of these freshies and bum around the RMI shack in hopes of a BigLou sighting , autographs, photo ops, book signings, etc.- No Louie, and we looked, man! We found the skiing to be great, the freshies FINE, and the bliss of the gliss unsurpassed. schuss loose, Beck

We skiied the shady slopes of Mazama Ridge and got great, short 35 degree runs in NICE FLUFFY Powder- hella fine for October- When that Honda when over the bank there I bet the driver just about shat 'is pants! It sure was blindingly nice weather yesterday,eh?

I was wearing the Patagonia Dimension Jacket, for those of you familiar with Scholler, it's like Scholler on Steroids, real Gorilla Skin, they make pants in the same material, I can't say how pleased I've been with Scholler fabrics and now this new Dupont fabric Patagonia is using- I think Marmot's got a suit made of the same stuff called the Rock suit, didn't see it in the retail store yet. Jim, sheriff of Yakima County and SAR coordinator on the Adams rescue likened it to us "herding the guy in"- he was camping up high over the weekend when the weather closed in ansd he woke up in whiteout conditions near the lunch counter somerwhere around 8,000 feet. He had a FRS Radio and contacted some hunter who alerted Yakima Co.- His tent collapsed on him sometime Tuesday AM and he had to cut himself out of his tent and sleping bag to escape.Without shelter he had no option but to begin descending in the whiteout. We arrived Tuesday AM and we were in contact with him on the radio and helped steer him down and out as we cut track for him to follow if he ran across it. Lucky guy, those radios aren't a failsafe but it really helped out on this one.

I can't even tell for sure that Sexual Chocolate is a climber, with posts like that. You know what I mean? What's that stuff? Does he sound like a mountain dude or a bored housewife on her third box of bonbons? not to mention all the topic changing spray stuff, Mormon Nailer? Kennedy assinations? Doesn't that deserve it's own thread, like "Sexual Chocolate Gets Off on Nerd Stuff- Back and to the left!" My apologies to you, Sexy C.

DON'T JUST GO BUY BIBS MADE OF GORETEX! Try something softshell! You'll be a lot happier in some fine Schoeller Dryskin Extreme Bibs or salopettes (Check out MEC's Scholler salopette) or Patagonia's new Regulator fabrics- Unless you're climbing a slush fest or in totally tough rain, Scholler will keep you warmer and drier than any Goretex product and at less than half the price- What's Gore tex XCR stand for- X-treme Cost Ripoff! A case in point: just yesterday I was up on a SAR action on Mount Adams yesterday, looking for some dude in a total blizzard, 60 MPH gusts, ice rime, heavy snows, FULL conditions. the rest of the team wore Gore or related products, I wore scholler pants and a Patagonia Regulator Jacket. Less than two hours into the search, my fellow Mountain Rescue bros were largely wetted out, inside and outside their shells. You know, dripping wet. I was mildy moist, little bit of wet out just above the gaiters and knees. By the end of the day I was STILL dry inside, just a touch moist from sweat but felt very comfortable in the soft shells I was wearing, the rest of the team looked like wet cats in an Icebox- no, not quite that bad!! Try some scholler pants, you can get em for 100 bucks or so, sometimes less (I found some at a Bertram Mann store for 25 bucks!) you'll be very impressed with the performance of these new age soft shell fabrics- Beck

Mattp painted it pretty clear about the high altitude attitude, there is less of a "rescue fellow climbers" mentality there versus continental mountaineering. I feel there is less and less of a "help others" mentality out there nowadays regardless, it's probably a result of the "I ME MINE" materialism and self involvement that pervades our society. As for an ethical imperitive for an average citizen to help out in a non mountaineering first aid situation, there's a caveat that you "do not place yourself at risk" Risk is to be left to trained rescuers (I.E. Firemen, EMT's, SAR teams) and perhaps this mentality invades clients on guided expeditions who are not neccessarily climbers because they love climbing and would not be inculturated with the mountain code of "help other climbers in distress"- I've seen reports of non assistance in AINAM annuals on Denali, so it's not just in the Himalaya.

Uncle Tricky, what an erudite and entertaining report. I wished I could have made the pub club! To all you Cascade Climbers looking to hook up at these Pub Club Boozefests, just as Ehmmic says, it's a spontaneous thing, just get out here, post a suggestion on where to meet for drinks, get a consensus, and PARTY!!! I liked Captain Caveman's suggestion on the Issaquah Pub Club but will be out of action Tuesday nights (MOFA Instructor course) through Thanksgiving so will stay out of the planning process surrounding these indecent,immoral,inflagrant fun fests for the near future... I'll miss not seeing you guys.

I was up on Mount Adams all day yesterday, messing aroung at 6,000 feet or so in three feet of beautiful fluffy light powder snow, fantastic to see such good quality snow so early in the year... Hart's Pass and Slate Peak offer good quality lower angle runs up to about 1,000 feet on some good smooth heather slopes, great place to put in some early season turns, if you can still drive to the Pass.

I'm going as a climber. Or Teddy Ruxpin.

Damn, dudes and dudettes, I'd love to go and I'm usually nearby the Pike Place Market but I gots to go to Mount Adams 4AM Tues to go on a SAR action, I'll try double speed to make it back but I'm not promising anything!!!

Carolyn, I'd definitely consider some of the new burly leather insulated boots, if too cold (still) go with supergaiters to compensate, I know you'll make a sound decision. In his book "The Climb" didn't Boukereev mention wearing his track shoes way up high on Everest like to 22000 feet? Felt they were the best footwear for travelling "fast and light." [This message has been edited by Beck (edited 10-19-2001).]

I'd by one for my lift served ski bunny if I had one... Grandma, too! she'd love it "OOhh, a heating pad I can wear!!! How much did it cost, sonny?" "Get the stick, boy,and come over here for that whipping you deserve for spending money like that!" Got to love old Grams.

Look for a school that "cross reciprocates" the refresher courses or you will be stuck taking your refresher classes with the same institute (a bummer if you move out of area!)every time.

I walk around winter camps with a one quart hot water nalegene bottle heater, added to extra socks and s--- I've got drying out in my coat- but it makes me look like the Pillsbury dough boy on a raid to the snow kitchen!