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!

Trask, so venomous, wow, must be tough getting through your day! As for Krak, he's a good writer, Eiger Dreams is a fine example of his earlier works, his later stuff, well, he's good enough the big boy publisher houses love em', same with Morman Nailer, Tom Wolfe, Stephen King and whoever else has been writing best sellers lately- And, although never having met the man Dru has my respect and commendation for his erudition and prose, seems like a bright bulb amongst the rest of the Tikkas out here!

I've got some North Face Big Wall bibs made with Scholler with big velcro tab suspenders, they don't "make a mess" unless there's some other issues I'm dealing with LOL but the velcro is about 6" tabs, not a problem.

You could MAKE them ,the outdoor fabrics store out at 90th and Aurora in Seattle has all the swag to make em' probably cost you all of 7 bucks and 15 minutes on a sewing machine. 2 hours hand sewn if your into that.

Gaston Rebauffet "On Snow Ice and Rock" is a beautiful book, Rene Daumal's "Mount Analogue" is a total gem! Wasn't "Eiger Dreams" a Krakauer book? pretty good book, that. anything about avalanches and snow science I can get my paws on- not climbing related books? gosh, where to start...although I'd recommend staying away from pulp and reading the classics, I'm rather fond of French surrealists, Russian Industrialists, Marquez, Kundera, John McPhee for non fiction.. oh yeah, and COSMO when I'm in the mood LOL

As in the case of recent bolt chopping on sport routes at Frenchman's Coulee, it is indeed shown that climbing areas will be managed, it is up to climbers to unite in a voice that will help maintain access, improve relations with land owners/ managers, and preserve the vertical environment for future generations of climbers. Ropegun has some well thought out questions, I don't know the answers but am willing to work toward the solutions.

On our heads, usually, Trask, it's how you can recognize us at Pub Clubs.

I'll see you guys in T-Town, hope you can make it!

ANDY FISK WHERE ARE YOU???

I'll pick you up right around 6:30, Caveman, Look for the blue subaru outback - Beck

Usually, my girlfriends are saying "My oh my!" or "Oh my goodness!", at certain moments...