Teogo

Paragliding; soloing without the effort...can't remember who said it, but there you go. I had five or six acquaintances/friends take up the sport all but one got pretty busted up at one point or another,(compressed discs, broken backs etc.). Getting lured into flying in conditions over your skill level is just way to easy for most people. I'm intrigued that folks would take a one week course and figure they can fly---it's not like you can get out and walk when things go awry. A comparisson might be how much experience would you want to have before you started soloing moderate rock or ice routes? Ya, I know that you have got to get the experience to build up your judgement, but I'd be very careful with this pasttime. We all climb differently, but if we screw-up we all fly the same.

Twenty-eight dollars, cheap??!! MEC has Wild Country forged friends for about the same price. (Just checked--21.00 to 26.00 U.S. dollars.) Course you'd have to be goint through Vancouver to pick them up...

It's interesting how some nationalities seem to revel in sandbagging. I've knowen a few chech climbers who seem to think it's a great virtue. All fun and games until somebody ends up really busted up. Not sure I'd urinate on a knowen sandbagger if they were on fire.

I saw a t.v. ad the other day and began having some of the same feelings you've expressed....when the dead bird rep showed up at our store the other day I asked if there was any intention to move production off shore; he made an interesting point----a number of processes used in the production of arc'teryx gear require very specialized machinery. Specialized enough that the machinery is built for their factory alone and nobody else currently has it. I can't remember the name of the brand that Salomen ownes, but the company was making stuff off-shore, and Salomen, upon purchase of the company, moved production back to europe. Certainly there is still a chance that "the bird" will go off shore, but I'd say those chances are remote--for now.

Sheath slipage? No, that's not normal--I've owned alot of ropes and Maxim and a creaky old Cousin were the only ropes I've had these kind of problems with. I remember speaking with a rep from the New England factory about 6 or 7 years ago and at that time he claimed that CORE SLIPPAGE was a problem of humidity in the factory, that the problem had been addressed, and that it was definitely a warranty issue if any more ropes with core slippage showed up. Some folks seem to think that sheath slippage is nothing to worry about, but I don't agree; at the very least think about jumaring on a cord with bad sheath slippage. In the event of a leader fall core and sheath represent different percentages of the strength of the rope. (I've heard 25% on the sheath the rest on the core). Should the sheath slip bad enough then obviously the core is going to take more of the impact...If the sheath is slipping some weird physics could be introduced into how the impact of a fall is absorbed by the rope; nothing to be played with.

A great tent---I've had once since 85...been out in some serious howlers with it as well, (i.e. the poles were flat against the ground with the wind.) Stake it out well and I think half of Kansas could go over your head.

I remember being at the top of something steep on toprope once, asked the belayer to take the slack out of the rope once I reached the anchor...I was hanging there catching my breath when I heard the belayer say in a broken French accent, "Would you like to feel the fear?" Before I could say anything he dropped me twenty feet, and then slammed the brakes on. First and last time I climbed with Francois.

I wonder how many of those "climbers" were on commercial expeditions? Reminds of that George Lowe quote; "I'd rather not climb with people who are paid to take risks on my behalf...If you can't climb the mountain on your own you really have to look at your motivation."

Like clever monkeys we've outsmarted ourselves and now we're filled with dread.

I recall going through the same quandry about four years ago....under ideal conditions--firm, well frozen snow--I never felt the need for a rope or belay. I remember a very short section of 4th class rock over steep, exposed snow as the only place where some folks might want a rope. A fun route to a nice summit. The first time I tried it the jet stream dropped down above Shasta---never seen winds like that; two guys in their brand new North Farce tent were picked up like a hovercraft.

Many years ago I took a learning to lead course, a general mountaineering course as well as an alpine ice program from Canada West mountain school. The learning to lead course was fantastic, and the mountaineering course was equally good, the alpine ice course was a was of time and money. Check the ratio of students to instructors, and find out exactly who will be teaching & ask around to find out what their reputation is...as an alternative you might look into getting a group of three friends together and splitting the cost of a guide---it's pretty reasonable in terms of cost, you can set the dates,and the course content to your personal needs & you'll probably learn more in less time. (In addition, you're fellow students are friends so you don't have to worry about spending time in the mountains with someone who is a five star nightmare.)

Twisp, Wa; you'll have to go to find out. "Whenever people quote me I always think how sad it is when cousins marry." Patrick "sold to the highest bidder" Moore

I find the trackers maximum operating distance of about 45 metres inadequate. In the event of a burial and no last knowen point of reference for the victim it could take a lot longer to narrow the field with a 45 metre range. The tracker is powered by triple a batteries---not nearly as common as double a batteries. A guide friend complained about the performance of the Tracker when looking for deep burials---2 metres plus. I know that Orthovox is coming out with a spiffy new beacon this autumn...from the little that I've heard this new beacon does an excellent job at combining the benefits of analog and digital technology; perhaps you might want to wait 6 months? Finally, there are some good beacon reviews at offpistemag.com

It's interesting to note that regulations in some countries, Canada for instance, make it illegal to import and sell OP gear---the use of prison labour for the manufacture of any goods render the sale of those goods illegal. (Thus the return of product at MEC a number of years ago.) While the hourly wage that OP is paying seems reasonable the Canadian law is intended to deal with countries like China where prison labour is routinely used for truly dangerous, horrible work. (I.E. wading around in a vat of chemicals at a match making company with no protective clothing, or working in a coal mine with very minimal safety precautions.) Spaulding, Hertz, Howard Johnson and a lot of other compaies use prison labour, (check out Micheal Moore's documentary The Big One). While Washington state may enforce wage parity my understanding is that many states do not----the one dollar an hour scenerio is common. The bottom line for me: if a company wants to use prison labour fine, but pay the going rate. Child support, contributions to victim and court funds can certainly be detucted, but pay the going rate.

Carolyn; I found I was never the same after my close call(s). I to consider myself a very safe climber, as my partners do, with lots of experience. I certainly enjoyed my climbing career afterwards, but when it came to red-lining, pushing the envelope, I found that I just did not have it anymore. Fortunately climbing is about more than just walking the quick of the plank, but I went through a process, over several years, of re-evaluating what I enjoyed about climbing. Even a quick glimpse into the "never more" can have that effect. Cultivate the voice that says "not today", and play safe.