slaphappy

Oh Kat, we have been through this before. It's both fun and easy if you stay on the obvious trail and outta the rhubarb. It's a bit longer than 20 minutes, but more fun. It's also important to approach these depproaches with the right frame of mind. Do you remember the super hot and buggy hike outta Temple? I don't and I doubt Elizabeth does either. The half bottle of Bushmills took care of that... Well, Hook Creek just requires a bit more prep time (and a bigger bottle) up on The Beach. Did I mention the fun? I always thought git meant "stupid fuckin dumbass", but ,woe, I'm no member of Team Negative and they have a special one syllable language, I'm told.

More like 20 min or so...

That's one of the good things about the telemark turn: you don't have to have much speed at all to make a smooth and easy turn. In crappy snow or maybe deep muck, it is sometimes the only thing short of a gorilla turn that will work. And even in great conditions, I can enjoy a nice smooth run down a beautiful mountainside at half the speed of my AT or snowboard buddies. To each his own, but all but maybe a couple of boarder knuckle-heads would recognize that finesse winds points over brutnesse and speednesse and while good skiing is good skiing, the telemark turn does have a certain elegance to it. Wow Matt! A fine display of ignorance... First off I wasn't aware that my choice of winter recreation has anything to do with my intelligence but thanks for enlightening me. Secondly do you really think a competant snowboarder relys on "brutnesse" over technique, finesse, and elegance? The beauty of snowboarding is combining all those elements, including "speednesse", resulting in a near effortless ride. "Brutenesse" doesn't even play a roll except in the most demanding survival situations, just as it would on tele skis. Telemarking's best attribute is that it effectively turns a good skier into an intermediate skier. Only the absolute best teleskiers seem to be able to consistantly link turns on steep terrain without making awkward, over exagerated turns that display any sort of "elegance". Maybe it feels elegant, but to the onlooker, it's more akin to a square box tumbling down a hill versus a rolling sphere. But hey, I guess intermediate "hippy pow" can be, um, fun.

Snowboarding, slow? dumb? hardly. Telemarking? now that's some, s-l-o-w, dumb, shit...

left route: Old Growth 10c right route: Winnebago Warrior 10c

You might have better luck with "Orange Peel" than "Orange Juice"...

Opinion: Ummmm, no, it's not.

telemarker, Was that the place on the corner of the Chumstick Hwy and Hwy 2? If so, I think the building was condemned and Simian the owner moved to California or something. I went slednecking with Sim once and I don't think I would be completely comfortable eating anything he touched.

The horror! Perhaps you prefer your toppings limp and uncooked, resulting in a very soggy 'za, but I do not. Sorry Sobo, I'm not at liberty to disclose the location of said "bar". It's more of a myth anyhow...

For the most part Leavenworths food establishments suck. -Duck and Drakes makes a good burger and Halibut sandwhich, plus they have Boundary Bay IPA on tap but it's a dungeon. The only window is at the front and the service can be, well, bad... -Viscontis= too much tude -Ulis really blows. Try to get in there for a late night burger on a Sat without paying a $5 cover for some shitty band. Makes for one expensive burger. Oh and taco night was a real deal . Dogs and stinky hippies abound, Ulis truly blows. K. Kurtz's "jive" can be entertaining however. -Post Office= smoke pit with bad food. -Gustav's is the least offensive, in my opinion, but I hate fries and don't mind that my burgers come without. The beer is good and the employees are friendly and helpful. -Leavenworth Pizza Co puts their toppings below the cheese a definite sign of a failed pizza. -Does anyone even go to Kodiak? The owner alone will drive you out the door, not to mention the cruddy eats. -Heidelburger gives me gut rot. Does no mayo mean double it up? -The mexican joint is way overpriced for very mediocre food. -The Dragonfly (newest local hotspot) is ok for socializing but the food is outrageously priced albeit good. $15 california rolls is a lot for mayonaise. -Renaissance is ok as long as the owner isn't waiting on you. She'll forget you're there in a second unless she knows you. -Krystal's is dope if you want a truck stop breakfast. At least you get a free one on every 6th visit. Yup, Gustav's is still the best of a bad lot although personally I prefer a cabin burger and frosty PBR at the "highest bar in Chelan County"...

Ski to Ingall's? Why? You can ride a sled to Lake Ann from Salmon la Suc and be on the summit in less than an hour, without even poaching the wilderness. Of course, you have "chain hill" to deal with .

... and second ascent has the best advice/knowledge on splitboards. Priors are good (and expensive) but not necessarily the best. Both Burton and Voile offer solid set ups.

What the lady said... -

Yes, I do think it would take someone who had never hand drilled a hole before 40-60 min to drill a 1/2" by 4" hole. (my 20-40 min addition was on top of Kevbone's original 20.) 132435465768- How does me saying "carbide tipped" imply the shaft is stronger? You misunderstood me. The carbide tip shattered renderring it useless not the shaft of the bit. I drill holes nearly every day at work and although rare, I have had this happen with 1/4" and 3/8" as well. (it was with my roto hammer not a hand drill) The $40ish Hilti bits that have an entire carbide tip instead of just the insert don't seem to be a problem. As far as "weaving and bobbing" go, it makes for a sloppy hole (something I try and avoid...) and a split shank button head won't seat properly in a sloppy-ass hole. ...and next time I'm hand drilling on lead I'll try and remember your advice, "weave and bob" instead of being frightened and striking the drill too damn hard.

So im off on the time by 10 minutes, sorry. Hand drilling still sucks if you dont have to. No. As usual, you were talking out your ass about something you know nothing about. You're probably off something more like 20-40 minutes, of course you wouldn't know that because you clearly haven't taken the time to actually do it. Hence the reason I am willing to bet $100+ you couldn't. I disagree, hand drilling does not suck.

do not hit the drill while twisting, twist then hit. doing that causes the bit to get stuck more, or break if they are weaker bits. don't buy it. the human hand is not turning the bit with enough force to keep it moving accross the rock during the point of impact it must take you 45 minutes to drill one hole. believe me when you're a 150 smacks into it you're hitting the drill while twisting it. i've never gotten a bit stuck and i certainly haven't noticed it dulling faster. as for breaking a bit with a hand drill... you would have to seek out the shittiest steel possible. iv'e never seen someone break a bit hand drilling, maybe if you fell on it or something strange like that. i just start hitting and twisting, weaving and bobbing, never had problem to date. I have shattered two 5/16" carbide tips while hand drilling although it had nothing to do with twisting and more to do with being scared/over-zealous... and the "weaving and bobbing" thing doesn't work so well if you're putting in button heads.

Kevbone- Oh, it would be longer... I'll bet you a two year supply of hangers there is no way you could handrill a 1/2" by 4" hole in solid Eastern Washington basalt in under, let's say 30 minutes. suckbm- -3/8 by 2.25-3" is sufficient. Unless it's in a waterfall, a zinc plated 5-piece is stronger than a stainless wedge and IMO is a better choice in an arid environment. - good basalt has a very tight grain and is far harder to drill than say Stuart Range granite. Expect it to take 30-45 minutes per hole, particularly if you haven't had a fair amount of practice. - as far as tutorials go, a "pet" boulder and a six pack will give you the best lesson... *solicit your bud Alpine Monkey, he knows how. -

Damn, wish I woulda seen you guys. I headed solo over to the NW side and got in about 3000' of goodness. There was no crust on that side... Still needs another storm cycle but it's coming along great. I'll be over there the week between Christmas and New Year if either of you want to head out. -

Westside of Washington? single pitch? clown.

That may be what you recall but you're wrong. There are more than two protection bolts on Aint Misbehavin and there are none on Groundhog Day.

..and had you opened your guidebook before typing, you would have realized there is no "two bolt variation"... the amount of BS here is staggering...

lazy snowboarders!!! My khyber isn't so good on firm snow, but maybe it's just that I suck. What? Lazy? Exactly what is lazy about using a sled that can travel over untracked deep snow to access better areas... still splitting up the mountains. I have seen exactly zero non-lazy skinners (ski or splitters) in the areas we visit. Wait a minute, you're BS'n me, don't you use a sled?

Frosty Having 20+ years under my belt as well, I would run with the more traditional/ stiffer Backcountry as my primary split. Sure would be nice to try the Khyber though... My bud has one of the Burtons with their interface set ups. It's fun to watch him curse and struggle with it while I snicker and consume copious amounts of whiskey. Let us know what you come up with and how it performs. Just curious: During the winter do you lose the "trad" ("trad"?) part of your name and run with the historical "Frosty the Snowman" or something more creative like "Frosty the Splitman" or "Frosty the Boardman" perhaps "Frosty the Madman" or my personal favorite " Frothy the Beerman " ? Eerie, if you weren't such a small, frail, little man, you could handle the 66... -

It's a 71. Don't know yet, just got it. Been using a 73 Freeride for 4 seasons. Surprisingly good board but soft. I was disappointed to find out they softened up the Gun from last year after ordering/purchasing it. and stiffened up the Freeride. Seems stupid... They're also releasing a new design (*rumor* -tapered like a fish) around February. Sorry I can't offer any more info, I'll do a comparison post as soon as the snow flies. *I'm psyched to see the increase in split interest around here. We should all get together and ride sometime this winter. Now if more of you would turn to the dark side and add a Mntn sled to the quiver... -

No first hand knowledge but Splitboard.com has some good info in the board review section. Depends on your riding style and when/where you're gonna use it. With as much snow as we normaly get I would be tempted to try the Khyber... that said I doubt it would be my only split. I would want a stiffer/longer board for those less than optimal days. Damn them Priors are pricey, I'll stick w/ the Freeride/Mntn Gun combo for now... -