Pencil_Pusher

Thumbs up for MtNative. I'm all for keeping that gate closed and making people rent snowmobiles or ski in. Kudos to alpinedave and crew, visiting the area and coming back with some cool (and nipply, for topless) photos of their ice climbing adventures.

Maybe this shift in guiding services is why the NPS is doubling the climbing fee, perhaps guesstimating the number of climbers will increase significantly in the coming years. $$

Yep sketchfest, I confirmed it: you're just not purdy enough to be on this show. While opening the oln link, I saw that photo and thought #3 was Dr Ginger Lea Southall and sure enough, she's on the list... go figure. She's hotter than a two dollar pistol. I recall one of her stories involving creative uses out of the borrowed "altitude-tent" (that simulates higher altitudes than those experienced in Florida)... Denali provided for many stories involving her I also recall seeing the ad for this trip in some magazine a while ago. Good luck for everyone involved. Unlike the post about any guide company that accepts this is a "loon", rather they're smart as hell getting all that publicity. Undoubtedly it will be a struggle as all guided trips are in terms of acceptable levels of risk, the nature of the beast. If the old lady can sue McD's for the hot coffee, certainly mountaineering isn't immune to such "liabilities". The release of liability form, the trip taking place in a foreign country, and dainbramage from altitude affecting memory should lessen such instances.

4WD, Allison is convinced she needs it... why? Carry your tire chains year-round. Sure may be dirtier and not as convenient as 4wd, but you've got a beer budget with a champagne taste. That said, buy a cheap car (make sure it passes emissions b4 you buy it). Much to the chagrin of previous girlfriends, I've gotten by for the past six years on $1k cars. They're cheap, they usually last a year or two, and you can always buy another one if it breaks down. Nobody wants to steal them. They vary in gas mileage. You don't really care about spending money to wash them or do preventitive maintenance. At $1k per year and cheap insurance, you're better off financially in the long run as well. That's bang for the buck.

Maybe you could join forces with Erden (and crew?).

Awesome post, Graupel. The next meeting is January 9th although now I'm not sure whether that's at REI or the Mtnrs clubhouse.

There's another hearing January 9th at REI, I think.

The obvious answer to Lambone's situation is that the climbers find a bag of pitons, ropes, and chocolate bars left by climbers from previous years. I did especially like the 120m fall scenario. Also, I was hesitant to read the answers but discovered that was my ego pushing through. So I read them with interest and liked the answers. That suicide-slip knot is for the birds. I can't say I particularly like the body-weight anchor idea, but it is a rather good one I didn't know about for a situation I wouldn't "particularly like" to be in.

Yeah, good TR. I don't have the balls to solo that, not even in rock shoes in the summer. I know it's all mental, but the price is not what I'm willing to pay. Still, that was an excellent TR of a route I've never done in the day or at night. I still wonder who those two dudes were in 2001 on Liberty Bell that soloed past us in jeans with parachutes on their backs to BASE jump on the Liberty Crack side. A big muscle dude and a scrawny english dude, if I remember correctly.

Would you happen to know how far it would be to ski from the closure to Washington Pass, coming from the west (heading east)?

December Newsletter Seems like they're using this trail fee to fight forest fires. To the tune of $14 million last year if I remember correctly from the article. It's in the Mountaineers December Newsletter, check it out. I thought the old outhouse at the Ingalls Creek trailhead was just fine but now there's a $25 million new outhouse there paid by tax dollars. Park rangers driving around in shiny new Suburbans and Blazers and they want to increase fees... How much is being spent on enforcement and how much actually hits the trail? The highlight of this insanity was digging out the shitter at Camp Muir last winter to find an access ramp at the door with a damn wheelchair hanging inside. Sort of like braille on the ATM at the drive-thru.

A day late and a dollar short again! Took a Gary Brill avalanche course two years ago. I have two Ortovox transceivers, the ones that ping like sonar and have three led lights. Anyhow, this sucker is pinging away long after everyone elses went silent as Gary walks way out there. It's still pinging as he turns around to ask if that's far enough. We had an assortment of newer Ortovoxes, Trackers, Pieps and such... mine's the only one still giving off a faint beep. Long and short, when we went out en masse, we used the Ortovox on point to first locate the signal and then get the Trackers on course to expedite recovery. I like my Ortovox and also understand the simplicity of Trackers for newer hands... maybe it's just the practice thing emphasized throughout this thread. Just make sure your buddy has the best shovel! Good thread, I enjoyed reading through it. For whomever wants the super, in-depth coverage of avalanche territory, Gary Brill does an excellent job of it, if you can keep up with his mindset. Alot more than my pea-brain could process at one sitting.

One other thing worth mentioning (sorry if it is already in here, I hardly have time to post anymore), as Cavey said, you'd really have to want this bad. Cuz SAR and everyone else ain't gonna come in for a rescue if something goes wrong. Scream and holler all you want, everyone has no liability for watching your dumb butt die of exposure because they'd be just as stupid trying to pull off a rescue. Fire in place is what I'd say.

Hey Y'all, there's also The Sloop across from Stone Gardens, next to the VFW. 32 oz mug of Redhook $4 32 oz mug of Bud $3.50 Pool tables and who cares about how the food tastes. Parking is free and ample. After my first Grade 3 B, Class 3.0 quarter, I'm at the Sloop tonight for a well deserved brewsky.

Pretty damned expensive, but looks fun as well. wuhooadventurerace.com

"First" man-made, all natural blah blah? Huh?

It was nice and uplifting to see the court throw out the bulk of the tickets. That dude that went on principle had the unfortunate coincidence of encountering a ranger and then admitting his guilt there and then. Next time, "I no speak ingles, sprechen sie deutsch?" If so, "Habla espanol?" then get in car and drive off.

A day late and a dollar short but: There was some thread (a while back) in the Climbers Boards about some dude lamenting about, "...any day now he was expecting some gaper to post about his 5.11c climb up Saber," or something to that effect. So I was actually doing just that with this 5.11c post.

Obviously it's not working too well. Lowell, please, please, please, please, please... another old-time trip report. Please.

Barrabes Website

Welcome to the club, I keep mine as a relic of the past. Nobody has bought it yet, huh?

My brain hurts from all of this. Thanks to Alex and CascadeClimber for at first confusing the hell out of me. I think I understand it better now. Why I had to look at a Mountaineers theory of mechanical advantage pic and quiz is beyond me. Iain.

Lowell, I was wondering if you could post another historic story for us to take a gander at. Something like that Marathon... from the early years. -PP

The two things I got out of St Helens were: 1. Free-heel skiing using x-country skis is alot harder than the telemark turns I see people doing with normal gear. Our brilliant plan was to ski down, I think we made it 150yards before we realized the futility of the idea. Sitting on the skis and crashing at warp speed was the way to go. 2. Ignorance is bliss when camping in an avalanche bowl. Dehydration (ran out of fuel the night before) and beer at the car work really well, especially when not driving.

Or, imagine this, the hardcore climber could simply not clip the antagonistic bolt and use those sliders instead.