willstrickland

Sugar-free chewing gum. Seriously. Like Trident or something. Gives you the sensory stimulation without the cals. Seems like alot of people eat for entertainment/sensory stimulation rather than because they are actually feeling hunger pangs. Of course, for all you toothless meth addicts, this might not be the best solution.

You don't have to shell out big money for a good bag. I've gone through 3 (on #4 now)synthetic 15deg bags in the last dozen years...Marmot wizard (currently), TNF cats meow, Sierra Des. wild bill (two of these). I never paid retail, getting three of the four from Campmor end of season model year clearance sales, twice with a free 3/4 thermarest thrown in the deal, and paid about $125 avg. Brand is more or less unimportant. I like the hood features on SD better than the others I've had, but polarguard is polarguard and nylon is nylon. You can't expect a synthetic bag to last as long as down. My FF 20deg bag is going strong 8 years later and I expect it will last another 10 no problem. But I ain't taking a down bag up a big route in above or near freezing temps. I know I spent at least 250 nights (probably closer to 400) in the first SD, before it lost too much loft. And I totally neglected that one, just abused it while working hoods in the woods. Never pay retail.

Musta felt easy after the Dihedral Wall: "It became obvious that this route would be a huge step above anything I had climbed. It was absurdly sustained. Most of the existing hard free routes on El Cap had only a few 5.13 pitches, but of the first fifteen pitches of the Dihedral, one was 5.14, one 5.13d, three 5.13c, three 5.13b, and four 5.12. On top of that, these pitches were sustained. I had to really concentrate from the start to the end of each pitch — none were one-move wonders. "

Yo Bart, don't ye have a comely blond lass to be attendin' to you scrucy dog?

They don't know how it happened? Comforting.

Springtime stoke from wiki: "Regarding the repeat of the Nose, the team of Caldwell and Rodden free climbed it on Oct 14, 2005 by swapping leads. Then on Oct 16, 2005, Caldwell freed the Nose in less than 12 hours. A few days later, Caldwell returned, freeing the Nose in 11 hours, sprinting down the East Ledges descent, and jumping on Freerider, the three-pitch .12b variation to the Salathé wall, topping out 12 hours later. In total, Caldwell climbed El Cap twice in 23 hours, for a total of 66 pitches of hard free climbing. He fell four times."

Very good article. Expresses, in a much more civil tone, the disgust I feel with REI. Particularly the underhanded rule changes that all but eliminate anyone getting on the board except hand picked minions of the existing board members.

Mac you very much

http://www.topozone.com

I knew that this admin was living in complete fantasy land when their little interlude/courtship with Kissinger dissolved. He stated flatly "there is no Iraq. There will be three territories". The Suskind book confirmed that with the "senior administration official" quote saying they "create their own reality". The Derb and McCarthy are first off the reservation at Buckley's rag...the pitiful excuse for a journal it's become, in large result of the rampant cronyism in GOP circles...it's amusing watching the wingnuts slowly come 'round 5 years too late and turn on each other in the process as they realize that the boy king is an empty codpiece. Can someone please kick Pipes, Ledeen, and Hanson squarely in the ass now? They surely deserve it. And while you're at it, got ahead and boot Krauthammer, Kristol, Lieberman, and their ilk in the face while you're at it. These dipshits sold the rubes and sheeple a bill of goods, the media compliantly beat the war drums complete with "swoosh" graphics of eagles, the stars n stripes, and bold declarative captions "The March to War" or some such shit, now thousands are dead as a result and we're throwing over a $120 Billion/yr after this ill advised, bullshit "war on terrah" by gettting our troops and equipment blown to hell, instead of securing the ports, borders, and addressing energy policy from peak oil to global warming. But I repeat myself...for the last five years, I repeat myself. As do thousands of others deemed "shrill, defeatist, terrorist sympathizer, troop demoralizer, anti American, traitors, who dare question Dear Leader Chimpy". Fuck you Necon assholes, and the AIPAC you rode in on.

Now you're talkin. Some Mike Paul reverse Stem Gem wankin circa '87 striped lycra. Yessir. That's hardman wear. The REAL Action Suit.

You won't have to worry about your boots being too warm for Denali. Most folks wear plastics AND overboots or supergaiters on Denali. Plastics are the no brainer, multi-day winter boot. Thermoform/moldable liners are warmer than anything else for liners. I think Scarpa Alphas now come std with them, don't know about the Koflach line. you can always add them for $100 or so. Good luck

WTF would I be "sending" at -30F shitnugget? Particularly when there's no rock to speak of for many, many miles. Your slavish subservience to the British pebble wrestler is unbecoming of a Cascades Hardman. Are you still sportin whitey dreads like your little friend there circa '87, or have you moved on to the soul patch n crewcut stage? Try to keep up knob gobbler.

Sick brah. Is that a MET-5 jacket you got there? With the extra heat pack?

PAY TOO MUCH AND YOU COULD RAISE THE ALARM By BOB KERR The Providence Journal 28-FEB-06 PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Walter Soehnge is a retired Texas schoolteacher who traveled north with his wife, Deana, saw summer change to fall in Rhode Island and decided this was a place to stay for a while. So the Soehnges live in Scituate now and Walter sometimes has breakfast at the Gentleman Farmer in Scituate Village, where he has passed the test and become a regular despite an accent that is definitely not local. And it was there, at his usual table last week, that he told me that he was "madder than a panther with kerosene on his tail." He says things like that. Texas does leave its mark on a man. What got him so upset might seem trivial to some people who have learned to accept small infringements on their freedom as just part of the way things are in this age of terror-fed paranoia. It's that "everything changed after 9/11" thing. But not Walter. "We're a product of the '60s," he said. "We believe government should be way away from us in that regard." He was referring to the recent decision by him and his wife to be responsible, to do the kind of thing that just about anyone would say makes good, solid financial sense. They paid down some debt. The balance on their JCPenney Platinum MasterCard had gotten to an unhealthy level. So they sent in a large payment, a check for $6,522. And an alarm went off. A red flag went up. The Soehnges' behavior was found questionable. And all they did was pay down their debt. They didn't call a suspected terrorist on their cell phone. They didn't try to sneak a machine gun through customs. They just paid a hefty chunk of their credit card balance. And they learned how frighteningly wide the net of suspicion has been cast. After sending in the check, they checked online to see if their account had been duly credited. They learned that the check had arrived, but the amount available for credit on their account hadn't changed. So Deana Soehnge called the credit-card company. Then Walter called. "When you mess with my money, I want to know why," he said. They both learned the same astounding piece of information about the little things that can set the threat sensors to beeping and blinking. They were told, as they moved up the managerial ladder at the call center, that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the threat alert is lifted. Walter called television stations, the American Civil Liberties Union and me. And he went on the Internet to see what he could learn. He learned about changes in something called the Bank Privacy Act. "The more I'm on, the scarier it gets," he said. "It's scary how easily someone in Homeland Security can get permission to spy." Eventually, his and his wife's money was freed up. The Soehnges were apparently found not to be promoting global terrorism under the guise of paying a credit-card bill. They never did learn how a large credit card payment can pose a security threat. But the experience has been a reminder that a small piece of privacy has been surrendered. Walter Soehnge, who says he holds solid, middle-of-the-road American beliefs, worries about rights being lost. "If it can happen to me, it can happen to others," he said. (Bob Kerr is a columnist for The Providence Journal. E-mail bkerr@projo.com.) (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.) ------- Like living in a Heller novel.

Just don't pay that credit card off too fast, or homeland lackofsecurity will come after ya...try this one for size (I am not kidding, this is majorly fucked up): http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=RAISEALARM-02-28-06

Small companies are the ones hurting from implementing S0X. A $B revenue company isn't going to feel it too much. If the board members figure out a way to pad their wallets via zero cost options, grants, etc by taking it public, they won't care about the bottom line, "member" concerns, etc. Corp governance is in a sorry state. And with REI, the structure precludes any real "member" involvement with board decisions. I looked into this extensively about two years ago. Read all their docs, rules, charter etc. Pretty ingenious the way they've fucked the "members" from being able to actually steer or influence the "co-op". They'll go the way of Eddie Bauer eventually. If the people who actually formed this "co-op" had their original vision followed (i.e. getting good outdoor gear, some unavailable through other sources in the US, at a discount due to volume and low overhead)...if that vision was followed we wouldn't have these ridiculous "flagship" stores and climbing towers, latte shops, rain rooms, and other bullshit that undercuts the original vision and drives up overhead. AND DON'T PLAY THE VOLUME CANARD. I don't care if they sell 800,000 purple tinted Nalgenes allowing me to save .25, I care that I can't get any actual climbing gear there because their selection sucks hind tit. Sad, but I've given up on them. I give my business to local, independent shops. Fuck REI.

Worst. President. Evah. I think the cult of Bush defenders' heads have all exploded from the intense cognitive dissonace required to defend these inept, corrupt, non-conservative Mayberry Machiavellis (sp?) with their dictatorial aspirations. Take a look at NRO's "The Corner". The wingnuts are turning on their own, and it would be comical if the future of our country and the world weren't hanging in the balance. With his approval ratings running from 34% - 38% in five recent polls, not even the wing nuttiest of the Dobsonites are gonna associate with the Chimp. He's radioactive to their congressional election chances and they well know it. They are losing the "national security" wing of conservatives now, and lost the fiscal wing long ago. Solution: M-PEACH.

What's with the Chester on the far left soliciting the young boy in green pants behind the shooting game tent? "How about $20 kid?" Artist got some issues.

John "Batshit Insane" McElroy enters the fifth stage of the Subaru Hampster Wheel Adventure Race...crossing Algiers on foot. Batty Mac, as his teammates call him, has shed clothing and brought out the sunshade mesh wheel to deal with the scorching 147 degree heat here in northern Africa.

1. news.bbc.co.uk 2. finance.yahoo.com 3. financialsense.com 4. stockcharts.com 5. (tie) Winter: gi.alaska.edu/cgi-bin/predict.cgi (UAF's Aurora forecast) 5. (tie) Summer: outdoorsdirectory.com/akforum/akfishing.php (AK fishing forum) Netnanny at work means CC.com doesn't even make the top 10.

I can't even hit a 50 gal garbage can lid with a fly right now , much less a bottle cap, and breakup is only 6 weeks away. Climbing you say? WTF is that?

I agree Matt, key is definitely going to a well stocked and patient store. Sportiva builds on something like 6 or 7 different lasts, some are very rounded toe/neutral (e.g. Kaukulator, Enduro) some a tad more narrow/slightly pointed (focus,cliff, mythos), some very cambered/pointy (Cobras, Testarossa). Their website used to have a breakdown of all the different lasts they used, might still be there. I can't wear Anasazi velcros, nor the blue anasazi slippers (got a pair that I never wear), but the pink ones fit me better than any high-perf shoe I've tried, same with moccasyms...best slipper fit I've found, and all four of these are supposedly built on the same last...go figure.

Huecos have been around for many years. They aren't a replacement for the Newton by any stretch. Nowhere near as stiff. T-rock, I have no idea. From what you said above, you might look at the 5.10 "Climbalot" and "Ascent". They have a toe like a slightly relaxed version of the Anasazi, pointed profile but not requiring fully curled toes. One is velcro, one lace up. Both have padded heels, but I think they're gonna be very similar to your Marathons. Replacing Newtons...I don't know if there is anything on the market with a sole as stiff and fat as those things. They're like bricks. Those green anasazis from a few years ago (Mesa? I think) they might be the ticket. Think of them as the "pink shoe" but much, much stiffer. They did have the fiberglass midsole in them, though and you want to avoid that right? If you got the duck feet, Mythos are gonna be a challenge. I have narrow heel/wide forefoot/low vol and could never get Mythos to fit. Most sportiva don't fit me well either, but neither do Scarpa. Pretty much all five-ten these days, even though their workmanship sucks compared to some. Those Mad Rock std lace ups might be worth a look. They're cheap anyway.