fleblebleb

Aren't you supposed to rant something about emptying the magazine and shit like that? What's with all the rampant pacifism all of a sudden trask? Come on, give us something juicy!

I will share in the effort to make one and two-liner posts to make up for mtngoatfuck's fabulous stamina.

Come to think of it, lack of moderation is also an excellent way to enjoy pub club! Pub Club tonight, WOOO-HOOOO! (Now I better make it down there, right? Just making sure I have a damn strong case when my wife starts wondering what I'm doing this fine evening)

No silly, lack of moderation is the key to enjoying cheap wine.

Ah yes, shitty wine gets a lot better if you just stick with it. Too bad there is such pain in the wake of it.

Err, well, it was actually Mark Twight's conclusion. I re-read his book over the holidays because I couldn't get out climbing, because I was in bed with the flu. So I'm hip with all the funky quotes right now. Wanna know how many screamers to carry on an extreme alpine route? How about how much gu to eat every half hour and what intervals to set your heart rate monitor alarm to go off at and remind you to take a sip of water? Well, I know! I'm big on the academic stuff... Seriously though, I like double ropes for reducing rope drag and doing double rappels. I only use a pair for alpine/trad climbing and only do that stuff well within my limits. When I run into a difficult move with a potential splatter below I'll start looking for a rap anchor long before I start contemplating anything close to a factor 1 fall, or any fall whatsoever onto pro that isn't bombproof. I'm not that brave... The exception is right at the beginning where you're leaving the belay and there is always a possibility of a high factor fall - but those cases always involve both ropes and the concern is with the strength of the anchor. However, I like to use a single 30 m half rope for easier alpine routes that are mostly 4th class but with short steps of up to mid 5th. You can simulclimb most of the way which is just a blast, and then set up a belay for the occasional step. Since the entire rack is available it's usually possible to get a very solid anchor. But, this scenario has potential for a short fall directly onto the anchor, with a high fall factor - factor 2 if the belay were completely static and not through the anchor, maybe more like factor 1 given a proper belay. I don't like to go more than 10' away from the belay without placing gear, and I stack the odds towards me by belaying through the anchor which I think is appropriate in this situation (maybe even through a screamer after all that reading - but that's not going to help the rope any). What system do you use for climbs like this?

I once got to drink a glass of red wine from a bottle that was probably somewhere in the $500-$1000 range, it blew me away. Comparing that stuff with a $15 or $50 bottle (or $5) is like comparing vodka and 7-up.

Yeah, good info Ross and Matt and Cpt. although Ross might have shared it a bit differently... Now I know why Twight's book says not to take more than factor 1 falls on half ropes

Boy could you not resist this one. But why bother to lock down the heel if you can turn whichever way you like with a free heel?

The duckbills suck. Don't get me wrong, tele is great and stiff boots are great because you can tele or parallel or whatever you feel like, I just wish I could climb and tele in the same boot. Hell, if you give me a boot like that I'll wear the dayglo hemp clothes if I have to.

I tried some gu in one of those fancy glasses, it was awesome! Thanks for the tip Mattp!

Heeheehee

Mighty drippy?

Temperature last night, on Svalbard: -20

Damn funny. From the mists of antiquity, heh.

Sorry about the Saab btw - maybe the axle damage is from when you got rear-ended.

Ooh, jump on that offer TLG, I bet he just wants you to let him give you one of those oral pedicures of his.

Just give us back the wazzup gremlin, please, please, puh-leeze...

Hardly even matters given the average IQ, heh.

Sell it to allison

Hi Dwayner... saw your big ole tent post. I might know about one of those, I'd have to look into it though. It's a complete tent though, wouldn't be any use to the owner without the parts. How much would you pay for this stuff?

Funny

Try it somewhere where you've had rope drag in the past, you'll be an instaconvert.

Are they carbon fiber or the other kind?

Hey Iain, can you explain how the Figure 8-EDK fails? Does it invert?