fleblebleb

OK, somebody enlighten me, besides skiing and biking (broke grad student can't afford lift tickets), and partying (why drive all the way up there for that), is there anything else to do in Whistler?

Fuhgeddaboud the silly sticks, how many of you guys saw the Banff movie fest short film with the unicyclist doing ski slopes? The prize goes to whoever takes on that Thermos route strapped into this thing , arfarfarf

Coolest unicycle I ever saw!

Sorry, had another conversation going on, about CJ couloir. Oops

I didn't read any accusation into Wayne's post - could just as well be praise for the board, depending on how you look at it. In fact I actually think Pub Club might have as much to do with the timely information dissemination as the posts on the board. I'd be willing to bet that most of the 11 people who approached the route Sunday morning got their info through the grapevine, by calling and meeting and exchanging email. You might not want to take that bet though since I know it's true for at least 5 of us Crowding isn't that big a deal either - 9 people got up without anything major coming down, and only Zee caught a bit of an ice pellet in his nose or lip. The other two guys who turned around didn't really need to. The three of us were second-to-last and we made it almost all the way down the boulder field before dark, at a fairly mellow pace. And cs (not CJ, heh, oops, nifty stuff this editing feature...) and his partner were last but still made it to their car through the Sibley Creek approach that same night. It's definitely not the same kind of alpine ambience, I'll give you that... But the previous day only two guys had the route to themselves! And they were coming through the boulder field at 10 am (somebody tell me when they started out from the parking lot, heh). And I bet there wasn't a soul up there last week. Too bad it's started snowing, guess it's time to get the skis out, but I wouldn't have minded one more week of high pressure!

1 - Buy a name brand. Microsoft, Intel and the UW computer science department buy Dell PCs almost exclusively, that's a good recommendation. I see a lot of students and faculty with brand new Apple machines these days, but usually sitting next to a PC. The Apple laptops look just great though and Macs have a reputation for being easy to use. 2 - Get the warranty. Considering for how long you've had your current machine think seriously about getting the extended warranty. However, if you won't use the new machine very much then it probably won't break down at all until after the extended warranty would expire. 3 - Go cheap. First pick a name brand (expensive) then look at the cheap end of the product line. PCs have become vastly overprovisioned for web browsing and word processing. Unless you are going to play the latest video games you will be more than happy with the cheaper machines. They are also smaller, lighter and more silent. 4 - Don't worry too much. The better companies have no-hassle satisfaction guarantees, which means you can buy a machine, use it heavily during hte first couple of weeks to run it through whatever you intend to use it for, and then decide to get your money back if you made a mistake. 5 - Batteries. Laptop batteries die easily. If no-cord usage is important to you then look at the price of replacement batteries. To prolong battery life make sure to only plug your new machine in when the battery is empty, and to unplug it as soon as the battery is fully charged. I have killed Sony and Gateway batteries by keeping laptops plugged in all the time. 6 - Networking. One USB port is all you need for DSL, which admittedly costs $$ per month. If you go to the UW then you can use the free Internet access but will want an internal modem in the machine. If you intend to use it in an environment with a wireless network then consider getting a machine with an internal wireless network interface card. If you want networking without a cord then you have to get the wireless NIC. 7 - Ergonomics. Continual use of a laptop keyboard and mouse will kill most people's wrists, elbows and shoulders. Thankfully you climb a whole lot so all you have to do is make sure you do something for the opposing muscles and you might be just fine - but if you want to be safe, and will spend hours and hours in front of the computer, then make sure you can easily plug in at least an external mouse. 8 - Form factor. The most important thing for me is that the machine is small, light and completely silent. You won't find a laptop that doesn't heat up a lot. 9 - I'd be looking at a Dell Latitude or an Apple iBook myself. Cheers/Stefan

I thought trask didn't climb?

Good: Challenger Cutthroat S Butt Prusik W Ridge 1st 5.9 trad leads, 1st 5.10 sport leads 1st year tele skiing Bad: Failed on Triumph NE Ridge - didn't give ourselves enough time, got stuck in traffic and lost on the approach in the darkness. Duh... Outer Space - climbed it, felt good, but not yet good enough to lead the cool pitches with the exposure. Next time!

Those things are the asskickingest boots I know about. My first pair was a half size too small, I sold it and got another in the right size. They rule - but only if they fit the shape of your foot...

OK where did the :wazzup: gremlin go? :wazzup: :wazzup: :wazzup:

I've been trying to figure this out too - the ones I've tried on are the Cloudveil Enclosure Mountain Parka, the Marmot one, the Wild Things Belay Jacket and the Arcteryx Fission-whichever-is-thicker. I liked the Arcteryx best, it's awesome but it costs a fortune, and the Cloudveil second best. The Wild Things Belay Jacket is cool except the fit wasn't great for me. I have no use for that Marmot thing, the cut is odd and the smallest size is good for a midsize Sasquatch. Wish MEC hadn't stopped making their Belay Parka :wazzup:

As far as I know BD doesn't make a modification kit for using the Cobras without leashes - that's pretty annoying considering how much a pair costs. Lambone could you post back when you get a reply? There are probably a bunch of people on this board alone that want to know.

That's damn funny

I think you need a better better poll, with half and twin rope options... And it would be cool to see what people think about that monofil stuff too.

HAHAHA that's damn funny can we pool our random single socks too? What the hell is this gremlin supposed to be doing?

Wow, I was sure that was really Messner but if he only solos then maybe it isn't?

Took a nap on Sahale Arm getting in shape for winter, if it ever comes... The patches of heather on the west side of all those small clusters of trees are really nice, protected from the wind coming over the pass from the east and nicely exposed to the sun over Jberg. I think I even got a little sunburnt

at Owl & Thistle

Cool thread! Holler if looking for a partner for some of this stuff, cheers - Stefan

How did go? Did you have fun? Did you find snow? Curious...

quote: Originally posted by fleblebleb: In Swedish (and Icelandic) kropp means body, so Kropping a mountain has the dual meaning of climbing the mountain by muscle power - couch to couch. I mean, dual meaning of muscle power climb and Göran homage.

Memorial: Bike to Rainier, climb, bike back home. Pick a good date in high-season. Easy enough to be doable/reasonable, burly enough to be taken seriously, obvious reminder of Göran's best known adventure. Keep a register of the people who finish, as a climbers' tribute to a climber. Somebody said something about a dulfersitz and not having ideas about what could be named for Kropp. Go Kropp Rainier. In fact you could go Kropp whatever mountain you like. In Swedish (and Icelandic) kropp means body, so Kropping a mountain has the dual meaning of climbing the mountain by muscle power - couch to couch. Seems fitting. Reading TR's of Kropped Cascade peaks next summer would be way cool.

I hate the iodine taste and think it's silly to have to carry water around for > 30 minutes when there are creeks everywhere, it's heavy and bulky... But I'm not brave enough to not treat. So I'm kind of sold on having one filter in the group.

Err, yeah, that's news, Norwegian guy wants to euthanize Trask. Any idea how many Trask burger jokes were floating around in Iceland after the dude moved there? BTW Trask required the world's biggest airplane for the move, an Antonov maybe (?), and there wasn't any runway big enough in the country so one had to be extended or something like that. Then after that a huge truck convoy and finally a ferry ride. Hehe, a dude on a ferry, ironic right? Since then Trask has been kept in a pen with not much else to do than hang out on a Martha Stewart bulletin board and occasionally troll cascadeclimbers.com. The dude's been limp for years, he'll probably never be able to get it up again. You'll see what I mean right away if you can find a photo. I say it's time they let the dude out already, put an end to the whole sorry spectacle.

Whoah, anybody else noticed this chemistry between trask and thelawgoddess? How about trask and jon then?