Jump to content

fleblebleb

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1327

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Posts posted by fleblebleb

    Crampons for tele boots

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    I have a pair of those, the steel version with the Scottish toe (like the picture) and the step-in heel (not like the picture).

     

    They don't work on tele boots because the tele boot doesn't fit between the two metal thingies that the plastic toe strap is attached to... [Frown]

     

    They're great crampons though.

    BREAKING NEWS: Hikers stuck in crevasse on Mt. Hood

    in Spray

    Posted

    Hey Polish dude, Robert from Bellingham, you weren't quite as unpleasant in person. What's up with the vitriol on-line? What the hell did those poor folks on Hood do to you? How long has it been since you practiced ice axe arrests while tangled up in three ropes and eight other bodies?

     

    BTW, anybody want to open a betting pool on Agent Orangutan/stupidpolishsnob's new screenname?

    Fee demo

    in Mount Rainier NP

    Posted

    This was posted to the UW climbers club mailing list...

     

    --------------------------------------------------------------------

     

    Those of you who were on the list last year know that I am a big

    opponent of the Fee Demonstration program. In case you haven't seen

    my reasons yet, they are here:

     

    http://eve.speakeasy.net/~dittrich/nwba/end-the-fdp.html

     

    I encourage everyone to join us in a protest to be held on June 15

    against this program. The Bush Administration, and some in Congress,

    are currently pushing for legislation to make these fees PERMANENT,

    two years ahead of the already twice extended scheduled deadline

    for this "demonstration". The Forest Service consistantly says the

    public accepts these fees, while at the same time dismissing any and

    all protests (and aggressively ticketing and harassing anyone who

    tries to show opposition). This is VERY anti-democratic, and the only

    way to stop it is for you to stand up to it. Join us!

     

    P.S. Please spread this flyer to other lists with active outdoors

    people and your friends and family. Encourage them all (and you too!) to

    write letters to the editor, your Congressional representatives, and

    the Office of the President. Please do this today.

     

    --

    Dave Dittrich

    dittrich@speakeasy.net

     

    ============================================================

     

    Hey Hikers, Fishers, Paddlers, Climbers, and other folks!

     

    Do you love to visit our national forests?

    Do you resent paying trail fees just to walk in the woods?

     

    Come join our Rally!

    Free the Forests - End Fee Demo!

     

    When: Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 11am

    Where: Outside the downtown Seattle REI

    Corner of Yale and John

     

    Bring a sign and a friend... Demonstrate against Fee Demo!

    ______________________________________________________________

    "Fee Demo" is a US Forest Service and BLM "demonstration" program to see

    if Americans will tolerate paying fees to use our public lands. Since

    there are no provisions within the program to register opposition, we're

    holding our own demonstration against this pay-to-play ripoff.

     

    Fee-Demo is Un-Democratic because it denies all citizens equal access to

    enjoy our public lands.

     

    Fee-Demo is Un-Reasonable because it makes us pay for what we already

    own, while timber companies, miners, and grazers get subsidized by

    taxpayers.

     

    Fee-Demo is Un-American because it violates our nation's long held

    tradition of free access to wild lands.

    _______________________________________________________________

     

    Fee-Demo is opposed by over 240 groups, including: The Access Fund,

    American Canoe Association, International Mountain Biking Association,

    Sierra Club, Federation of Western Outdoors Clubs, Cascade Mountain

    Backpackers, North Cascades Conservation Council, Pilchuk & Ranier

    Audubon Societies, Back Country Horsemen of Washington - Inland Empire

    Chapter, NW Ecosystem Alliance, and many individuals just like you!

     

    For more information:

    www.wildwilderness.org

    www.freeourforests.org

     

    Local contact: Marina (206) 527-3578

     

    ===============================end=============================

     

    [ 05-26-2002, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: fleblebleb ]

    Daisy Chains - Yea ... or Nay?

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Yea to daisies, except they're a bit of a luxury - expensive and a pain to rack.

     

    Two for sport climbing - clip into each anchor bolt before threading and rapping. Why bother clipping the rope into the anchor if you're going to untie from it anyway?

     

    Two for aiding, for sure.

     

    One or none for trad or alpine or ice? Too much other stuff on the harness and you also need to have one or preferably two prusik loops to get up the rope or escape a belay or set up a Z-pulley or whatever. Unless you anticipate having to aid, then two daisies.

    Racking Cordelettes

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    Put it on the locker you used as the main attachment point of the anchor...

     

    I think there is plenty of time for racking the cordelette after the leader has clipped in to the next anchor but before he's put you on belay and you can climb - you know, while you're dismantling the anchor.

     

    Of course that assumes you don't need more than the first anchor piece for safety, not so smart for hanging belays... [big Grin] Fine for lots and lots of alpine routes though, and I'm guessing most of us aren't concerned with shaving seconds when there are hanging belays involved.

     

    Then the real question is how fast can you get the cordelette unracked and retied, to set up the anchor.

     

    [Alpine theorist mode=on]

     

    Has anybody experimented with not untying the cordelette, just racking it and then adjusting the knot the next time it's used?

     

    I guess the procedure would become something like this - lead to the anchor, place and clove hitch the first bomber piece, yell off belay, set-up the rest of the hold-any-fall anchor, grab the pretied cordelette, clip the three loops to the three parts of the anchor, adjust the knot to equalize in the direction of a fall, and put the follower on belay. Throw in a piece for upward pull sometime before starting on the next pitch...

     

    If the three loops of the cordelette are about as long as a shoulder-length sling then it can be racked over the shoulder. I think mine may be a little shorter, my cordelettes are 20'. The locker just sits in the main loop the whole time.

     

    The other alternative would be to clip the other three loops into the locker and rack the whole thing, preferrably high on the back of a gear sling so it's well out of the way. Either way it should be less of a mess than three shoulder-length slings with biners...

     

    Actually, is this the same as Strickland's method? Do you guys use a figure 8 or an overhand for the anchor? The overhand is easier to adjust.

     

    [Alpine theorist mode=off, asbestos=on] [big Grin]

     

    [ 05-16-2002, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: fleblebleb ]

    Stop Cogentrix

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Lifted off the UW Climbing Club mailing list...

     

    ---

     

    If anyone's been to Smith lately, you may have noticed some signs saying "Stop Cogentrix."

     

    I'm usually not an active activist [Wink] but this one caught my eye and I decided to check it out. Looks like they're going to put in a power plant (that makes power for California) really close to the park.

     

    Take a look at some info and please sign the petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/Grizzly/petition.html

     

    info:

    http://www.smithrock.com/flash/cogentrix.html

    (of course you can find more by simply searching)

    Midnight Rock Restrictions

    in Access Issues

    Posted

    Let's say access limitations because of Peregrine nests would start to affect a sufficiently large number of crags for us to run into trouble finding stuff to climb. I'd guess it would be time to take them off the endangered species list around then... if not earlier... [big Grin]

    anti-FeeDemo victory, June 15 is Action Day

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Some day I'm going to learn to first read, then post. Does somebody have a clear idea about the legal text of the fixed anchor ban? Mattp? Anyone?

     

    http://www.outsidemag.com/magazine/200010/200010disp9.html

     

    According to the Outside Mag. article clean gear anchors aren't considered permanent, therefore cannot be considered to be "installations" and therefore aren't an issue. Is this correct? Has anything changed?

     

    Does the fixed anchor ban mean that existing anchors would be removed? That would seem kind of stupid... the installation of an ugly hole/chopped bolt/whatever...

     

    Does it mean that existing bolts at crags and walls must not be replaced? That would suck...

    anti-FeeDemo victory, June 15 is Action Day

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Heh, dive into the rathole. Whee! [big Grin]

     

    I dig the fixed anchors ban, at least the spirit of it.

     

    If it were enforced to the point where we couldn't leave clean gear (slings, nuts, rap rings; no bolts or pitons) as rap anchors it would positively suck. But no worries, it is quite impossible to enforce it to such an extent. Besides, such anchors need rebuilding at least once a season, so who really cares? Leave one behind and either nobody ever sees it again or it is cut and brought back once it needs replacement.

     

    The key is that there is no lasting impact. This is the spirit of the fixed anchors ban - if I understand it correctly.

     

    Furthermore, it's hard to argue that leaving a clean anchor constitutes littering because the anchor serves a useful purpose. I don't know anyone that would replace a failing anchor and chuck the old slings off the cliff.

     

    In contrast, bolts and pitons scar the rock. I love clipping bolts myself, but only at sport climbing crags like Frenchman Coulee and Little Si. What's the difference between a sport climbing crag and a wilderness area? Let reasonable people decide - as long as *both* categories are populated I'll be happy.

     

    I would consider donating to Wild Wilderness myself, if I weren't continually broke [Frown] Probably in equal measures with the Access Fund. Then I'd cross my fingers and hope I'd have played a part in getting some reasonable people on both sides of the table...

×
×
  • Create New...