genepires

I need someone to mow my lawn........aw never mind.

If you want ticks, head to leavenworth.

not a skier by any means anymore so I got a question. By my definition of side cut (which may be wrong) how can you have a narrow waist without significant side cut? I thought side cut was the change in width from tips to were the boot sits on the ski. (which were the waist would be to?) would this just be a skinny ski front to back?

but where will you sleep when the wife kicks you out the house? and those annoying house guests? and the traveling climbing bums? and the drunks? or in my case, all the above?

When the twin towers went down, it was sickening to see the cheering muslims and arabs on the tv. Made them look like monsters enjoying the deaths of americans. This mass of americans cheering the death of osama reminds me of that TV coverage long ago. We are the monsters now. I am glad he is dead, I just wish we could present ourselves better, in a more civilized way.

never used one personally but here is a couple thoughts is your rope supple? I would imagine a stiff rope having a harder time going through the clove hitch. Maybe a older rope would be better than the new rope. In order to minimize the angle of the rope going through the clove hitch, have the rope going to the anchor on one side of the body and the free rope on the other side. If these ropes cross in front of you, they may induce friction.

nice tale. On an escape from a wall, I was tasked with riding the pig down and I used a pair of carabiner brakes to increase the friction and it went well and easy to control. Basically the pig was connected to the paired biner brakes directly and I was attached to the biner brake via a daisy chain.

I have only been in there once but is that where the plane usually lands? It seems much closer to that wall than when I was there but memory is frail and perspectives are hard up there. That U shape in the snow is the ski plane tracks right?

while maybe not the best setup for skiing (maybe it is), but for mountaineering in variable or expected variable conditions, a thin liner and a windstopper glove and a standard goretex mitten shell w liner is a good relatively lightweight for the span of weather conditions it would be good for. 95% of the time, the mittens stay in the pack. But if the weather turns, and it will eventually, it is nice to have that protection for the hands.

awesome trio to represent the PNW. Is this award for a trip to come or for something they already did?

I don't think anyone is excusing his mistake. It was brought up in the article and I am would assume that most articles about him have reference to that too. Maybe in europe where climbers are sports stars things may be different. But here it seems that any bad choices with children involved results in a lifetime of media attention to that choice. Was it Brittany who dangled a child out of a window? The crocodile hunter who had his kid in a gator pit. Don't really know if michael jackson ever got away with the weird things that went on in his palace playground. I wonder if that tragedy had anything to do with his leaving the limelight or did he just get to old and tired? I suspect that it was a combination of both. It would be interesting to see how his death is taken in europe. Praised as a hero or quickly and quietly said goodbyes. I have never climbed in europe so I have no feel for how the culture is over there.

I highly doubt that killing small children was his core value. Would bet that he has been beating himself up plenty in these last 10 years and inflicted more self pain than any interweb comments could ever. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for him. But you are free to have your feelings for a man you never met. Why not go protest his funeral? what would jesus do? the respecting the dead is a good idea because we all have made mistakes and someday we will die too. (albeit never a dead child on the conscious) And karma is a bitch. rip Erhard

wow-zers! damn cool photos. maybe you could draw a line on the second photo where your route went for us unfamiliar types.

must have been huge! There is a lot of horizontal terrain between that ice and the camping area. Suppose in alaskan scale, it is not enough. Condolences to friends and family of the deceased.

snails pace going up is a good thing. a very good thing.

route and time of year? for west buttress and normal climbing season, yes those are fine. There is a perma snowshoe/ski track up the kahiltna highway.

who would have thought that the aliens would have sold for obscene amounts when they were discontinued? Everything is a commodity and if there is no supply and any demand before november, then prices above retail could happen. But why would there be demand before next november? Maybe a trader from wall street would jump in and drive prices up.

the liners will pack in a little. Not much packing in goes lengthwise but you will notice the looseness in the width of the foot which good for you as this is were the swelling would occur. And yes, you do need to spend a fair bit of time in them for many reasons. Making your feet conform to the boot. (plastic boots don't break in, you do) Form tough skin on parts of the foot that need to be tough. (think blisters) Developing the right walking pattern for plastic boots. Getting in good climbing shape. Ect. ect. ect. good luck!

if the season progresses as it has been, dry sometime in july. the first 5 or so pitches are the drainage for a lot of terrain so they will be wet for a while after a rain. I remember wetness even after 4 days of good weather in the early summer. (if memory serves right)

I would bet the route is in great shape now. (based on past reports and how the season is hanging on cold) The icicle creek road is covered in mud from a landslide a couple weeks back that add a couple miles of asphalt walking just to get to the bridge to start the logging road walking. Getting to be a long walk in. There is a detour around the mud but I do not know if non residents are allowed to drive through it.

To many variables internal and external to be able to definitively answer this kind of question. But my one trip up denali was good with the same boot/overboot/sock and liner setup you are asking about. My boots and socks were new also and I believe they packed in to compensate for any swelling if there was any. Realize though that we had relatively pleasant early june conditions. Your situation may be radically different. (covering my moral/ethical ass) Your boot situation sounds adequate but don't go cheap on the other gear though.

need to recharge your shakra stones? I think your aura needs to be recharged at shasta, the center of the spiritual universe. Or maybe south central idaho. you dirty stinky hippie.

bad ass honey badger who don't give a shit.

sounds like a good pair up to me. awesome photos.

summit of cerro torre is the classic ice rime hell. I am sure you have seen the photos of such.