Ibex

BD CF Black Prophet: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1810134638 Prana Pants and shorts: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1810073687 http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1810079131 Backpacking stove: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1810062673 Bontrager Titanium framed mountain bike: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1810121540 Cheers! [ 03-03-2002: Message edited by: Ibex ]

The only beef I have with Schoeller is the DWR. It needs significant/frequent "boosts" with Tectron or the like. I shouldnt say my only beef, try walking through a thorn-patch with your schoeller pants on, and you will get a bunch of threads pulled out of it. You might want to try Patagonis's softshell stuff made with "Tactel Inspira". It is not quite as soft, or stretchy, but it is MUCH more waterresistant and more durable too. I have been using the Patagonia Dimension Jacket this year, and it has worked really well for me. Cheers Shawn

Neri, Your problem is that whole petzl/charlet issue. Just buy BD stuff, or if you must go euro, buy grivel. Is there any ice left up in the dak's? I am heading up there in 2.5 weeks. Shawn "friends dont let friends climb on CM"

My soon to be wife and I are going to S.A. for our honeymoon in May. We are probably heading to Ecuador though. Still up in the air. Can you be more specific on what you looking to do? Shawn sdhigbee@iastate.edu

This is a brand new pair of Marmot Work Gloves (size large) for sale. Bidding starts at $45. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1804277949 Shawn

Lambone, The way to do this quickly, easily and painlessly is to create a generic webiste with A,B,C,etc buttons for each of the questions Start a new thread about it and get people to go take the survey on line. You can even log their IP address to prevent multiple responses from the same computer. If you arent the strong in the html department, you can easily pay one of your fellow students $10/hr and (assuming you have the questions prepared) in two hours they will have it done for you. It just *might* be a little more efficient than "hey what do you guys think of my questions"... Just a thought.

Rafael What size/color...? [ 02-05-2002: Message edited by: Ibex ]

I toyed around with the idea of making a couple of these this last summer, and here is what I found. Pretty much every commercially produced one has a top layer of closed cell foam about 3/4-1 inch thick, over a 2-2.5 inches of open cell foam. The closed cell is easy to come by in 3/8 to 1/2 thicknesses (just double it), and the open cell can be bought in a fabric/craft store. Beware though b/c they have EXTREMELY high markup's on this stuff, and you need to buy it on sale (which is practically every other week). Anyway, you want the light green "high-density" open cell foam. After you get your pile of materials, stack up the foam and jump on it some to see if it is firm enough. If not, just add another layer of closed cell. For the fabric cover, just about anything will work. Popular choices are cordura, packcloth, industrial carpet (for the top), etc. A little bit of webbing for the handle/straps and you are in business. Good sources for fabric include www.seattlefabrics.com and even your run of the mill local fabric store will probably have a version of pack cloth. When I priced it this summer I figured it would cost about: closed cell: $12-15 depending on brand and where you buy it Open cell: $30-$60 did i mention sales...? Fabric: $15-20 need about 2.5 yards of 60" Webbing/buckles/thread: $5 So you can save some money over the store bought ones, but you cant count your labor into it. As far as the construction details, just spend an hour or so looking at some commercially made ones and you'll figure it out. Send me an email if you have any more questions. cheers! Shawn sdhigbee@iastate.edu

quote: Originally posted by KeithKSchultz: Heavy duty expedition pack. Modular. 6000 down to 3500. Very used but still totally functional. Excellent suspension system for huge loads. Totally resizable. $25. What kind (brand) of pack is it?

Lambone, quote: Originally posted by Lambone: Ummm....how the fuck do you break in plastic boots???? If you know please fill me in, thanks. The liners will break in considerably, this is why you want to size the shells without the liner on. Pretty much all you have to do is wear them around. As far as the shell goes, there usually isnt too much breaking in that can be done really. You can remedy some fit problems by manipulating the shells, but in the end, most plastics are just plain stiff. My $.53 Shawn

quote: Originally posted by Zenolith: "Be sure to clip them independently." Why is that? B/c they have diff stretch? Sort of.... It gets back to the whole double ropes vs. twin ropes concept. Double ropes= ropes that are tested one strand at a time by UIAA and are intended to be clipped independently to pro Twin ropes= usually thinner, stretchier ropes that are tested in pairs, and are meant for two strands to be simulaneously loaded in a fall (ie. clip both ropes into every piece of pro). Note also this assumes that both ropes are identical, and will respond the same to loading. There is much debate, but little hard data, published concluding that if you clip 2 DOUBLE ropes to the same piece of pro that because they are slightly thicker and less stretchy/dynamic that it will increase the force on a piece of pro. With the obvious concern to marginal pro, ice screws, etc... Then you have the mitigating factors of dynamic belays, screamers, low impact force ropes, etc.... So some will argue to the end that if you clip 2 DOUBLE ropes into a single piece of pro, you are in for a hard catch, and possibly pulling out your pro. Others will argue that the difference between double and twin ropes, when clipped through the same piece (use two separate biners when possible to avoid rubbing b/w them) is pretty academic. This latter case is similar (but slightly more extreme) to what was cautioned against above, using non-twin ropes hooked into one piece of gear. The concern is that the impact forces are too high because the ropes are engineered to have a certain amount of stretch (and shock absorbtion) by themselves, not in pairs. Do some reading and decide for yourself what you are comfortable with. Regardless of what side of the double vs. twin arguement you fall on, you should be safe using a half rope (one designed for double rope technique) and a full single rope, as long as you clip them to separate pieces of gear. Cheers Shawn

I promise bj from both retro and colin

Does anybody out there have one you want to sell? New/used/etc...? Send me an email Shawn sdhigbee@iastate.edu

Carolyn, I recently went from dual points (on BD switchblades) to trident points. They are basically a mono, but with 2 short, closely spaced stabilizer points on either side. The idea is that you get the penetration, etc of mono's but also the lateral stability of duals. Note, this is the same end result as the BD Mako. Some folks are prejudice against them, and there certainly are a lot of die-hard Grivel fans out there, but I would have to recommend the Mako/trident point setup. It feels very precise and sensitive, but at the same time very stable. You can also get them pretty inexpensively online/used/ebay, BD may even still be clearing these out. Shawn

quote: Originally posted by carolyn: Guess the midwest isnt all that bad! Well, the midwest certainly has its ups and downs. Last weekend my friend Ryan and I went to Sandstone MN and Duluth MN to do some ice. Sandstone was drippy, but certainly thick enough for climbing at the most prevalent spot back in the corner. Duluth was really melted out, and we got a TR set up above the longest remaining route, but my friend pulled off a HUGE chunk of ice (the last 10 feet of the climb). We should have known better, the surface of the ice was very mush "sno-coned" and really hollow sounding. So, my apologies to the city of Duluth, who's ice climb we tore down.... This weekend, three of us are heading up to Thunder Bay and Orient Bay to do a little ice. It is the first time any of us have climbed with Canucks, so it should be interesting. take care Shawn

I am not sure which model of watch I have, but it is a Casio, about 2-3 yrs old with altimeter/barometer. I think it is the pathfinder, but i am not sure. Anyway, I am pretty happy with mine. I got it for REALLY cheap (under $30) and have used it for a couple of years. My only gripe with it is that the altimeter only goes up to 13,200 ft. It is pretty solid, but admittedly unspectacular in comparison to some of the new watches theses days, esp. the Suunto's. my 32 cents Shawn

quote: Originally posted by Dru: Does it come with a zip-in fleece liner??? Nope. They are a 2-ply fabric, with hung nylon liner. They do not have additional zippers in them either. Cheers Shawn [ 01-04-2002: Message edited by: Ibex ]

Will, You should really check out Stoneworks www.belay.com if i remember right. They are not as big as the other places, but the owner is very friendly (done lots of trad/mtneering) and the route setters are really fantastic. They really do a great job of changing the routes and keeping it from becoming boring. I think it was only $40/mo too. The only downside of it is that they have a junior climbing team (that is disgustingly good), so there tends to be a presence of 15 yr olds there. I never found it to be a problem, but some people did. When I left PDX they were expanding and putting up more (and taller) routes, I used the place mainly for their excellent bouldering. Either way it is way cheaper, and a nicer environment. I went to PRG and was not really impressed, especially after I paid something rediculous like $13 for a couple hours of climbing. Cheers Shawn

Back off tim, or I'll sick Cavey on you... Omnitech is Columbia's proprietary version of Goretex. Waterproof, breathable and fully seam sealed.

For anyone looking for an inexpensive, durable pair of mountaineering pants, see: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1058032259&r=0&t=0&showTutorial=0&ed=1010948523&indexURL=0&rd=1 Bidding starts at only $40. Features Omnitech fabric, fully seam sealed, reinforced knees and seat, scuff guards and inner gaiter, suspenders, 2 way full side zips with storm flaps, 2 zippered front pockets. Excellent condition. Size mens medium. Color navy blue. Thanks-

[ 12-28-2001: Message edited by: Ibex ]

I have used the handcuffs. They are very plush. Not exactly what Twight would recommend... The best thing about them is their absolute comfort and security. They have a rock solid grip on your wrist, that is quite comfy. The downside is weight, plastic buckles, and a strip of velcro (heavy, durability, and ices up, respectively) that is used to secure the tails. I would recommend them if you are big into comfort/security, but there are certainly tradeoffs. I am very curious to try the Ice cuff (alpine stripped down version). They look a lot like the trango leashes on the Captian Hook tools, or the BD Robo's. They also compete well with price of other basic leashes. Anothe bummer is that they are usually sold in pairs, so you might not be able to find just one if you want to. Cheers Shawn

Bronco, Even in light of all the techy windproof fleeces, if I am using synthetic gloves, just a plain pair of P200 weight gloves has worked fine for me. I have a friend who bought those mitten/fingerless gloves (palm folds off) made of whidproof fabric, still waiting to hear feedback on the experiment. I have used cheap military surplus wool gloves for a number of years now as lightweight liner/late season ice/cold rock climbing gloves. They are not exceptional at any one thing, but they are pretty cheap, and have worked well for me. At $3/pair I can go through them without too much worry.

Marmot Denali jacket- used but in excellent condition. Check out: ***Updated the link, sorry it wasnt working for a while there **** http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1055275796 [ 12-27-2001: Message edited by: Ibex ]

quote: Originally posted by fleblebleb: What's with those aluminum heads on the Charlet Moser tools? I'd think there is no way they can take a beating. The BD tools have steel heads, much more durable right? Fleb is right. The aluminum heads on CM tools suck. Ask anyone who has ever dropped them and then tried to change the pick.... It is nearly impossible because the slot for the pick is bent shut. Other reasons to avoid CM tools include: -Those little teeny allen head bolts that can not be adjusted via any other means than a specific wrench. -Non-interchangeable picks. If you wander into the MiddleofNowhere Gear Shop how likely is it that they will have a pick for your specific Euro tool....? -the same holds for the hammer and adze. All of the current generation of BD hammers and adzes are interchangeable. I am a big BD fan. Steel heads, bolts that dont require an additional wrench, all tools can use the same picks/bolts/adze (the picks are WAY! better out of the box than CM picks). I also dont like the downward "flick" required with a lot of CM tools. Granted, "if the tool fits" swing it, but if you are comparing a BD tool to a CM tool, there are some other things to look at. Happy Winter Solstice all of my Neo-pagan friends! Shawn