chelle

Yeah that one is good. Have you seen his other films, Zoo...., Drowning by Numbers, 8-1/2 Women, The Pillowbook, Belly of an Architect, the list goes on and on. The Pillowbook. That was completely twisted. I was pretty disturbed by that one. Not at all what I expected.

From the editors of NAMIM: "...the Outdoor Industry Association has put forward an estimated count of persons 16 years or older who have "climbed at least once with a rope and harness on natural rock surface" at six million. They put the number of "enthusiasts" - those who engage in this activity at least ten times a year - at 1.3 million. While they claim statistical reliability with the instrument they used, I find this number to defy what land managers, other climbers, and local knowledge tell me. I still stand by a number of 250-300,000. But the good news is that if the number IS 1.3 millions, we are seeing a very low accident and fatality rate."

The Cook, The Theif, His Wife, and Her Lover Yeah. That was one strange movie.

Will wonders never cease?

Yeah...average price a canister (25 teabags) is about $7.50. Got hooked back when I was a corporate desk jockey. You can get their teabags and loose tea in bulk at Whole Foods and some other natural foods stores. Much cheaper that way. Gets the price down to about $3.00 for 25 teabags. About the same price as Stash.

You're losing your touch Trask. There is not nearly enough venom and vulgarity in this thread.

If you change your mind and want to spend a lot of money on good tea...check out the Republic of Tea. Thier mission is to eliminate the word "coffee" from the english language. Yummy stuff. Especially the Lemon Wintergreen.

Thanks.

Anybody remember what date that thing is? I can't find the post using "search"...

Ahh!! Thanks for reminding me that my second cup was waiting on the counter...

dude. like i know where the outdoor industry association gets its numbers. i have met a handful of people this past year though who said they were climbers but dint even own shoes or harness. wtf? You can rent those at the gym. I read about it in the latest issue of Indoor Climber.

I have an Osprey (unfortunately not a lightweight model) and I love it. I've heard good things about the lightweight packs from GoLite.

I personally think that it's high time that we extended the parameters of this debate to include the relative merits of and technique relating to the proper use of frozen moss as protection for the leader and in anchor construction. The root structure of some species of moss is known to be more diffuse and fibrous than others, and hence more resistant to fracture under dynamic loading when frozen, while others have a more mat-like root structure which provides greater density for pick placements on lead. One cannot overstimate the importance of knowing one's moss IMO, and iit should be noted that both F.O.T.H. and the Mountaineers Advanced course stress the importance of girth hitching at least two distinct species at the belay anchor when possible for maximum safety. kmurray, I think that JayB was referring to an anchor that was used at a belay on his climb last weekend and didn't intend to say anything about the accident that started this discussion. That aside, his post is funny given his climb's circumstance and the fact that all of us are pretty much advocating the same thing... safe climbing technique. But we're so bored that we're arguing semantics.

Weekend was . New and not so new friends. A little snow, a little rain, a little beer, some good food, and a strange movie. Cold bivies made for sound, deep sleep. Was much needed. Sunshine yesterday made me smile.

Eating Raoul Diva Forgot the name of the movie...c. 1985, about a guy who spends the night wandering around the streets of NYC. Way whacked flick.

Hadn't seen the list before RuMR. Thanks for posting it.

You should be proud!

I talked with Geoff, the publisher, this weekend at the wall up here in Bellingham. He's done a limited run for the first issue, to kind of gauge peoples responses. It's pretty slick, sort of like an "Alpinist" for the indoor crowd. Not my bag, but a good looking mag for sure. Necro - what I want to know is whether the are going to be so limiting with the number of ads in the mag? The Alpinist only lets 10 ads in each issue which really limits the amount of critical beta I have on the latest gear and trends. I really hope they don't limit the advertisements.

How can you teach someone who is new to trad climbing how to build a "proper" bomber anchor if they don't have the skills to place and evaluate good vs shitty gear? I can't even figure out what you're trying to say... Assuming you are mostly teaching newer climbers who have little trad experience... How much do you really think throwing the odd extreme situation at them is going to prepare them for the average day out multiclimbing with their buddies? They need to know how to place good gear and to build a SRENE anchor. The foundation of which is GOOD GEAR! If they can't get that down, who cares about the SRENE part. Yeah, they may feel they achomplished more in your class because they got to play with cordelettes and slings and determine if the anchor fit the cool new acronym they learned...BUT if they still place their cams in with the stems sticking out parallel to the ground, and they select the wrong nut sizes they have not really LEARNED something of value. They just had a fun experience and maybe heard some scenarios about extreme situations on a climb or some of your horror stories from accidents you've been involved with. But they haven't been prepared to do it themselves safely, which is what a class is for.

I agree with Mattp that if you have 3 pieces of good gear placed in more than one crack at the belay, how you hook them together shouldn't be the focus of whether it is a solid anchor. New leaders (and any climber) can make anchor building easy for themselves if they carry a cordellete and just connect the pieces and tie a knot in it to equalize the anchor. What is important is that each piece be well placed and able to withstand a fall on it's own. Better still would be to have at least one multidirectional piece or a piece rigged for an upward pull. Not whether they are connected with clove hitches, individual slings, or a cordelette. This is what I think Matt is talking about (correct me if I am wrong). The pieces need to be placed well and the leader should be able to evaluate if the nut or cam is a good placement. Also everyleader should be careful to protect the belay by placing gear at the beginning of the pitch. When I started climbing it took a few clinics about placing gear before I understood all the factors that might cause gear to fail. I was also advised to spend some time following leaders who know what they are doing. I knew how to build a decent anchor when I started leading, and a couple hours with a friend who is a guide made me solid on how to build tricky anchors with limited gear. Today, it seems like people just hand their friend who can climb a rack of gear and say go to it. I've heard some people talk about how they started leading trad the second or third time out with a buddy. It's worked out for them, but it seems dangerous to me. But maybe I'm just more conservative.

Gotta rest it from running or it could get worse... gentle stretching, massage, ice, ibuprofen. climbing won't really bother them too much as long as you stay off the steep stuff where you have to heel hook or really pull in with your toes to stay on. That uses your hamstrings.

Never heard of Arlie before, but that doesn't mean she doesn't crank in many disciplines. Steph Davis? Nancy Fagan? Abby Watkins? Are a few more that quickly come to mind.

Just give up on the idea that you don't want to leave WA and follow the hoardes to Smith for a fun weekend of climbing that is way better than Vantage choss.

And if you wait long enough, somebody will pat your back.....so you don't have to! Isn't this spray? I have no idea how they got the photo. Maybe they ripped it off this board...

That was entertaining! I found some quote from a conversation I had with someone back in 2001 that I don't even remember having. Consultants always just spouting off and trying to sound smart. me spouting off Found out that my photo of Diestel on Chain Rxn is the Photo of the month on Ramuta's resole webpage. Way f'ing cool.