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4 different physical beings and 168 avatars. I counted.

Where's the love for the CM Quarks (non-ergo). I thought there was supposed to be an add-on for the pinky hook that was backward compatible with the old Quarks. Anyone seen this beast? I've seen the new Petzl Quarks and would like to retrofit the hook if possible to my old CM Quarks.

Thanks for the info. I think the problem is that the ledge and rand around the ledge is rubber, so the little points stick rather than slide and that increases the force needed to snap the lever closed. I am aware that folding the points over is a Bad Thing . However, I still think the crampons are not tight enough or else they wouldn't fall off. I think I just need to try a different lever system. More as it develops.

The final tip (may be redundant by now) that I'd add is that most places will take back boots that are in new condition. So, take them to the gym and get on the stairmill for a while and find out how they really perform over a few miles of climbing. If they don't work out, back they go and you don't have to sweat the return. It doesn't get that cold in the PNW to worry so much about the warmth of the boot. Good leather boots are pretty warm. One of the guys that just got back from Ama Dablam did it in the LaSportiva K4S, same boot I've got. My toes were a bit cold around camp in Ak in this boot, but were fine while climbing even without an overboot. I have also not had any problems in Ouray down to 0°F in leather boots even when standing around most of the day. Again, your physiology is your business, so if you have Raynauds or poor circulation a plastic or leather double may be a better bet and is probably a primary consideration. I have only had one pair of boots that fit perfectly, and they were an old Scarpa leather. Some folks are lucky, some are not. If you don't find something either engage a professional bootfitter or keep looking. The only thing the reviews are OK for: general characteristics such as flex, crampon compatability, and general shape and volume. The boot has to fit your foot or no amount of duct tape or second skin is going to fill the void.

After almost falling 10+ feet on a poor screw after one of these things popped off, I'd like to hear other experiences getting these adjusted right. The bail fits well in the slot on my boot (LaSportive K4S) but I have a hard time getting the heel adjusted properly. This may seem overly complicated, but so is the heelpiece. Here's the best image I have: NOTE: I have crampomatics (steel bail) not the pictured newmatics. The arrow marks a section of the heel lever that is a small point that sticks out from the rest of the lever. If I crank up the pressure on my adjustment knob these points dig in to the rubber on the heel of the boot and fold over. However, I know this must be too loose or it wouldn't fall off every once in a while. I'm thinking these little points must go. Who's with me? Otherwise, the design of these crampons rock. They require so much less effort than my old Rambos or G10s on anything. The agressive secondary points are bomber and overall the crampon is super stable (when it stays on ).

Disclaimer: I'm probably full of crap, so you're on your own if you take my advice Your choice of material is not bad, but with an ID of 5/8" there's not much material left if you put a hole thru it for webbing or biner. 5/8 id wouldn't really be stiff enough for a safe picket in snow. You'd be better off with a bigger tube with a thinner wall. I think you'd need around 1-1/4 OD. I'd have to run the numbers to optimize the thickness, but any wall thickness over .100 would be probably be a safe starting point. Any particular reason you're reinventing the wheel?

And you need to maintain the position once you hit the ice. I think the confusion here is that you want your heels lower than your toes, but once your points are set you can't drop your heels or your secondary points will lever the front points out.

I know a few Ultimate players that climb and ski. PM me if interested in email addresses. Also, for running, have you considered hash runs? I know a few of these folks, too. Combines all the fun of running thru the woods in the dark with overconsumption of adult beverages. Oregon Hash House

Typically the Gibraltar Ledges are done in the winter as the simplest summit route. More info may be found in the Mt. Rainier forum here . Being high on the Kautz or Wilson and having bad weather could easily result in being trapped by the avy conditions getting back to the Nisqually, as others have said. There are a few variations near the Gib Ledges route that result in more excitement while still staying close to the std route and (more relative) safety. Plus there's a shelter at Muir so you don't have to worry about setting up your tent. Still bring one in case you can't make it all the way between Paradise and Muir, though. Sometimes the hut is buried and you have to dig for the entrance, though. But, that week may just be the best week ever. It's looking up as you're arriving: Weather.Com MORA 10 Day . Not great, but not bad. Bear in mind that we're seeing big slide activity from the higher freezing level right now that my end up with raincrust everywhere. Add a little new powder on that, garnish with a couple feet of windslab and you've got some wild times. Catch up with a climbing ranger before you start hiking, maybe a couple. Ask if Kessler is around if you call in ahead of time and see what he thinks. Also, don't underestimate conditions driving to Paradise. Sometime the road is closed due to snowfall or avy concerns. Have a plan B and maybe C. Keep driving and do Hood if Paradise is inacessible.

Big Hole Brewing has a similar 7.5% concoction called Head Smashed In. It's awesome and bottled a few miles outside of Bozeman.

Nope, no ice around here You may want to check the Oregon Cascades forum

Silver 2' MSR Coyote Picket w/ around 24" runner. 1 or 2 carabiners (I forget). Lost somewhere between the summit and Timberline.

Since falling.ca contains an overheard quote of Twight supposedly saying that he laughed his ass off, I doubt this article will offend him very much.

Any routes on the west, south, or east aspects are doable in a day from Timberline. Sandy Headwall makes for a long day, but the rest are pretty reasonable. Leutholds is probably the easiest interesting route. Reid Headwall is a good route with a bit more interesting climbing. The Devil's Kitchen Headwall offers a couple of exciting pitches near the summit. Steel cliffs is a great moderate climb with a lot of interesting variation. It really all comes down to avy conditions and weather. There are no safe routes to the top in bad avy conditions. March can bring 3 feet of fresh snow or boilerplate at any time. Keep an eye on the chestbeating here and ask for updates when the time is getting close. Pay attention to the Timberline and Meadows snow reports to see how it's stacking up. As for lodging, there are a few low cost places in Government Camp, such as the Mazama Lodge, for around $25 a night. There are probably cheaper places to stay in Portland, but it's 1+ hr to the mountain. Check the Oregon Cascades section of this board for more beta on routes and winter conditions.

The Mazamas chip in on a few expeditions a year. I think for a trip like this you may get a few hundred bucks from them. There is some paperwork to fill out and you'll be expected to do a slideshow and/or lecture for the classes. Check the page here: http://www.mazamas.org/resources/exped_grantinfo.php

It's a pretty serious climb. However, it gets enough traffic that lines are usually fixed. The party elected to use existing fixed lines but were prepared to fix their own. I believe the hardest rock climbing is 5.6 or so and there's quite a bit of steep snow and ice. Of course, there's obviously huge exposure off of the ridge.

Enjoy a few pics from the trip. Appreciate that these were uploaded over a screaming 9600 baud modem from Namche. The crew passed thru on 11/5 on their way to Lukla. Chris ascending Chris at summit w/ Monty 10/28/04 Everest in the background Chris descending Nancy Miller on the way up. She summitted 10/30/04

I just know most of the folks on the trip. I'll try to get some pictures up when they return. As far as I know they're on the way back to Lukla at this point. They didn't take any 'real-time' gadgetry so we'll have to wait for them to make it to at least an internet cafe to get any shots.

We've been receiving transcribed phone calls from Monty to his fiance. If anyone is interested I could post a digest of those.

A Mazama expedition to Ama Dablam has put 4 climbers on the summit. Monty Smith and Chris Cosgriff summitted on October 28th and David Byrne and Nancy Miller on October 30th. The full roster of the expedition can be seen here Please join me in congratulating these folks on a great climb.

T-line reports 1 inch new with a 9 inch decrease in base. To me that means there's probably less snow cover on the road than before, although it may be pretty slick. Pure speculation at this point.

Any conjecture on the road conditions? Any chance the road is still passable?

Anyone in PDX have this yet? What shops are selling it?

Bear in mind that while easy to do, scanning and printing your own permits may be a much more serious crime than not having a trail park permit. Isn't all forgery/counterfeiting a felony offense? I'm asking, I don't purport to know the facts here. Anyone ever been caught counterfeiting a ski pass? At least that's worth some $$'s.

Could it be?