JayB

Windstopper get my vote for the worst winter fabric ever invented. It manages to combine the breathability of linoleum with the the water-repellency of a terrycloth bathrobe. Great stuff.

Anyone care to mention who it was that they were spying on and for what purpose? I've been too busy to follow this story.

Not sure about the Olympics, but you should be able to find the snow accumulations that you need relatively easily in MRNP - either in the Tatoosh Range or somewhere in the vicinity of Paradise.

I bought a pair of twin ropes, some crampons, and a set of tools from them in '02 and got everything within a week back then. They seemed to have things pretty together at the time.

Sorry to hear about Pete's injury. John - where were those photos taken? Looks like a good time. Was that really a mat-o-deathsicles at the base of that thing?

My wife is an MD who spent three years in west Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, so I've got the infectious/tropical disease angle covered, but thanks.

Heading there for two weeks in mid-January for a deferred honeymoon, been to busy to do much in the way of scoping the country out. If you've been there, what were some your favorite places? Any great bargains in terms of hotels, restaurants, etc. Feel free to share anything that you especially enjoyed, especially if it's quiet, scenic, and unique to Central America.

check out www.boatertalk.com or post on the Washington Kayak Club's message board.

Someone had to do it. Not sure what category this falls under, but IMO the coolest thing to happen on the site in '05 was the Scurlock-New Route-TR symbiosis that took place last winter. Definitely a good year for TR's on this site.

Thanks for posting that Gary. Very Cool.

I doubt they'll get off that easily. I think that they, like their comrades in Venezuala, will have to live with the consequences of their rhetoric this time, as the Cold War is over and no one really gives a shit what happens in South America anymore.

How's that different from any other Leftist revolution in history? Same plot, different actors. "The State" and "The People" are just shorthand for "My henchmen and I." Is there a big wheel somewhere that they spin in South America to decide of the revolution du jour is a farce or a tragedy?

I suspect they'll do the demonstrating for me shortly, but if you to see an example check out Zimbabwe. They have achieved a commendable degree of equality amongst their citizens, the vast majority of whom are now impoverished and starving, since their redistributive measures have been implemented.

How do you say "Me love you long time" in Mongolian? Glad to hear that you know what it takes to survive the Brutal Mongolia Winter Luke.

You been reading the economist or something Dru? What's going on up there. The inability to coordinate supply and demand is the clearly the key to everlasting prosperity for all, and history has shown that an economic incentive system that is inconsistent with human nature is an obstacle that can easily be overcome with a sufficient amount of coercion from the state. Viva La Implosion.

What to you think the administrations real plans are? Their stated plans may be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/iraq_strategy_nov2005.html

Sorry to ruin your hollidays/ongoing narrative with such negative news. Might as well get all of the depressing stuff out of the way at once though. "Survey finds hope in occupied Iraq:" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3514504.stml "Poll: Most in Afghanistan Say Life Better" http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-afghanistan-poll,1,912294.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines There's still hope that the entire country will decay into anarchy in time for the '06 mid-terms though! Keep your fingers crossed.

Iraqi insurgents urge Sunnis to vote, warn Zarqawi Sun Dec 11, 2005 6:03 AM ET FALLUJA/RAMADI Iraq (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein loyalists who violently opposed January elections have made an about-face as Thursday's polls near, urging fellow Sunni Arabs to vote and warning al Qaeda militants not to attack. In a move unthinkable in the bloody run-up to the last election, guerrillas in the western insurgent heartland of Anbar province say they are even prepared to protect voting stations from fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Graffiti calling for holy war is now hard to find. Instead, election campaign posters dominate buildings in the rebel strongholds of Ramadi and nearby Falluja, where Sunnis staged a boycott or were too scared to vote last time around. "We want to see a nationalist government that will have a balance of interests. So our Sunni brothers will be safe when they vote," said Falluja resident Ali Mahmoud, a former army officer and rocket specialist under Saddam's Baath party. "Sunnis should vote to make political gains. We have sent leaflets telling al Qaeda that they will face us if they attack voters." The shift is encouraging for Washington, which hopes to draw Sunni Arabs into peaceful politics in order to defuse the insurgency. The Baathist warning to al Qaeda raises the possibility of a wider rift between secular Saddam loyalists and fundamentalist militants, who have been cooperating in their efforts to drive out U.S. forces. But it is far too early to suggest any breakthroughs will ease insurgent violence that has killed thousands. Some insurgent leaders appear to be setting conditions for Sunni voters, who will choose from among 231 political parties and coalitions for a parliament that will appoint the first full-term government in postwar Iraq. GRUDGING BACKING FOR POLLS Former Baathists who have embraced militant Islam, like Jassim Abu Bakr, are still fiercely opposed to U.S.-backed leaders and say any Sunni politicians who move too close to them will lose their support. "We are telling Sunnis that they have to vote for nationalist parties and even if they win we will be watching very closely to keep them in line," said the Falluja militant, 28. In Falluja, renowned as Iraq's "City of Mosques", Sunni Muslim spiritual leaders made clear there would be no repeat of the boycott of January's election which left their minority angrily marginalised. Fiery speeches delivered in Friday prayers have been toned down, with increasing calls for Sunnis to vote. Iraq's election commission said on Sunday there would be 154 polling stations open in Anbar next Thursday, far more than in the election in January. Eighty-four of them will be in Falluja and the surrounding area, it said. Most election posters back two Sunni politicians, Saleh Mutlak and Adnan al-Duliami. Iyad Allawi, a secular Shi'ite and former prime minister who ordered a U.S.-led offensive that devastated Falluja last year, has some appeal, insurgents said. The influential Sunni Muslim Scholars Association urged their large community to boycott the "illegal" polls in January. Nearly one year on, the group has so far been officially neutral but some of its members have called participation in the polls a "religious duty". Ramadi remains a trouble spot. Just a few days ago U.S. helicopters were exchanging fire with determined insurgents. But Saddam loyalists have turned against Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant whose fighters travel to Iraq from across the Arab world to blow themselves up in a bid to spark sectarian civil war. "Zarqawi is an American, Israeli and Iranian agent who is trying to keep our country unstable so that the Sunnis will keep facing occupation," said a Baathist insurgent leader who would give his name only as Abu Abdullah.

Hey thanks for linking that. Good stuff.

After reading through Pax's summary of the accident in Guiness Gulley, it seemed like that the fact that they had certain pieces of equipment - foam pads, belay jackets, a sleeping bag, etc - may have may the difference for their injured partner. The amount of equipment that I bring along for 1-day routes in the winter varies from trip to trip - but I make it a rule to bring along enough to survive a night out. In addition to the clothing that I use during the climb, this normally means bringing a pocket rocket, a small fuel cannister, a small titanium pot, a lighter, a piece of closed cell foam big enough to insulate my torso, a down half-bag, an epic bivy sack, and a bit of extra food. If there'll be enough snow on the route to dig a shelter, I generally bring a shovel as well. I imagine the combined weight is between three and five pounds on most trips. I've heard the speed is safey mantra over and over, and try not to bring the kitchen sink - but the reality for me is that keeping up on my training, choosing an appropriate route, studying the route and the descents in advance, and trying to wait for good conditions have all made way more difference in terms of speed than anything else. It doesn't take much of an injury to guarantee that you'll be stranded a long way from your car or any help whatsoever - as even rescues from sites relatively close to roads most often take hours and hours to complete. What do you take with you in the winter to insure that you survive?

As long as the Sun's out the temps should be comfortable, especially along Cactus Cliff. Odds are that's where you'll find most of the crowds as well, but if you are there midweek you'll most likely have the place to yourselves, or close to it. Should be a beautiful place to spend the week.

Dude - you've got it all wrong. If the logic presented in F&G's retort is correct, then all the US needs to do to become a paragon of eco-virtue is to dissolve itself into an arbitrary number of statelets that each have a population that is small relative to Canada's, and per-capita emissions will no longer matter, since each statelet's C02 output will be insignificant relative to Canada's gross output of CO2. To top it all off, we will then also be entitled to perpetually spout infinite quantities of sanctimonious rhetoric at them for their wasteful, environmentally callous lifestyles even though we're living the same way that they are.

Hey - way to get back on your feet after getting a fact-based, cross-border beat-down! If Alberta and BC can successfully compensate for the GDP-Growth-anchor effect that the maritime provinces and Les Quebecois currently shackle Canada's trend GDP growth with, and the average Canadian produces as much in dollar terms as the average American, you'll have us beat in CO2 emissions per capita too! But hey - back to that argument of yours. If I understand you correctly, a country's environmental virtue has nothing to do with CO2 emissions per capita, or energy efficiency (CO2 output per-unit GDP) and everything to do signing treaties that it doesn't actually implement. Treaties that under even the most optimistic projections, will have a statistically insignificant impact on trend global temperatures and CO2 levels, and ignore the emissions from two of the largest and most rapidly expanding economies on the world. That's awesome! By this logic, I can live the same lifestyle, and even produce goods and services in a less energy efficient manner, and so long as I do both north of the border I am no longer a selfish, Earth-destroying prick. I'm moving to Canada!

You guys are currently number three in terms of C02 emissions per-capita, and as Alberta's fossil resources get developed, you may well edge out Australia for the number two spot. Go Canada! CO2 Emissions Per Capita But don't get discouraged, you currently emit more CO2 per unit-GDP than the United States, so you have actually got us beat in terms of energy-ineficiency! Way to go! CO2 Emissions Per Unit GDP The best part about this whole thing is that according to the BBC: "Canada, one of the treaty's first signatories, has no clear plan for reaching its target emission cuts. Far from cutting back, its emissions have increased by 20% since 1990. " http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/ Awesome! Keep that empty sanctimony coming! Super-bonus points if you can correctly state the fraction of a degree Celsius that a fully-implemented accord would actually reduce global temperatures by in 2050. I do have to concede that it would have been much, much better politics to sign the thing and ignore it like everyone else but Iceland. That was the real mistake.

Exhibit A being the recent slide-fatality near Berthoud Pass.