JayB

Some actual data would allow these total non-statements wallow out of the speculative mire. Or do you smell these trends in the air? Check Greenpeace et al's positions on nuclear power. The stats on the percentage of power generated by nukes in Euroland and elsewhere are easy enough to obtain via a Google search.

A rational policy towards nuclear power could go a long, long way towards reducing greenhouse emissions. Ironically enough, the same folks who are ringing the alarm bells the loudest about greenhouse emissions are the most adamantly opposed to nuclear power. Good luck powering the country with biomass and wind farms. Simple conservation could go a long way towards reducing power consumption around the world, but with respect to new technologies, I am hoping that within the next decade there'll be broad-spectrum LED's available for indoor lighting, the use of which could dramatically cut the demand for power across the globe. Just swapping out the lamps in street lights with LED's could make a small but significant difference.

Hey Steve: How is your leg healing (?) - just found out about the accident while perusing your website. Hope that's going well.

Some also tend to overuse the term "strawman" in rebuttals as well... Seriously dude - pretending these people don't exist and don't constitute a significant percentage of the population in attendance at events like the recent innaugural protests, or the WTO protests of yore is every bit as ludicrous as someone on the right pretending that the John Birchers, Creationists, Gun-Nuts, Survivalists, and the UN-Led-Black-Helicopter-One-World-Government-Lookout crew, and or anyone who has ever intentionally purchased any part of the "Left Behind" series by LaHaye and Co are merely a figment of the Left's imagination. Politics makes for strange bedfellows - how about owning up to yours?

What did your sign say Jim?

I have actually been enjoying the "Make the World Safe for Self Parody" rallies held around the nation. Serious people on the Left must be absolutely mortified every time they turn on the TV and see the Holistic Vegan Dreamcatcher Fabrication Society hoisting their signs on the mall...

I came to this conclusion about two years ago. Plenty of boats available on Craig's list, rolling sessions and intro course available through the WKC. I just went out with friends and got worked - but if you don't know any boaters the course route might be the way to go.

Actually - although I am not the authority I imagine the rambling gulley-type routes will still be around - but the avy hazard on the said routes might take these off of the menu as well. Only one way to find out for sure...

I recommend drinking beforehand. Nothing gets you ready for an all-night send-o-rama like a stinger of domestic and a can of Red Bull. Or so I hear.

Darren's first hypothesis is correct. Too funny. I am sure there's a real photo of the West Face of Sloan floating out there somewhere.

How in the hell did I miss that one? Classic.

Here it is in the Summer: My uneducated guess would place the ice in the photo at the base of the smaller dihedral/gulley on the about 1/3 of the way in from the right margin of the photo....

I was able to drive to the Bedal Trailhead this July. No Problems.

In condition but watch for avalanches. I am ashamed to admit it but I took some friends out to Alpental to climb the falls on Saturday and Tuesday. The ice is okay - thinish at the base - thicker towards the vertical step - and decent on the step itself. If you decide to climb the pointless pitch above like we did - it is rather hollow and rings like a drumhead in places, but was quite climbable. Saturday was indeed insane. We showed up at about 6:30 and were the first ones on the ice, as a couple of other parties who showed up at the same time were heading for bigger and better objectives on Chair Peak. I expected 2-3 other desperate parties to show up throughout the day, but by the time my friend was seconding the first pitch a column with no less than 11 climbers rolled into the base - and they were apparently not part of an organized group. Amazing.

Where was the other one?

Cliffs to the skier's right of International.

Snoboy - the slide was right in the middle of Alpental. If you click on the site for Snoqualmie Summit there should be a map of the area readily available.

News report said it was the slopes under the cliffs to the skier's right of International. I was up there dicking around on some of the sorry-ass ice across the valley on Saturday and Tuesday mornings, and it looked like that very slope had been yo-yoed quite a bit by that time, and it also looked like it had some of the best snow - so it's no surprise that folks were hitting it up. The snow on the opposite side of the valley was fairly light and unconsolidated on Tuesday morning - and all of a couple feet deep. Hardly the stuff of crown fracture nightmares. Guess you can never tell for sure unless it's hardpack. Perhaps there was some additional windloading Tuesday night/Wednesday morning?. It'd be interesting to see what the snowpack analysis reveals. Damned shame about the skier.

Never thought I'd hear about an avalanche at Summit West - especially not with the 24" base that they've got going there. Hope the guy recovers quickly.

Thanks Murray. Oops. Meant to type "Friday" in there - but if we manage to sneak through Vancouver in a reasonable amount of time we might just make it during normal business hours.

Yeah but if you can see stuff forming off of the (rail)road cuts off of the Iron Horse Trail at eleveations as low as 38 the odds are good that other stuff will be in that won't get you a ticket. If you're unemployed (weekday) or can't travel to the goods elsewhere this weekend it might be worth a look.

Murray: How late are you open (?) - I am leaving Seattle @ about 1:00PM on Saturday and hope to be in the vicinity of your shop by 5:00-6:00. I'd like to make an in-person demonstation of the virtues of capitalism by buying a copy at your shop if you'll be open.

Random Beta: The Greek Place in Hope is way, way slow and too expensive. Eat elsewhere...

Surprisingly few snowboards in the lineup. Just wondering if that's due to lack of participation in the activity or if people don't consider them part of the (special for Kurt) quiver. I vowed that I'd never get on a board, and still self identify as a skier, but after using a snoboard for a 30+ days in a season while nursing torn knee ligaments back to life I became a convert. It's nice to have both options in the (extra special for Kurt) quiver to keep things interesting. If at some point I get really, really, really bored with skiing I might have to take up telemarking, but that day is a long way away....

Stuff forming at altitudes even lower than Exit 38. Many drips visible from the highway along roadcuts on the Ironhorse Trail. Even Something forming on the rocks to the climbers left of Freeway gunshow. Nothing that's visible from the road looks all that worthwhile but anything with a bit of flow at that elevation and above should be good and frozen by now. Might be worth checking out if you are stuck close to home or want to score an obscure FA.