sexual_chocolate

Hey, you all seem like a really knowledgeable bunch, so please help me out. I saw the following for sale, for the following prices. Any opinions? Koflach Degree-$160 and Vertical-$181 Asolo Guide-$163 and Evolution-$154 All are new, and what I want them for is general cold-weather mountaineering, and maybe some ice-climbing. Thanks!

It seems to me that Smith Rocks has the most consistent ratings of any place I've ever climbed. Of course, ratings are ridiculously subjective, (which everyone has hashed over endlessly) but Smith seems the most bang-on. Maybe 'cause all the climbing is somewhat similar?

I have such a problem with pull-ups. I mean, I can do a fair number, maybe 22 or 25, but I hate doing them 'cause my body always starts swinging like crazy. I'd like to incorporate a pull-up routine into my work-outs, but this problem always has me heading to the lat machine. Any ideas?

hey dharmabum. how does one begin to hook up in the tree-trimming business? Moondancing isn't super-steady, so I need to augment my income with other sources, and tree-climbing has always had an allure....

"If you have never lost someone very close to you, maybe you can't understand how important it is to the loved one's to have every thing possible done to save a person even if ultimately they die while you are trying. Climbing can be dangerous (duh). Part of the exposure equation is that you may need to help someone in harms way. It is a moral imperitive." Ummm, when engaged in something as silly and self-serving as mountain climbing, all bets are off. "Gee, I'll go and get myself into a bind CLIMBING MOUNTAINS, but yeah, you've got a MORAL IMPERATIVE to help me out." HAH! Good luck, fella! YOU got yourself out there. I think the only moral imperative is this: If you have children and family, and you really care about them, STAY OFF THE GODDAMN MOUNTAIN!

Hey trask, it's all good....Things obviously get heated up in here. I don't think you're any more to blame than anyone else who was posting on that thread. I think I was doing my fair share of stirring the pot. I was honestly playing around a bit, so I apologize for that too. No hard feelings, I hope!

Cats rule, dogs drool. 'nuf said. Leave your dogs at home; bring your cats instead. If I was a cat, I'd be cool. If I was a cat; "look, no drool!" But I'm just a dog, as dumb as a log; Boy, I wish I could get into cat-school!

You know very well Retrosaurus made a typo. 20,000 is what he meant. And his point is valid. It's easy to second-guess from the safety and comfort of your arm-chair. Any fool can do that. And any fool can be an arm-chair hero. Try it when your own life is in danger, and you feel death knocking at your door. Let's see how selfish your genes are then.

NOBODY could have saved JFK. He was dead instantly.

I think the pause is only noticeable at very low film-speed, which would allow us to view a natural body reflex mechanism. When a body-part encounters a resistance, it compensates by moving in the direction of the push, does it not? And if the push is so sudden, and of such high velocity as what a high caliber bullet would cause, there would be a pause before the body would be able to reflex, no? Anyway, this was just my theory, after seeing the film for the first time. The show that I saw (on The Discovery channel) didn't talk about skull fragments moving rear-ward...they alleged that the skull had been doctored.

I think Steven's will open on November 23rd. Maybe we should start a pool?

What if bolts were invisible? Like, we couldn't see them? Would that still bother people? And you had to wear special glasses while climbing, which made them visible? Otherwise, no bolts! Do you think pope would wear the glasses all the time, just to bug himself?

Yeah, but you guys are forgetting the video. I think it clearly shows that, at the moment of impact, his head jerks backward. But you know what? When I watched it again, I thought that perhaps it was a recoil, which would justify the government's position. I took a lot of flak for this conclusion, but heck, I had to say what I believed. And, by the way, Trask never apologized! And I was being nice. You all can read the posts.

We don't. You made the inference.

Oh, and good morning, everyone!!

quote: Originally posted by Brian Rybolt: OK Chocolate, You're the one trolling so I'll take a bite: 1)"Your air pollution doesn't wash off"...actually it does, minus some CO2. 2)"Old growth forests will never be what they once were"....sure they will, if left alone for a few hundred years. (And by the way, a replanted clearcut actually absorbs more CO2 than an old growth forest) 3)"Do you eat cow (are you proud)"...yes, occasionally. It is delicious. As for the "suffering"...better the cows than my hungry children. 4)"blah, blah,blah....increases global warming".....Last year the Academy of American Scientists put forth a document stating that the Earth IS in fact warming. 6000 members signed a statement to the fact that humans are to blame. However, 15,000 signed a letter stating that NO conclusion can be reached at this time regarding any human causation. In other words...probably just a natural cycle. Global warming is a fact. Those who blame humans for it may have an agenda. (they think we're "living too well"??) 1. Yeah it washes off, after the deleterious effects have already been suffered by many. Ever been to Mexico City? Bangkok? Hell, choose one of our own cities during rush-hour. Even in Seattle, we have smog alerts where sensitive types are advised to stay indoors, lest they have an asthma attack or somesuch. Wait wait wait I just realized your response to me was nothing but a crock, and honestly, I don't even think that you believe anything you said. If you actually do, well then.... Poor feller.

Dru. Do you drive to the crags or mountains? Your air-pollution doesn't wash off. Do you wear nylon-based garments? Oil is used, a non-renewable resource. Do you use wood products? Old-growth forests will really never be as they once were. All of these affect the air we all breathe. Do you eat cow? (Are you not proud?) The methane produced by cow-farming significantly increases atmospheric methane, which increases global warming, and meat production also increasing net-suffering on the planet. The effect of bolts pales in comparison. PS. A strong enough acid would wash those bolts right off....

Is this true? "Everybody nows "105 F of warmth" is not a quantity (it's a rate)..." Is 105 degrees fahrenheit a "rate"?

Nice one, Matt Anderson. You're a lucky pup, hangin' in Red Rocks, 85 degrees. Here, it rained all weekend, didn't have a chance to get on anything.

I forgot a smiley face. Dang.

Original quote by Jordo: "Of course the refinement of gear has allowed for an increase in what climbers accomplish, but isn't artificially heating your body's core a bit much?" What's the difference between this and wearing clothes? Clothes could be considered "artificial"; we weren't born with them. So by wearing them, we are "artificially" heating our body's core, are we not? Naked mountaineering, without ANY equipment, would truly be the only pure way of climbing anything "naturally". And that goes for "trad-climbing" ethicists. Anything less is surely cheating! Next time I see pope and retrosaurus out climbing, I'll be there with my camera! For surely, as "pure" as they are, they wouldn't dare cheat with shoes and clothes and chalk and a rope and a belayer....

pope. It sounds like no one has really taken the time to spend some quality time with you, sport-climbing! I understand it can be a little intimidating at first, but with personal support and proper coaching, I'm sure you'd really enjoy it! I actually am a sport-climbing coach, so if you want some pointers, let me know, and I'll help you out, free of charge.

Matt went to Red Rocks for four friggin' days! Tell us about your trip, damnit!

Uncle Tricky. I see your interest in straw-bale houses. Do you know of a Joe and Tracy, over in the Mazama area? Two old friends I've lost touch with. They're building either a straw-bale or earth house, somewhere over there.

But it feels like he's screaming. It hurts my ears, really. I have to wear ear-plugs every time I see his name.