featheredfriends

Lots of people have been expressing interest in the new Black Diamond lightweight carabiner, and unfortunately BD has not been able to deliver as many as they had hoped. We just received 25 of them. Come get 'em fast before Joe Gearhead comes in and snaps up the lot. If you are really desperate, you can buy them over the phone and we'll keep them for you until you can make it down to the shop. 206 292 2210. Peace out, Napoleon.

We'd be amiss not to chime in here. The Summerlite is a great bag and in many respects is similar to our Merlin. The dimensions on both bags are pretty close (snug fit). Down quality is the same in both bags, zipper length is the same, they are both made in the US, and they both come in snazzy colors. So what are the substantive differences? - Fabric. Western's ExtremeLite series of bags uses a very lightweight ripstop nylon that does a great job of saving weight but doesn't offer much water protection. You can buy a Merlin in our new Schoeller Nano fabric that is both very light (1.0oz/yd) AND has excellent water resistance. - Fill weight. The Merlin has more down in it than the Summerlite. - Price. The Merlin costs $19 more than the Summerlite in a regular length. Overall the Merlin weighs a bit more than the Summerlite (at least on paper), but you get more down and a shell fabric that is much more impervious to moisture. If you are in the area and you have the opportunity, you should get inside both bags and see how you like the fit. Jim Nelson probably carries the Summerlite at PMS, and we have a good selection of Merlins in stock right now. If you find you like the fit of both bags, then your decision might come down to water resistance, weight, price, or color. Either way you will end up with a great bag that will last a long time.

Some of us will be sipping liters during pre-funk at Feieaieaireabend, the German bar just down the street. It's a fun place, all are welcome.

Juicy

All these have been sold. We just put some new rental gear into the fleet so keep your eyes peeled- there may be some more gear deals posted here soon.

Colin will be presenting a slideshow at Feathered Friends on Wednesday August 1 at 7:30pm. The theme of the show is the series of climbs he did up north spanning the winter, spring and early summer. These include the first winter ascent of Mt. Huntington, a new route on Robson's Emporor Face, and the fifth ascent of the Diamond on Denali. FF will be providing refreshments as usual. . There is a $5 admission at the door. No tickets will be sold in advance. Tell all your friends, bring your posse, and show up early so you don't end up being the chump standing in the hallway craning his neck around the corner to see the screen. Come give Colin a good send-off as he will be leaving shortly after the show for his trip to Pakistan.

keg + tapping = 7:00pm

7:30. Prefunk all you want. Oh, and we will have the usual keg + this show is free. If you're not there you better be dead If you're not dead you better be in jail And if you're in jail BREAK OUT!!!

The show is definitely on! It should be a good one and we hope to see all ya'll there.

This is tonight. We're already mixing the mojitos.

The Rock & Ice has been sold.

The medium Frontpoint has been sold.

We have replaced some items from our rental fleet and that means blowout deals on a few outgoing goodies. People ask us all the time, "Do you ever sell off your rental gear?" The answer is yes, sometimes. That time is now! This time around we have: Rock & Ice Parka medium, Gore Tex shell. This is the big daddy! $89 (retail is $725) Frontpoint Jacket size large, PTFE fabric $89 same, size medium same, size XL call us at 206 292 2210 if you want one, or stop by in person. These things don't last too long, so move fast if you want one.

We definitely considered this design approach, but concluded it would limit the versatility of the bag. In a situation where you have to bivy on a ledge too narrow for the bag, two people can still sit up inside the bag in the head-to-head configuration. Going head-to-toe would be impossible if you had to hang your feet off a ledge. As it is, the Spoonbill fits very neatly inside a Bibler I-Tent.

That's right...Women only at Feathered Friends for one night. We're kicking all the guys out so women have a chance to network, talk gear and drink mojitos. Come by and check it out

Sorry for the late notice The Black Diamond Super Sale is still on. - Eddie

THE SLIDE SHOW IS RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 27TH. SORRY FOR THE LATE NOTICE

Rockfest is family friendly. Bring the kids! Nope - Katie is a little older nowadays

Three photos of the new Spoonbill. A little explanation. The first picture shows the bag with Colin and my homey Brent inside. Aren't they a cute couple? This photo offers a great view of the vertical side baffles I mentioned. You can see how the bag keeps a rectangular cross section even with two people inside. The second picture shows the top of the bag with a view of the much talked about collar. The third picture shows the bottom of the bag with two foam pads cut to fit inside. One pad is set at an angle, the other is cut to fit the rest of the space. Note that there are a total of about 1.5 pads that are needed for both people. Maybe a little less.

Kevin, FF is selling the BD Neve aluminum crampon at 40% off starting next week. Check out our web page for full details.

Eric, the fabric on this bag is made by Schoeller, and is a NanoSphere 1.0oz/yd ripstop nylon with better water resistance than Epic. Because of the weight savings and performance of this fabric we are going to make it the standard issue on the Spoonbill. Right now we are not planning on offering this bag in the full variety of fabrics we use, mainly because everything else is heavier and we are standardizing the product line a bit. Some of the staff here have been using the Nano fabric for about a year, and it does really well for water protection. We don't list it on the website yet, but if you walk into the store you can buy a +20 or +30 bag made with this fabric. When our new website is launched (within the next few weeks) this fabric will be offered as standard on many of our lighter bags. Right now the Nano only comes in a light green color, so this bag looks a bit like a steamrolled Kermit the Frog, but we will be getting some dark blue in a couple months. I don't have my camera USB cable in the office today, so photos will have to wait for a day or two.

Okay, point taken, but anatomically it is a more accurate analogy than the tonsil. I guess we could use that other technical term, the thingamajig. Ideas for new descriptions of the "uvula" collar are welcome! Dave, thanks for the recommendation for the one-person version. I'll run it by the folks at the factory. My first thought is that for one person a Vireo still gives you the most efficiency. We have offered a one-person floorless bag in the past (called the Great Auk, a more fitting name was never given), but it was designed more as an overbag and weighed about two pounds. A slimmed-down Great Auk style bag a la Spoonbill For One could be significantly lighter. Keep the great feedback coming, folks.

After months of development and reworking the design, Feathered Friends is pleased to announce the latest addition to our nest: the Spoonbill. This bag is the first and only one of its kind, and is the first new design we have come out with since the Vireo. The Spoonbill is a two-person ultralight alpine bag for climbers/hikers who place a high importance on weight savings and efficiency. Colin Haley came to us with an idea for this bag that he wanted to take to Alaska and Pakistan, and together we came up with the design. The version that we made for Colin is rated to zero degrees and weighs 2lb 11oz, or 1oz less than our lightest zero-degree mummy bag. The production version will be rated to +20 for use in the lower 48 and the weight will be closer to 2lb 4oz, which is in the neighborhood of most +20 mummies. Features of the Spoonbill include - one piece fabric floor: you cut your foam pads to fit inside, which leads to further weight savings because you are only carrying 1.5 pads between 2 people. - two hoods permanently attached, with drawcords. - contoured 3D collar: full width coverage with a uvula that seals the space between the occupants' shoulders. This snaps to the floor to stay in place. - unique baffle construction: the Spoonbill uses a slant-box baffle construction with vertical side baffles. This creates a rectangular cross section resulting in more efficient insulation on the sides of the bag. - efficient fit: there is just enough room inside the bag for two medium build climbers to sleep side by side on their backs. - drawcord across top opening. Each occupant gets their own drawcord to adjust his/her side of the bag. Colin and Jed are taking the Spoonbill to Denali on June 1, so it will be going away then. If you want to stop by and check the bag out before then, hurry on down to see it in person. We will be taking orders in a batch to do a single production run on this bag. If you live far away and can't visit the shop to see the bag for yourself, I will be posting photos here in the next day or two. Check back. The question you have been waiting to ask: how much will it cost? We haven't determined an exact price yet, but the 20-degree production version will be less than the price of two lightweight mummies. Probably between $570 and $620. If you are interested in ordering one of these bags, please email retail@featheredfriends.com We are starting a list of customers so we can make a gaggle of Spoonbills in one production run. It is a fairly complex bag, as you will see, so we're not too keen on making it on a one-off custom basis. We will probably stock a few of these in the store, but we don't expect to sell a flock of them. Begin flurry of commentary.

I just heard the same on KUOW. The other climber was Mizuki, a frequent customer of ours and attendee at our "How to Climb Denali" clinic earlier this spring. She was very excited to climb the West Rib. This is sad news. More details will surely arise, it is another great loss for the NW climbing community.

Just a reminder for folks to reserve their spots in the free clinics! E-mail me at rockfest@featheredfriends.com Highlights: Gear placing and anchor building clinics from the Black Diamond and Petzl Reps. Light and Fast Multi-Pitch Climbing with Roger Strong Leading on Gear for Beginners with Dean Lords from Mammut Rock Rescue: Escaping the belay with a guide from the Northwest Mountain School. http://www.featheredfriends.com/rockfest/2007/event.html See ya there! - Eddie