todd

philfort, yeah, i like the system in that book too - it combines two systems that in combination give a pretty good indication of what can be expected. but i think the idea in france is that the rating AD,D,etc is supposed to be all inclusive, a reflection of commitment and technical difficulty. they only start evaluating specific technical difficulty at routes around TD and up or on alpine rock routes where of course there is usually a topo. basically, i think for the beginning/intermediate climber, who will not be getting on TD's, that french scale leaves a lot to be questioned.

dru, ive got a bottle of maudite in my fridge at home right now, and there is a store with plenty more 1 block away. yanks - if your local store doesnt carry 'em, its time to ask the owner "why not"?

translation, for those who might care: F-facile = easyPD-peu difficile = not too difficultAD-assez difficile = rather difficultD-difficile = difficultTD-tres difficile = very difficultED-extremement difficile = extremely difficult and even after using it extensively, that euro system makes no sense to me. there are other condsiderations than technical difficulty, and it gets a lot of people into trouble. the ever-popular cosmiques arete on the midi is rated PD+, but involves some very exposed mixed climbing that in some conditions will challenge experienced climbers. people die on it all the time because of that rating. the petite aiguille verte, although short, has exposed mixed terrain that no beginner needs to be negotiating, but it is rated only F+ because its two minutes from a lift station. then a route like the north face of la tour ronde gets a D rating because its kinda committing, but its just a long, 50 degree snow and ice slope. so chicago, my advice is to check out a route, evaluate the difficulties for yourself (you know better than any rating system what your abilities are) and then decide. best of luck!

fromage, last time i was climbing in france (last january) the new alp plaquettes were getting harder to find. a french guy i met in briancon told me that the new alp is going to be discontinued, because apparently everyone is taking to the reverso. thats just word of mouth, but he does own a gear shop... so i guess the moral of the story is, dont drop your new alp...

"suddenly i see, some n__ that i dont like,walked up to 'em, and said whats up,first n__ that i saw, hit 'em in the jaw,ren started stompin 'em and so did e,by that time got rushed by security. cuz im the type a n__ thats built to last,f__ with me, ill put my foot in yo a__..."

well said alpine k, well said!

hows it going erik - are you OK?

youll probably get a bunch of different responses to this - best thing to do is try to use a bunch of different cams and notice which ones you feel more comfortable running it out on and placing, then buy those. my preferences are: small cams - metolius tcu's and aliens. mid to big cams - black diamond. good luck!

anyone ever heard of mountain goats attacking climbers? ive had three very close encounters with them - once in the cascades and twice in RMNP - they didnt attack, but got damn aggressive with us and i wouldnt have been surprised if they did. any stories where theyve actually kicked/nudged/butted someone? please share any stories you have concerning aggressive mountain goats - id love to learn from your experiences too.

alpine tom, i read that story too - i think the italian was renatto casaratto. and according to that story, that crevasse had been crossed by unroped climbers hundreds of times that season - but the lip broke on renatto.

yeah, id contact hugh herr if i were you. one of my partners and best friends was born with only half of his right arm, and he contacted hugh about prosthetics. hugh was psyched and extremely helpful, so dont be shy about contacting him. also, if you would like to contact my friend about prosthetics or his experiences, email me and ill try to put you in touch with him - best of luck!

i should tell you that the above is a quote from a book called "me talk pretty one day" by david sedaris. if you enjoy that sort of talk, you will love the chapter about his brother. one of the funniest books ive ever read. sorry for getting serious on your jive talking session, carry on.

"certain muthafuckas think they can fuck wit my shit. but, bitch, you cant kill the muthafuckin rooster. you might can fuck him up, but bitch, nobody kills the muthafuckin rooster."

go fawk ya mudda

get da fawk outta eer!!!!!!!

yup, of course i know that! in fact, i got my pirated backstreet boys blaring right now! really man, i dont know if youve been there or not or even if you care, but this stuff wasnt fake - it was the real deal.

MEC aint some ethically heroic company, by the way. i was once in a "black market" type bazaar in bangkok - and there was plenty of fresh MEC gear for sale. i was surprised to see brands like MEC and Haglofs (norway) and i asked the lady at the stand, "how did you get this stuff?" her reply was "dey make in vietnam". now im not on the save the planet tip, and i still by MEC gear and eat mcdonalds - call me what you will. just for perspective i guess.

nelly (or anyone else who might have climbed the n. buttress), how long does the whole thing take, hike in, climb, hike out? thanks, todd

mufuckasaywhat?!

yes, i think beckey is older than dirt.

how long does it take to get into these flows? how long does it take to drive there from bellingham? thanks in advance!

pindale?! are you talking about a range called the san juans in the rockies, in the southwestern part of a state called colorado? thats where the lizards head i was referring to is located. if not, i dont have a clue my man.

ive been in the snowy range just west of laramie - pretty but nothing to write home about - between green river and laramie there isnt a whole lot of actual peaks to climb - lots to hike however... if youre talking lizards head in the san juans - chossy, but not as bad as its reputed to be.

this might become cliche, but im going to have to go with chamonix. the rock is generally excellent, the mountains are big, there are lots of aesthetic routes in such a concentrated area and the approaches are, well, often non-existant. you could argue that the crowds suck, but off of the really well-known or really easy routes, its uncommon to run into crowds. yup, chamonix it is.

what is the difference between a catfish and a girl from wyoming? -one has whiskers and stinks and the other is a fish. (i first heard this as a west virginia joke, but i guess you can name any place you feel like making fun of...)