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bellemontagne

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Everything posted by bellemontagne

  1. Good try Timm@y but no cigar... I will give you an A for effort though...
  2. I'll be in Sunriver from tomorrow until Friday. Friday evening I will be pulling into the grasslands. Look for a dark Blue Subaru Ouback, with Oregon plates and a Yakima Rocketbox full of stickers. Personally, I think it's too early to make a call on the weather (however, if I had a chance to go ice climbing, I'd be there instead of Smith). It probably won't be too bad. See ya there JK, SK, Timm@y, and Ryland.
  3. quote: Originally posted by Dru: That forecast is the suckiest EVER for Smith. This forecast does not sound bad at all - it is very typical for the Fall and Winter months. One Christmas a friend and I decided to camp out at the grasslands and climb at Smith. Well, we picked to go at the worst time. One of the famous Central Oregon inversions was going on at the time. The ceiling was very low, and most everything was socked in. It managed only to get to 20 or 21 that day. We were miserable. We drove back to Eugene to find sunny skies, and the highs were in the 40's. So we ended up climbing at the columns the next day!
  4. when you lower someone, in effect the carabiner (ring, etc) connected to the anchor essentially becomes a pully of sorts. So, it is possible that any force placed on that anchor could be magnified by x2. Am I correct, or am I truly off base, anyone, anyone?? I would say that if the anchor is sketchy, I would rap. However, that kinda depends. That's where technical knowledge, solid judgement, wisdon, and experience come into play. Just like Erik says - there are no hard and fast rules - different situations call for different techniques. If you had rapped off, you probably would have decked and would not be here right now Since he lowered you off from the ground, the rope was still running through pieces of pro (like the piton) and that caught ya.
  5. This is a lesson for all the tradsters out there. Make sure you bring along plenty of horsecock on your rack.
  6. Yepper, those flux gate compasses on the Vector and other similar watches are nearly worthless - you should still bring along and use your Silva. Buying the Altimax (sans compass) isn't a bad idea! The people with the Casio watches must be lucky. I had (2) different Casio altimeter/barometer models (the lower priced ones) when I was younger and both failed over a fairly short period of time (a few years). Plus friends had problems with their Casio's too. Rather than wearing my Vector with its watch band, I set it up as a neck lanyard so I can wear it around my neck or clip it to my jacket or pack and keep it in a pocket. This works very well for me.
  7. So, what's the word... High Street at 8 PM tonight???
  8. Whoa, I'm glad to hear they managed to escape. Now if they can all make it out... Stevie Haston is definitely not someone you would want to take hostage - if it came down to hand - to - hand combat, Stevie would totally kick their ass. What a badass...
  9. I still think the Thommen analog altimeter/barometers are the best, but they are VERY VERY VERY pricey. I could not afford a Thommen, so I ended up getting a Suunto Vector on sale at REI. I haven't heard anything really bad about them. I believe the Suunto even won the AAI Guides Choice award. The biggest problem with altimeters is that many people do not know how to use them. People will set them once (if at all) then days later wonder why the readings are so off. It is very important to set your altitude before you set off and then periodically reset it at know points during your trip - especially when there is a significant change in barometric pressure (a storm, low/high pressure front). [ 10-30-2002, 08:40 PM: Message edited by: bellemontagne ]
  10. How about just meeting at High Street at 7PM??? T
  11. I'm down wit dat. Name a time and place and I am there. I'm kinda sick right now, but hopefully I'll be better by tomorrow.
  12. Gear (especially outerwear) can be very subjective. Arc Teryx makes great harnesses, but some of their packs REALLY suck IMHO (although others I know LOVE theirs). I ended up selling my Arc Teryx pack and buying a Gregory that was much less and fit me better. Arc Teryx makes great stuff, but somtimes I think they're raping the American consumer (just like some other foreign gear companies).
  13. quote: Originally posted by Muffy The Wanker Sprayer: ISO belay slave for supper easy bummper belay sport climbs for the weekend of nov. 9th - 11th If interested please post here or pm. Lable to "gumby girl" thanks sk Easy sport routes - that's right up my alley!!! I'd be down for climbing with you then. I doubt I will do any leading, but if I have my mojo, I will need to find someone to belay my fat ass up the second pitch of bunny face or that 5.Easy crack over on Spiderman Buttress I'll be in Sunriver for work stuff from Nov 6-8th, but I will be pulling into the Grasslands Friday evening.
  14. Not a bad idea... Although personal EPIRB's have been available for quite a while. Because there are consequences of misuse, this may prevent yuppies from activating their beacons when they forget their lunches in their car.
  15. If you are VERY serious about wilderness first aid, study Warren Bowman's Outdoor Emergency Care. It's published by the National Ski Patrol and it is the manual for the NSP's OEC course.
  16. Does anyone have contact info for Taiga (URL, Phone Number)? I'm having a hard time finding info on them. Thanks!!
  17. bellemontagne

    Whoa...

    Wow! I'm no longer a chief wanker anymore! I've ascended to Chrocnic Gumby... Is that any better?
  18. Oh, and I checked on the MEC Swan bags... Unfortunately they are sold out!
  19. Well, I did some "field research" yesterday. The Marmot Never Summer bag rocks. It's easy to get into and zip up. My big complaint about sleeping bags are zippers getting caught. No problems here! This is definitely the bag I will be buying... I also tried out the MH Universe SL. This bag ain't the greatest. The zipper got caught several times. The biggest complaint is that it is hard to zip up and get the hood on when your inside the bag. I'm 5'10" and it was almost impossible to get myself inside the Size Regular bag. I had to get into the size large bag, and it wasn't too much easier to get the hood on and zip up. Plus, the Quantum expander feature seems to be a waste...
  20. quote: Static devices (the Gri-gri in this test) resulted in loads on the un-anchored belayer of greater than 4kN, resulting in protection loads of greater than 7kN. Belays using either a Munter hitch, or a Tuber resulted in belay forces of 1.7 to 2.8kN, and pro loads of 4-5kN. It was also thought that the greater forces caused by the Gri-gri can cause carabiner flutter (the rapid opening and closing of the gate). Very cool test info. I've seen numerous dumbasses belaying trad leads with gri-gri's!!! The Petzl literature clearly says that it is for sport climbing and not for adventure climbing. Go figure...
  21. I think Iain and Don have it right. The autoblock is the way to go - I use it every time I rappel. Setting up a prussik above the rappel device would not be wise for the beginner since it would be very difficult for the beginner to loosen the loaded prussik. Additionally, Don's recommendation of belaying the begining rappeller with the other half of the rope or a second rope is very effective. While on the ground, setup a simulated rappel and have the person run through the setup process until they are VERY comfortable with performing each step. Sometimes people just take them directly up to the cliff instead of spending some time on the ground providing instruction.
  22. Okay guys and gals, I would love some feedback on a few different down sleeping bag models/brands (specifically in the 0 degree F range). I'm pretty knowledgeable about down, but I would be interested in feedback from users in a few different areas: 1) The performance of different shell materials like Gore Dryloft, Mountain Hardware's Conduit SL, and MEC's F.O.H20 laminate shell. 2) How well the zippers work - do they have a tendency to stick? Do they run pretty smoothe? 3) Has anyone had a problem with the construction of their bag? Any returns? 4) Are there any other consistent problems folks have noticed with these bags? Right now, I've narrowed my search down to a few bands/models. 1) Mountain Hardware Universe or Big Bang SL wth Conduit Shell 2) Marmot Never Summer with Dryloft shell option 3) MEC Swan with F.OH2O Shell I would love to buy a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends 800+ fill down bag with Dryloft, but my budget simply does not allow for such extravagance . Has anyone had any positive experience with any of these bags? It's important that I have a down bag that does have an effective water resistant shell becuase there will be times when it will be exposed to moisture. Thanks again for the feedback!!! [ 10-17-2002, 11:34 PM: Message edited by: bellemontagne ]
  23. Since no one could decide on a place, Anna suggested we go ahead and meet at McMenamins High Street at 8 PM on Thursday (I'll probably be there at 7ish). See ya then!!!
  24. [ 10-15-2002, 09:09 AM: Message edited by: bellemontagne ]
  25. Could you call Nick or Randy? I don't have their contact info. Thanks!
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