Figger_Eight

A brake rack would be sweet for the descent, but you won't be able to jug back up with it. If you can walk from the bottom, then it would be perfect.

Jeezus - I just read that. How absolutely terrible.

If you can make it down to Smith, Wherever I May Roam would be a good choice.

Softshell pants aren't waterproof, and wouldn't hold up well to lots of glissading. Work on your standing glissade and score points for mountain coolness FWIW I have Arc'teryx hardshells for when the weather gets pissy. Otherwise I'm in softshells most of the time.

crap Ryan - I wish you were a little closer to Seattle!

Right on Steve - I'll stop by next time I'm in the neighborhood. Congrats on the move south!

Jeebus - you coulda seen that one coming from a mile away. Tough lesson learned I suppose.

For clarification: anytime you see white, that means it's spectra. The Mammut skinny slings, for example, are almost entirely white because that's what they're almost entirely made out of.

If it were the only thing I had around I wouldn't have any problem using it as a friction know - but I'd probably set it up as a klemheist because it is slippery. If it were used as a prusik you can mitigate it up by wrapping it 3 or 4 times. It's not the ideal thing and I may retire it as a "full strength" runner once used that way, especially if it was used as a rappel backup. But yeah...cord is the right choice.

You're gonna have a heck of a time finding Koflach boots since they don't make them any longer. And really there's no good reason to buy plastic boots unless you're going way up high - leather boots are gonna fit a ton better, are lighter, more comfortable and climb better than plastics. A pair of Freney's, Super Latoks or Nepal Evo's are gonna take a you a long ways.

^ So that was disturbing - geezus. Dwayner - anytime you want to show up, I'll reserve a camp spot and a cold beer just for you

I wouldn't ride anything smaller than a 250 on the highway. You'll get blown around by big trucks and the safety in a 2 wheel ride is the accelerator, not the brake. It's good to have the hp to get out of the way. Honda Rebel might be a good choice. Those bigger scooter are goofy.

oh man...the day a 120 lb kid can do me any bodily harm is the day I go back to sport climbing. Har har.

I'll go with Garmont Towers, Sportiva Trango Extremes or Kayland Apex Rock or XT.

Washington is open carry, but the part that says you can't use it to intimidate is very open to interpretation. If I have a pistol on my hip, I sneeze wrong and make someone nervous who then calls the cops - guess who's getting surrounded by cops with guns drawn?

Ha ha. Independence?

I don't offer 99.9% of the time. I was walking down from Muir in a white-out and say a guy in front of me wearing jeans and old beater gaiters on the snowfield, in the late afternoon. I ended up meeting him just above Pebble Creek and it turned out to be Lou W. out for a stroll. If they're obviously in some amount of distress though, for sure.

Alex Lowe for me. Infectious mountain spirit, helluva nice guy and excelled at all types of climbing. A close second is this guy. After his girlfriend dies as a result of a wardrobe malfunction, he has the guts enough to come back and defeat a well trained crew of international terrorists. Awesome!

Heh...can you still get out to the Gun Club out at Wilkinson? I just found the old guide in a box when I just moved the other month.

I'll go with Samuela for the hot chicks going fast award!

I used to be an instructor and I'd make everyone wear an Ecrin Roc so when they did something dumb, I can smack them in the head more than once. FWIW, any impact that would render a foam helmet unusable would ruin anyone's day regardless of the helmet they're wearing. Also remember, the speed at which pack companies can develop new mousetraps is far faster than the ability of any large climbing organization to change their curriculum. And especially when you're dealing with volunteers who only get out on the odd weekend, it's much slower than if you are working with professional guides who are more aware of current technology and techniques.

I agree. Just like there's "dry heat" compared to places that are humid, the same holds true on the other end of the thermometer.

It's easier to get to the ground if you're fat like me.

Now you need to go club a baby seal to get some skins for those things.

The Hombres are one my favorite skis that I've been on. The Baron is one of the weaker skis in their line-up, but I generally like going fatter anyways. The Reverends ski really well but are on the heavy side. One of the best new skis coming out next year are the Saints, which come out of the Reverend mold, but are 1 lb lighter. For a wood ski, I think they're great.