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Cairns

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Everything posted by Cairns

  1. quote: Originally posted by JayB: What's the oldest piece of gear that you use and why do you stick with it? Still do the job? Sentimental reasons? That would be the Clan Robertson gear sling, Early Pleistocene. It still holds gear but my only sentiments about it are hostile and I probably stick with it because some voodoo doll of me somewhere has it stitched on.
  2. quote: Originally posted by Dru: The reason I asked the original question (do Spokane Mountaineers = seattle Montaineers AKA THE MOUNTAINEERS) is because one of the Spokane group told me they were totally different. But in terms of behaviour, they seem to perform exactly the same (ie swarm popular areas with huge hordes.) SO i wondered what the difference was? Aside from minor differences in coloration the key distinguishing characteristic is smell, acquired from communal gathering places and diet.I know a good climber who came through the Seattle Mountaineers. He could have been like Messner were it not for that early handicap. The danger field is so intense I nearly became a victim of it just by looking through the Mountaineers' Intermediate Climbs Guide. Back to the smell. The women develop synchronized menstrual cycles and the men have suppressed androgen levels except for the alpha who becomes exaggeratedly obnoxious.
  3. quote: Originally posted by Dr.E: Come to think of it, I have a batch of booty beaners that are worthless but I can't make myself throw away. I wouldnt trust them to rap off, who knows their history? Been meaning to alert climbing public to Bonatti blue gate left at some rap point on Burgundy Spire this September by Slovenian friend who borrowed it from me. Said artifact was purchased '68 from Charlie's in Boston (MA) back when you could still spit across the EMS showroom down the street. Best piece of gear I owned.
  4. Throw in the rumor that Alan Kearney did not report many of his FAs.
  5. quote: Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman: Hey Cairns how do you report them? Nowadays a Joe Schmo does not know how to contact authors This was a big mystery to me, too. The answer came indirectly. Something was clearly wrong about the North Face route on N Early Winter Spire. What to do? What to do? In hindsight I think it was my tremendous abilities at mental breakthrough but it could equally well have been someone saying, "Why not give the FA a call?" That was the answer! The telephone book! Greg Markov answered the phone and cleared the matter up. Guidebook authors, to be sure, will often call you. Please direct them to the nearest randomly chosen cc'er. Cairns
  6. quote: Originally posted by Dru: Semi-legendary nurse ANDY CAIRNS was seen posting here lately on the Beckeyisms thread... Dru, why you raising personalities issues? For a start I try self-appreciating humour, then balance with self-deprecating, then will move on to more fertile name-calling and poking fun at others. At least my name is alias and vice versa.
  7. Cairns

    Calling Big Lou

    From the first reports of Big Lou sightings I knew this forum wouldn't let me down. I remember the launch party for Mariah Magazine in Chicago when I actually stood next to Henry schmoozing with Royal, but was unable to get anywhere near the star attraction who gave the A-list crowd a thrilling slide show on his expedition to K2, the one which overcame many unspeakable ordeals on the approach march alone, only to be defeated high on the mountain when a high-altitude porter had a bad case of worms. Triumph and tragedy; Big Lou a legend to rival Greek myth. You are so right that those of us who are nonlegends, or less, nonentities, will scatter like leaves when he comes.
  8. quote: Originally posted by Dru: I think Reinhold Messner said, nowadays he wouldn't be able to climb hard new routes on the Dolomites, but when he was 20 he wouldn't have had the staminas and determination to ski across Antarctica... No word on at what age he started seeing the Yeti everywhere though Let's see...leafing through the incunabulum..."Brett Brown" on the UW Red Square exhaust chimneys...letters from Jeffrey L. Smoot...Stephenson Equipment catalogs (oops, too early)...aha! Here it is. Happy Mom has 6-lb. boy - in giant fish tank! Famed mountain climber comes face to face with Bigfoot - and lives! Oyster-eating gramps is a proud papa - at 94! Yes, that's Reinhold Messner's mug on the front of Weekly World News, December 16, 1986.
  9. I like, "A route on this intimidating face has been avoided for many years but was climbed by Andy Cairns and Bill Thompson in July 1985."
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