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Cairns

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Posts posted by Cairns

  1. The density of gray matter working on this project has started to draw into orbit those of us on the periphery with our circumferential evidence.

     

    1. Wolf Bauer did translations from German.

    2. G-Spotter's etheric receptors came up with Das Toof.

     

    Ergo ipso factoid.

     

    It seems that the mystery location could have been chosen by the photographer. The angular rock features are striking. As Stefan says the photographer has a vantage at or slightly above the climbers.

     

    There is no overview of the crag. It might be quite small.

  2.  

    You must be the golden rectangle, gp.

     

    What would be ideal? If you want to limit the peak force in a fall then yes, you could space the pro farther apart as you got higher, but that would be scary. Most climbers prefer to limit the distance fallen, so pro should be spaced at equal intervals. From what I see on bolted routes we live in an ideal world.

  3. Post more pics if you have them! I'm missing the WA foliage!! Colorado has boring leaves. The aspens are kind of cool- but mostly just yellow. The other trees have leaves that turn yellow or just brown and fall off. :(

     

    Someone told me that the leaves turn depending on the humidity of the region... I'm not sure if that's true but humidity affects the wavelength of the light getting through to the leaves and the leaves have different chlorophyll depending on what light wavelengths they use . Again- just something i heard.

     

     

    Something I heard and pass along through the holes and filters of memory: bright leaf colors may be a warning to insects that the tree had a good year and has strong defenses against pests looking to lay eggs for next years brood. Even trees of the same species growing close to each other can show different colors and the earlier you put up yours the better your chances against your neighbor. Nature red in tooth and claw and branch?

     

    A good picture of a falling leaf can be a great statement about the tragic beauty of life in a universe of uncaring vaccuum.

     

    This is not such a picture. It only says that Halloween candy better be bought by tomorrow night.

     

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  4.  

    If travelling on a commercial carrier such as plane, bus, train, or ferry, you would do best to have a passport.

     

    Border agents differ on whether the passport needs to be current. My wife was recently told it was okay to fly on an expired passport.

     

    But probably agents can refuse an old passport or if they don't like your looks.

     

    When crossing in your car a passport will be needed sooner or later.

     

    Rules are a little different for Canadians, Americans, Canadians living in the U.S., and Americans living in Canada.

  5. Here was another study about brain lesions caused by high altitude climbing:

    Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443427

     

    PURPOSE: There are only anecdotal and small reports on brain systematic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in mountain climbers. The purpose of our work is to study the risk of brain lesions in mountain climbers by means of conventional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). METHODS: We recruited 35 climbers consecutively (12 were professional and 23 were amateur) in 4 expeditions without supplementary oxygen: 12 professionals and one amateur went up to Mt. Everest (8848 m), 8 amateurs to Mt. Aconcagua (6959 m), 7 amateurs to Mont Blanc (4810 m), and 7 amateurs to Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895 m). The mean age was 33.8 years (range: 22-46). All of them underwent general medical examination, standard blood tests, and MRI of the brain after the expeditions. MRI also was carried out in a control group of 20 healthy subjects. Single-voxel MR spectroscopy was carried out in 14 amateur subjects after the expeditions and in 10 healthy controls. As outcome measures, we evaluated changes in the hematocrit value, presence of cerebral lesions on MRI, as well as atrophy and dilatation of Virchow-Robin spaces, and differences in the metabolite ratios obtained from brain MRS in comparison with controls. RESULTS: Only 1 in 13 of the Everest climbers had a normal MRI; the amateur showed frontal subcortical lesions, and the remainder had cortical atrophy and enlargement of Virchow-Robin spaces but no lesions. Among the remaining amateurs, 13 showed symptoms of high-altitude illness, 5 had subcortical irreversible lesions, and 10 had innumerable widened Virchow-Robin spaces. Conversely, we did not see any lesions in the control group. We found no significant differences in the metabolite ratios between climbers and controls. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there is enough evidence of brain damage after high altitude climbing; the amateur climbers seem to be at higher risk of suffering brain damage than professional climbers.

     

    Could be their findings were from dehydration: when you lose fluid most of your organs can just shrink a little but when your brain shrinks negative pressure would develop in the skull and delicate bits might get pulled a little harder than they like.

     

    I wonder how they know the lesions were irreversible.

     

    So far I see something that might be similar to getting calluses on your skin from rock-climbing. The article suggests that such an adaptation is at work:

     

    "the amateur climbers seem to be at higher risk of suffering brain damage than professional climbers"

     

     

    I like this tiny report:

     

    *******************

     

    Acta Neurol Scand. 1993 Feb;87(2):103-5.

     

     

    Long-lasting neuropsychological changes after a single high altitude climb.

     

    Cavaletti G, Tredici G.

     

    Department of Neurology, S. Gerardo Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Monza, Italy.

     

    Acute neuropsychological changes due to high altitude climbing without supplementary oxygen are well known. However, many climbers report vague symptoms of brain dysfunction after return to sea level suggesting that long-lasting neuropsychological impairment may ensue even after a single ascent. In this study we evaluated a series of neuropsychological functions in a group of 11 climbers who ascended over 5000 m. Besides memory, also reaction time and concentration were less efficient when the climbers were evaluated 75 days after their return to sea level, confirming that even a single high altitude climb may be harmful for central nervous system functions.

     

    *****************

     

     

    All of these studies suffer from the problem that when you study the brain you don't really know what you are studying.

     

    Which will keep 3rd-rate publishing needs supplied for some time to come.

     

     

  6.  

     

    "Six of the nine climbers had lower than average scores on the Digit Symbol test, which measures executive functions. Three out of nine scored lower than average on memory tests, while four scored below average on a visual-motor function test."

     

    OMG! The odds of that are...

     

    ...about 50/50.

     

     

    I remember being at a seminar at UW Anesthesiology on just this topic ( before and after tests on an Everest expedition and simulated high altitude in a hypobaric chamber), with the amusement of doddering old fool Tom Hornbein's example being present.

     

    I'll take my brain insults unsubtle, please, and my executive functions can manage a digit symbol ANY time.

  7. For all those chalk haters out there, this is for you:

     

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11411778?ordinalpos=9&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

     

    Coating (chalk vs no chalk), dampness (water vs no water) and rock (sandstone, granite and slate) were manipulated. The results showed that chalk decreased the coefficient of friction.

     

     

     

     

    The counter-intuitive effect of chalk appears to be caused by two independent factors. Magnesium carbonate dries the skin, decreasing its compliance and hence reducing the coefficient of friction. Secondly, magnesium carbonate creates a slippery granular layer.

     

    We conclude that, to improve the coefficient of friction in rock climbing, an effort should be made to remove all particles of chalk; alternative methods for drying the fingers are preferable.

     

     

    I am not arguing yay or nay for chalk (there are past threads for that if you want it), but I just thought it was interesting.

     

     

     

    Seems to be a small study done 7 years ago.

     

    Probably doesn't model V15 or 5.15 very well.

     

    Probably climbers would've noticed before now.

     

    J. Sports Sci. not so hard to get published in - check Citation Index to see if this study had any connection to anything

     

    It's already known that shoe rubber on bare rock isn't way more slippery when wet; skin could be the same deal

     

    BUT mixing chalk with water, e.g. sweat, could lead to a variety of possibly contradictory effects on friction, depending on the proportions, and there are other substances in the mix which could be sources of variation, such as psychology, spiritual attunement to the rock (is that possible with the pebbles used in the study?), and shorts over polypro.

  8. Someone out there must have a copy of the Guide to Leavenworth rock-climbing areas by Fred W Beckey. Please share a little about it. Is it dated... cool as a collector? Or a worthwhile guide book as a supplement?

     

     

    Beckey/Bjornstad 1965 is good if you wish to return to simpler times

     

    p_57_Snow_Creek_Wall.jpg

     

     

     

    or for historical research on bushes

     

    p_59_detail.jpg

  9.  

     

    Congratulations, rmncwrtr! Up til now I read that as roman critter.

     

    Little old ladies in our nursing home still read romance novels.

     

    I once read one by Diana Gabaldon. The sex was hot and interesting to see from the woman's point of view but the story was interrupted at the end and I wasn't about to go get the next 2 or 77 books to find how it all came out.

  10.  

     

    It is good to appreciate.

     

     

    Out in Courtenay (BC) there is a Dad who picks up his young daughter after school on a Harley. Big intimidating guy, of course, but funny to see him turn red from embarrasment at the noise the bike makes as he leaves the oh so quiet neighborhood.

  11. There are slide alder and Devil's club on the approach to Everest?

     

    I expected better - dysentery on page 20, porter strike on p.100, WiFi failure at basecamp p. 165, Annabelle Bond sighting p. 200, more dysentery p.201, ladder collapse on the Khumbu p. 273, serac collapse wipes out Camp II p. 291, support team member caught sleeping with Sherpa p. 297, etc.

     

    You will need patience. What makes you think Mr. Enright is on route? He might have been attracted to an easy-looking line in The Tattler.

  12. I just heard CBC radio host Michael Enright say that he is setting off from basecamp to climb War and Peace and is fiddling with his pitons.

     

    Would include suitable illustration but am currently unable to locate upload images option

     

     

    But the question is: just a weird metaphor or misappropriation of climbing culture?

     

    no need to warn Canadians, they are born into boredom

  13. I use a steel or brass wire brush, BTW I think my next FA is going to use the thread title as it's name "weapons of moss destruction" GREAT.

     

    You're 10 years too late - it's an 11b slab route in Squamish.

     

     

    Isn't there also a route by that name at Lilooet Edge?

  14. yeah...but our fist and hand cracks are offwidths for him!!!!

     

    Has he been on Boogie?

     

    I could do Wed. or Thurs. or Fri. but since it says Weekend:

     

    Last Saturday, Brendan's favorite climb, p1

     

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    Brendan's favorite climb, p2

     

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    and from last Sunday,

     

    IMG_6314_smaller.JPG

     

     

  15. thanks for the info. timson has big hands with fat fingers, so i guess that helped him for sure.

     

    and you're right, it would be interesting to know what he did to protect it back in '79. must have been hexes because friends maxed out at #4 -- roughly equivalent to a #3 camalot, so it was either hexes or way run out!

     

     

    I remember hearing that toward the top Timson was "well above" his last piece and his arms were getting tired. He had pretty strong arms.

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