Fromage

remaining goods BD Momentum harnesses, XS, L, XL 2 BD helmets 4 Blue Water helmets a few Blue Water harnesses spectra runners

If there are no telepheriques or huts where you can buy half-bottles of Bourguignon then I'm not interested.

Sure. It's called acclimatization. You can even get it without a prescription. I commend your attention to page 456 of Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills, 7th edition, available at fine gear shops and bookstores everywhere.

Herr Slothrop is speaking an obscure climbing dialect that has not been extensively studied. Fortunately I have read the latest academic journal articles on the subject and I can translate. P'tit Loup is French, in which I was once fluent. It is a contraction meaning "little wolf." LCD is a usage that has grown in popularity among a primitive tribe of climbers. Derived from the mathematical term "Lowest Common Denominator" it is an alternative name for the outdoor retail behemoth we have all come to love. To put it all together: "If you so desire, you may visit Recreational Equipment, Inc., and practice swinging the Little Wolf ice tool." Next week we will examine the etymological origins of the terms "jing," "vache," and "proviculinimous."

Ice Line for sure. The sheaths are woven with single pic construction, which makes the rope somewhat more water resistant than double pic weave like the Cobras (think microfiber nylon vs cordura). After six seasons of use my ice lines still stay reasonably dry and are not that fuzzy.

Here is my solution for keeping down bags dry: Eat lots of cheese and chocolate with dinner. With a calorie bomb meal in the tank your body will produce enough heat to dry your bag from the inside out. Obviously this approach only works if you have a high metabolism. Just because you bring the bivy sack doesn't mean you have to use it.

I have a pair of 8.1 ice lines, a 10.3, and have used Cobras in the past. Love them all. Occasionally get a little kinky, but have had no troubles lowering (ATC, gri gri, reverso). For their thickness, or lack thereof, the ice lines have been a really durable set of ropes. Same with the 10.3. I would definitely buy Beals again.

Don Serl, you have this man quaking in fear of his job.

Man, that would SUCK! Knowing that, I would show up with the gear having climbed to the moon on the stairmaster, drag a hefty pack up to Muir, then try to lighten my summit pack as much as possible. It seems that every time I return to Muir I meet some group who turned back for some physical reason (fitness, altitude, etc.) that is wearing huge packs.

RMI only recommends a 5,000 cubic inch backpack? After passing enough of their ant trains I would have guessed they recommended 7,000. Ooops, my fault, the post says "5,000 or more..." I second the advice offered above. Bring less, climb more. You improve your chances of enjoying the climb if you carry less than 35 pounds up to Muir. But if you want some gear, I have some very nice, barely used, Black Diamond Airlock screwgate carabiners I would sell you. Send a personal message if you are interested.

Don, thanks for the lesson on finance and business management. It is always refreshing to read a rational, well-reasoned, and well-written position on these boards. And the Merrycans frequently learn new things, so thanks for sharing the wisdom.

Thanks for pointing that out, Captain Obvious. I was merely suggesting that a set of doubles would be a superior choice to an all around rope. Having owned a pair of 8.1 Beals for several years I find them to be versatile and durable performers, not to mention light. With a little care my set of doubles and my single have lasted longer than three "all around" ropes would have.

Hey Husbands, shouldn't you be doing some "science" right now?

For the Stinger... 57g/m * 80m = 4.56kg = 10 pounds = 10 pounds of rope in one climber's pack... Beal Ice Line 8.1mm, PAIR of 60m doubles... 42g/m * 120m = 5kg = 11.1 pounds = 5.55 pounds of rope in one climber's pack Further compelling evidence to stick with the doubles. Plus you can do 60m raps and benefit from the other advantages of doubles. A one-pound weight savings does not justify climbing on a single rope in the mountains. Not for me, at any rate. Plus, if you spend the additional money up front to buy 3 ropes (a pair of doubles and a single) then your long term costs will decrease because each rope will last longer. And who wants to go cragging on an 80m rope?

With new routes up and new ropes soon to be in place, this gym will become the most powerful force in the galaxy! The longest lead wall in town! Hopefully El Director will get out of the house a bit more next quarter.

Remaining stuff: one rope the L, XL BD harnesses A few BD helmets A few BW helmets the BW harnesses Three Airlock screwgates Two ATCs Five Blue Water double-length spectra runners, unused, $6 each Thanks to everyone who has so far made purchases.

I still climb in my 1997 Koflachs. The liners are beat to hell, but despite the sustained abuse I have subjected them to, the shells are still in excellent condition. These are non the stylish neon models, they are the clunker Viva Softs, and they have kept my toes warm in sub-zero temps in the Alps. I have done a fair bit of rock climbing in them, too, and while there is no comparison with leathers, they are certainly passable. And ice climbing? They work just fine. I have been able to climb somewhat difficult mixed and ice routes in these babies without any complaints about performance. Perhaps my opinion on my boots is shaped by the fact that they are the ONLY cold weather climbing boots I can fit into... I have some Norweigan welt stout leather mountaineering boots, and while those things kick ass on rock, they are not so great in the snow or on ice. If I could fit into any of the newer insulated leathers I would probably buy a pair, but I will be picking up a NEW pair of Koflachs this spring. They are coming out with all new models, and the Vertical looks to be a good choice- it uses an Arctis Expe shell, slightly scaled down to fit closer to the foot with a thinner liner. If I can get seven years out of those, too, I will consider it money well spent.

Yea, verily and assuredly, Dave. Deport thine pitiful attempts at peddling to a better-suited locale. Like the Ataturk Square Fishmarket and Bazaar in Istanbul (not Constantinople). Perhaps Mustapha will bid two cubits of frankincense for your hex.

Another problem I had once rapping on ropes with ends tied together was that of the rope kinking. Since my tubby ass tips the scales at >200 pounds with gear on, my weight on the rope causes the coils in the core to unwind. If the ends of the rope are not free two twist and untwist (i.e. tied together), it creates a clusterfuck. You end up with a pile of spaghetti in your lap. Putting a double fisherman's in the end of each rope allows the ends of the rope to twist when the core strands uncoil, and good luck trying to get those knots through a tube-style rap device. You might be able to do it with a figure-8 style device, but if you have some sort of rappel backup in your system then you stay in the gene pool for the time being.

And suffer you will.

Thanks for all the interest in the gear, everyone. I am checking my PMs, but I am not one of those CC.commers who spends his whole day logged on. NEWS FLASH There is no more whitewater gear available. It turns out my partners sold it all to other companies already and I did not learn this until after posting. Sorry about the confusion. ATCs have all been claimed Ropes have been claimed DMM harness has been claimed Some BD Momentum harnesses remain, lots of helmets

Hey Winter, I am writing my thesis right now on traffic safety. You claim from your one observation (wife's accident) that SUVs are safer. Sorry to break it to you, but there is a compelling body of statistical evidence that shows SUVs are, on the whole, less safe than 4-door sedans. My own research findings support this conclusion as well. Consider this: your Toyota 4Runner weighs at least 4,000 pounds. Since p = mv and E = mv2, in most collisions your truck wins. Lo and behold, your wife emerges unscathed. I am happy to hear it. However, my research findings show that while car vs. car accidents constitute the vast majority (about 70%) of all accidents on the road, most of those accidents (about 67%) result in no injury. Hence your wife's good fortune. It is generally true that in car vs. car accidents the SUV will win. The real danger to the SUV is non-collision accidents. These constitute about 19% of all accidents in the USA. Non-collision accidents are rollovers, explosions, fires, etc. The injury and fatality rates for people involved in non-collision accidents is WAY higher than for people involved in car vs. car accidents. And what kind of vehicles roll over? Yup, you guessed it. So what does all this mean? Well, in the grand scheme of things, you are more likely to be involved in a car vs. car accident than you are in a rollover, but the consequences of rolling over are far more deadly than the consequences of colliding with another car. How should this influence your car-buying decision? Well, in a perfect world we would all drive Mercedes Benz E-Class sedans. For your wife I would buy a Volvo all-wheel drive wagon. Then you get better gas mileage, have a turbocharged engine, and can feel cool about driving a Euro car. Maybe I will publish my thesis on this site once I am finished.

Yes, and the value doubles when you fill the gas tank.

Lambone, you should realize that cops are not usually cool, ESPECIALLY the French ones. flic = cop in francais

After a couple years in business my guiding service is calling it quits. My partners and I realized that running the business was too much like real work, and took us away from our personal climbing and paddling goals. So the remnants of my climbing program are for sale. Here is what's left. All items are in excellent condition unless specifically noted, all use has been documented, and nothing has been dropped or held a lead fall. All gear has been stored in Rubbermaid bins in my gear closet. We were super anal about taking excellent care of the equipment and keeping track of its use, so if you want any specific details for some reason I can tell you when and where every piece of gear was used. This is a good opportunity to pick up decent gear cheap so you have an extra harness for a friend, gear to trash at the gym, etc. Harnesses Black Diamond Momentum adjustable leg loops, padded, 4 gear loops, haul loop remaining sizes: XS- 2 S- 2 L- 2 XL- 2 price $25 each DMM Alpine Harness like the harnesses at Stone Gardens. 2 inch continuous webbing, one gear loop. Light. Good for volcano/glacier climbing. universal size- 1 left price $15 Blue Water Jim Gyde like the DMM, but not as light. universal- 4 left price $15 [/b]Helmets[/b] BD Half Dome, white 3 left $30 each Blue Water helmets 4 left $30 each Ropes Beal Stinger 10.3ish 55m non-dry only used for toproping a bit of abrasion on the sheaths 2 left $30 each Biners Black Diamond Airlock 2 screwgates a few left $8 each BD ATC 3 left $8 each pm me if you want any of this stuff. Right now it lives in Seattle, can be sent anywhere at buyer's expense. I also have a ton of rafting gear (wetsuits, splash jackets, paddles, helmets, PFDs, peli cases, dry bags, spectra throwbags, cam straps, booties, etc.) if you want any of that.