stinkyclimber

There was practically a Royal Commission struck after that game. National scandal. Headline news. It was awesome. Not a real bench-clearing brawl until the coaches get into it. And the hockey moms.

Likely postscript to the story: "Two weeks after a multi-department rescue effort involving police and fire fighters and MNR, the frozen beaver's dam was blown up by a flooded out farmer and then shot by a group of drunk snowmobilers and its pelt sold on the fur market." Life sucks for beavers in eastern Ontario and Quebec.

I sold my Nozone for exactly this problem. They do come with 4 side accessory straps, but they never really worked that well, and certainly didn't look very durable. The pack has to be full to make the accessory straps work, otherwises the skis just slide out. You can velcro the tips together, but that doesn't always even work, and then creates a new problem the Jordon describes. This is a great pack for alpine climbing, but just not so good for ski-related stuff....sure you can make it work, but it ain't ideal. I find my Khamsin an acceptable alternative that works for both alpine climbing and skiing stuff, but to each their own.

Long way into the Turner Lake area? Maybe I am thinking of a different area or access has changed, but we managed, in one day, to go from the trailhead to a fair bit past Hunlen Falls, and that was with 8-day winter packs and skis and sleds on our backs, postholing the last 3 km. From there, it is a short day into the alpine of the Rainbow Range. The main trail into and past Hunlen I remember as being great, and if you want to save time, once you get to the lake, there is (or was) a lodge up there that in the summer runs boats along them for a fee. The Rainbow Range alpine looked awesome - we were on a ski traverse at the time, and everyone said they'd want to come back in the summer to ramble in the area. I don't know about the bear issue, nor about the recent fires (altho I suspect that once you are up in the alpine, it wouldn't matter). I would also recommend the Ape Lake area. I only saw it in the winter, so don't know about summer hiking, but it was a stunning area. I would have thought that you would need some glacier travel experience to really enjoy the area, but maybe there is more unglaciated terrain than I thought. Have fun. It is a beautiful part of the world.

I liked the little note in the bottom right: [Note on Issue 13] I hope you didn't miss our sport-climbing issue last month.

And all very true. I say that as someone working on the climate change file here in Canada. Believe me, Canadians have NOTHING to be proud of when it comes to action on climate change. All those stats from Jay are bang on: Canada's GHG emissions are up 24% since 1990, while the US is only up 12% (of course, most countries in Europe are almost all the way to, or past the target of 6% below 1990 emissions levels, even the UK). And we can't blame a cold climate, a hot economy or anything else. We just haven't done fuck all on this except be sanctimonious. Having said that, the US can't be sanctimonious either. We are both fuckups on this.

Steamboat a few days ago.... yup, looks like CO sux. Fuck.

I barely recognize the peak, much less our specific line!! So...what Dru said. I think a Coast Range Classic is emerging...a one-day trifecta of these three routes. Just like in the Alps.

Fern, you should add this story to an article I remember reading on bivviewack.com a few years back that calculated the mathematical odds that a transceiver is worth using. It would throw a good curveball into the guy's calculations. What a story. I am going to stick with my first generation 457 Pieps from the mid-90s.

I've never noticed much of a difference, and I have two different kinds (1 of each, and who knows where I found them; I certainly never carry them much anymore). I find rapping off one screw more nerve wracking then rapping off of a v-thread...plus, bringing v-thread cord is lighter and cheaper. I'd just go with v-threads and skip the bail screws altogether. And if you want to bail mid-pitch, a screw may not help because, more than likely, you are bailing because the icejust got wayy too shitty, and so it won't hold a screw anyway. Might as well suck it up and pull thru, or downclimb.

The Economist said that Chilliwack is the best place in the world to live?! Was Abbotsford a close-run second place? Someone is clearly smoking something (and that something was probably grown in the Chilliwack Valley, so that's appropriate).

Closest decent rock is Squish. Closest quality alpine is the mainland as well, although there is some smaller OK stuff near Port Alberni. However, there is good surfing quite close by, up towards Port Renfrew. BTW - Bellingham is still quite a hike from the Island because of the ferry. With the pain in the assedness of the ferry, Squamish and the Coast Mountains are probably a better investment.

You've clearly never been to a Habs game, where those two pursuits are combined.

I used Kootenay Communications (http://www.kootenaycomm.com/) in Cranbrook. They ship by Greyhound anywhere in the province. Seemed like the best rates. $200/month (that includes all taxes and fees and shit) plus airtime. The shipping came to $15 each way. Comes with two batteries. Just give the guy a call - no internet needed. The places in the city are quite a bit more expensive (altho I didn't know about the ACC option).

The signature Guy Edwards windshirt was his mid-80s BC Winter Games K-way, a little small, and worn bare chested (for maximum breatheability he always said...it definitely wasn't for picking up chicks - "nylon and sweaty skin" - yummy (not!)) He still makes me smile....thanks, Guy.

Ask at the Live-the-Vision board. I suspect you will be OK, but much will depend on the spring weather.

The times I have been there at that time have all been great. Snowfree rock. The glaciers and especially the 'schrund below the BS col are usually fairly well covered (although the past few dry years may have changed things). The weather is as good as it ever can be for the area.

I know this has degenerated into an Otter thread, but 2 days ago I very nearly ran over a beaver on my bike - it was walking along the riverside bike path, in the dark. Then last night biking home, I saw a muskrat. No otters yet.

A little story, but an aside to your question about speech writers: One of Bush's great supposed victories that he touted as governor of Texas was the dramatic turnaround he engineered in the state's education system. They applied rigourous performance measurement regimes to report on the performance of individual schools, specifically on things like literacy and passing rates, etc. The idea was that "what gets measured gets managed" and that this would provide incentive for school administators to improve their schools. Well, several years later, the measures indeed showed reduction in drop-out, higher literacy, etc. And there was rejoicing in the Governor's office - look how great I am. Well, a few years later they did an outcomes evaluation to dig a little more indepth into the "Texas Miracle" as it was called at the time. Oops - it turns out that the measures, the way they were constructed, encouraged schools to convince the hard-to-serve kids to withdraw temporarily, apply for transfer, and do anything else to get them off their rolls (but not so they show up as a drop-out) so that literacy and passing rates can rise without a rise in drop-out. It turns out that nothing substantial had changed in the way the Texas education system was run, except that they cut loose the kids who need the most help. The report authors also suggested that the measures were chosen with political rather than administrative interests in mind. But it didn't matter to Bush - by the time this more indepth report came out, he was sitting in the White House and the new Governor got to wear it. The morale of the story: performance measurement, if manipulated for political ends, will improve nothing, and may even make things worse. This story is now a case study in textbooks on performance management techniques.

You're pretty much describing, to the letter, my first introduction to the Canadian Rockies as an 18 year old... Be sure to hold up your ice axes to the hordes of asian tourists as a solute to get truly heartfelt oohs and ahhs and "we take pictah??!!!" over and over... Hey, this is not just a technique for novices. Proper hydration is important for everyone. And on the ice axe waving thing...even Fred Becky uses strategically positioned climbing equipment to pick up chicks on the walk out. It sounds like you were taught well your first time out.

Even worse than that...I moved to Ontario. However, it is mercifully Dru-free. BTW - note that it appears that Dru's face is obscured by oh-so-fashionable wrap-arounds.

I've only done it in summer when it is icy, but from speaking with friends who have done it in early season conditions, it sounds like it is a steepish, but easy snow climb. Even in the summer, it is pretty casual from a technical point of view (50 degree max, and only for a short section) - no need to rope up. The key is the approach conditions. The death trap glacier is no longer the recommended approach, at least in the summer (due to large moat/schrund) although we didn't have too much trouble. It is probably pretty easy now, but you might skill need skis or snowshoes. Avvies would be a concern, esp. afternoon sluffs off of Victoria. The "death" seracs are no longer as big an issue as they were in the 80s, although every season is different. Move quickly. Watch especially for tourist hordes on the trail - significant objective hazard from yappy dogs and German tourists out to take close-up photos of grizzly bears. The other approach, up the gross gully from the O'Hara side, is south facing so should be snow free before everything else. No idea of the state right now. If it ain't snow free, it would probably be a slog. Also, the bus into O'Hara doesn't start until mid-June, adding 12km to your trip. Daytrips from the Deathtrap side aren't too long (8hrs?), assuming the 'shrund isn't an issue and the travelling conditions are decent. The O'Hara side would be a short 2 day trip, with an overnight at the hut (which is awesome)...and then you can roll in Victoria as well. The climb from Abbott Pass to summit, on the actual face, is quite short - maybe 45 minutes (and daytrippers up the 'Trap can shortcut by starting up the face lower down the glacier). Have fun. Stash beer just past the 6 Plains Teahouse so you can stroll back along the tourist path with proper hydration. Ask for up to the minute conditions at the Live the Vision board

Hey, that is great, Don. Congratulations! I know you are saying that there is still a ways to go, but it sounds like progress - small steps - in the right direction. Who'd ever thought that cc.com spray might make a difference?! Thanks for putting your very thoughtful and well grounded views out there, in a public forum. I am sure there was an element of personal risk in doing so - of offending old co-workers, or effecting your current position in the "outdoor industry" - but the risks you took paid off for the wider community, and hopefully hasn't negatively impacted you personally. And you didn't even need to run for the board - you were right on that! (however, I still say - Don for MEC President) Spray on! (maybe they'll bring back the Genie if we spray hard enough!). And joking aside, in addition to more spray, positive follow up letters to the CEO and the board for being responsive to member concerns, giving them kudos, will help consolidate gains and encourage more of the same in the future. Mike

This is absolutely standard practice in Quebec. The sequence of events usually goes like this: 1. You are cruising along in the left lane, passing slower cars in the right lanes. Not smokin, but well above speed limits. 2. You see headlights in your rear-view mirror, perhaps a click back. No worries. They are a long way back. 3. You glance down, just for a second, to change the radio station 4. Your retinas are burned right out of your skull by the high beams of the same car that is now less than 20cm from your bumper. 5. You move right immediately, partially blinded and radiation burned. A Quebecois grandmother, smoking and rocking to shitty Celine Dion, passes at high speed on your left, giving you a slight nod or wave of thanks. Standard practice, not malicious!

Nope. It is a public inquiry into the possible misuse of public funds. The ban is in place for the testimony of an advertising exec who has also been criminally charged and whose trial starts in a week or so. The thought was that if his testimony was published, then the juror pool would be tainted. The ban is a good idea (IMO), and since the evidence will eventually be made public as part of the inqury's report, it isn't surpressing anything, but in an internet age, it is a ban in theory only. You can read all about it at Captain's Quarters