allison

I am writing a piece for Washington Trails magazine on Bargain Gear Shopping, and would love to hear about your favorite sources for cheap gear. Before I get flamed to pieces for this, let me say that I am writing a sidebar about Independent shops, and that personally I am opposed to buying gear that is manufactured in countries with low labor standards, and do my best to avoid that. I am particularly interested in your experiences with Barrabes.com (I've never bought from them) and sources of bargain gear in areas outside of Seattle. I don't get out much. Also, besides Pro Mountain, what other indy shops do you like?

Come on boys, it such an insult to be called a woman? Have yathunkaboutthatratallorareyoujustbeingdumbassboys? If someone's lame, don't assume we'll let them into OUR club.

The David Roberts books are quite good. The Boukreev book I read was his version of what happened on Everest in '95 ('96?) and while it was interesting (I recommend reading it back to back with the Krakauer) it was poorly written by a ghostwriter, verging on the hokey. Still worth reading to get another perspective. "The Armchair Mountaineer" has some great stuff in it, a collection of short stories by various writers. I can only take Mark Twight in small doses, so I won't comment. The Diemburger book is worth the read. All of Krakauer's books are well written and interesting, including surprisingly, the one non-climbing book about the kid who died in the Alaska bush. I especially like his shorter works, the ones originally written for magazines, I think he's at his best in shorter pieces. I also really enjoyed a book written about the first winter ascent of Denali....Farenheit somethingorother....somebody help me out. And of course there's the Whittakers. Good old fashioned local climbing lore. Read this stuff, and you'll feel like being tall, wearing a sweater, and trying to fake enough that we locals won't know you moved here two years ago from Chicago.

Sorry boys, I had to work late, and Icegirl was busy tonight. Maybe when Pub Club rears its ugly head in my fair city again, I will deign to attend. Then if any of my people are there, we will giggle conspiratorally and travel in small packs to the bathroom.

Hey, I think the link color is better, don't change that but underlining it too wil make it 'read' better, and remember at around a quarter of the population has some degree of colorblindness so those people willlll have it harder than me, I have approximately 0.000% of it, but to my credit maybe, at least one dress that makes me look taller and/or younger. More sage green!!!Poor Britney's a freak!

I tihnk having a section called 'Proposed Mob Scenes' makes great sense. I don't thing the nice (nerdy) folks over at the Mountaineers or any other club would have a problem with it either. In fact I think it might encourage them to post it there, and then we'd know to look there before heading out to Leavenworth, or Mt. Daniel, or any number of other good places that are sometimes filled with a bunch of people who have no idea what they are doing.

There are some places that shouldn't be bolted, but also some that should. Wilderness protection status for the Exit 38 area? Weeeelll....maybeee NOT. Don't I have the best autosig in the whole wide world? We do have more fun. At least I do.

Hey, Lambone, now I know who you are. You are the guy who has tried to correct my lead belaying technique in the gym a couple of times. I understand the physics of the whole thing, I have to do a fair amount of rigging in my work. I don't entirely agree with you, but I really don't feel like getting into the how and why of it. Sorry about the wear on the gear, but that is why we pay to use the gym.

Ok, my $.02. A little too much white on the page now. I like the sage green a lot, more of that? More importantly, can you make the page numbers underlined like before? So if I'm on Page One of the "Muir on Saturday" thread, then pages 2-20 all are underlined? The ones I can click on. I know they are blue and black now, but that's not enough of a difference depending on the lighting conditions etc. Thanks.

My favorite "ridiculous prop" in a climbing movie has got to be the "bolt gun" Sly uses in C'hanger. If anyone hasn't seen it, Sly is leading up something (I can't remember if he has a belayer, but I'm guessing not), and every time he needs some fall protection, he uses his cordless drill to pop in a hanger and bolt, which is conveniently pre-attached to a QD and rope. Pretty handy stuff, if you ask me! Think of the places I could go with a setup like that. Dwayner, please hold your fire. [ 03-01-2002: Message edited by: allison ]

Trask, Of course it is, now which one of you nincompoops is saying that about me....I'LL BOX YOUR EARS! Now, I've got to ask, did they change your medication or something? This is awfuly nice talk for a big trash-talker misogyn like you.....now whaitaminute, you are laying the hook out for me, and if I talk nice back, you're going to set my hair on fire or something, arencha!!!???

No, never in the Corps. But I do work with about a 90/10 boy-girl ratio. I am not nearly as tough as you think I am.

I have no idea where the other 2 women are who post on this site are today, but I'll give you my answer: If you want to continue to see the girl, you increase your chances by putting the ring down after peeing. Just the ring, we don't care about the lid. There are a number of other things that also help, but if I told you that, the others in the club (I think that's 51% of the world's population) would lock me in a room with a case of Bud, make me scratch my ass while laughing at Mr. Hanky, and make me belch until my face turns green, all the while mocking me behind one-way glass. All of them, behind the glass, wearing fabulous dresses that make them look taller and younger, sipping a nice Soave and giggling conspiratorily. In other words, it is SIMPLY NOT WORTH IT. I would have to go to the bathroom ALONE in public! NEVER!

Lambone, I'm curious about this sheath failure thing. It's my understanding that the sheath is a protective covering over the nylon strands on the inside. In the gym the ony thing that the bare strands would rub against is the aluminum of the 'draws, and it seems to me that even with the sharp angle to the first draw, and given that there's no load 'till you fall, on lead, that the rope would hold up at least for a little while before failing. Aluminum is soft! Surely the kernmantle sheath is better on the force of abrasion than the nylong strands, but are they totally useless without the sheath? Did you see the rope? I am just curious because I am a lemming.

Doug, I think you're right that the emotional response can't be conditioned, but I DO think that people can control themselves enough to keep the victims from seeing their fear. I also think that as a layman, that you have to THINK about doing that, and that's why I mentioned it. I used to be pretty sketchy around people that had been hurt (my work is dangerous enough that there are bad accidents from time to time), and then when something happened to me I saw how that affects the victim psychologically. The first 15 minutes were pretty rough and unforgettable. I'd love for Dr. Jay to weigh in on this, given that he's an ER doc. What can we, the un-hardened laymen, do to keep our wits about us, and keep our victims calm? I'm not talking about the medical stuff here, which we are limited to the skills and common sense we have, I'm talking about the other part of this...?

There seem to be a number of posters who were out at Vantage the other day, and witnessed the accident. Let me gently suggest that what you saw may very well stay with you for a while. Stay busy, keep your friends close, and if you just can't shake it, or have trouble sleeping for more than a few days, you might consider seeing a mental health care professional. These things are hard on us, and we need to take care of ourselves as soon as the victim is in the hands of the real professionals. Sorry about the sappy crap, but it's important stuff. One more thing: Having been the survivor of a climbing accident myself, please, please, keep your head together, don't run away, and try not to scare your victim. When I fell, there were a number of people milling around the base of the route, and when it was apparent, after smoking a cigarette (thank god my French friend was there with the smokes) that I'd been seriously hurt, everyone except my party miraculously disappeared. I was the only one in my party with any First Aid training, and I had to talk them through every step of getting me stabilized and getting me back to the car. Fortunately I was conscious and able to do this, but I shudder to think what they'd have done otherwise. Now I always ask my partners what they know about first aid.

I saw on the news that there was an accident at a climbing area outside of N. Bend. The guy was taken to Harborview. Anyone know more?

See above. Oops. [ 02-27-2002: Message edited by: allison ]

You know, it's funny for me to hear of someone being afraid of the speed from skiing. It would never occur to me that there's anything bad or scary about any aspect of skiing. I am acrophobic and the lifts never bother me. The part that's compelling is that I have been skiing since I was five, when I knew no fear. I started climbing when I was 29, and there were plenty of things to be afraid of. Now since I've busted myself up, I'm more scared. I have problems with the motorcycle too, and I've been riding for more than ten years. So....when we need to overcome stuff that sprouted up late on in life, then what?

Hey, I told you not to tell me how it ends!!!Twink!!! I guess that now I won't be able to commit the evil act I had planned, when I get done reading (if I ever get done reading) I'd hoped to post a little something just so the thread would bubble-up to the to of the pile....DAMMIT!

E, I have read Big Lou's biography. I'm on the same page with many of the rest of you on big Lou's Status as most Excellent Sweater-Wearing Icon of Mountainography. He could give me a belay any old day. Oh...waitaminute, you're talking about Alpine K's autobio...well, it's on back-order at the library. I think Icegirl's got it checked out at the moment. But...I have the same contempt for guide services and this one in particular, for the same reasons. When I was just a young girl, my dad had the pleasure of visiting the Flats twice with our friends at RMI, and has no summitage. Now I don't think I could get his ass into good enough shape to do it with me. And Veg, having not read all the way through it yet, I had NO IDEA. Such restraint. What kind of a sprayer are you? Jimminy! OK, but I don't want anyone to tell me how Muir on Saturday ends...

I'm proud to say I only got $14 and change this year, which means if I did buy anything from that terrible place it was probably on sale. I dunno, the pine candle sounds nice, or maybe a Gramicci Cotton t-shirt...hmmmm..maybe some Chukar Cherries, or a little something from the Art Wolfe store? They have so many nice useful things at HikeyTown, sometimes I just have the hardest time decideing what to buy. Then that gives me a chance to get some help from the ultra-knowledgeable staff.... Recent conversation in the Map Department:"Do you have a map of the entire Alpine Lakes Wildnerness? I'm planning some long off-trail trips and need a big map for trip planning." "What's it called? Is that in Washington?"

I'm wondering if the $728 incldes materials for the mandatory Muir Hut Safety Meeting, or if that costs extra? But seriously, I'm on Page 12 if the infamous 'Muir on Saturday' thread, and I have to say that you guys really, really crack me up. Especially having met the rather mild-mannered in person Alpine K at a couple of Pub Clubs...I'd'a never thunk he could be at the center of such a SCANDAL.

Sorry, boys, my fine ass is going to be stuck in the salt mines tomorrow night. Hoist one for me tho.

I really wouldn't recommend trying to figure out how to set up a TR, even on bolts/other fixed placements, without having someone who knows how to do it there to talk you through the process, and to inspect your work. I imagine the books you are looking at make it look pretty commonsensical, and a lot of it is, but if you screw this up, you could easily kill yourself. Don't you know any acual climbers you can get to come out with you? Can you bribe them?