Bug

Backatcha.

I think also that the self weight of the rope would cause quite a bit of stretch prior to any load being applied. Most of that stretch would occur on the top half of the rope. This of course assumes that the friction of the rope on the slope is not greater than its own weight. I agree that the belayer would never know that there was a fall. Rope weight, colossal friction, fallen or not fallen climber...all those would pale in comparison to the wind loading of a nice stiff breeze. THe winds are usually mild on Denali. That's why they can have a two mile rope laying around.

OK. But I have 2 pair of shoes that have plenty of rubber but have sat in my garage for 2 years. The rubber is not anywhere near as sticky anymore. I might be interested in your shoe if they have rubber on them that is not more than 6 months old.

After 30 years in Montana I would recommend the following in this order. Sawtooths in Idaho. Bitterrots in MT if you are focusing on rock climbing as apposed to alpine granite. And the Beartooths if you want alpine granite.

"Resoled awhile ago" is how long? 2 years? 2 months?

The 'rope' on Denali is used like a cable on a winch.

"We were just lucky that this person had fallen above Denali Pass," said mountaineering ranger Gordy Kito, who led the rescue. "Another 15 or 20 minutes, he would have had a 1,500-foot ride, rather than 400-foot ride." Il was semiconscious and could not move after his fall, Kito said. His fellow climbers wrapped him in layers of down clothing and descended to camp at 17,200 feet to find help. But deteriorating weather kept them from returning with emergency provisions and prevented a high-altitude rescue helicopter from reaching him. Friday afternoon a five-person rescue team reached Il, devised a rope system and fastened him onto a "sked," a combination litter and toboggan, Kito said. Using two ropes, they lowered Il to the high camp five hours later. The dangers of altitude and frostbite made it clear Il would have to be moved to a lower elevation soon, Kito said. Rangers decided to lower him to their camp at 14,200 feet using a rope almost two miles long. That rope is 1700'. Two miles is a journalistic gaff. The rescue gulley stretches from 17000 to 14000. At most, the rope would be 3000' and that would only make it harder to manage overall.

There was a 1700 ft rope from 17,000 down the rescue gulley when I was there a couple years ago.

Editorial suggestion - Hippies have changed, man. I would except I wasn't a hippie in the early sense. For example, when I was 9 I found a 50 gal bag of Marijauana and turned it in to the police. In later years, 70's, I had nightmares about it.

Hippies have changed. In the early sixties I used to go to the wading pool in Greenough park in Missoula to chase chicks. About once a week the hippies would join us. There were dozens of them all around and in the wading pool. They made the moms nervous but those of us not escorted by moms were curious and asked them questions like, do you ever wash your hair? Do you take bath's? Do you have a job? They were always good natured. Then Cadillac Jones would show up in his pink convertable cadillac. All the hippies would swarm around him and the girls would all kiss him like he was the fathwer of there children. His trunk would open and everyone lined up just like for recess. After that, CJ would leave and most of the hippies would disappear into the woods. The ones who stayed were very friendly and smiled a lot. One of them layed on his back in the wading pool and we splashed him for ten minutes. He just kept saying "Whoaaaaaaa". This went on from the summer of 62 on into 67 when CJ was put in jail for unspecified crimes. By that time we had run over hippies on our bikes. We didn't mean to but they were sleeping on a bend in the trail and we were bookin. I hit the first one in the kidney and landed square on the stomach of the second. Just as the third was getting up, Terry Smith came roaring around the corner and took him out down the embankment. While they were freaking out and trying to figure out what was going on, we hightailed it out of there. Those hippies were not as friendly. After the hippies blocked the train that carried the newly drafted to the death camps, cops became pigs. Hippies were spray-painted and tended to lie low unless there were large numbers of them. The flower child days were drawing to a close as love children took their toll on "free livin". The National Guard opened fire on the hippies at Kent State. And Charles Manson used many of the era's credos as his own. Hair became a style instead of a statement and Bill Clinton did not inhale. Where did all the hippies go? Now I meet long haired kids in bars and they are pro war and staunch republicans. The hippies I knew are old people with pensions and grandchildren. Nobody knows what the word means anymore. It was about a new paradigm. All the stuffy rules and regulations and traditions were dropped for love. Everyone shared everything and didn't hold onto stuff or relationships. It didn't work but it made us look at ourselves in new ways. I wish some of that wisdom would resurface. We are due.

I have a pair of Trango Harpoons with dual (sucky) and mono-point (good) setups. $45. They are well used but functionally sound. PM me if interested.

It took place on Patriot Peak. The French were spending their ill-gotten billions on grape juice and frilly shirts. If you read the article with an eye on what was probably said based on how the non-climbing journalist interpreted it, I think Dru is right. It wasn't the way they were tied in. It was the fact that they were using the crest of the ridge between them as sort of dynamic pro while simo-climbing.

Yeah, what he said. Rated rate are they you say them what I! Said he, what yeah. Ditto. The opinions will follow. The muck will be raked. Ignore it and put up another.

Whippersnappers.

He didn't shoot anybody at the jam.

mt home is the capital of the middle of nowhere. Take comic books.

Your sense of ethics is fine. How about $10? I am looking for shoes. I would be interested.

Wasn't this the article that brought us 'Freedom Ridge'?

ugh; who'd be impressed by that? i like a good homegrown snohomish county accent myself. Budweiser is an aphrodisiac?

Bummer dude. I have some extra gear I purchased awhile ago. I can sell you a couple aliens cheap if you are interested.

I thought you were faking that accent to impress the chicks.

TR?

How about Deep-throat as a server name?

"to offer flavourful advice and opinion, all with a heavy dash of reality. " What you advertised. So far, it's all in your head. How's that for a heavy dash of reality?