Alpinfox

Think single pitch climbin' Ken. When you get to the top of a pitch and need to thread the rope through the chains to get down, you can't be tied in with the rope. So you use a daisy or sling. Slings aren't length adjustable, which can be a pain in the arse for awkwardly placed anchors. That's why people use daisies. I don't use daisies except for aid climbing. I use a sling and/or rope and a locking biner for anchoring. Attaching with daisy or sling to the anchor rather than rope also helps reduce clusterfuck potential on multipitch routes. Not a big deal for folks that are experienced at stacking the rope and swapping leads etc. There is nothing unsafe about using a daisy to anchor oneself assuming you do not belay directly off of your harness. If you must belay directly from your harness without redirecting the rope through the anchor, make sure you are anchored with something full-strength (the rope or a sling).

Camping in the grasslands. Look for me passed out in a sagebrush.

I've been pretty unimpressed with my Lowe Alpine Adrenaline jacket. Haven't tried the pants.

I wonder if the chickens were cocks or pullets?

In the above diagram, why is it 50%? Seems like if you clip ANY two loops with a single biner and all the loops blew out the biner would be outside the circle. Seems like it should be 100%? Am I stupid? There is no intrinsic difference between a "static" load and a "shock" load. Force = force. It is true that leader falls tend to generate higher forces than smaller falls. Duh. Except in a wierd aid climbing or "via feratta" system, a daisy/sling anchor is never going to be the only connection to the anchor in a fall. For example, if a leader takes a factor two fall (no pro between them and the belayer) and the belayer is belaying directly from his/her harness without a redirection through the anchor, there is still rope in the system that will stretch and disperse energy. Remember, there is no such thing as an immovable object (except for Trask's mom). Re: Will's comment about stitching. My daisy (Fixe brand) has 5 bar tacks at every loop so I think it's stronger than most. However, the way the carabiner would pull against the stitching in a daisy is different than the way the stitching gets pulled in a standard sling. With a daisy loop, the carabiner kind of pries the stitching apart... I can't explain that very well, but if you try to visualize it, you'll understand what I mean. I would guess that much less force would be needed to rip a daisy loop with five tacks than a standard sling with five tacks.

DUDE! The 80's are makin' a comeback! Better grab that old chalkbag.

?? How am I supposed to leave the belay? I dunno.... Ask Zeno .

I'm probably headin' down to the crick in a week or so. What is the best guidebook available for the area? Anybody have one they would be willing to loan out? Any recommended side trips/must sees/must dos between here and there? Websites with good IC info/pictures? And of course, route recommendations? I definitely WON'T be climbing either of these : but these look SWEET!:

OK. So if soaking cams in boiling water works, and if soaking them in white gas works, how about soaking them in boiling white gas? That ougta work REEEEL GOOD eh? Anyway, what specific brands of wax-based or graphite-based lubes have people used for cams besides the specially packaged (i.e. really expensive) stuff like Metolius cam lube? Where did you get it? Is the wax-based better than the graphite?

Scott, Who took the pic? Is "Dan Hughes" a cc.comer? This is one of my favorite rock climbin' pics ever.... just curious.

You probably just need some STOKE!!! See if this does it for ya. "This"

The dog should be put down and the dog's owner(s) should be fined and forced to pay any/all medical bills.

Woah.... well I guess we all had some "crazy college days" didn't we?

Sweet Baby Jeeebus! What did you type into Google to find this gem? What kind of post-glasnost, Chernobyled, burning man freak show is that?

MMMmmm..... Sugar-glazed pistons....

I think this cryptic missive has something to do with MisterE's plans for the Smiff rope up?

Pick up a copy of "Barfly" magazine at just about any PDX bar. Good reviews of bars/taverns/etc. Barfly It's been a while since I lived in PDX and I mostly hung out in SE, but I remember Berbatti's Pan as a good downtown music venue. Drink some PBR in the Lutz! Or maybe you are too somistophomicated for that?

It's obvious to me from the tone of your post and your description of events that you are/were a pretty considerate guy. Starting up a single-pitch route when the team ahead is not yet finished would generally be pretty annoying because the first team would have to rap on top of the second team. However, in the case of Karate Krack where the rappel does not go down the route, this is no big deal. I don't think you did anything wrong, but if the woman seemed nervous/scared on the climb (shaky follower), I probably would have given her more space. Congrats to your wife on her first 5.10 trad lead!!

Yeah, but not for CONTENT I bet. I wanna see the SINGLE POST that can get someone banned based on its own merit. Should be very entertaining. For any potential contestants, I recommend a quart of Cuervo as preparatory "research".

This sounds like a challenge. Who can write a SINGLE POST that will get them banned?

Hyponatremic goats: Can you find Catbirdseat?:

Individual loops on a daisy are not very strong (some manufacturers list ~3 or 4kN). A modest lead fall can EASILY generate that much force. This would cause extension of the anchor system. Whether that "zippering" of the daisy would act like a screamer and dissipate some energy or result in the anchor pro being subjected to a larger force is something that someone with a better physics background than myself will have to answer.

Boil some water, add a little dishsoap, stick the cam in there and work the trigger back and forth. You can scrub with an old toothbrush at this point. Might help. Rinse well. Lubricate with WD40 or silicone spray. That's what I do. It seems to work pretty well.

A few other memorable outtakes: Cowboy W: "I know what those troops are going through! I watch TV!!!". _________ Lehrer: (question to Bush, something about North Korean nuclear weapons) W: "Look! Saddam was a threat!" _______