Alpinfox

That last picture (magic bus?) is really cool and makes me want to go to Darrington. MMMmmm..... Knobs....

You plan to interview/interogate each climber before they leave the ground to make sure they fit YOUR definition of "competent/knowledgable" before YOU ALLOW them to climb? I assume you are trolling here? How about just minding your own business and leaving the free-soloists alone if you happen to see them? If they fall and injure/kill themselves, then that's a tragedy and you would probably feel compelled to help out. However, you are much more likely to see a newbie climber deck due to bad gear/technique or some roped climber rap off the end than see a soloist fall. And, as I said before, intentionally trying to distract a soloist while they are climbing is reckless and hostile and will hopefully get you beaten to a pulp.

Yeah but I didn't KNOW you were soloing and I didn't start speculating about how much I could get for your kidneys on the black market.

Ashhole_justin, Free-soloing is the ultimate form of climbing. Period. If you don't want to do it, fine, but you will never know the depth of focus and transcendent level of awareness that comes from relying on your mind and body to briefly overcome gravity. "It's like having sex with death". dumbass said: As for your threats against free-soloists; you are an immature fuck and if you ever do that shit to me I'll climb back down and wallop you with a big hex. You suck, "go gargle butt-gravy asseyes". Hey FF, "Yabo" = John Yablonski. 1970s era Yosemite climber who once fell from the top of "short circuit (12a)" and was saved by getting his shirt caught on a tree which bent down and deposited him gently and safely on the ground. He is also the person who, late one night while tripping "saw" midnight lightning (famous boulder problem in Camp 4) and woke up John Bachar and someone else and made them send it for him.

YEAH!

He did not endanger you or put any burden of responsibility on you; I don't see the problem. Any time you climb near other climbers, roped or not, there is a possibility that someone will fall and you will probably choose to help deal with their mangled corpse or render aid or whatever, but I don't think this guy put any additional burden of responsibility on you by free soloing. Dude had da skillz to pay da billz. I free solo schtuff and I try not to climb above other people when I'm doing it (sometime hard on routes like Das Toof), but other than that, I don't think it's any different than roped climbing.

I do. My crevasse rescue gear: One small basic pulley two tiblocs one locking oval biner one regular oval biner texas prusik foot loop (with smaller top loop cuz when using tibloc instead of prusik knot, you don't need as much rope) regular prusik loop for harness This gear allows me to climb the rope and setup a basic 3:1 "Z" pulley. If I need to add on a "C" I'll use slings and biners (higher friction, but it'll work). p.s. I don't use these: because in my brief experience with them, the rope can slip off the side of the wheel and jam up in between the side of the wheel and the biner. I prefer something like this:

Thanks again for info everybody. The date is approaching, any partners out there?

Oh... You're THAT "Dru"!

Perhaps tomtom is alluding to the fact that Camalots are heavy whereas most of PMS's stuff is carefully selected for lightweight? His concern being this might signal a shift from PMS's original philosophy of only selling the best, lightestweight shizzle to more of a "whatever sells" mentality? Perhaps I'm reading too much into this? In any case, I own camalots and like them a lot even though they are heavy and expensive.

What?

One thread A detailed account

two e's in "steaksauce"? Double-E? Double-E = Steaksauce? Answer.... STEAKSAUCE!!!

Well it's not as good as the new Smith Rock Guide, I can tell you that. I saw MisterE's copy.... SWEEEEEEET!!

Swaterfall, I use a tibloc for my foot loop (texas prusik-type setup) which I keep tucked in my jacket or harness and a regular prusik knot for my waist prusik which I keep attached to my harness. Why not a tibloc on the waist prusik you ask? Because tiblocs tend to slip down the rope while hiking on the glacier. This gets annoying and is dangerous because the tibloc can work itself far enough away from you that if you or a partner were to fall, the weight would come onto your waist-prusik-tibloc-setup rather than the rope tied to your harness. You DO NOT want to take a dynamic fall on a tibloc. It can severly damage, if not sheer the rope completely. Having the standard prusik on the waist loop (above the foot prusik) holds everything in place. I carry my second tibloc on a locking oval biner on my harness, ready to slap on an anchor in the event someone falls and I need to yard 'em out of a hole. Oval biners are prefered for tiblocs and pulleys, and I feel more comfortable with lockers on the anchor position. I do recommend knowing how to do the standard prusik setup as well as using slings instead of perlon. It's good to have a big bag of tricks, but the tibloc setup is the best in my opinion. Cheers, -AF

Very nice pictures! Muchas Gracias!

Yeah, sorry about that. I think I'm responsible for a few of those postings.

What horrors will the 13th page of Nodder hold?

Since we aren't capable of original thought or commentary, or even correct spelling and are merely cutting and pasting tired political drivel from the internet, chew on this: Please Re-elect George Bush for 4 more years! Check out his resume for some good reasons why he deserves to lead the U.S. and the Free World! RESUME: GEORGE W. BUSH The White House, USA PAST WORK EXPERIENCE: I ran for congress and lost. I produced a Hollywood slasher B movie. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas; company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. Biggest move: Traded Sammy Sosa to the Chicago White Sox. With my father's help (and his name) was elected Governor of Texas. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I changed pollution laws for power and oil companies and made Texas the most polluted state in the Union. I replaced Los Angeles with Houston as the most smog-ridden city in America. I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas government to the tune of billions in borrowed money. I set the record for most executions by any Governor in American history. I became President of the United States of America after losing the popular vote by over 500,000 votes, with the help of my father's appointments to the Supreme Court. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT: I attacked two countries. I spent the surplus and bankrupted the treasury. I shattered the record for biggest annual deficit in history. I set the economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period. I set the all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market. I am the first president in decades to execute a federal prisoner. I am the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record. In the first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history. After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history. I set the record for more campaign fundraising trips than any other president in US history. In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their jobs. I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any president in US history. I signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any president in US history. I presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed. I presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have. I cut healthcare benefits for war veterans. I set the all-time record for the most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind. I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history. Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. (The 'poorest' multimillionaire, Condoleeza Rice has a Chevron oil tanker named after her). I am the first president in US history to order a US attack and military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the world community. I created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States. I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any president in US history. I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the human rights commission. I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the elections monitoring board. I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight of any presidential administration in US history. I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant. I withdrew from the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions. I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 US elections). I am the all-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations. My biggest lifetime campaign contributor, who is also one of my best friends, presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation). I, with a policy of "disengagement," created the most hostile Israeli-Palestine relations in at least 30 years. I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability. I am the first US president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than their immediate neighbor, North Korea. I failed to fulfill my pledge to get Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive." I failed to capture the anthrax killer who tried to murder the leaders of our country at the United States Capitol building. After 18 months, I have no leads and zero suspects. In the 18 months following the 9/11 attacks, I have successfully prevented any public investigation into the biggest security failure in the history of the United States. I removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history. In a little over two years, I created the most divided country in decades, possibly the most divided the US has ever been since the civil war. I entered office with the strongest economy in US history and in less than two years turned every single economic category heading straight down. RECORDS AND REFERENCES: I have at least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine (Texas driving record has been erased and is not available). I was AWOL from National Guard and deserted the military during a time of war. I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any questions about drug use. All records of my tenure as Governor of Texas have been spirited away to my father's library, sealed in secrecy and are unavailable for public view. All records of any SEC investigations into my insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. All minutes of meetings for any public corporation I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. For personal references please speak to my daddy or uncle James Baker. __________________________________________ My diagnosis: The most corrupt and incompetent president in the modern era. BTW: Iain is alluding (big word, I know, sorry) to the fact that you meant "imminent" not "eminent", but good try

I'm only wearing cowboy boots and carharts to the gym from now on.

OUCH! I'm getting slammed here! Somebody help; make her stop! Moderator!

It uses salt, h20, and e- to produce ozone which kills bad things.

Suddenly I feel so

In the gym I usually find a brush more effective than chalk, but for some holds, brush + chalk = glory.

I arranged to buy the pair of half ropes from this guy and we agreed on a time for me to come over. Then he emailed me to say he sold the ropes to someone else. I suppose some might say that its his right to sell first-come-first-served, but we had an agreement and it was broken and I was annoyed. And now everyone knows about it!