iain

It's Odell Lake. Don't be jealous that you can't do the ™ w/o installing some service pack or whatnot.

YER WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!™™™™™

option-2™

yes it is the mold for catbirdseat's rack of backup BD nut tools when the calipers lie about appropriate nut size

I bet it was massive head trauma plus a sprained ankle

I wonder if there has ever been an ice climbing accident that did not involve a ankle/tib-fib fx/sprain.

as in Lake Erie?

This one's for rumr. FRESHIEZ Went up to Meadows today. They remain closed for another week, but there's already more snow up there than almost any time last year. Skinned to top of Cascade Express, then cut over to A-Zone. Dropping into A-Zone was a little sketchy with patches of ice, but there was snow where needed. There is also a strange glacial crevasse-like structure in there so be careful. Incredible amount of snow up there, but still pretty bony up around Heather Ridge. Mt. Hood from Twilight Bowl: Top of A-Zone: Looking back up A-Zone: Looking up towards Superbowl: Looking down upper Heather Canyon (Hal Burton in foreground): Most of the skiing was very satisfying, though there were some patches of hard steep ice in places. The snowpack is quite stable at the moment despite the intense snowfall, hence the trip into upper Heather. We ended up doing laps on lower Heather once we skied upper Heather. A nice skin track was set, and a number of fun people joined in the party, making lap after lap. Great start to the season! I was amazed. Enjoy!

That my friend, is the world-famous Hi-Lift all-cast 60" off-road jack. And I have two of them to sell if anyone is interested. Brand-new, never used. http://www.hi-lift.com/products/jacks.htm

UNLEASH THE WEBCAMS

I agree, but if you are going to the time and effort of trimming your skins to fit, you might as well get your money's worth. Ski crampons are for pansies and telemarktips readers!

If you are a cheapskate and don't need much gripping power, you can split a skin purchase with a friend, and each of you gets one skin. You can cut this skin in half and use it as a strip down the middle of each ski. Makes for some better gliding, but climbing can be tough.

The whole way, tip to tail, if you want maximum gripping power. However, the majority of the sticking power of skins comes right underneath your foot (right under your heel, if you are climbing). Some people use "kicker" skins for more moderate angle touring, which just cover the foot area and leave the tip and tail bare. If you are planning to climb anything significant, tip-to-tail is pretty much the way to go. It will also prevent snow from balling up at the skin interface, which can be a nightmare in gloppy conditions (snow gets under the skins on the glue, and starts piling up).

to the edge

5mm is too much. I just like to have the metal edge show with maybe just a bit of base, but no more. Too much base showing and you will be rocketing backwards on steeper traverses.

it's a crappy 2:1 pulley on the anchor.

is it Climb Axe or Climb Max? I live within walking distance and I don't know this critical bit of information.

Yeah Joe's has good donuts but you have to endure some plumber's butt. It's like Vedauwoo in there

I recommend the apple fritter. One of those is good for 30k' vert. worth of skiing.

well, when it's thin on hood n.f. you can just throw the pick directly into the rock in those gullies. no hooks needed (except for a stretch near the spire at the top)

come on dude, mt hood roasters doesn't even BEGIN to compare with Joe's Donuts in Sandy. Get with the program.

I don't really have a strong opinion on this whole tree business(surely there are more important issues at Beacon?), but considering what the tree endures during the winter in an armor of rime ice and brutal winds, and the fact that it has survived growing straight out of the rock for so long, I don't think a pile of dirt is going to make a scrap of difference, apart from a symbolic gesture to the state park officials. I personally would just let it be, as it has been for years. I also agree that rap slings only attract rappellers, just the same as footprints in the snow are followed under the assumption that the person who put them there knew what he/she was doing. If there is some political reason for the sling perhaps I can understand that. It would be nice to avoid "over-cleaning" an area that has a reputation for being a bit of an adventure climbing destination. I don't like rockfall, but I expect it at Beacon, and I wear a helmet. I don't expect all the ledges to be swept clear each season. I also find it hilarious when un-helmeted climbers at the base yell up in anger whenever so much as a pebble falls down near them. Wearing a helmet is a choice we all make, but don't get angry when you get it in the head. That said, thanks for all the work that has been done out there.

no matter who wins, we lose.

great post, thanks for all the info. I am coming off 3 years on the 184 r:ex, similar to the 10ex/tmex. Looks like I should check these out. Atomic offers them w/o the stupid mounting plate now, fortunately. Amazing how the r:ex ski has become mid-fat somehow. Pretty soon we will have snowboards on each foot.

forgot to add