iain

I think that group of four from OSU (where 3 died in a storm) were climbing on Memorial Day weekend. I don't think there were any crowds though, so you got that going for you, which is nice.

here's a bitch: coming to a climbing website to avoid work, only to find everyone bitching about work.

Of course. You're discounting an important message by assuming everyone agrees with a vocal few. It's reasonable to fight for conservation tactfully. Instead of slapping a sticker on the neighbor's truck anonymously, genuinely ask, "that's a beast of truck, what are you hauling with that thing?" or "damn gas prices must be killing you commuting with the rig" when you take out the trash. Billboards with some frightening stats on gas payments per month would be effective. Maybe plant a few right on I-5 for rush-hour. Of course, what your neighbor does is his/her business, it's a free country. You're free to be an asshole, but you won't get many friends either. This is where, in my opinion, government should play a role. Yes, you should be free to buy a gas-guzzler. But, for the burden that places on our society, we are going to hit you with taxes rather than reward you with exemptions. I'd be happy to pay more to counteract the Tacoma I drive, or get rid of it. Money talks, unfortunately. You seem to have a lot of upscale assholes in Seattle. Yes, Portland has a few too, but I think you are again pigeonholing the "environmental movement" into distortion. This is often what I see Fox News (and really any new station) do, usually with some story about "environmentalists" want to ease the suffering of flies, quoting some ELF maniac. There are a lot of people - feet firmly planted on the ground - who are not like the above yet still want to do the right thing w/o self-righteousness. No need to boast. I think most people fall into your category. The words "conservationist" or "environmentalist" need to be replaced with something like "patriot" or similar. It is patriotic to protect our homeland, and part of that is showing respect for the natural resources that made this country the superpower that it is. That's the kind of ad campaign the "environmental" movement needs to develop to succeed. You can't do it by insulting people, and that goes both ways.

It seems some feel this is an all-or-nothing deal. Either water your lawn with gasoline and drive a tank to work, or live off alfalfa and get a thatched roof house off-grid. Just think if a lot of people who COULD ride their bike to work for just ONE day a week did so, and continued to drive every other day. The step towards US energy independence would be significant. If people didn't switch to a hybrid but just used a vehicle that consumed a few mpg less for their daily commutes, the contribution would be enormous. OF COURSE it is not out of line to go on vacations that require air travel. Obviously it consumes a lot of fuel, but that is something we are willing to sacrifice to enjoy life. The point is, it's the little changes in our lives that can pay off big if everyone, all several billion of us in the USA who can, do. In addition, this is not just about fringe enviro-wacko save the tree frogs stuff. This is about keeping America strong as a nation and beautiful as a country, and making sure it stays so for our kids. I want my kids (if I ever have them) to get a chance to appreciate what I have been given, and I know everyone here does too.

That bibler winter bivy is a nice material for balancing the breathability/weatherproof tradeoff. It is very light. However, it is also somewhat flimsy and is quite small. I wouldn't want to endure a major storm in one, but then again, if you are in a bivy sack in weather, you're going to be miserable no matter the material. Might as well be a bit breathable and light, I say. I have found this plus some kind of siltarp is a nice combination. Bivying w/o some kind of overhead cover like a tarp in the rain/snow sucks!

This seems to change on a day-to-day, even hour-to-hour basis. I have skied it on fairly hard, featured ice one day, then gone up literally the next day and it is butter.

You just follow the crater rim to the summit. It is easy but you have a good view down the north side which can wig some people out. Note there is a secondary maximum for avalanches in the Oregon Cascades in spring, where storms can still roll in but the sun puts out a lot more heat during the day. The last avalanche-related fatality on Hood was on the WCR route in May, 1998, where a group was caught on the route too late on a hot day after a storm. It is also a pain in the ass to posthole up that face so it is one to hit earlier than later. It is also an excellent ski if you are so inclined. The walking descent is the South Side route.

Right I guess my point was people are not dying from cordelettes blowing because they do not totally equalize. They are dying when they are unaware of what reality is showing them, and they try to hang their lives off it. That's all.

Rigging for Rescue did extensive testing of a very similar rescue anchor system (above) and determined it does not load distribute very well at all. They even substituted the rings/biners for pulleys, yet still, it was unacceptable. The replacement? The 8mm cordelette, useful for all kinds of other stuff too. The system looks good when you slide loads around on it, but when you hook up the load cells to the pro, things looked a little different. the 6/7mm cordelette simple, light, time-tested, multi-use, what more do you want... I am all for you guys beta-testing new things though, let me know.

have a chat with Dru-spotter instead

that would be sweet

yeah they are everywhere in Minnesota.

haha you found it, I happened to go to Macalester College and he was a prof of mine.

but whatever, do what you want.

I find that gets messy if you are using a reverso to bring up some seconds.

specialed - you are sketchy and going to die

blake - what do you use in its place

Did you know square-wheeled bicycles are ridable on the right track? It involves a series of catenaries.

you could no longer shelve climbers or yourself above the fig-8 knot.

why mess with something that works

No joke, I scraped the underbody of a legacy on a speed bump. Subaru also apparently does not believe you should listen to music and use a cup holder at the same time. One or the other dammit, but NOT BOTH. EVER.

Try not to cheat the snopark pass; it's one of the few fee systems that seems to be working well! P.S. I wonder if an exchange on a bulletin board is admissible evidence.

and whatever you do, don't be this guy: http://www.bendbulletin.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=4353

Dude you don't need an iPod, just turn on any of Portlands shit-rock radio stations

wow autographed and everything oh and another fav on the pod: !!!'s !!!