iain

AlpineK's been watching the Real World again...

mark twight skis all the time. pictures featured in Paul Parker's freeheel techniques book! what a wuss.

it's the official "sick of being thrown around in cascade crud with skis designed for continental snow" setup

Rossignol's Bandit XX and XXX are also popular as a backcountry board. Both weigh more than a grand piano.

There is no disadvantage, people do it all the time. Even tele people (but then you have to ask yourself why you're teleing in the first place if the gear is so heavy ). I am skiing some Denali XT's, Freerides and Atomic R:ex and it is dang close to an alpine setup But many feel their skis downgraded in performance even w/ the Freeride binding. I'm not a good enough skier to really tell and have spent little time on alpine setups. AT boots will always introduce some "noodleness" to the deal, but the denalis can really be cranked down. The whole setup weighs a ton in relation to my tuas and silvrettas, but when I just want to ski for skiing, it's like driving a mack truck.

I hate moguls.

you guys should be out getting TR materials right now instead of bitching about them here on a beautiful weekend. I'm stuck in town for a practice at the fire tower so that's my excuse. Hope you all have good ones.

I know you're looking for something cheap, but I'd still recommend the silvretta 500's or 404's which are pretty common in rental shops since they fit so many boots out there. They can be found on sale frequently, and rental shops often sell them off (but you might have to pick up some beat-up skis with them). They are also great skiers, contrary to what many believe, and the release works well. 404's are heavy. 500's, much less so but more plastic.

I consider going up the WA volcanoes to be mountaineering, which may involve some climbing on ice or slogging on glacier, or scrambling on rock. But it is all mountaineering in my book. I would not call it hiking.

sorry NEWSTIPS didn't mean to jump on you then. Looks like the county sheriff (or whoever it was) needs some edumacating too

maybe that's why there's so many "hiking" sar operations? you news guys will never appear legit until you get this straight! for pete's sake there's alpine climbing! then there's hiking!

I have trouble believing a cup of earl grey has more caffeine than a cup of coffee muffy

make no mistake tele-babes are very hot but the grrl-power tele-babes are not

they're cheap, artificial, and stain your mouth

just keepin it real

I call b.s., there was no "blue" m&m back then.

poisoned coffee, n.: Grounds for divorce. ba dum ching

Decaffeinated coffee? Just Say No.

It's not a crime to drink coffee. Don't run through your life holding back from it's pleasures! Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups -- alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat. -- Alex Levine

OMFG that sounds awesome. Philadelphia™ take note!

too bad a poorly-planned dyno sends you hurtling off to the Kuiper belt say high to voyager for me

being able to clip in the rope efficiently when sketched pays off for trad I've found. this was learned through sport climbing for me, but whatever.

what is this, Duke University?

Gunter's Airborne Discoveries: (1) When you are served a meal aboard an aircraft, the aircraft will encounter turbulence. (2) The strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee.

UNLEASH THE HOUNDS