Thinker

The ABSOLUTELY best place to buy watches or sunglasses: web page

talking about extensions of one's arm and crazy tools all rolled into one......

falls where one scrapes down a scrabbly slab

I believe it is the case. I know I can call ATT Customer service from any att cell, regardless or not if it's been activated, so I'd bet 911 works too. regarding getting ahold of old TDMA phones, I see them on EBay for $10 often, and at thrift shops on occasion. I stocked up on them by sending an email around a company I used to work for, asking for any old ATT phones people had collecting dust in a desk drawer. I got 4 or 5 within a week!

Why? I can think of a few occasions when a quick phone call to a contact person would have prevented the unnecessary mobilization of a lot of SAR folks. RESPONSIBLE use of the tool is the key....just like with firearms.

I 2nd Iain's thoughts. AT&T works well for me, but I make sure my hardware will access both digital and analog towers. Being able to access some of the older analog towers in the more remote areas can make all the difference between getting service or not. Most cell systems perform about the same in urban areas.

nice: http://www.ncmountainguides.com/women/women2.html Each student will be provided with an understanding of the movement skills and rope handling required for efficient travel in the vertical world. Topics to be covered include: Equipment selections appropriate for the female physique, harness fitting and basic knots, terminology and communication, belaying, lowering, rappelling, movement skills, and most importantly, flattering hairstyles for use under a climbing helmet.

so how'd THIS guy get invited?

Amen Sister!

My normal routine when shopping for a specific piece of gear or book I need NOW is to stop in at FF to see if they have it in stock. If not, I scoot across the street to REI. I think FF is like just about any other shop. Service depends on how busy they are, employee morale, and maybe even the 'aura' you project when you walk in.

Stay an extra day or 2 and do the Petzoldt Ridge and Irene's Arete after the Exum.

I haven't noticed it on my Suunto, but I haven't really looked for it either. I believe I read that the internal algorithms compensate for temperature changes.

for accurate temps, yes... sternum strap or wear it as a medallion. Suunto makes a handy neck strap with a 'break away' link that I like.

I wonder if dogs can go snow blind.

funny....a quick search of monster.com shows over 2700 jobs available for electrical engineers. monster EE search and 860 for 'electrician'. Granted, most companies looking for electricians aren't going to advertise on Monster.com, but it seems there's a demand for Elec Engrs.

People have been lost on the FRONT SIDE of Mt Hood Ski Bowl and called 911. In sunny warm weather. Wonderful! If they're truly lost I'd rather go look for them when it's light and warm instead of when it's dark and cold...or tell them which landmark to walk toward while they can still see something.

Cell phones are like any other technology in that there is a continuum of attitudes on their appropriate uses. We can all sit here and say 'No cell phones for ME in the back country!", but if you or your partner broke a femur or sustained a severe head injury it would seem irresponsible not to have a cell phone along to increase the chances of surviving that injury. IMHO, it's equally irresponsible to call for a rescue when it's not needed...but how do you establish guidelines or regulate it?

I'm of the opinion that government subsidized resource extraction on public lands is a sham. The taxpayer often pays for road development, restoration, and clean up costs at a rate very close to the profits made from the resource extraction. So, if we're eventually going to pay for road building, clean up of mines and oil wells, reduced fish catches, and numerous other 'hidden costs' of these activities, it's my opinion that we should just hand the cash directly to the oil, timber, and mining companies and leave the land undisturbed. But, of course, that wouldn't appear proper and would ruffle feathers...so our politicians trash the land in the process and somehow that makes it all seem legitimate. Strange, I thought things like that only happened under dictatorships.

Seattle Times: Two climbers won't be fined for rescue A good discussion of the costs of SAR, too. edit: good enough, in fact, that I'm going to cut and paste the story while the link is still active. ************************************ By Stuart Eskenazi Seattle Times staff reporter Mount Rainier National Park officials have opted not to fine two climbers who admitted they were ill-prepared to attempt the summit and needed to be airlifted off the mountain. Al Hancock and Bruce Penn had climbed 10,700 feet up the 14,411-foot mountain Wednesday when they called for help getting down, saying they were uninjured but "in over their heads." A military helicopter and about 10 rescuers returned the men to safer ground Saturday. "They didn't exercise the greatest judgment, but in the end, they made a mistake," said Mike Gauthier, Rainier's lead climbing ranger. "We're glad they called us when they did because had they continued, they might have gotten injured and then the rescue would have been more expensive, complicated and dangerous." The National Park Service can fine climbers who are negligent, creating hazards or endangering others. But no Rainier climber has been asked to reimburse the costs of rescue. Park officials, as well as mountaineers, oppose ideas that would force climbers to pay hefty fees or carry insurance bonds to help cover those costs. "How do you separate the day hiker who trips and falls and requires 25 people to haul him off versus the person high on the mountain who trips and falls and needs a helicopter?" said Greg Prothman, past chairman of Seattle Mountain Rescue. "And how is that different from someone who breaks an ankle while walking down the streets of Seattle? Taxes pay for all of that." The fines, with penalties of $250 and $500, are rarely given at Rainier. Only one climber got a ticket last year, Gauthier said. Last week's rescue of Hancock and Penn coincided with a fatal accident involving two Montana men considered more experienced at climbing. Rescuers recovered the body of Luke Casady Friday. He is the third climber to die on Rainier this season. His climbing partner, Ansel Vizcaya, is missing and presumed dead. Gauthier estimated last week's two missions cost taxpayers $25,000, which covers equipment purchases, helicopter use, overtime and other expenses. Nationally, the Park Service spent about $3.5 million last year on search-and-rescue, saving more than 200 lives, Gauthier said. A small fraction of rescues were for mountain climbers. Anyone trying to reach Rainier's summit must pay an annual $30 registration. The fee helps defray personnel and land-management costs but doesn't cover expenses related to rescues. "Climbers already are anteing up more than the average park visitor," said Gauthier, who concluded in a 2001 study that the Park Service would be unwise to shift more rescue costs on the climber. In Europe, mountain climbers are required to carry a bond and authorities must respond to their distress calls. As a result, climbers tend to be less conscientious of safety, leading to more rescues and deaths, said Eric Simonson of Tacoma, a climbing guide. The Park Service is not obliged to bring people off mountains. Rangers therefore have more flexibility and sometimes talk climbers down rather than attempt a risky rescue, Gauthier said.

this link works better...

...

If you venture into the caves, please respect them. They are typically home to some pretty unique and fragile biological communities. So....take a pee bottle (and USE it), blue bag it, and treat the caves like the wild and delicate environments they are. If we don't respect the caves we could very easily see padlocked steel gates on them like many other places around the country.

from the NPS Morning Report... Grand Canyon National Park (AZ) Passenger Jumps To Death From Helicopter A passenger on board a commercial air tour helicopter flying at about 4,000 feet opened the door while in mid-flight and jumped to his death just before noon on Thursday, June 10th. The man, who was in his mid-20s, landed near White’s Butte, about two miles northwest of Hermit’s Rest. The pilot and five remaining passengers on the Papillon Airways sightseeing tour returned to the Tusayan Airport, shaken but unharmed. Rangers attempted to recover the body that day, but high winds, steep terrain and the remote location hindered their efforts. A recovery team was flown to the site the next morning to investigate, document the incident, and recover his remains. Although the death appears to be a suicide, a joint investigation by the NPS, NTSP, FAA and sheriff’s office is currently underway.

And thus the 11th essential for any 'serious' alpine climbers pack....

Meteorite Smashes into House Sun Jun 13, 1:19 AM ET WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A grapefruit-sized meteorite has smashed through the roof of a New Zealand house, hitting a couch and bouncing off the ceiling before coming to rest under a computer. Local sources say the computer was displaying the home page of the American website 'CascadeClimbers.com'. The 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) chunk of space debris dropped out of the sky and plummeted through the tiled roof of the Auckland home on Saturday. "I was in the kitchen doing breakfast and there was this almighty explosion," owner Brenda Archer told the Sunday Star-Times newspaper. "It was like a bomb had gone off. I couldn't see anything, there was just dust." Archer's one-year-old grandson had been playing nearby minutes before it hit. It is only the ninth meteorite found in New Zealand and the first to hit a home. The Archers, who are following expert advice by drying the rock out in their oven, plan to sell it or give it to a museum. Experts believe the meteorite, a chunk of an asteroid, could be worth more than NZ$10,000 (3,500 pounds), the newspaper said.