matt_warfield

I agree completely. Quality does not fuel obsolescence which fuels money. What a bunch of crap that we have to make things that will be obsolete or wear out soon to fill the coffers. Kind of a thread drift but kind of not.

This is mostly true. I worked selling gear in the 70s when Chouinard realized hardware lasted too long (not enough business) and well there was the lawsuit creating BD. Hell, I still have one of the original #4 Friends. Not a good business model, which is of course a major driver. On the other hand, folks still need technical gear that is well made and used for what it is designed for. But I want to puke every time I see a poser wearing Patagucci or North Face on the street when you are pretty sure it hasen't been out of town.

It is therapeutic for kids but it is also a little bit of a head game (performance anxiety and people often watching). Break them in very gently I would highly recommend going to a climbing gym for their first experiences which is also a place to get excellent information on gear. In climbing, think accessing experience and knowledge instead of cheap until you know the ropes.

Okay ivan, you da master. I sharpened my pencil and deduced that you are correct by around 10%. Some could regard either of our reasoning as a dubious accomplishment. Back on topic, I would support taking all the pay Congress gets to do nothing and put it into the space program but nothing more. And it is a bad idea to put a married couple in the same spaceship in close quarters unless each is deaf mute and blind.

Do the analysis of Steel Reserve beer on cost/benefit ratio against your cheap wine. I'm always open to suggestions but also require stats. Okay, the game is on. In Bozeman, SR beer is $1.69 per 24 fl ounces at 8.1% alcohol. For alcohol per dollar value I am all ears. But most local marts know what I am talking about. Bud Light, and Miller Light, regardless of how many clever commercials are made, will make a lot of money while the "smart" drink cheap burgundy or Steel Reserve and climb rocks instead of couches or beds or your friend's Mom. I wonder what Congress drinks and what they climb and whether any single one of them would be willing to go to Mars?

1) They dislike Americans 2) They do not have cheap wine (MD 2020 and Thunderbird are all American). 3) They may have thought of a way to turn piss back into wine but the Geneva Convention may not have allowed it.

I just want to get to Venus so I can figure women out before I die. It may take a lot of alcohol and drugs but it hasn't helped so far.

I read this all on the internet: Alcohol: Too much weight. If absolutely necessary it's gotta be Everclear and Tang. Feck is too optimistic. Everclear is only about 180 proof. Beer and burgundy are out cuz the weight and "rent" is out of the question in space. Uppers: Out out out and again out. Do not work well in enclosed spaces with lots of time involved. Psychadelics: Might be good or bad depending on psychiatric analysis in advance which the partakers rarely do. The good news is there is no liquid and no calories. The bad news is you might try to find the escape hatch before arriving. Downers: May be fine if nothing needs to ever be done. Which is probably not the case. Solution: Space is not for mind altering anything but the mountains and your couch can be.

Porta potties are fine until your junk is dipping in "contents". A poop tube on a big wall is preferable. While around Seattle with the rainfall and all we can do like the bears and "go in the woods", Vantage with arid conditions and little topsoil suffers a lot. The Gorge concerts have dozens of well serviced potties and a visit to any construction site in any city will also offer a well serviced potty. Why can't Vantage get some respect? I would rather go in an alley around Pike Street in Seattle than an overused porta potty or under sagebrush (with the requisite toilet paper flower adorning what is beneath) at Vantage. Please support all efforts toward a permanent solution. Being a caretaker of a climbing area is more than replacing anchors and cleaning up garbage. Help out with your favorite area! Please go to Vantage constipated and dehydrated until they fix things. Last comment: The Gorge Concerts advertises on this site. Encourage them to help with the folks who choose to use the Vantage parking area for camping for free and don't climb but contribute lots of biologicals. Go on the Sasquatch concert weekend or Dave Matthews if you want to see what I mean.

"Signs signs everywhere are signs, blocking out the scenery and breaking my mind. Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign? ..." Five Man Electric Band

The better sign is the one where they have hacked into construction signs and inserted "Zombies ahead".

You just blew the deception. Except for the knife attack part.

I would recommend doing it in the dark. While the hamstring is being helped the sight of shrinkage could damage the mind forever. A failed two point conversion. But Mark Hudon was a stud back in the day which piques the memory of the geezers on this thread. Geezers who need to heal should start by warming up gradually via cardio as mentioned above but adapting to limited attention spans, then gently stretch the biggest tendon we have, meaning not overdo it, and remember that tendons heal much slower than muscles and can't be rushed. And whenever questioned ALWAYS say your injury was due to a knife fight or a shark attack.

Before we diss the snowboarders too much, plenty of backcountry skiers have had their asses handed to them near Bridger Bowl as well, out of bounds of course and especially off Sacajawea.

In Bozeman yesterday I was walking on a snowy/icy trail and got passed by a dude on a unicycle with a snow tire. Last month it was some guy ice skating down the middle of the street. Then there are the college kids wearing shorts and loafers at 10 deg. on campus. To each their own in passing winter.

Go get 'em. I would rather visit gangland with crack in my pocket than angry climbers noticing stolen gear.

Rudy, At 85 lbs. he is already close to outweighing you. No comment on climbing ability to protect the "innocent". Go Drew!

I'm still waiting for the 2D printers to work properly most of the time and for the speed of light to express itself in all computing. Mysteriously 186,000 miles per second becomes 186,000 nanometers per second in my computer. Tech breakthroughs apparently are in hacking and infecting rather than printing. It can only get worse in 3-D.

I'll be watching with interest.

This is way before Fires and EBs and maybe even blue swede RRs. History buffs (or just the older folks) on this site will understand. The Dorsal Fin and climbs like it before the advent of sticky rubber and flex shoes rather than stiff soles were A BIG DEAL. El Cap in a day for these two is a done deal.

At 200K, the Red Devil still has a longer life expectancy than you... That may depend on whether ivan or Ze Red Devil smokes the most in the future.

For true inspiration and a lot of pucker, go do amongst many others The Dorsal Fin (10d sandbag!!) in Little Cottonwood Canyon UT (George Lowe) in 1965 shoes and with 1965 gear.

Add carpal tunnel syndrome. For years I typed all day long and three times a week climbed indoors or outdoors and it was a life altering event when my tendons said NO MORE. For several years I could only type with pencil erasers and not with my finger tips. I learned to do about 20 words per minute with pencil erasers. Unfortunately no video but I was sure a spectacle at work. And to this date my fingertips go numb with significant typing or significant crimping.

The Cascades set the bar for suffering. The Sierras may spoil you. Check out Peter Croft's book on E. Sierra moderate alpine classics. It is "Good, Great, and Awesome" from one of the best and will keep you from getting Californicated and is a good read even if you don't do any of the climbs.