Mark_Husbands

Condor...the first leashless sef-arrest ski pole.

i have the Beal Iceline which is nice. double instead of twin, which i prefer.

i want to see a double dong SLCD.

here's what i do...nothing. i sharpen the points and move on.

Hate to say it, but they're mocking you guys in particular ("mime-fondlers", doesn't translate well) and "womanly" American climbers in general in that article. you should probably give them a call.

anyone know where you can handle one of those granite gear packs around seattle?

ARGHHH...cursed logical fallacy!

My limited understanding: Ablation zone/accumulation zone are defined by net loss/gain of mass over long time scales. this corresponds to the upper limit of bare ice in summer, most of the time, but as others have pointed out, in winter or after snows crevasses can be covered in the ablation zone.

snowball's chance, but...

anyone use some of those puny approach setups (w/bindings) made by Kong or K2? http://www.kong.it/pr_snow.htm

Since folks seem to debate the merits of these BD tents, i thought i would share an email i got from BD after a sideline inquiry i posed while negotiating a warranty issue on an entirely different product. Basically i asked how these thin walled tents worked out in high winds and very cold conditions. Here's the reply i got from Scott Shillingshaw. "Hi Mark, Thanks for taking the time to write. The Firstlight and Lighthouse are not really designed for heavy rainfall. That being said, if you seam seal the seams, the tent should hold up quite well in alpine and even arctic conditions. However, in terms of actual use, we just got this e-mail back from Jack Tackle who tested a prototype in AK. ""As far as real life experience in the field, here's what we found in AK. Charlie Sassara and I ended up on Mt. Huntington because the ice routes we were looking for in the Ruth weren't there yet. It had been too cold for melt/freeze cycles to form things up/ We tried to do a fast blast of a variation of the Harvard route on the West face. RobertY got me a year old Lighthouse dealer demo tent, which we took on the route. We got halfway up the face in 12 hours, a storm was coming in and we decided to bivy instead of bail. We sat in the Lighthouse in 30-40 mph winds for 36 hours while it dumped a meter of snow.( Hooked into new C4 camalots and pins) The base of the route had so much snow that we lost Charlie skis in 6-7 feet of snow. The tent held up pretty well. It did frost up quite a bit from our breathe at night and from running the stove. But, in some ways no more than an I-Tent would have. It's not very breathable because of the weave and silicone treatment, but it was very waterproof and did quite well in the wind. For a 3 lb. tent I was impressed.""

exoskeletons are fine for approaches, but unethical for climbing. unless you approach in Wilderness. then, exoskeletons are unethical. unless you're on a rescue, then they're ethical. also, they're not ethical if you plan to claim a car to car speed record, even if you're not in Wilderness. however, if you qualify your accomplishment by openly acknowledging the use of an exoskeleton, then, perhaps , they're ethical. but never for climbing.

SOLD, thank heavens. please buy my other stuff so they don't take my car. M

BD straight shaft Black Prophets, $150 pair. Alaska picks. fine condition. will post photos soon.

again bump. OBO. may need another venue. great deal on massive warm bag.

again bump. OBO. may need another venue. these are good boots.

again bump. OBO. may need another venue.

Teurism

Thanks for the comments. it's a done deal, the 70s have been ordered. I am worried that they won't be good as all purpose doubles, but I'll get to formulate an opinion first hand it appears. M

anyone know where to get paclite or xcr ultralight pull-on pants with no zippers at all? or very short ankle zips? i want to do my own tailoring.

i wear a windshirt

by using a folded 22" x 23" pad instead of the folded 11" x 46" pad that the pack is currently marketed with.

I've noticed that it opens up long and skinny. i think folding it the other way making a square might be better.

Well, I'm really looking for a pair for ice climbing and for alpine rock routes that require long raps. so cutting is not part of the concept. i think the price will end up being around 250 for the pair, which is pretty good in my estimation. i actually have several chunks of 8 and 9 that range from 80 to 120 ft, fine for glacier travel and whatnot. but these would be primo brand new multi pitch ropes. my concern is that there comes a point where the ropes weigh too much, the gear needed to run the ropes out weigh (and cost) too much, and the rope snarls get bigger, longer, meaner.

This has been discussed before, but I am curious what folks think are the merits of 70m ropes. I have a deal possibility on Beal Iceline 8.1 x 70m. I've always used 60m ropes and been fine with that length, but the deal doesn't apply to the shorter length. Opinions on length, brand, or other exciting rope properties.