Mark_Husbands

you might learn more from a skills course in the North Cascades or maybe Mt. Baker. i would think that any of the guide services listed by genepires could present you with a totally real, challenging, and skill developing experience. Rainier might be more famous, but the North Cascades peaks are super place for a "total" alpine experience. plus they are low so you are less likely to get a headache and barf.

if something's wrong and you don't know why, odds are it's bush.

check out those removable-tip ice screws. the coffee grinder that pivots on a different axis than the threads makes sense.

there has been an overall drop in visitation to national parks in the last few years (http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/refdesk/10MVUNP.pdf) and a corresponding drop in other uses, such as Rainier climber numbers (http://www.nps.gov/mora/climb/cl_stats.htm), and I gather from this thread, N. Cascades climber numbers. So, whatever changes have happened with permitting at NCNP, the trend seems larger.

i went there about ten years ago and the highlights for me were a couple of routes on Illiniza Sur (standard route and a somewhat more direct route) and especially the Italian route on Obispo, El Altar. The latter climb was by far the most interesting total experience because it takes you somewhat off the tourist track through some small villages and into fairly remote feeling area. there were no other climbing parties there when we went. not sure how warming has affected these routes.

What is the lightest shoe that accepts newmatic crampons?

Those (or the Comforts) are what I would buy if I had the money to spend. Not the cheapest bindings out there.

I'm in Holland right now. I've developed a real taste for Duvel since I've been here; a beer I had in the States and never really got into. I also really like some of the Trippels--Westmalle, Leffe--but don't go for the Dubbels so much.

really, i would not mind reducing the grip size of my cobras. anyone replaced the rubber cobra grips with some other stuff in order to reduce grip diameter?

a pair of very, very small hemepenes

anyone ever cut the rubber off a cobra? what's under there?

yes, new, lunatic ideas advanced right here. actual policies don't count.

the only land management idea i've ever seen on this site dumber than than trail polka dots was Bandit's Westside Road Visitor Center idea. anyone else recall any other ideas that might compete for the award for "dumbest land management proposal"?

8000 ft. is only a little above trailhead height for the better trailheads (the bad ones start in the sagebrush). East Arete of Mt. Haeckel out of Lake Sabrina is neat. Class 4, maybe easy Class 5. Very near Bishop. If you're willing to do a day approach then many, many options open up. Further north, the West Ridge of Mt. Conness offers many pitches of class 5 to 5.6 climbing and is often done in a day, though I recall longer than 2 hours to the base. North Ridge of Conness is another option and can be reached over North Peak (via N. Ridge or one of three snow couloirs) or from N. Peak Conness saddle (I think). Day trip either way. Mt. Humphreys (out of N. Lake) is a proud peak with several moderates. Summit block is class 4 from all directions. With a truck some routes, such as E. Arete (rumored very good) can be reached on dirt roads. Not sure how long the hike is. Mt. Sill's Swiss Arete is the perhaps the king of the alpine 5.6s, but I would prefer to camp one night. In the Palisades (N. Fork Big Pine Crk) one of my favorite places. The Cathedral peak route is excellent but doesn't really have (what I think of as) High Sierra flavor; it's a cockscomb type feature unique to the Tuolomne area. The North Ridge of Lone Pine Peak is well south of Bishop but is pretty spot on to your parameters, and Lone Pine Peak is a big mountain in an area with typical high sierra terrain. I've climbed a number of moderate classics in the 5.7-9 range and would be happy to suggest some others via PM. Moynier/Fiddler book can be bought or perused at Wilson's for solid info.

I was also out there on Sunday and climbed SW Butt SEWS. On the hike up we encountered that gal with the little pup. i said something about "CUTE DOG" and she said she'd been mauled by a goat but only had some small cuts. I'm glad folks have a place to take their dogs on wilderness hikes but wildlife harrasment is the main reason dogs aren't permitted in NPS wilderness and other selected USFS areas. I can recall (in CA) watching a dog chasing a bear out of a backcountry camp; the bear loped in front just fast enough to stay ahead of the dog, all the time watching the dog over the shoulder. You could tell that if that dog got a piece of the bear's ass that bear would have slapped his head to Tuolumne. OPINION: if your pet chases wildlife it's not wilderness trained. leash it or leave it home until it's trained.

yes, i recall when he first named his shop (after his mentor's business in Berkeley) he observed with pride that the shop name included "wild sex" in the letters, hence on the shop sign and in the URL. He was subsequently humbled when i pointed out the more conspicuous and less appealing words "sex change" thinly concealed within, as tomtom also cleverly observed. But the shop is cool man!

bumpity.

My old friend Don opened that shop (Wilderness Exchange Unlimited) and has made a good go of it. He gets pretty sweet deals on blems, seconds, and has new stuff too. and they do mail order. wildernessexchangeunlimited.com

I'm not going to the Alps, I'm going to Holland. But I'm wondering whether its worth to bring gear and try to get a week or two in climbing somwhere. I would probably go to Chamonix for lack of any better knowledge of where to go for fall alpine ice climbing.

Good, good, I like that...more?

I googled up a fair amount of info on water ice climbing in true winter but couldn't find anything really about, for instance, fall gully ice.

Does anyone know anything about climbing in the alps in autumn? I'll be in Europe October and November and I'm wondering if it is worth bringing climbing gear.

what size foot do you have? i have a pair of Asolos almost identical to the AFS 8000 that i will sell cheap, cheap, cheap!

what is this about?

i see. so firefighters have identified facial hair as a safety concern. perhaps in an environment as hazardous as the icy slopes of Rainier, even mustaches, albeit safer than beards and goatees, increase the probability of an accident. worth thinking about when you look yourself in the mirror prior to a big climb.