mbcracken

Yeah, I hated skiing freshies all day yesterday at Crystal! Bear Pits really sucked. I wouldn't go any where in the cascades this weekend! Just stay home...You'll be better for it. -Mike

Peter O'Toole from Lawrence of Arabia!

Did a little google search and found this page. More info then you can shake a stick at... Asender Info -Mike

I have had an 8 mm - 50m for about 4-5 years now. I like it. Ade and I used it on NR Stuart last summer. Light weight but strong. I have heard rumor that it meets/comes close to Edleweiss strength over a .75mm edge standard. I'll be curious to see what you think of them after some use... -Mike

Has anyone else wondered what where exactly the Tahoma Bottled water comes from??? -Mike

Warning: Thread Creep... Since this has turn into a thread on Super Gaiters, has anyone used the OR X-Gaiter? They make the claim that their shock cord design prevents the "dreaded toe lift". Another claim is made for warmth since their insulation goes further down the boot otherwise occupied by the rand of the rubberband variety. -Mike OR X-Gaiter

Here you are Cave... Avy Scale from CSAC -Mike

I have been with ATT and have pretty good success with their plain Jane models. Like others have said, stay away from the newr technologies, but get ones that do have both analog and digital. I have been using Nokias, because they are one of the few phones that automagically switch between the two modes. Happy shopping...You should be able to get a free one from ATT without too much effort. -Mike

Ade had servants growing up? My doesn't that explain a lot...

Sorry, I wasn't specific in my reply. It was a reply to Muffy. -Mike

One other vehicle, if you can afford new is the Honda Pilot. It is a little larger then the 4Runner but comes with a 3rd Row munchkin seat that folds into the floor when not needed. I don't see any current safety ratings on it, but I am guessing it should be fairly safe since it is built on the Acura MDX which has recieved all "Good" safety ratings across the board. The engine is powerful enough to pull a small trailer and it meets the emission qualification of ULEV rating. The other cool thing about the car is that a large percentage of it is recyclable. -Mike

They actually did better then marginal when I bought it. They are still considered Acceptable with a couple Good ratings thrown in. web page With a Golden Retriever and two girls, we needed samething that we could load for camping/climbing/skiing with the whole family. We now have a pod on top but still fully loaded down with gear we get 20 mpg. As a side note, we have also racked up 130,000 miles on our beast. The only item of concern was a leak from the water pump that the dealership took care of for us, post Warranty. Great Vehicle that I am planning on keeping forever. The other vehicles I like are the Audi's Quattro A4's. -Mike

I also agree with the newer techie engines being much cleaner. I have 1998 4Runner that I get 20 mpg and occasionally have hit 24 mpg on longer road trips. Half of my choice for the 4Runner was also because I wanted some protection from the really big SUV's for my family. my 2 Cents.... -Mike

Mountaineering Edition of Monopoly - Actually pretty cool. $200 REI Card - Fawk now what to spend it on... -Climbing Skins? - Snow SHoes? - New Ropes? - New Helmet? - More Cams? - New Mnt Bike Components?

Seen on a bumper sticker... "Why have Peace and Prosperity when you can have Bush?!?!

I have a bliz and love it. I have used it for craggin, alpinin' and snow outin's. I used to use a alpine bod and the bliz hangs much better. I have to 2nd the Petzl opinion that they wear out fast. My bliz is going strong while one of my climbing buds is getting ready for his 2nd Petzl harness in the same period. IMO when I bought mine there wasn't a lighter harness that fit meet me and had all the same functionality. -Mike

Size?

I would mostly agree with everything said so far. The only difference is that one does not need to carry a heavy pack for training. Just getting out is the key. If one carries a heavy pack one will gain extra muscle weight and the key is to stay light. The other item I would add to your gear pouch is a heart rate monitor. It is the only way to truly track your efforts. I like the Polar brands because of thier reliability and compatability with treadmills and stair masters in the gym. For my training, I have found success in lowering the effort to 60-75% for my long runs but bumping the effort up for the shorter runs. Everyone has their own definition of long and short running lengths and will change with ones fitness level. I also throw in a Wed Afterwork/afternoon/night hike up some trail along I-90 after. This is normally done early spring to late fall. We try to limit the trails to ones we can get off of in daylight. Hope this helps in defining you workout regime. Email or PM me if you want to chat about any other training issues. -Mike

Thanks for all the tips... Exposing the metal edges... G3 or BD sounds like the ones to try and get. I just went to mec.ca and they are backordering the G3's right now. Ade has already offered to stop by MEC in a couple weeks. Darn I was hoping to pay Dru 50% broker fee. Oh well, maybe next time, NOT! Plus the weather predictions is snow for the next 10 days.

Thanks for both your responses. So, next question...Where to buy them and stay in the NPR(Never Pay Retail) group? The BD skins seem to get some good reviews, but they are spendy. Mike

I am in the market for a pair of skins for my ski's. I amwondering about the width issue. My ski's are roughly 100-75-90(mm). How important is it that I get the skins to cover the whole width of the ski? If I get a 85mm width pair of skins am I going to be slipping all over the place when traversing an angled slope? Thanks Mike

Oh yeah...Almost forgot this one. * BB Gun target practice by trying to shoot an arrow out of the sky. Stoopid part was I talked my friend into shooting the arrow straight up!

Chronological Order; * Dirt clod fights - no protection * Throwing snowballs at cars driving by, resulting in broken windows. Lay in bushes in 2 feet of snow waiting for driver to leave. Finally leaves after making us sit there for 30 minutes. (Perhaps true start of climbing career) * Pratice rally driving on snow in suburbs of Spokane. We think we're Blue angels. Hit curb a little too hard and brake off side wheels of car. Parents get involved. Yuck. * This one when I was ~26. Decide to have an Ice Block party. Take one big chuck of ice. 5 " long X 3" wide X 2" thick. Take one big chain saw and carve channels to mix drinks as they are poured down channels. Problem- Channels melt out half way through the night. Bring out previous said chainsaw to make new channels after fliping ice block over.

quote: Originally posted by iain: if you could get an HH60 to hover directly overhead to throw in some rotor wash and white noise you've got yourself a scenario Then when the HH60 goes down and you have to remember where the disconnect switch is for the battery system so you can then start working on those victims...

quote: Originally posted by iain: Another good certification is the Outdoor Emergency Care program taught by the National Ski Patrol. Plus you get a chance to carve up some sweet turns. On a serious note, I did ski patrol for about 4 years. The biggest thing it helped me learn was there is a huge difference in providing aid in the classroom v. real world with Cascade Crap(snow mixed with rain) is falling on you and your patient. Huge difference, but once you get used to it, aid can still be rendered. Try this...Setup an accident in your backyard in the middle of the night with these recent colder temps, turn on the sprinkler, then try to apply a bandage to a guys leg that has a crampon puncture wound. Oh yeah, turn off the lights and just use your headlamps. Of course while wearing rubber gloves and all...