snoboy

AKA Franglais...

It's all the same... ask.

Glad to hear you think so highly of yourself.

I heart my Smartwool socks... I don't even use liners with them anymore.

You know, the Commodore Ballroom used to be kind of like what your club sounds like, then it too went bankrupt. Eventually it came back. New owners now, but the same sort of scene. Tom Waits just played there to kick off their 75th anniversary. Maybe there is hope for Firts Ave. One of the best shows I saw there was No Means No... with my mom! But who knows, maybe MisterE is right, maybe it's just the opening of a new door.

If you read carefully between the lines you would have seen that jon is looking for us to say that we never notice how sloooowww the servers are, because he has been putting off the big expensive upgrade, because, well, it is expensive... Or something like that.

Damn that sux. both parts...

Uhmm, I am having it right now, and have noticed it more and more often... If I think about the last month, I would say couple times a week.

this is lame though... And I had stuff I wanted from them too... especially with your weakass dollar.

See, Googlefight is always right... unfortunately.

Hmmm, a lot of questions all wrapped up in your post there Blake... At this time of year, I really like to know what is under the snow, 2-3 feet of snow on top of a grassy slope is a lot more of a hazard than 2-3 on top of a field of large talus. The underlying "texture" can make a big difference to how well things are anchored. I don't see why a rutschblock would not be possible in that snowpack? Perhaps you could explain why you think it would not work? I would be wary anytime I see natural slides occuring, this is obviously an indicator of some sort of instability. I really wouldn't be describing something as "pretty stable" if I saw slides occuring! In fact I would call it quite unstable. Sticking to unexposed areas is a great way to be safe, if by that you mean areas that are not possible to slide, and are not exposed to possible slides from above. There are really a couple of elements at play in the winter risk management game - probability of an event (avalanche) and consequences (if one happens.) The probability is the tricky one to predict, but there are sometimes obvious signs (whoomphing, cracks propogating, natural slides occurring) and other times you need to dig in and have a look at the snow. The second part of the question is easier to answer, Look around you, get your head out of the snow pit, and ask your self, "What if?" What if the slope in question slides? Is there enough snow to bury me? Is there a terrain trap (gully, bench, streambed) that could make for a deeper burial? Maybe there is a cliff just below you, and a slide that is not big enough to bury you could still knock you off and kill you. Unfortunately there is little science in avalanche prediction, at least at the level of techniques available to the backcountry traveller. That said there area lot of things that you can do to make your trips safer, and more enjoyable. Taking a basic avalanche awareness course is a good first step, and getting out in the b/c with experienced people is vital IMO.

better yet, decide it with a GOOGLEFIGHT!!!!!

The Beal thingy is not at all like a sharpie marker. It's a bottle of really messy ink that seems to soak in to the rope quite well, and comes, like they say, with a roller tip.

The proponents of this proposal have decided to let it die a natural death. They are blaming it on "native opposition," and "a flawed approval process." article here

puppylove... cool!

tlg- that's exactly what I do... it rocks.

same ^^ (except not quite the knee deep powpow bit.)

chores, food, skiing!!! more food, cc.

Only if you put a Putzl Shunt on a second rope to back it up.

had to be done.

There was a really good thread on this sometime earlier this year... Here it is.

IMO - locker is great, when there's some traction, but otherwise it just means all 4 wheels are spinning at the same rate... I've been there, more than once. 4 wheel locker, and 4 wheels worth of chains, that's a different story. Heh, we were driving up the snowmobile track. I always went with chains on the front, up or down hill, when we had the Ranger. Pull you up the hill, engine weight gives you traction. Down is a bit dicier, but the best bet is just to really creep down anything that's sketchy. If you need to you can then juice the gas a tiny bit to get some steering back. Always worked for us. I'd rather be able to steer away from the precipice than go slowly over it, forwards... Oh yeah, we had 4 studded tires as well. Saves a heck of a lot of crawling around in the mud time. Now we just have a subie - no chains needed. Tempted to get studs for it next winter.

From that page, JayB, I would go with the V-Bar, and the "light truck" attachment system. v-bar = extra grip, and the cam locks let you really crank 'em down, the key to getting anything out of chains IMO. I used to carry my chains (needed them to get home once every couple weeks) in a small rubbermaid, with a pair of HD rubber gloves w/ gauntlets. Also a small piece of kneeling foam. Made life much better. A springy thingy like they picture is also handy, although I used rubber bungie hook cords. Don't forget to retighten after about 1/4 mile. Otherwise you will almpost certainly break a chain eventually, and then you will lose a fender... You should see the chains for my Unimog best tightening system ever... each wheel's worth weighs about 60lbs, and I have four...!

There will be an assemblage of assorted gapers n00bs, and old pros getting together for some fun in the snow near Squamish on Sunday. You'd be welcome, but it is a long way to come just for that I guess.

y = canada, I think??? . . . Yup, check this link.