COL._Von_Spanker

"I'm so bored with the USA"

Who is the mystery man who's family didn't the name released

YAKIMA - Two cross-country skiers who search and rescue crews have been looking for in Yakima County have been found. Chuck Wildman of Yakima County Search and Rescue says the two men walked out onto Highway 12 just east of White Pass around after 4 p.m. Thursday. Wildman says they're in great shape -- tired, but otherwise OK.

Big Lou for President.

For those of you who hate filling out all that BS By KING5.com Staff and Wire Reports CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, Wash. - Rescue crews Friday began a search in the snow-covered White Pass area for two Seattle-area men who have not returned from a cross-country ski trip. The men left the Crystal Mountain area on Sunday and were due to arrive at White Pass on Tuesday. Conditions are harsh in the Crystal Mountain - White Pass area. The area in between is not far from where another backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche over the weekend. Rescue officials identified one of the missing skiers as 35-year-old James Hamaker from Tacoma. The other skier is a 47-year-old Seattle man whose family did not want his name released. Although the avalanche danger in recent days has begun to slowly decrease, it was forecast to become considerable again Friday night and Saturday. Up to two feet of fresh snow and recent rainfall added to the avalanche danger during the period the skiers have been missing, especially in the higher altitudes. The danger will also likely affect how quickly search teams can comb the area. Searchers on foot and on snowmobiles were looking between White Pass and Chinook Pass, east of Mount Rainier National Park Friday. A base camp was set up at Bumping Lake on White Pass and if weather clears, a helicopter from the King County Sheriff's Office may be used to help locate the skiers. Officials say the men were experienced in the backcountry, and may have simply hunkered down to wait out bad weather. It was believed they had a cell phone, but efforts to locate them using it have failed so far, according to Yakima County Search and Rescue Coordinator Sgt. John Durant. About a foot of new snow has fallen in the central Washington portion of the Cascade Range in the last two days. White Pass has 6 feet of snow at the summit and Crystal Mountain has about 6 1/2 feet. On Sunday, Donald J. Dovey, 37, of Seattle was killed when he and three other backcountry skiers were caught in an avalanche in the Norse Peak wilderness area, east of Crystal Mountain.

Yeah, thanks old man.

If you go out in the winter you can die in an avalache, if you don't you won't that is the only certainty. Everything else is alchemy.

Lately i've gotten super paranoid about avvys, so I trying to collect some info for my own knowledge. Is the Muir snowfield prone to avalanche (in conditions like we are seeing now)? I guess I don't know enough about the orientation and other factors relating to the area to make a good cross analysis with the avalanche forecast.

From the bottom of all the NWAC forcast "...Remember there are avalanche safe areas in the mountains during all levels of avalanche danger..."

What logic? I was asking a simple question, not a rhetorical one. Your reference to the other franchises on the mountain is totally different anyway. I think that other guide services, if closely monitored and regulated, could have a positive effect on rainier mouintaineering by giving consumers a choice. Not everyone shares your opinion of RMI, so what's wrong with being able to choose. personally i've never used a guide service and don't plan on it. When you learn to read you will understand that by my logic, mc donalds and burgerking would have to fight in a cage to choose who the concessionier would be. And I'm curious, how much money does RMI provide to the park and what are you basing that statement on?

Actually i'm a tree humper not a hugger, as I have a tree festish which i am currently being treated for, psychologically and medically (splinters).

How is it that RMI has a monopoly in the first place? It seems like anyone should be able to vie for permits? Though I would hope that the organization that kept RMI as the sole guide service would be organized enough to regulate all guided activity on the mountain. I say a battle royal cage wrestling match between the leaders of the different guiding outfits, the schedule will then be broken up according to the outcome.

Harvest

Is that in Ibiza?

Does anyone know roughly (or exactly) how long the logging road slog is to access the west ridge? Just want to get an idea if I ever head up there with snowshoes or footplanks.

When taping I will tape the pully and sometimes will buddy tape as well. I have taken time off, I think i'm somewhere close to two months now, though I did climb at Jtree, but crack climbing doesn't seem to bother it as much. I think it's almost time to get back at it, though there will be copius taping.

Anyone read monkeywrench gang? I suggest a revival.

That's good stuff to know. I currently have a strained/ruptured A2 pulley and it sucks. The deal it it hurts but not to much, so it's hard to not climb on it. Taping helps, but it only gives the tendon an 11% strength while climbing. according to that article I should tape it all the time, whick i'll start doing. Does anyone know what happens when you fully tear the A2 pully? And what are the symptoms when your tendon "bowstrings"?

So what are all you seattle wankers that really want to get down tonight doing? It's new years, you can't have some run of the mill pub club, it's time to cut loose y'all....

They make one that's a little bigger and has 2 poles. Though it's almost the sameweight as an Itent.

I think I may invest at some point as I have no bivy, and I saw that you can get this one in CAMO, how sweet is that!

I've got a REV 154(ish) that I don't want. how's $50 sound?

Matt, Don't forget the essential duct tape gaitor reinforcement. Everything these days is schoeller this and shoeller that, It's like it was with gore in the late 80's, and excuse to add a 400% markup. But I do see it's merits. Here is an excerpt from a typical gear store conversation: Customer: "Wow this seems like a nice pair of climbing pants, but why are they $260" Sales Clerk: "It's schoeller dude" Customer: "Oh I get it now, it's schoeller. By the way, does it come with a matching jacket"

That disease would be suck-itus, though marmot let me in after hours one time, so i've got nothing bad to say about them (other than bellspew location).

Good workout though.