catbirdseat

I was teaching all weekend, so I was a glorified belay slave, but I did get to top rope Bo Derek 10. That was really fun.

What about Champagne?

No comment, but amusing premise.

It's getting a bit late in the season to climb Cooper Spur, but then, it's been a cool spring. What say you, Iain?

Yates are lighter than the MSR, but perhaps not as strong. Given what Don Serl said, perhaps that isn't an issue. They'll all pull out before they break. I've made improvements to my Coyote pickets by making one of the ends sharp so that it pounds in easier when the snow is super hard.

Go ahead and say it, Bill. You think they are more prone to taking unreasonable risks.

I thought we were maybe sissies at the time for placing flukes on the exit chute. I feel better now about that decision.

Last year I told Garth about thin metal on cold shuts on Block Head. He went and replaced them with chain. After one season, they were worn half-way through. That's a lot of lowering!

If you like Nevermind Wall, anytime is a good time. But if you are talking Deception Crags, my guess is it will be wet by evening (50% chance).

I use neutrinos for the gear side of a sling, rather than for clipping the rope. I think that their small size is an asset. They take up less room in your pack. Also, Neutrinos are sometimes the only carabiner whos nose is small enough to fit through some chains.

I thought so too.

Sounds like it was the exit chute. Climbers have fallen of the Ledges/ Chute and survived, but it's a long way down.

You totally hit the nail on the head! It's ALL about wasting time.

There you go, Larry, just blame the victim. I'm sure he'll be more careful next time. We were at that same camping area about three weeks ago. We arrived Friday afternoon and set up a couple of tents to claim a nice site, after which we went climbing. When we came back we were approached by a gentleman who had been staying in his motor home. He had seen some guys in a red pickup truck park near out camp. He noticed them approaching our tents so he walked over to see what they were up to. They quickly got into their truck and hightailed it out of there. All we had left were our tents and they were both inexpensive car camping tents. Glad we didn't leave anything else.

Facinating reading. It shows how profit motive can corrupt good science or at least the dissemination of information.

You are so lucky, man. Enjoy it and have fun!

Well, locally some guys recently caught a guy trying to steal a vintage camaro. They tried to detain him. He fought back. They put him in a choke hold and he died. The DA decided not to prosecute.

Great integration of photos and text. Very enjoyable TR.

One man's trash is another man's...

Too late, I already know where it is. The hub cap idea would be a nice touch, though. Better bolt it on with tamperproof bolts. You know how those hub caps are in demand these days.

At least she doesn't like sex very much WITH YOU. Same advice. Move on.

I figured Fairweather wouldn't have overlooked this one. I read in the PI today how a high ranking Chinese diplomat, who was also a spy, tried to defect in Australia. He told them about rampant spy activity by the Chinese delegation. Not only did they not honor his wishes, but they ratted him out to the Chinese government. They did offer him "protection", whatever that means. Basically, the guy is in hiding now. Australia has been selling billions of dollars worth of raw materials to the Chinese and doesn't want to rock the boat. They have already declared that they will not come to the aid of Taiwan, should the PRC attack it. Can the US be far behind?

REI reminds me of Home Despot. I have a greenhouse with orchids in it. My air circulating fan conked out in January. I went to HD to buy a new one, anything with a blade that spins around. I was told that they don't carry fans in winter. I scrounged one up eventually in the attic.

Beta is like bolts, you can skip 'em if you find the climbing easy.

It seems to me that compared to non-flaring cracks, flaring ones would accept a wider range of offset cams, which is kind of nice. If what you happen to have is large, set it towards the outside. If what you have is small, set deeper. I'd like to get one or two offsets for Joshua Tree. Seems like they'd see plenty of use.