catbirdseat

I got a look at the "Lost Walls of Kormona" yesterday. They look very impressive. The approach can't be all that hard.

I was climbing at Exit 32 last week, and someone put a line of bolts right up a perfectly good 5.9 crack. Why would someone bolt where there is plenty of good pro? Yeah, right.

Damn dude, there ain't nothin small about those numbers. Even 8 in a class is really pushin' it. I hope I never run into a class of 24 at one crag, that's completely ridiculous. You wouldn't ever see them all at one crag or even on the same day. 6-8 is the most that would be on any given crag at one time. Still, that might be four top ropes.

Class size varies tremendously within the Mountaineers depending on which branch. For the Basic Course, class size in Seattle is about 200. In Everett, it is about 40. For the Intermediate class in Seattle it is about 40 (I'm not certain), whereas in Everett it is 10-14. Crag course in Seattle is 24 students, but only 8 in Everett. So as you can see, if small size is important to you, there are options.

So who do you think is uglier, Richard Reid, or Moqtada al-Sadr?

You might want to invest in a cordellette one of these days, laddie.

There WAS a camera. There is always a camera at Prana Top outings.

"These measures have been imposed because there is a substantial risk that your communications or contacts with persons could result in death or serious bodily injury," the official wrote. Now look at this guy. Does he look like a prison mastermind on par with, say, John Gotti?

"I remember I was once lost in the wilds of Afghanistan...subsisted on nothing but food and water for three weeks." -- W.C. Fields

Yes, it reminds me of Makalu Gau and the 1996 Taiwanese Everest team. How many of them died that year on Denali?

Except in bouldering! SEND BRAH SEND!! DUDE WE GOTCHA!!! Reminds me of one of our Exit 32 Pub Clubs. "Dude, it's JUST 5.9". Me: "I've lead a sum total of one 5.9 before, and besides I don't have gear for such a thin crack". Them: "That's okay, Mattp will lend you his small Aliens." Me: (thinking) "what could possibly go wrong?" (After I take a fall on an Alien) Kurt: "I was expecting you to crater". Them: "Great catch, Dryad!"

As AlpineK is so fond of saying, "a day late and a dollar short".

Did anyone see the New York Times Article (reprinted in Seattle PI/Times) about the abuses of the Material Witness law? Prosecutors are holding people as "material witnesses" rather than as accused criminals because they have fewer protections, such as Miranda Rights. Once in custody they try to trap them into making a false statement. This is done with people for which they don't have probable cause to arrest. We should be very concerned about such abuses. This exactly the sort of thing that was going on in Europe before the founding of this country against which the framers of the Constitution were trying to protect. The current targets of this abuse is anyone from Muslim countries and even American born converts to Islam such as the one mentioned in the article. It reminds me of what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII. This is a more insidious form of fear-driven persecution of a minority group. Article

I'd have to agree with Juan. Most times people use quotes in the fashion that you did is to convey a mocking tone. If you are quoting a person specifically, then say that. I was told by ---- that, "it was a rescue..."

Where do the grizzly bears come in to the story? Were they attracted to the vomit?

All of this discussion issues from the fact that we rely entirely on that one piece of equipment, the "parabiner", for our lives. There is usually nothing backing it up. When you are belaying off your harness with it, you can ensure it's proper orientation by using your guide hand to provide tension as necessary. But in rappelling, until you get started and have weighted the device, the parabiner might flop into an undesireable orientation. If using an ATC, you will not break the gate by cross loading the biner, unless you put a lot of slack in the system and fall on it. The Figure 8, however, has much more leverage and can break the gate. The use of the autoblock in rappelling should be encouraged more because it represents not only something that can protect you from uncontrolled descent due to inattention or injury, but also because it independently backs up the parabiner/device. Having said that, I have to admit to not using it myself most of the time just because of the extra time it takes to set it up.

The Kleimheist sounds like the most appropriate knot for webbing. The prussik knot doesn't work well at all for that application.

This issue has been debated, ad nauseum in numerous other threads, but the general consensus is that canister stoves aren't as good as gasoline stoves for melting snow. The cold reduces the vapor pressure of the liquid in the canister. Higher altitudes improve flow at a given temperature, but usually temperature drops with altitude. Gasoline stoves are pressurized by a pump and thus the pressure (and hence flow) is independent of temperature.

Translation: "I'm done gone have meself a Lucky Lager, you ass, and eat some horsecock too. Then, ahm gonna cozy up with m' little lady and afterwards take a nap. So sayonary and say hi to those chatty little wankers on cc.com for me."

Will, get on the ball. It's not picrograms. It's FEMtograms, dude.

...not to mention not worksafe.

Bear Drinks 36 Cans of Favorite Beer BAKER LAKE, Wash. - Rain-eeeeer .... Bear? When state Fish and Wildlife agents recently found a black bear passed out on the lawn of Baker Lake Resort, there were some clues scattered nearby - dozens of empty cans of Rainier Beer. The bear apparently got into campers' coolers and used his claws and teeth to puncture the cans. And not just any cans. "He drank the Rainier and wouldn't drink the Busch beer," said Lisa Broxson, bookkeeper at the campground and cabins resort east of Mount Baker. Fish and Wildlife enforcement Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear did try one can of Busch, but ignored the rest. "He didn't like that (Busch) and consumed, as near as we can tell, about 36 cans of Rainier." A wildlife agent tried to chase the bear from the campground but the animal just climbed a tree to sleep it off for another four hours. Agents finally herded the bear away, but it returned the next morning. Agents then used a large, humane trap to capture it for relocation, baiting the trap with the usual: doughnuts, honey and, in this case, two open cans of Rainier. That did the trick. "This is a new one on me," Heinck said. "I've known them to get into cans, but nothing like this. And it definitely had a preference."

Ben, how do you pronounce your name, again? Help me out here.

The reasons many people respect McCain, even though they don't always agree with him, are the same reasons people respected Goldwater. He talks straight and says just what he means.