North_by_Northwest

You hit the nail on the head. That's why I had to ask about quality before buying. Thanks for the replies, all the info was useful and will be taken into consideration when I come to the register. (I wish you guys would have responded as nicely to my shoulder shox query )

El Gran Trono Blanco if I can find a partner... Cochise Stronghold anyone? Or it's "Hullo Yosamight!" Wyoming sometime too. BG-Tuolomne is probably great in August. When I was there (July?) it was a little more chilly at night and in the morning than Yosemite was, but was great during the day.

So what if she only climbs to get "hot" guys, I only climb to get hot girls. What's wrong with that? If it wasn't for getting laid I'd never go climbing, and I guess I wouldn't have such a big stereo in ma ride either...

$19.50 I shop at whatever place has the best prices and best selection. I find that REI often fits this bill. It's too bad because the place drives me nuts.

Jinkies.

I suspect you already knew...

I'm looking at getting a Mtn. Hardwear shell. It's called the Second Ascent Parka. As far as features it is what I need in a jacket. I am curious about the quality of Mtn. Hardwear products though? Are there horror stories or tales of hardship related to Mtn. Hardwear products? Are they champions of quality? Or are they middle of the road? Here's a link to the specific parka: http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=10885282&parent_category_rn=4501456

You don't gotta gimme ma props, just gimme ma rocks...

Yeah, I'm hooked on Squamish and Molson Canadien now. The fries and gravy have me drooling almost as much as the rock does though. On Sunday evening I saw a funny looking chap in a bright orange jacket leaving in a car that was parked in the Smoke Bluffs neighborhood-Dru was that you?

Post deleted by North_by_Northwest

The action on the shoulders is reduced by the "shox", eliminating a lot of problems we all experience when shuttling a heavy load. Check out this illustration: I think it's a really great idea. I'm thinking of buying just one. It would save money and weight and I could just swap shoulders when one got tired.

Payton traded? The loss of Payton signals the loss of my final shred of interest in Seattle basketball. What kinda Kuckoo-Muthafucka would pass this shit up?

Does anyone use these on their packs. They look like they might be great for long approaches and heavy loads.

I'm working on an art project using old beat down gear. I had a post looking for pieces to use in it once before, but nothing came from it. Does anyone have an old piece or two that they aren't going to climb on anymore? It doesn't have to be functional or even whole, I don't plan on climbing on the stuff. I'd be willing to give a few bucks for a cool looking dead piece. Maybe more for a really beat up old cam...

nice

Nice TR Slothrop. I know you didn't notice, but I took some photos while we were out there; work habits die hard you know. On the trail-still no snow! A mountaineers group in the distance. An awesome summit shot. We weren't sure what kind of bird that was, it looked big! Slothrop on the summit enjoying fresh snowfall. Leaving the snow. The descent. A random picture of FB on approach in the N. Cascades.

My personal favorite is on the right of the overhang, between the thin-hands crack and the right edge. You can use any combo of holds on the vertical part of the wall between the thin crack and the edge. The problem comes at the overhang and can be done with texture only for feet. Use the three teeth on the overhang to reach for the lip or the last hold on "guerilla". Cheaters can grab the right hand lip to top out. Reachy and fun, but not especially hard.

El Rojo Diablo!

Bronco: I have almost the same jacket as that Dragonfly. It's an earlier model from Patagonia, different colors but same design and I think same material (doesn't say exactly on the tag). It was the same price as the Dragonfly, but I'd say it was worth it. I've used it climbing, backcountry skiing, hiking, running, everywhere. It's been my primary shell jacket in fact. It's so light and compact that I don't mind taking it along on climbs. It doesn't have all the features I'd like: pit zips, pockets, etc. but I've found it to be as waterproof and breathable as I need. In a total downpour you'll get a little wet, but snow hasn't been a problem and wind is no problem at all. It's a great jacket for alpine, anything multi-pitch, even milder volcanoe routes. I recommend it.

Here's a picture of the Haystack from the trail where it tops out. As you can tell from the picture it's another 2-2.7 miles to the haystack formation. The lighting is a little wierd in the picture: it was taken with a filter around sunset. The route that everyone is talking about is extremely easy. It loops around the backside of the formation and attacks the obvious weakness on the NE face. Because of the routes position on the stack it's cold at night and bivies are pretty miserable. We completed it with only two bivies, one planned one forced. This is me on the summit pitch-spooky aid. It got dark and started snowing a few hours after this shot was taken, which lead to our forced summit bivy. (Our first bivy was made on the 16th pitch on a wide and comfortable ledge.) It's really a great route and I'd love to do it again, but it's hard to submit to that much suffering another time. If you do it good luck and bring plenty of knifeblades, at least two cam hooks, and a lot of water.

No fucking kidding huh Allison? I thought it was free What I'm saying is that we don't get a whole lot of visible SERVICES for what we pay. The money goes to make things the way they should be: maintenance rather than additions. If you read my post you can see that's what I'm saying (If I don't respond to you on other threads you should know that it's because you're a waste of time. There was always one kid like you in every class: nothing to say but can't stop raising that hand.) Fairweather is funny as all Hell with his cider cart plan. Funny that Fleb gets so crazy online, but is totally laidback on the phone... And he's not going climbing, so I predict more espresso-fueled wildness over the next few days.

Most of us only do alpine sport routes

I know someone who has a hook, he's used it for buildering. Apparently it works great.