JGowans

Big Truck, Small-dicked-sticker-wielding-righteous-tosser in my line of sight that's going to get crushed by aforementioned big truck if he tries to stick any shit on my rig. Did I guess right?

Yes, these are great recommendations, if you enjoy getting friendly with your local dealership technician. In the yuppie town I grew up in land rovers and range rovers were quite popular. I never could figure out why. They were in the shop about 10x more often than any other vehicle acoording to every one of my friend's family's who had the displeasure of owning one. I'd heard the same thing Josh before I bought one and went ahead and did it anyway...no regrets so far. It is pricey for service and so on, but the rig has never crapped out on me in any way. Back home in Scotland, these are working vehicles used by the cops in the countryside and farmers. They're made to be abused and handle most terrain. I've found that to be true with mine (although it hasn't been abused). The '99 model was the last year they were hand-assembled before being bought by BMW and then Ford.

this random nutter votes for the owl & thistle.

josh makes a good point. that's what i'm looking to pick up next...a wagon. having had an SUV for the past 3 years, i can definitely appreicate the power, ground clearance, and just the general utility of an SUV but when i think about the amount of times that i've truly needed that ground clearance or truly needed all that space (a single dude), it just doesn't make a whole lotta sense for me to have an SUV. Then again, the suby outback is the "i'm trying ever so hard not to be a yuppie" yuppie mobile. shit i guess there's no winning here. VW makes a nice 4x4 jetta & passat wagon. just a thought.

I'm selling my '99 Land Rover Discovery...$17K. yes, i am a yuppie. Having said that though, it's an awesome 4x4. i'm looking to get something less gas thirsty.

Nah, I gave it a body swerve. It was supposed to be some considerable avalanche danger and weather wasn't supposed to be too good. I think St. Helens in the Spring should be done in sun & sweet corn Seriously though, I'm hoping I didn't miss a good day but I didn't think the conditions were optimal. Maybe next week...

Sitting in my mounties MOFA class last night, one of the instructors made a comment that studies have shown that folks who spend an extended amount of time above 14,000 ft suffer from permanently decreased cognitive capacity. In other words, they're brain damaged. At that point, I kind of laughed and imagined Reinhold Messner a vegetable and wondered if Ed Viesturs is in some way a retard. Come to think of it, maybe the ones who are able to handle the suffering at high altitude are too brain dead to realize they're suffering? Anyway, I'm sure most of you have opinions on this topic eh?

Am thinking about the Worm flows this weekend (3/28). What's the scoop on conditions?

I was there on Saturday Brian. What routes did you climb?

Went to Vantage. Not too many folks. Good fun.

trask is now borrowing quotes from The Rock? I thought it would be the other way around? Aren't you The Rock's hardman image consultant?

In doing my mother because you thought it was my father, this would suggest that you're a homosexual. Not really surprising I suppose. In light of this, I wouldn't want to fight you in case you rip your pantyhose or something. poof!

Not only is the climbing hard, but we Scots are hard as fuck. come and have a go if you think you're hard enough...wankstain.

holy shit. i thought i was the only scotsman around here. 2 glaswegians and myself a dundonian. not bad.

Hey everyone, thanks for the advice. There was a lot of good tips, but it's clear that there's no substitute for practice. I really do need to concentrate on climbing gracefully. I haven't been climbing that long, and so I appreciate the help. Maybe I'll never be a Russian Hardman or a graceful Harry Pi but I'll keep trying.

I'm having trouble (even at the gym) of gracefully completing a route (let's say a 5.9). I think I can see what moves need to be done from below, but once I'm up there, I usually end up flailing around like some spaz and get pumped up way before topping out. So, I have 2 questions 1. What do you do to help visualize a route before doing it, and then having the wherewithall to actually follow through once on the route? 2. What can I do to stop getting so damn pumped up and fatigued? I know I should keep my arms straight and use my legs etc. but despite my best intentions, I just can't seem to help it. Is it just practice?

I got $133. Already cashed it in for an REI Talus 50 pack. We'll see how it works out.

Hey, I've been reading the thread trying to figure out a good daypack too...has anyone got an opinion on the Marmot Eiger pack? REI is selling it for $99. Looks pretty simple but has the basic necessities. I have seen the stuff on MEC, but the dividend is burning a hole in my pocket http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=47569552&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&langId=-1

CatBirdSeat, the TRs keep getting better and better! I wish I could have told my boss to f**k off and come with you guys. Sounded tough but well worth it. What's the next climb for you and Oyvind?

this must be a new stone gardens you speak of cos the one next to the lockspot sucks except for it being next to the lockspot which does have some decent food and beer.

Anybody here go to Vertical World in Seattle? I could use a partner...bouldering 3 cm off the ground by yourself gets a bit bring after a while. PM me if interested. Btw, I suck sport climbing. Sorry.

For what it's worth, I went up there 2 weeks ago, and it was totally filled in. No significant problem. I suspect conditions may have changed since then though.

I'm glad you checked in catbirdseat. I was a bit worried that you were one of them. Did you guys go up Rainier last week?

I'm definitely in. No other takers? I think we've got 3 in the party thus far. One more?

The Irish are freedom fighters working to expel an oppressive foreign power. IRA should NEVER, EVER disarm!!! You're completely wrong on this one. I've grown up around that crap all my life and likening them to freedom fighters is bullshit. They're common criminals involved in drugs, gun running, extortion, and whatever else you can think of. Yes, the English have no fucking business being there in the first place much the same as them having no business being in Scotland. However, using religion as a crutch to justify criminality is crap. I suggest you send your kids to school in Scotland or Ireland to get a clearer picture of the destructive nature of divisive bigotry. This is one issue that makes my blood boil. Sympathising with those wankers is so wrong. Sympathising with the cause makes total sense but not the method.