Dustin_B

If you need help spending your dividend, PM me and I'll give you my address which you can send your dividend too. Another option is to buy the big ticket items at REI (cams, rope) so you can maximize your coupon. Buy the smaller items (biners, nuts, etc.) online somewhere. Personally, I like the first option though, it involves less work on your part.

That will make the next 4 years easier for the average american to handle then

spellcheck caught my version of segue but didn't give me any spelling suggestions so I just left it.

I'd like to add a positive tone to this thread with a good poo story. So I go into the john one day at work and all the stalls but 1 are full (like 5 or 6 stalls total). I take care of business then reach for the TP. Uhm, yep, 2 big empty rolls. (and no one to blame butt myself for not checking). I stand up, unsure what to do, and grab a couple of sandpaper sanitary rim liners and fold them up. I cringe and am about to start that unpleasantness, when from under the stall next to me a hand and a roll of TP appear. Somehow the guy knew that stall was fresh out of TP. I grab it, say "thanks" (breaking all kinds of rules I know), finish cleaning up, and get the shit out of there before the dude comes out of his stall, which would make it awkward for everyone. That is good bathroom etiquette, IMHO. By the way, this is a good segway into another rule: You never ask the guy in the next stall over to "spare a square"; its just not done. You got yourself into that mess, now get you self out.

I drive that stretch every weekday and I'm constantly scanning for cops. I see, on average, 1 cop every 2 weeks or so. I wouldn't say that is too heavily patrolled.

I have a question for those of you that saw the Nova special on Vinson Massif with Anker, Krackeur (sp.), Hahn, et. al. that aired several months back and those that went to the slide show last night. A buddy and I are in disagreement as to whether the trip to Vinson that McLean was talking about was the same one as the Nova special (same 3 guys were mentioned in both)? I say they were two different trips, my buddy thinks it was the same trip. I didn't think McLean was on the Nova special and they climbed an unclimbed route on the taller side of Vinson. McLean mentioned going to Vinson basecamp and the guys on the Nova special were on a completely different side. My buddy said it was the same glacieology (sp) study expedition. Anyone know who is right?

That one is definitely going on my list. Nice work.

I thought it was still yet to be proven that snugtop was the real deal. I still don't buy it. Has anyone actually met her? We don't exclude non-skiers from the Freshiezone forum, nor non-rock climbers from the new rock climbing forum, etc, etc. I don't see why this forum should be any different. Sounds discriminatory to me. Have your forum, allow every one to post (cause guys will find a way to post anyway), and if it even comes close to spray then delete the post or ban the poster (like is done in the newbies forum: absolutely no spray allowed.)

When we were up there a few weeks ago parking in the lower lot the ranger came by and thanked us for parking down there. Said they try to seperate the 2 user groups (which is fine by me). Bilers can't park in the lower lot and when their upper lot gets full they have to park further down the road. I imagine the bilers get the upper lot for a variety of reasons listed above and because they can more quickly get their rigs onto the snow and off the pavement, its larger, has a turn around, etc. Who in their right mind would want to park up there with the bilers anyway? I don't even like walking through it. The lower lot is an extra 2 minute walk, give me a break. Now on the other hand, if you really need to save the 50 yards and love the smell of the exhaust and just generally feel the need to fratenize with those ass clowns, then I see no legal reason why you couldn't park there. IMO, its not worth. Save your energy for fighting something else and park in the lower lot. If you recieved a ticket, thats a different story, fight it to the end. But if you're just pissed cause you can't park there, I doubt you'll have much luck changing the 'rules'. FWIW, I think the rangers feel the same way about the bilers that we do, at least the one I talked to did. They are just trying to 'keep the peace'.

Those climbs in the link aren't necessarily meant to imply that they are 'good beginner climbs', only that they count as a beginner/basic climb towards a student's 'graduation'.

Serious: becuase of weather. If the weather is good, Emmons/DC is fairly moderate. Strenuous: Depends on Altitude and how you adjust to it. Glacier has a lot more foot pounding, so I'd rate higher than Rainier too. Really though, a given climb, on a given day ... Rainier in a white-out, with 50 mph winds, and slopes of solid ice in September... That mountain is going to get your attention. More foot pounding? Emmons route is two 5000 ft days in a row, at altitude. The summit day is orders of magnitude harder!! For me, Rainier is a lot more strenuous. As for seriousnous? Well I'd sure as shit rather be stranded at the top of Glacier over Rainier. Or be descending in a white out on Glacier over Rainier. Or be in any situation on Glacier over Rainier. I definitely say that Rainier is more serious. I've never been up the DC route, only Emmons but from what I've heard, the DC route has objective danger (ice fall, rock fall, etc). The sitkum has none. So again Rainier gets my vote for seriousness again. I guess we can just agree to disagree on this one.

Huh? The sitkum glacier is a cake walk. You are on a crevassed glacier for all of 1.5 hours or so. The approach to boulder basin is 7 miles, the approach to Camp Schurman is ~5 miles which includes crossing glacier. Yeah so the approach is slightly more milage but I'd bet on average that the approach to Schurman takes longer. More ice? where? More exposure? Are you serious? More choss? I agree on that one. Okay, I get it, nice troll, I fell for it.

Someone needs to review their copy of FOTH...Scott. 6th ed calls it 'The Arm Rappel'. In all actuality, it looks to me like he's demonstrating how to ruin a perfectly good coat. yes, a 'locked off' arm rappel, which is why it looks funky. any one ever use this technique (arm rappel)?

This one dosent even need a caption though Those aren't mounties, those are boealpers! Are all of these groups being thrown into one catagory called mounties? now thats not fair to the other groups!

I spoke to LS rep one night at a gear demo and he agreed with me when I complained about the lack of water proofness. I didn't know they were making the claim that they were w/p on their website! The lack of water proofing isn't a huge deal if you're on a day trip, but I wore them on a 4 day trip into the picketts. Never again!!! My feet were swimming the second, third, and forth days.

Usually the students are split into groups of 4-6 people each and each group leaves the parking in ~10 minutes increments. Typically they get spread out along the way so passing them is not an issue (just don't let them pass you, the shame). They start at 6 AM and like CBS said, they'll be all gone by noon or before. total of 50 people maybe (instructors plus students) so I'm guessing there will be 10 groups..?

When was the last time you heard of a big rig driver getting killed in a crash? Exactly, bigger IS better and safer. My next car is going to be a big rig. I'll never die in that thing. Thats about as safe as you can get.

Yeah, like go protesting on a bridge over I-405 or I-5, or better yet, hand out flyers and protest around green lake

If unable to pass the fitness requirements during this field trip the students are ridiculed until either (A) they quit or (B) become elite stone cold model climb leaders.

I have the Trango S's too and hate them. They do not fit a wide foot like the NE. They also run a size or two small. I bought the same size Trango S's as my NE and they are way too small. They are also not at all water proof. I'll never buy crampon-captible non-water proof boots again. Those things are freaking mop buckets. They scarificed good fit and quality for light weight.

Yet the right wingers are against legal abortion, public supplied birth control to teens, etc...hmmm I consider myself a rep, yet I think abortion isn't used enough. I fully support abortion and have no problems with it. I also fully support public supplied birth control to teens. But I also think the death penalty isn't used enough . I guess I'm just all mixed up.

So when you accidentally download some pr0n from one of trask's old threads, your Ashcroftian network admin catches you, and you get fired, then are unable to land another job despite that education you worked so hard for because you unfairly got marked as a child pornographer (unfair, but not unprecedented), you will not expect nor ask for any sympathy. Perhaps your sentence for child porn is light and you get out in 3 months, but are denied the right to use a computer at work as part of your punishment. But you used to be a computer programmer, which pretty much means you can't work, by court order! Will you refuse state-sponsored job training so you can find another career? The preceding is known as a thought experiment, so you can pick it apart in detail for its absurdity, but you'd be missing the point. So you think that it's all cool to work hard for a bit, then sit on your laurels while others work hard. Using your privilege to avoid work while living off of the work of others (i.e., being a worthless fuck) is ok with you? If you think about it a certain way, you're getting the poor people's money, because their low wages allow you to purchase your J. Crew sweatshop clothing for less money. But God forbid I should question the invisible wisdom of the free market system. Lets assume for a second that your absurd delusion came true. I think after I couldn't get a job in the computer industry (which I'm not in by the way), I would in fact use the state sponsored tuition if I had the option because its there. If it wasn't, I take a college loan, like I did in the past, and pay it back. State sponsored tuition is not what I have a problem with and in fact I support it when used in the right way (to retrain a person that can get a job in their current field) But, realistically I don't think I'd have any problem getting another job with my degree. And yes, I do think hard work pays off! I think any one how has done it would agree. I'm not picking apart the rest of your post, you get my point. PS - I hate designer cloths, except for Arcteryx, marmot, etc. PSS - my first and second post were for fun, as in sarcastic, but this one is a serious response. (sorry I couldn't reply sooner, I WAS WORKING)

Exactly. I worked my ass off in school so I could get a good job that lets me spray at work. Others who worked less hard in school now have to actually work and get paid less. Explain to me again how its fair that they get some of my money? Go get a job you lazy hippie jobless dems. (directed at no one in particular)

This is the best post I've read on cc.com in a long time. Thank you for that. And mark my words: | | | \/

This isn't a thread asking if it can be done but how to make it better. I recently bought some Scarpa Alphas (which conveniently happen to be the same shell size as my Scarpa Lasers). They fit into my Fritschi Diamir 3s perfectly without any length adjustment needed. Tried out the setup at Stevens on Saturday for about 5-6 runs before switching to my Lasers. It was very difficult to ski with this setup until I got the balance thing down (felt like my first time...). And I still wouldn't do anything beyond a blue-type steepness. Fell a few times and didn't release. Don't know how the super soft ankle would affect DIN release though. I think I would still have a bitch of a time coming down something like the Muir snowfield with this setup. Certainly couldn't do it in anything but nice spring corn (definitely no powder cause you can't lean back). Has anyone discovered a way to make skiing in plastic boots easier? I'm thinking a velco power strap around my ankle would help a little but the Alphas are so flexible I'm pessimistic. Not much edging happening with the soft ankles. Thanks for any advice. PS - to all the naysayers who say the Fristchis don't work with plastic boots and that you need the Silvrettas;