cracked

You absolutely need a plastic boot for Hood/Adams/Rainier/Baker. Look into these, or something similar:

That's fucking unreal. Many thanks for the link Dru.

Icesac.

Wow, I guess I'm retro. I wear midweight polypro top and bottom. Goretex over that. Light insulated jacket for breaks. Sheesh.

Way to slag your partners!

I flew with Wings Aloft last quarter (guess the UW Aero department people want their students to be excited about airplanes or something...). Took off, flew around, and landed, but the instructor had to take over for the last little landing bit. I was disappointed, it was like the first time I drove a car. Skiing and climbing are far more interesting, engaging, and exciting. Not to mention that I prefer to be in more tangible control of my fate...

I'm not a climber, so I can't tell you when I started climbing. But I can tell you when I stopped being a climber. As of September 5, 2003, I no longer climbed 3 days per week.

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/371806/page/0/fpart/all/vc/1

I hate these threads, but I chased username around on a bike for 50 miles today. I also sat in the sun in the yard with the cat, drank a cup of coffee, and admired my crocuses.

So the Headwall was icy? Still need to ski it at some point.

Define 'in'. I skied Alpental yesterday, and thus got a look at the NE Buttress. Pretty much no snow at all. You might find some verglas. Climbable? Yes, but it's also a summer climb. Winter conditions? Not what you usually see. You want and and ice? Don't go. You want rock with a bit of potential verglas? It's all good.

Pope said: I am very thankful that I don't climb more than two days per week. Because I am therefore not a climber, so I find this thread very stupid. And so is Pope. I'm going skiing.

I sewed was was the Greatest Pack Ever Built, but it died after two years of abuse. But it ruled: -no frame -removable foam pad -huge lid for carrying crap; for climbing take the lid off and stick it inside, vertically adjustable, etc -narrow hipbelt, light and good for climbing -six long compression straps, worth the weight for sure -standard tool loops, work better than tool tubes IMHO -2500 or so cubic inches, perfect for winter overnight ski trips, day trips, etc, etc. -simple and weighed about 1.5 lbs. And the best part was that it was ORANGE.

I went to FF on Friday and got some new Freerides for $200. Since this was the pair of which one was on display, the template had gotten lost. No big deal, but I decided to mount them myself instead of paying for it, so I posted looking for a template. That night, one of the shop employees PMs me, tells me to come by and he'll mount em up for me. So I go there, expecting to drop everything off and come back a few days later. Instead, Figger_Eight grabs my stuff, drags it into the back of the shop, and fifteen minutes later, I walk out ready for some snow. If that isn't cool, I don't know what is. A while back, I lost a pole basket. I go to REI, and after waiting forever, the clueless guy comes back with a life-link basket. I head to FF, and in two seconds I've found their spare baskets. And I like that the people there actually climb and ski, they aren't pushy, and they know what they're talking about. I also like a shop that carries the replacement parts for the gear they stock.

Figger Eight was nice enough to mount them with the jig this morning, so I don't need a template anymore. Thanks F8!