cracked

How was you ripping your gaitors a product defect? The gaitor was not designed to stand up to sharp points of steel. Personally, I usually don't buy from REI and don't exploit generous return policies. If you buy it and don't like it, your fault, you inspected it before you bought it and ran the chance of not liking it. If there was a manufacturing defect, then of course I would take it back.

I'm with Skisports. But, hiking is fucking boring. Climbing is usually a combination of being fun, scary, dangerous, slow, and miserable. Hiking is only slightly preferable to watching TV. I won't go on a hike for the sake of hiking. I'll hike to get somewhere to climb something, and occasionally I'll hike to get acclimated in CO.

Jesus, John, that musta been scary. That would definitely put a damper on my climbing.

Oops, double post!

Skiing is percieved as as less dangerous activity and is more widely accepted. Whereas idiots who hang from their finger and toes off of cliffs are obviously in more danger. Duh!

You could use costalots for everything up to #2, then go to a lighter brand where the expansion range is less critical.

There's a AI8 on Kitchener in the Rockies now.

Um, Catbirdseat, DPS's gear list contained mainly cheap gear! PocketRocket is cheap, as stoves go. Precip is cheap as shells go, BD ice pack isn't expensive. Only the FF Vireo is expensive, the rest of the gear is very reasonable. Add waterproof pants (maybe Golite Reed, 6oz), and you will be better prepared than most climbers on these mountains.

Yup, bring a two shovels instead of tools, I think I made a grand total of 10 swings into ice or decent snow. On the other hand, we left a nice boot track behind....

I don't, actually.

I will, once I get them scanned. They didn't turn out as well as yours, though. Actually, I did scan a couple, but the files ended up being about 30 megs, so I didn't want to send them around. And I thought you were going to take a weekend off!!

You mean AlpineFred.

reduced to reading old trip reports. I caught the ice sickness bad in one of the worse seasons to start climbing. The lump sum of 12 pitches of ice plus some unconsolidated snow wallowing in the mountains only whetted my appetite. I'd better go look at the photos I took in Lilloe...I mean study. Oops.

I wanna get back into sport climbing shape. School takes too much damn time and flailing on snow in the mountains doesn't do much for my forearms. Personally I want to get my ass kicked on Churning, for the sake of flailing, get over my fear of short sport falls, and send some 12s. Too bad ice climbing is SOOO much cooler than rock. So if anyone needs a sport partner this spring, I'm willing, if weak.

But you have to kill the red meat with your bare hands!

Eric doesn't even know how a grigri works! He only climbs hardcore alpine route! man.

Gee, I'd better start repenting. I read TRs, guide books, look at photos, check both the weather reports and avalanche reports, and commit other backcountry sins such as paralleling on tele gear. Absolve me of my sins, O good back-country lord Dumbster Diver. Why the fuck shouldn't I use available info? It can keep me from getting screwed. It can be overdone, but that is up to the participant to decide.

Perfect!!! Let's have some more. That isn't chestbeating! And gear descriptions are the most interesting part of TRs!

Checking out the avalanche reports is a good idea, especially if you're a gumby like me.

Like how hard????? This is all spray until someone posts some grades, names, and dates.

Well, Pope, what are these solos? If you can't back up your statements nobody will believe you. Besides, what's a "average sport climber"? There are plenty people at Smith who don't climb 5.10 and have never placed gear.

Dwayner, you didn't answer my question. Why are you so ready to preach and unwilling to back up your arguments? I'm not trying to antagonize, I'm am simply curious. Sure, people say that how good a climber you are doesn't matter, but it does. Most of us respect the experts in any given field more than the hacks. If you only refute people's assumtions about your abilities and refuse to prove them wrong, everybody will assume it's because you can't back up your words. So what are the climbs that you are most proud of?