chris

This is the best troll ever!!!! Thank you baby Jesus!!!

The sheriff didn't tell us everything - that hidden evidence points to here !!

Molly and Two Cents. You two are, well, weird. Weird like little rat terrier weird, chewing and shaking something for the simple sake of have something to chew and something to shake. Molly's not going to get a cracker and Two Cents has no cents left. No, wait. You two are stupid. Simply stupid. It makes me feel like, well, this:

You think they all fell from the location of the small cave and he made it back to the second cave somehow? I had sort of thought something like that, given the strange words in the telephone message. But, there's nothing to indicate he was ever there, that we know about. The sheriff said something about a cut rope, as if that was supposed to give us some kind of hidden information. Molly, come on, stop before you hurt your delicate consitution. There is no hidden information, and a dozen possibilities. Playing "what if" after the fact (its very helpful in advance) is for, well, VULTURES!!! And trolls, as its just been pointed out to me. So you're a vulture. Or a troll. Both are, well, pretty fucking pathetic.

That's a completely insensitive thing to say about three fellow members of the climbing community. But completely appropriate in SPRAY!!!

Wow, I couldn't type fast enough. "Easy climb. Easy fall." What fucking bullshit is this? There's no such thing. You're vultures because instead of accepting the facts, you're trying to make sense of them.

Fucking right. We put the spray in spray. I'm done playing nice - the gloves are off. Molly, your haunted by what that clown did to you in the van.

You are so late to the party you qualify for the "Instant Idiot Award." You and no cents should meet for drinks and to speculate each other, maybe inviting someone else to join in for fact checking. I bet this is keeping you from sleeping at night, since you are so "haunted by the tragedy." Vulture

I gotta tell ya folks, I came here to gleen some info about 3 men that have captured the attention and hearts of millions of people in manycountries. They have brought a great deal of attention and new found interest and admiration for you and your sport/hobby/love.People are coming here to learn about these men and what drove them to Mt.Hood in the first place. I read your TR (a term I learned here) in a state of shock and awe, my god would I love to try what you people speak of...I do not have the heart to do it, but I'm here to learn and enjoy the thrill,through your posts, something I will not ever accomplish. Companies spend millions and millions of dollars to attract the kind of attention that this site has attracted under some extremely unfortunate circumstances. I am the admin of 3 successful web forums, there is no need to name them as that is not my purpose. I mention that because visiting this forum is bittersweet.There truly is some invaluable information here but it is lost as is credibility of the site, when the trash talk (as quoted above from an admin) is found everywhere on the site. The kind of talk that you people, attorneys, Dr's,"personalities" etc. spew,is totally unbecoming and very damaging to your forum and it speaks volumes of the upper echelon that can afford to participate in this sport. Off_White, please don't take this personal, but I am surprised that you as an admin also act this way. This forum is way out of control and does much damage to you. I'm sure that is why only one of the three that lost their lives on Mt.Hood ever visited here,and his posts did not spew any of the sludge that seems to be common here. Protect your sport, be proud of the fact that you people are fearless compared to most of us, but more importantly carry yourselves in this forum as you would in your profession. The eyes of the world are on you, make the Mt. Hood 3 proud. Help the growth of your site and sport, not hurt it. I expect much "spray" from my post, that seems to be pretty typical...going back to my corner now...be well and thoughts and prayers to the families and precious holidays to you all. You'll undoubtedly receive spray for this post, since, well - YOUR IN THE SPRAY FORUM!!! Which is where we try to contain such pointless BS. Everyone, from the top on down (some like to be the top, some like to be the bottom), are consensual volunteers. They do the best job they can while still working regular jobs. This site is not professional, though in some forums we do our best to fake it. So take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the show.

I spent some time on Mono County SAR during the 1990's in eastern California, and the sheriff's office did something inventive. Instead of billing the rescued or the family, he simply sent an invoice of the costs and information on how to donate to the SAR team. It was a powerfully effective method. One cost that keeps getting overlooked, it seems, is the cost of volunteers. Sure, nobody's paying them to do the rescue, but nobody is paying them ! Most employers simply allow SAR team members (like volunteer firefighters), to take unpaid time off for call-outs. So there is a cost - in lost wages - that these volunteers are taking the hit on. Never did figure a way to compensate the volunteers. And on big searches like the past week's, that's a big hit.

Jon and Timmay, This past week made me realize how much I've come to appreciate and value the service you provide. I've made my first annual donation. Thanks again. Chris

Here are my recommendations to consider: Integral Designs - South Col (1.9 lbs) Integral Designs - Micro Bivy (1.1 lbs) Black Diamond - Bibler I-Tent (4.3 lbs) Black Diamond - Firstlight (2.7 lbs) The South Col has long been a great example of an all-weather bivy sack. I had one for several years, and would heartily recommend it if that's what you want. But a friend pointed out that you can't easily sit up in it, change clothes, or read a book. Nor can you cook in it. The Bibler I-Tent is also an industry standard for a lightweight alpine four season tent. Its also made of a similar material as the South Col bivy. I've also used one of these. You can barely fit in it, but you can sit up, read a book, and cook with a hanging stove. Plus, the same friend pointed out - two all weather bivy sacks equal the weight of one tent. He was almost right - two South Cols equal 3.8 lbs, saving a half-pound in weight, but costing a fair bit in comfort. After that lesson, I decided to save bivy sacks for summer, emergency, or light & fast climbs. Modern tents are equal in weight but provide greater comfort. I'm very interested in EricB's Montbell bag for solo or big wall trips - I'm going to look into that next.

Ortovox makes a twin bivy sack called the Gemini. It is nothing more than a simple waterproof envelope - you'll need to seam-seal it. It packs up very small, is incredibly light, and is perfect for an emergency shelter, or an expected light weather bivy. I wouldn't use it when I expect extended bad weather, or on a big wall, but for the alpine light and fast it can't be beat. Keep in mind that two bivy sacks that can withstand a decent storm weigh as much - or more - than a Bibler tent. If you're thinking of using a bivy sack to withstand a heavy storm, then a tent would do the same job and be more comfortable.

Dude, it hasn't been above freezing for a while - Mon and Tue highs were both in the upper 20's. I was up yesterday, and the ice that you can see looks good, if a bit thin. But there is a lot of snow on the lower angled terrain that prevents seeing like 1/2 route. My assessment - it looks good, and worth doing. So do the routes to the right. I'd go back now if I wasn't leaving for the holidays tonight.

Moderators, I tried to post this in News, but... OK, Search doesn't suck, but it needs some help. Timmay promised some improvement in the 2.0 Search, but maybe I'm just not seeing it. 1. Can we please change the default for search from "Newer than 1 week" to "Newer than 1 year?" Who on this earth uses the search function to look back only seven days?! 2. And why do I have to wade through dozens of responses to a post when I'm looking for the original? Can there be simple off/on toggle for "Show Original Posts only" added to the search engine? This may sound like whining, but I'm just doing my part to talk about something other than Mt. Hood.

I speculate that they're having that beer right now in the bardo.

That's what I was wondering too - or if someone has some anecdotal evidence. The debate I've always heard was Mr. Yellow vs. Mr. Pink.

I have only voluntarily carried one when ski mountaineering.

Go away. Now.

What color do you like your goggle lenses for diffused/flat light?

I Can't Climb- If you click on the Forum List, you'll find a number of different forums with titles and descriptions. Your post - and a number of others - would be very suitable in the Newbies forum. Elsewhere on this website, its assumed that readers and posters have a basic working knowledge of some discipline of the sport. The sudden appearance of new members who do not climb, and profess a clear ignorance about the sport, but still wish to post their opinions, frustrates many of us regulars. It has been overwhelming.

Dolphy- This question is more appropriate to be posted in the Newbies forum. Not slamming you, but its a tangent question and deserves its own discussion in the proper venue. Not here.

Could be, but Corti actually fell later that day - sightseers claimed he had moved, creating theories that he was only unconscious, not dead as reported, and had awoke enough to remove himself from the anchor. Toni Kurtz (I may have the name wrong - too much history) I think is the most likely source of this story - the climber who died of exposure within a rope's thow of rescuers, dangling underneath an overhang, hand frozen to stiff to manipulate a knot past his rappel 'biners. His famous last words were "I'm through." He remained hanging there for a time, within sight of Grindenwald, until his rope frayed through and his body fell to the lower slopes. But this was in the 1950's, long before the mechanized cable or helicopters were used for rescue applications.

Whomever dares all, wins all.