glassgowkiss

conservatives pointing to lack of "moral compass" of the opposition, while committing one of the biggest acts of treason since Reagan (yes, he negotiated with Teheran, so he would be able to win elections) is just plain ridiculous.

Yeah, I was reading these resurrected posts thinking: wtf is this all about?

It's interesting how silent Fartweather is on this subject matter. This letter had far worst consequences then any spying ever could.

Well, one is about the honor, the other one is about disgrace. The only right thing to do is for all of them just to commit seppuku, live on c-span. 47 traitors I was laughing my ass off when I have red this: "“I saw the letter, I saw that it looked reasonable to me and I signed it, that’s all. I sign lots of letters." McKain is traitor

In October of 2000 this pillar was touching.

I am sooo happy Obama vetoes this piece of crap. Besides obvious environmental hazard this would produce, it would destroy entire maritime shipping in the US. Attached to Keystone was also abolishment of Jones Act. This act requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. So how is the Keystone good for US economy?

FW- are you for or against Keystone XL legislature? Are you pissed at Obama's veto?

As far as I remember FA team did simul solo the entire route. Probably the biggest issue is avi danger, proximity to the coast and low elevation, making it harder logistically then technically. The same goes for "It ain't over motherfuckers" on neighboring Pyramid Peak, where logistical challenges (approach, low elevation, and avi danger) are your biggest obstacles, rather then the technical difficulties of climbing itself.

Looks so fat, someone should solo this thing.

insulated concrete/construction/garden gloves for hard ice/dt. insulated leather gloves from a hardware store for rapping. BD Verglas and now Punisher for anything up to WI6 on a moderately cold days (up to -15C). Hand warmers, better yet, toe warmers glued in, so it doesn't shift. Switch to belay mitts after each pitch, with toe warmers glued in. Mittens go under my armpit under my shell, and climbing gloves go the same place for belays, unless they get wet, and then I switch the pair. Fuck climbing at -30, no longer willing to suffer like that.

I think this route is completely condition dependent. The actual, steep climbing is maybe 20m, with so-so pro when I did it. For me the challenge was more mental, then physical.

Nice film. I would question some shot selection and some out of focus shots use due to extreme shallow DOF, which made it hard to watch here and there.

congrats on a nice sent.

Did you have a good look at East Face of Pyramid?

I don't know the scientific background of the group, but unless they have a geologist or a geophysicist, it will be another wank fest bullshit on film. Just the fact they will be showing Bachelor, Broken Top or Lassen- peak that do not have glaciers on them for decades (do not know if Bachelor and Broken Top ever had) shows the level of preparation and knowledge of the group. South Side of Mt. Hood is also rather poor choice. If you really want to show the glaciers getting smaller North Side of Shuksan, Price Glacier would be far better representation of the issue at hand. They are also mentioning Rainier. I hope they secured a permit for filming in a National Park. I do not agree with filming and permits, but poaching projects like that just gives Park Service more ammunition for more regulation and scrutiny.

Broken Top and Bachelor don't even have glaciers, and they did not have any glaciers on them as far as I can remember. Don't think Lassen has one since it's explosion a century ago. So you are making a film about disappearing glaciers on peak that don't even have glaciers! Way to go and objectively set up a perimeter for story telling. Hood South Side- wtf?

BTW, the body was retrieved

Lotus Flower Tower is the only reasonably easy route in the area. There are basically 3 or 4 routes, with LFT being accessible for the masses. It's friggin expensive to spend 2-3 weeks and probably 4-5K to climb one multi- pitch 5.10. I was told by a very well accomplished alpinist that if you dug all the moss and dirt out of crack systems, the area would be a mecca, like the Bugs. But you would have to spend years on excavation. So in short- it's expensive to get there, the weather can suck and there is for most folks only one route to do, so during a good weather window it can get extremely crowded (have heard 5 parties on route in one day).

To be fair, most of EU countries cover your medical expenses while traveling abroad, at least traveling to neighboring countries in Europe. There is a moral difference- most of civilized world treats healthcare and healthcare as a basic human right, while US treats it as an access privilege. US is still in savage stage as far as healthcare goes. BTW, DAV and OAV will cover any medical costs and medical transport, plus the costs of any rescue under 6000m ANYWHERE on the planet.

This is a deal with competitive sports, based upon one time performance: ANYONE can win with ANYONE on any given day. It's true and proven on so many occasions. And at some point you WILL GET DE-TRONED. That happened to Woods. His interview was a prime example of a sore loser speaking. There is a quote from Joseph Conrad that basically says: some people go through life feeling good about themselves- it's because they have never been challenged. Woods was finally challenged, and mentally he did not raised to the task. Maybe he should hire a coach? What other sport has no coaching, eh? Even Ondra has a coach now. Also he might have to choose between climbing on plastic and climbing outside on natural rock. But every time an athlete trying to explain his/her loss and blame the rules will simply look like a sore loser- end of story.

I just wanted to remind people here is not to get sidetracked, but help Josh with $$$ donation. Even if all the readers would donate $5, it would amount to a pretty good sum to put a dent into repayment.

BTW, for all of you biking type. If you need to go to ER in Whistler or Squamish for a bike injury, you will have to leave your bike for collateral, if your balance is not paid at the end. Just so you don't say you were not warned.

Well, then two thirds of the best alpine climbing on the continent are no longer an option. That can also mean any international flights going through Canada (like to Europe) are also no longer an option. For a PNW climber it equals a total hardship. Ask people charged with DUI. Also can mean some limits with employment, as some firms, and companies are located in both countries. I know people working for such institutions, and if they would have travel restrictions, they no longer would even qualify for such job. A lot of IT, media, or even engineering firms would fall under that category.

Insurance companies make money by denying claims. No is almost always their first response. Persistence, sometimes including suing them, is often needed to get the a just and equitable result. Insurance companies are untouchable, when it comes to coverage outside of the US. My friend Marcus tried that. It was rejected by court, as the incident (emergency appendectomy) was not on US territory, so US court has no jurisdiction. He would have to sue them in Canada, and it was simply cost prohibitive. You would have to have very deep pockets, as no attorney will take a case like this without a hefty retainer. The only way to start addressing the issue is to raise the public awareness and start changing insurance regulation. But legal action is a no starter.

What kind of shitty insurance/ healthcare system we have. It's looks like people traveling outside US, we are no longer treated equal, or as citizens of the country. An acquaintance of my had appendicitis while climbing in Squamish. He ended up having an emergency surgery, and his insurance company refused to pay any of the costs, because he was in canadian hospital. Wtf?