Alex_Mineev

MSFT got new patent: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&r=1&l=50&f=G&d=PALL&s1=6754472.WKU.&OS=PN/6754472&RS=PN/6754472 Methods and apparatus for distributing power and data to devices coupled to the human body are described. The human body is used as a conductive medium, e.g., a bus, over which power and/or data is distributed. Power is distributed by coupling a power source to the human body via a first set of electrodes. One or more devise to be powered, e.g., peripheral devices, are also coupled to the human body via additional sets of electrodes. The devices may be, e.g., a speaker, display, watch, keyboard, etc. A pulsed DC signal or AC signal may be used as the power source. By using multiple power supply signals of differing frequencies, different devices can be selectively powered. Digital data and/or other information signals, e.g., audio signals, can be modulated on the power signal using frequency and/or amplitude modulation techniques

http://www.4humor.com/fv/pictures/funnycats.wmv

http://asksnoop.com/shizzolator.php?url=http://www.cascadeclimbers.com (sorry if it was posted here before)

Use snowbanks at Paradise parking lot. 37 seconds approach time. Zero exposure. You end up spending 100% of time working on your skills. If you do it early in the morning it may even be quite dry.

Does anybody know the spot where the recent LR accident happened? Could you please circle the area on one of my pictures? Mike?

August: You'll have to be really really good on ice. You'll have to be really really lucky to avoid falling rocks.

Climb: Mt Rainier-Liberty Ridge - Reconnaissance trip Date of Climb: 5/31/2004 Trip Report: One of the lessons I learned during climbing is that you never 'see' what you climb. You just don't see the mountain itself. I was also quite frustrated by the lack of pictures of Liberty Ridge. So I hiked to 9k up the Curtis Ridge with my camera and here we go: Liberty Ridge, Ipsut creek approach Liberty Ridge, Ipsut creek approach Liberty Ridge Liberty Ridge 6am Sunrise on Curtis ridge 7k Curtis Ridge 7200 Liberty Ridge Liberty Ridge, Willis Wall Liberty Ridge Liberty Ridge Willis Wall / Liberty Ridge View from Curtis Ridge 8500 Willis Wall / Travers of Angels Upper Liberty Ridge Liberty Ridge Winthrop Glacier / Camp Shurman Lower Winthrop Glacier from lower Curtis Ridge Upper Winthrop from Curtis

IMO it depends on how much glacier/ice vs rock climbing you gonna do. I have a standard 10.5 50m rope and last time I used it was a year ago when I climbed Baker with my wife. Since that time I prefer when my partners bring their thin ropes. If I was buying rope today I'd get a thin one because usually there is always one or two thick ropes to choose from and not always a thin rope.

The function is tangent based, not sure about the exact formula. Time delta increases like 1:1 with increase of altitude in the beginning but when time delta closes to 6 hours altitute grows infinitely.

Kudos for the link!!

From The Seattle Times artcile on LR accident: "Richards wasn't pulled over the ridge because the rope was tied to a harness in a way that absorbed much of Cooley's weight." How is that?

Good job How long you think this route will be in shape? Yeah, I remember glacier ice on Kautz cliff was not of a very high quality as well. Every first couple hits did not stick at all. How much time did it take you to approach the camp site at 6k?

Ok, I am going x38 after work this Thursday with a friend. I want to climb prefferably a topropable route in the range 5.6-5.8; We've never been there. Which route(s) would you recommend and how far are they from the parking lot and a brief description of approach or a book that has approach would be very much appreciated! Thanks Alex

You'd have to get this permit: http://www.nps.gov/mora/climb/solo.htm

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB5&Number=216401&Main=210169#Post216401

In good weather this is just a hike, nothing more. And far not the best one due to crowds. If it's going to be a weekend you will always be surrounded by people going/skiing both ways. Most likely hut will be crowded with climbers arriving and leaving and cooking and talking all the night - I'd recommend taking a tent.

Decision to turn back at 1pm probably saved us from a lot of trouble on descent. Summit does not worth the trouble. And I've been on the summit two times this year. If we only had one more day...!

This time of year you can go anyway you want. Normal way is to climb to camp Hazard and then turn left and down for a hundred feet, then turn right and up on 45 degree slope. In the morning hours this would be quite safe and easy. I did not want 'easy' I wanted the cliff. There is also a climbable shelf / ramp on the right side of the cliff 50-60 degree. But I am not sure how it tops.

Climb: Mt Rainier-Kautz Glacier Date of Climb: 5/9/2004 Trip Report: Left Paradise (hm… I like this phrase) at noon. Decided to climb directly to the turtle by traversing Nisqually/Wilson glaciers. It took us 6 hours and a half to reach the base of the turtle (9600ft). All the way to the base we climbed in clouds which made routefinding on the glacier quite interesting. We stopped couple times to wait out thick whiteout in order to make another move between crevasses. Broke thru the cloud deck at 9300ft. There were two big rocks below the turtle (they are very distinctive if looking from the Nisqually glacier). We found a really cozy, flat and protected spot on the lee side of the highest rock. Occasionally clouds rolled in bringing wind and snow, but in general it was clear from our spot up and we could see high winds blowing snow from the summit. Woke up at 3. This was the best night view I ever saw on the mountain. Bright moon, clear sky, white Mountain, thick clouds 2000ft below with Adams, St Helens and Hood in a bluish glow. Left tent at 4.30. Started climbing guts of the ice cliff with the first light of sun. Made two belay stations while on the cliff. Ice was not very good (at least as I expected). Typically it took three hits to securely stick the tool. Aaron leaded with his usual grace. Blue monsters around were constantly crackling making us a bit nervous. Exited ice cliff few minutes after 9 and had a rest for a breakfast. This was the end of the fun part. Starting from 12500ft things began to deteriorate. Aaron got slight AMS, Louise was also touched by altitude so I was the only one to break the trail. The traverse to the Success Point was getting more and more exhausting to me. Sometimes it was 2-3 feet deep powder over melt-freeze ice crust, some times just the bare crust. At 13k Aaron decided to get off the rope and wait for us. We agreed to turn back at 1pm. Later this decision proved to be very correct. The slope slowly reached 40 degrees. I was quite pushing my limits after non-stop breaking trail for 1500ft. At about 14k I did only 4-5 steps between rest-breaks. On each break I put my forehead on top of the ice ax. Each time I closed eyes I felt instantly falling asleep being on the verge of consciousness. Not good, I thought. Loosing balance on this slope would not be fun. It was 1.06pm and 14067 on my altimeter when I decided to turn back. Oh, well… a hundred feet to the summit… Soon we reached Aaron who was dozing in harmony in a little trench on the shining slope. Descended to 12k uneventfully. Wandered for an hour trying to find entrance of the ice chute that descends below the Camp Hazard. The chute with the exit to the Camp Hazard was the most dangerous part of the whole climb. The first problem was snow balling, worsened by the fact that the balling material was the snow powder lying on a stone-hard crust. The second problem was temperature. Rocks falling from the nearby cleaver launched few substantial wet snow avalanches while we were descending the chute. Aaron and I glissaded in self arrest position; Louise fought with snow balls descending face-to-slope (she used Grivel untiballing plates that did not seem to be helping much). The exit from the glacier to the Camp Hazard looked amazing. Huge ice cliff above. Constant sound of dripping water. Huge blocks of blue ice here and there. There was a crevasse in the beginning of the exit chute. It was full of blue ice blocks and red rocks and looked like a cup of candies. For a couple minutes we contemplated climbing rock on the left side of the chute just below the camp, then decided we were too tired for it (I think it was not right decision. Rock looked like 20-25 feet of low 5 class, quite doable). So we climbed Russian Roulette. We Were Lucky! It took us about 15-20 minutes to get out of the chute. We were sitting just above it on the rock of Camp Hazard taking off crampons when a bunch of stones and ice rumbled down. One particularly big stone whizzed nearby and crashed right on top of our boot track. It proved that camp was a real HAZARD and we quickly moved away. Got back to the tent at 5.30, melted ice, had tea, packed and started descent. Followed our boot tracks. I punched thru soft snow into crevasses 4-5 times. Louise had most of the problems with these crevasses since I was quite heavy and broke the bridges and she had to jump over which was hard after the climb and having a full backpack. If she was going first then probably at least one of us could pass them without dropping, but we were too tired and busy running down to stop and rearrange rope positions. Reached the right side of Nisqually at the moment when it became completely dark. This was the end of the climb and beginning of the sufferfest. Aka field of frozen boot tracks - half foot deep frozen holes all the way to the parking lot. Dancing under heavy packs on numb legs three flashlights slowly moved towards Paradise. Surely we missed a turn in the darkness and had to go back uphill to get on the fcking 'trail'. Reached the car at 10.30pm. We saw 5 deers on the way out and I saw a few visual hallucinations before Aaron took the wheel somewhere near Tacoma and I crashed asleep. Wow! What a climb! My best one so far and my first ice experience I lost 7 pounds in 34 hours. 3am is too late. 1am would be just right. Any solution for untiballing would make you very happy on descent. 3 days seems to be more appropriate for this route. Approach via Nisqually/Wilson glaciers is melting really fast. Gear Notes: two tools, one picket per person, 4 ice screws

Check PMs

I think that another good option would be to hike to Anvil Rock and break off across Cowlitz Glacier just below the rock. That way you spend less time on glaciers and gain most of the approach elevation using the beaten trail.

Yes, that's the gully above the Kitchen