EastCoastBastard

I don't feel like studying at the moment, so I'll weigh in on this one. I've got a Betamid, and love it - I use it all year 'round, it works very well in the winter, shedding snow etc... but it's not a mountaineering tent. For ski tours and stuff it's great. I have used it on Rainier in the summer, bearing in mind that the weather was good. I bought the floor, and I like it, but I don't carry it very often, just when it's super muddy. As far as wind goes - I've never been above treeline with it during a storm and I wouldn't really want to be. I have used the lightfield and looked carefully at the TGV - both are very nice, but the lightfield, I think, is more well rounded, much more liveable than the TGV, which is a winter/cold weather tent. For the price of the TGV, you could get a TGV and a Betamid and be set for all sorts of winter adventures. I wouldn't buy it if this was going to be the only tent I own. It's great below treeline, in winter and summer, but it's not something I would want to sit out a storm in where it's exposed. The TGV is quite nice for a storm. Cheers G

Yeah, that too. Mesh door got a little too close to the pot and melted in two spots. Not really the tent's fault though...

I purchased a marmot Alpinist singlewall tent in January and now that I've used it a bunch, I thought I would write a scathing review. I orginally wanted an Integral Designs, but I could get the Marmot for a song, so I went with it. Essentially, Marmot took a great design (ID/Bibler) and fucked it up. Set-up: The tent uses a modified sleeve style design, with each end of the pole having a metal fastener, fastex buckle + webbing that clips to the guy-out point for extra stability. All of this junk gets caught in the sleeve when you try to thread the poles in – if you know that they're there, you can work around this, but it's still a pain. Also, the poles fit very tight and this can be a problem if you're wearing gloves and the poles are slippery – it can be very difficult to actually get the poles into the grommets. Some griptape at the bottom end of one end of each pole would help a lot and not wear down anything (as long as you were careful not to shove that end through the sleeve) There is a third pole that goes over the vestibule that is also a bit of a pain. It needs to fit through two grommets on each side, oftentimes it is hard to get it through the second grommet, making it possible for the pole to poke through the other side of the fabric. Why the couldn't just use one grommet on each side, I don't know. There are several guyout points and these seem to be pretty bomber. Ventilation: There are two roof vents supported by delrin rods and velcro. You can open/close the vent by velcro-ing the rod to diffterent poistions. The first time I set up the tent, the Delrin rods fell at my feet. They are enclosed in webbing, but the ends of the rod had not been rounded off, so the sharp edges wore through the webbing. I replaced the rods and wrapped the whole assembly in duct tape. Stormworthy ness: Once set up, it's on par with other singlewall tents out there. Not suprising, since it looks pretty similar. Getting it set up fast in storms takes a lot of practice and coordination, though. Workmanship: Pretty shoddy. I was sold the tent as a normal retail item, but it turned out to be a second (and was refunded approporiatly – Teton Mountaineering is a great shop) after I complained. So my complaints about workmanship should be taken with a grain of salt. Overall Impressions: A decent tent. Once you get used to setting it up, it can go up fairly quickly, though not as fast as an ID or Bibler. Workmanship aside, the usability of the tent is boarderline. Yes, it keeps you dry, and breathes fairly well (as long as you're not boiling water in it at above freezing temperatures), But the vestibule is so small that it's almost pointless. Also- there is no buckle at the bottom of the vestibule zipper/door. I was always told that this was important to keep from stressing the zipper teeth, so I see that as a weak point. Also, the Vestibule zipper goes so far up that the weight gain to make the vestibule zip all the way off would be marginal. The design could use some further design modifications to make the whole thing more user friendly. Would I buy it again? NO. Will it serve it's purpose until I can scrape more money together to get an ID? Yes. On the plus side, the color is really good and the reflective tabs/ Marmot logo make it easy to see in crappy conditions.

Good on ya mate! That Graham kid sure sounds like a wanker. Good times. G

I have an older XGK and lost that thing years ago. I made a halfhearded attempt at replacing it, but the stove still works fine without it. Go light and fast, leave it out

Hey I have no job and am free to climb - Have rope, rack, car and live in Tacoma. 38, Leavenworth, Squamish, Vantage, Cascades, Olymipics - anything at all is fair game. I lead 5.8 trad, will slowly follow most anything else. PM

Hey I found a ridgerest on hwy 542 yesterday (sunday) by the side of the road. If it's yours pm me with the length and we'll figure out a way to get it back to you I also found a parking ticket on my windshield.

Hey I'd like to go down to Adams (or anywhere else for that matter)on saturday to ski the chutes. Anybody up for a miserable slog in hot weather for some really shitty skiing? I am not a local, and don't know many places to ski. Have car, live in Tacoma Send PM or e-mail

I managed to lose 1 bike pedal somewhere between the Lake Constance trailhead and the parking lot. If anybody found it, please shoot me a pm. Thanks

Hey I have the Trango Hyper Harpoons and I really like them. Super solid, they climb really well, they come with extra points, the case is pretty good and light. They look cool and I can't really say anything bad about them except that they could use an anti-snow plate. I couldn't find anybody who sold them around me , so bought them direct from Trango. make sure they'll fit your boots. I've got an 11.5 foot and they don't have much extra room on my Koflachs. Also- If you're going to use them on Sacrpa Inverno's watch out because the heel of the boot is wider than the heel bail on the crampon.

Serratus Icefall www.serratus.ca Great pack, light , bomber, cheap. not tool tubes.

hey I have both the serratus Alpinelight and the Denali Pro and I love them both. But... The front pocket on the Denali with the little internal zipper to get into the main compartment really sucks. If the pack is packed full you can't get it to close ( at least I've had problems with it). I hardly ever use the sleeping bag pocket to access the inside. I have also have had problems with the zipper on the top lid I actually ripped the whole zipper out after only 3 months ( 3 months of hard use) . The pass-through ski pockets that allow you to still use the mesh side pockets are genius. It's super comfortable but very specific in it's usage. i.e only for long, technical trips. The Alpinelight is super light, comfy and simple. My big beef with this pack is that the compression straps are too short. Load this pack up to the limit and the lid won't fit. Thinking about putting a rope between the lid and the pack when the packs' loaded won't work. A nice thing is the ability to carry a shovel on the outside with their little kit. Bottom line is to decide what you're going to be using this pack for. For about the same price as the Denali ( and a little bit smaller) and a lot lighter, check out the Wild Things Andistina. I've heard excellent things about it. Hope this helps

I had a similar experience this summer. I was traveling to Vancouver via greyhound and for some reason the customs guy didn't like me . I had my passport, I even had a Student Visa for Canada ( I go to school in Montreal, but I'm American ) They rigorously questioned me, searched me ( they even went through the pages of the book I had with me to make sure nothing was hidden in there) , were incredibly rude. They threatened to not let me in and I asked why, seeing as I had proper forms of ID and official documentation allowing me to be in their country, and the reason he gave was "I can choose to admit whomever I want into my country" I am also a clean-cut white American college student. I bet that if I hadn't had that student visa they would have found some reason to keep me out. Only time I've ever really had a problem and I've crossed the border probably over 100 times. Some customs guys are assholes. I guess that's the only explanation

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3629626916&category=30107 This what you're looking for?

Hey, My friend and I are going up the Emmonds on 8/12- 14 and need a ride back to tacoma, or a park-and ride . Possibly ride there and back. We will pay entrance fee and gas. PM , call (253) 720 4948 or e-mail pika382@hotmail.com We're willing to rope up with you too, lemme know! thanks Graham

Go for a Serratus www.serratus.ca awesome packs, bomber, comfy and cheap.

Hey Two carless people from Tacoma are looking to get a ride back to Tacoma from the Glacier Basin trailhead on August the 14th. We will pay gas PM or e-mail @ pika382@hotmail.com

Climbing magazine had a review of the Makalu about a year ago. I'd check out the Serratus Alpinelight @ www.mec.ca a really awesome pack, lightweight, bomber and cheap ( I bought mine for $175) plus you can remove the frame.

I've got a pair of BD Black Prophets and will ( money permitting) be upgrading to some Rages this fall ( I like that upper-shaft curve). I also like the DMM flys and the CM Axars.

Thanks, yeah I just looked at the pic and the route discription in the beckey book and thought it looked cool.

I found a blade to a Volie Shovel very close to Paradise yesterday, dropped it off at the Paradise ranger station

hey anybody have any beta on S. Twin Sister? Specifically the W. Ridge Thanks

I've used them and yeah, they're pretty nice tools. Reasonably light, nice balance

I've got a pair of the Ascents and, like a bunch of other people, think that the "sabreteeth" are not terribly useful. I actually had a "tooth" fall off and I didn't notice any difference between snowshoes. The lift things are nice

Welcome to the Ghetto? I'm from the Ghetto