mike1

You can sort of lock in color on cotton clothes by soaking in cold-vinegar/water for an hour then running through the wash. Maybe it works for shoes too. try and let us know!

this is the best reason for the more experienced/better climber to go second. But wouldn’t you want both people proficient in both positions?

Retarded isn’t PC man... this thread is “challenged” Somewhere there's a motor-cross forum trashing on all the climbers at vantage for drilling holes in the rock? Now that's retarded... or is it?

Hear, hear. The issue here is the bikes in the Coulee, nothing else. I disagree. Maybe the issue should be that, but I think there's more to it. You can see it in the posts. The reality is... okay, my reality is that moto-cross bikes are loud and annoying whether they are within their rights to be on that land or not, unless I am the one riding. I hate it when a sled screams past me while I'm skiing leaving the smell of high octane fuel in my face for the next 20 minutes. But, I really love riding them when I get the chance. They are fun! I’ve ridden motocross bikes a few times in my life and that was a blast too! Obviously they shouldn't be riding their bikes where it's prohibited. But I think the heart of this thread is really that WE are just irritated that their noise infringes on what should be a peaceful outdoor experience. They could be policed into an area that they are allowed to ride on and still piss us off because of the noise. Learn the refuge boundaries, store the phone numbers in your cell, report land use violations when you witness them. Or, if they are on public land and within their rights - smile, deal with the noise or bolt somewhere... I mean climb somewhere else.

ALPINE CLIMBING: TECHNIQUES TO TAKE YOU HIGHER By Mark Houston and Kathy Cosley has some good info. :tup:

I've been through there during a late season trav. We did the bush-wack traverse per the book. It really didn't look like a good alt. existed, but you may see one >pic< . Trust in thy book and thou shalt be saved. Traverse higher through the bush before dropping into the gully or thou shalt be doomed. From there you're good to go. Next problem could be dropping in from Pan. Late season was hairy as hell as you can see from this shot >pic< looking back at pan from other side of the glacier. Early season should provide a snow descent.

Maybe they are rated for higher kn's? You can use an atc with a standard pulley to create a pmp too.

Not yet, but there are more satellites being put up all the time. If you ever see one in the future that says it's using Glonass (Russian satellites), or Galileo Satellites, you can bet that the accuracy will increase as well as the ability to capture and maintain satellite signals.

Gazoontite! I use little strips of reflective tape.

Another vote for the Canon digital SLR's. I've packed my Rebel XT through the Cascades and Olympics many times. It’s fairly light for an SLR. The size is a pain, but I picked up a pretty cool camera bag for it made by TNF. This allows for a multitude of attachment options whether it's worn on your chest, pack belt, or harness. Highly recommend this bag for you SLR addicts. What the link doesn't mention is that there is also some sewn webbing on the back of the case creating a few loops for other attachment options. This IS the climbers camera bag.

I have the Magellan SportTrak. It's a base model, no bells and whistles but used it on a rescue team for years and I really like it. One feature I like in particular is that I can customize the screen a bit so I have one screen that gives Lat./Long. & UTM on a split screen.

A question for you avid runners out there: Can running on hard surfaces lead to the flattening of your arches (I assume it does)? I run often on all surfaces and have replaced all my boots and shoes over the last 3 years. My feet are a full size longer now. I first noticed in 2005 after spending a week in the Olympics and losing 5 toenails from toe-box impact. Someone told me that it "just happens" around age 40 (I doubt this). Any good jogging links where I can research this connection would be helpful too. Thanks!

gators?

We just lost our 15 year old lab on Valentines day. It was the worst day we've ever had. Still hard to even talk about it. If we get another dog, we're getting vet. insurance. I'll pay what ever I have to for my pals. No question.

I found it strange when I was shopping for the same boots in Portland when only one shop out of the other 5 carried them. I wondered if the demand is on synthetic boots these days.

The more screw/ice surface contact the stronger the anchor. So it makes sense to take the longer screw if you have no idea what condition you may be faced with. You cover all your bases and you could always sling the screw if placing it in a shallow spot.

I can stay away from the computer longer than you.

We'll be "keeping an eye on you" there, Mikester... Right back at ya, if you know what I mean...

Link I'm done talking about ropes now, I didn't mean to come off so rude. But I suspect, given that REI carries quality Mfg ropes only. Like real real good stuff, that your buddy was responsible for his rope being kinked, and not REI or the Mfg. I put a bunch of info up there to look at. I've been wrong plenty of times before though. So your results still may vary. I appreciate your response billcoe. I never really said why the rope was twisted because I didn't think it was pertinent to this topic. But just for the sake of clarification I will try to explain what we did. We met at the top of the crag and he pulled out the rope still wrapped in plastic. I think it was like a 9mm NE rope (whatever rope was on sale I’m sure). We found a relatively flat spot and I showed him how to un-spool it using the same methods you presented above. Like many others I had made the mistake on my first rope years ago of throwing in out on the floor introducing those 14 original twists that would haunt me every time I used it. I remember thinking this rope felt kinda stiff and the mantle was slicker than I remembered from my recently purchased ropes. Anyways, after we were done un-spooling it, he lay it up over his neck so he could scramble up to the top-rope bolts. He tossed it after everything was rigged and it was a little messy on the ground. It looked like he had looped it around his shoulders fine and I thought he had thrown it fairly clean. We both rapped down on our ATCs and the twists started to show. It wasn’t until we started lowering from the climbs after topping out that it got really unmanageable and it continued to get worse each time. My guess was it had to do with the rope diameter, mantle and the rapping on it first thing. I suggested he take it back to REI just to see what they'd say. He was ready to scrap it and by a new one until the dude hooked him up. So that’s it... the rest of the story. FYI, I’ve been at this for more years than I care to divulge here. I do have a little experience.

I'm just tired of the crap some people spew and I'm deciding not to be part of it.

The point is that REI took it back without question. He said the dude didn't even let him get to describing the problem. He just happily took it back and offered him a better deal.

Those would be your best bet. I've got the Grivel's and have no complaints.

What if you and your poodle get buried together? Does she have an avy-lung or do you have to share your air?

I don’t believe it has to be transmitting a signal to interfere with the magnetic flux of an avy beacon, though that could make it worse. I'm guessing it's more of an a function of magnetic flux lines from one electronic unit (GPS, Radio, TV, etc. Okay, maybe not a TV) affecting the flux lines of another (Avy beacon). I'd say just the mere chance of affect precludes keeping the units separated. More concern should be paid to what the GPS unit would do to the avy beacon if both were worn by the buried person. It may modify the flux lines enough to cause the searches to take more time in narrowing down that location. If you really want to know what happens, try it and see, then let us know what the results are. Before the comments start coming in, I am obviously not suggesting anyone bury themself with the beacon and GPS to test this out. Simply burying it in a stuff sack will suffice.

(Insert high pitch whining noise here which sounds like Mr Cheswicks whine to Nurse Ratchet that he wants his cigarettes back, listen to the U-tube clip to get the feel for this) B5NyyC-UjBM "Sir... (coming into the REI and addressing some pimply faced teenager): My rope is tangled and it's brand new and I want a new one ..... my rope is tangled and I bought it here and I want a new one....one thats not tangled." "I SAID: MY BRAND NEW ROPE IS TANGLED AND I WANT A NEW ONE WHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!.......I WANT A NEW ONE ..........!!!!!!!!!!! I WANT A NEW ONE WHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHAA !!!!!" I WANT A NEW ONE WHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHAA !!!!!" I WANT A NEW ONE WHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHAA !!!!!" I WANT A NEW ONE WHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHAA !!!!!" And you got one too! Remarkable. Want to get into the office pool for the date they stop selling ropes? __________________________________________________________ Stay tuned for part 2, "Rappelling with an Italian (Munter) hitch", cue "As the World Turns" music and lights out. So what's your point?