mike1

I second that!

I didn’t see any signs that would have helped me figure out where the group was so didn't meet any of the people in the pictures. Now that I see them though, I know where you all were. I was at the bar drinking a few pints and bs'ing with a pretty cool dude that works for an outdoor mag (if I remember right). Was that you? Maybe next time the group should go somewhere like McMenamin’s Barley Mill or some place that is more conducive to mingling. Regardless, I still had a good time!

Have you tried to contact the manufacturer? They may ship you a strap free of charge. I've had good luck with broken pieces from my Grivels being replaced free and clip locks from my Arc'teryx pack too. Might be worth it to ask.

leaching plastics, lead painted toys, lethal chickens, second hand smoke, sun burns, tattoos, alcohol poisoning... It's a wonder any of us are healthy enough to go climbing! Does this mean I can’t eat off my shovel anymore? Damn it!

Would you all be saying the same things if you'd recognized a world class mountaineer packing his 3 year old up the south route on a beautiful summer day? Just curious...

Thanks for your comments! Go here.

I wanted to refresh my previous thread "Leather 4-season mid-range boots" with a new topic. After researching boots, I've discovered that the Nepal Boot is pretty much the shit. Ya, they’re spendy, but my impression is that this will be a long lasting friend according to some of these previous comments: >link< I'm wondering if anyone else would like to add anything? Thanks!

That's cool!

Of course they do. They probably have as much as OMC. I think all these shops carry enough rock gear to outfit anyone, but I think Climb Max makes it a specialty of theirs. You sound like you may work for US Outdoor with that plug The nice thing about all these shops is that it seems like they all carry different brands so if you're looking for something specific, just call around and you'll probably find it. You can't loose with REI's return policy though. A friend of mine threw his rope down at the local crag and it was the most twisted mess I'd ever seen. We climbed on it a few frustrating times and he returned it for a new rope. Another friend picked up some boots, wore 'em up hood and through the Cascades then returned them for an upgrade no questions asked.

A bunch of partnered winter ascents on Rainier would be a really good place to start. Learn the mountain... and get a job PS: a little suggestion, never put your life in the hands of anyone on this or any forum for that matter by taking advice without testing and proving it to yourself before implementing it.

I did it all for the nookie...

The Raichle’s from your link look like good boots but they’re more comparable to my 3 season boots (Scarpa Triolet). I definitely want my winter boots to be insulated and able to take step in crampons. Front bail as well as rear. I am interested in those K4S’s though. Do you have them? Otherwise I’m still juggling the LaSportiva Lhotse and the Scarpa Summit GTX... and maybe, just maybe the Nepal.

Climb max (geared more towards rock climbing), Oregon Mountain Community (ski and mt. climbing), The Mountain Shop (ski, mt. climb, and snow-board), The US Outdoor Store (Ski and mt. climb), and REI (fly fishing, biking, knitting... oh I guess there's some climbing and skiing stuff too). I don't know if you can get used gear at REI still. They use to have a spot were they sold returned items cheap. The Next Adventure is the place to find used cheap gear.

just be nice, it's easy.

My favorite today: Edelweiss

reservations to a space in my anti-zombie compound... and an axe.

Here is a good opportunity for anyone wanting to meet local climbers!

WTF... I'll try and make it! 7:00-7:30ish then.

I don't quite have $0.02 so consider this my $0.01. I have always used my wrist leashes, though I did tether my hammer on one particularly rotten climb. (I used the shock cord system attached to the wrist leash and harness. If it was inhibiting me, I don’t remember. I think the whole climb was inhibiting, reminding me of what it must be like to climb vertical slush. I remember my partner almost threw up at the top of that climb. Good times... Anyway I can't see a enough justification yet for ME going leash-less (let alone justifying it to my wife!), but you all have at it!

The MSR dromedary IS bomber!

I am fortunate enough to have my own copies of Routes and Rock of both Challenger and Glacier Peak. To take it a step further I found a copy of Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Part of the NCNP, WA. (USGS bulletin 1359). It's all incredibly interesting and amazing, but I found David D. Alt and Donald W. Hyndman,s Roadside Geology of Washington to be the most informative and easy to read. Granted it's not focused on climbers, but it tells the story of how mountains formed in Washignton. The Cascades? It blew me away! And the Olympics? Who knew? The bottom line for me was that it all came together when I looked at the bigger picture of how Washington was formed. Then reading the more specific geological publications made much more sense. Besides that book here are all the other geological publications I found useful including some already mentioned by others: The North Cascades: Geology of the North Cascades (Tabor & Haugherud) Routes & Rocks in the Mt. Challenger Quadrangle (Tabor & Crowder) Routes & Rocks, Hikers Guide to the North Cascades from Glacier Peak to Lake Chelan (Crowder & Tabor) Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Part of the North Cascades National Park, USGS bulletin 1359 (Staatz, Tabor, Weis, and Robertson) Geological Survey Professional Paper 604 on Batholiths and Volcanoes (Intrusion and eruption of late cenozoic magmas in the Glacier Peak area, North Cascades, Washignton. Tabor & Crowder) The Olympics: Geology of Olympic National Park (Rowland W. Tabor) Geological Survey Professional Paper 1033, The structure of the Olympic Mountains, Washignton - Analysis of a subduction zone (Tabor & Cady) Geologic maps of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington (Tabor & Cady) The Cascade Volcanoes: Fire and Ice, The Cascade Volcanoes (Stephen L. Harris) ...yeah, I am a total nerd.

I picked these cords up last year and really like them: Edelweiss Sharp 8.5. These sharp ropes use to be fairly stiff and hard to handle, but I thought these were supple and had no problems with them. Are they safer? I think so. I think they just might be the best ropes out there! Ya, that's right, I said it.

Wow, that's an interesting boot to be sure. Amazing, but I think I'll let the test of time prove its durability. I believe Kevlar is a brittle fiber by nature (may be why it was never used as mantle?). Something leather has done for many generations. I'm actually more interested in this one: AKU Mach GTX Now that I've been more serious about getting my next boots, I've begun looking at the Nepal Extreme EVO GTX boots... again. I mean... if I'm going to get 4 season boots and want leather I'll never need another boot. So who has these and for how long?

Thanks FatTexan! My old pair of La Sportivas were the Karakoram GTX's and they resembled this design. The Lhotse are only a few ounces heavier than the Summits and about $20 more. One question about the upper though. I have a friend that bought some Glacier Evo's. He tried them out in the cascades a few years ago he was complaining about the "too soft" upper. The back of the boot specifically was very flimsy and didn't look like it could take much wear and abuse before blowing out. He ended up returning them for some Trangos. It looks like the Lhotse has the same soft upper in the back. I plan on using these boots for years of cold-weather mixed alpine climbing in the Cascades, Olympics and Stuart ranges along with some volcanoes. Do you think that upper can take it? I too have the long and narrows so I've always tended towards LaSportiva. FYI Scarpa isn't too bad a fit either. Mike

Hi Climbers, I've been looking for a good pair of medium weight - leather - four season boots. I outgrew my last pair of La Sportivas after 7 years of hard use. Man, I miss those boots. I was totally thinking I would resole them and get another 5+ years until THE trip. If it hasn't happened to you, be prepared; your feet may flatten a bit after 40 years, adding a size to them. I figured it out after a 40 mile traverse in the Olympics having lost 5 toenails... and a little blood. Anyway, shortly thereafter I picked up a pair of Scarpa Triolets (Awesome 3 season boots, two thumbs up). Now I need another pair for a medium weight, four season boots. I'm willing to wear the extra weight and stick with leather. Long story short (too late for that), I'm currently looking (pretty hard) at the Scarpa Summit GTX, but can't find any testimonials. I think La Sportiva kinda whimped out on their latest mid range leather boots to lighten them up. Obviously the Nepal is an awesome boot, but a bit more than I'm looking for. SO, does anyone have the Scarpa Summits? Do you like them? Any comments otherwise? Anyone remember when you just had one pair for everything?