ken4ord

Yeah fun stuff, but I decided it would be a good activity when I am old my body can't take the climbing, freeriding and snowboarding. Yeah - I've been thinking that flatwater and/or sea-kayaking would be a cool thing to do with kids once they enter the picture. In the meantime - Man! - the rivers in your former home-base delivered up the goods this weekend. I heart Maine. Yeah man spring time river running is a blast there. I used to do some open boating, pretty much inbetween seasons skiing/ice climbing season and mountain biking/rock climbing season there was a short paddling season.

Sweet thanks for all the information so far. So in Bangkok we got our lodging covered by work, but I have a feeling it not so fun of an area, it is supposedly in the embassy district or something like that at the Marriot. I am sure we'll be able to get out of there with taxis. I'll need to find a map of the city so I can find these other places you guys talked about. We'll be there for five days and really looking forward to that especially since I miss being in a city and good food. wfinely and Rob thanks for all the info on the city. Half of our trip will be in the city due to work obligations, but from the sounds of it is a pretty fun place to expore. What were some of your favorite sights that you went too? It sounds like Railay will be the one stop shopping place for us with climbing, diving and lodging all right there and daycare if we need it. I here it is quite touristy, but we'll be there low season, so it shouldn't be too bad. Rob thanks for the rope tip, I was trying to decide if I should bring one. I am assuming they are in decent shape? We were thinking of hiring a guide for climbing so that one of us could watch Simone while other climbs and trade off. How did you do it with the kids? Simone is only 20 months so still a little too young to let her wander off on her own. Again thanks for all the info.

The sleeping bag is not warming your body, it is your body warming the sleeping bag. Basically the more layers you have on more body heat you will hold in. If I am in the mountain with my winter bag, I am usually naked, well except for a hat. If I am in the winter time in my summer bag, I usually have all my clothes. I try to regulate my temprature so that I am limit persperation. At home I cannot stand having anything on when I sleep.

So last minute travel plans have come up and we are going to Bangkok this next weekend. We are going to be in Bangkok for a few days, that should be easy to figure out what to do, but then we have 5 days free. I obviously want to get to where the climbing is. So those of you who have traveled to Thailand put up some suggestions where to go and what to see. Things we need help with: * How to get where the diving and climbing is? * Where are the cool places to stay, that are nice and kid friendly? We are not on a tight budget, but we are not loaded. * Where is there good climbing in 5.9-5.11 range? * Where is there good diving? * Any other cool fun activities we should do while we are there? * Rob how do I stay away from Denge fever?

It was a fun climb, but I am not sure it falls under the ultimate classic category. Too much walking inbetween pitches.

No I don't, I wish I did, but I can say that is the airiest 5.8++ moves I have ever done, that is for sure.

Yeah fun stuff, but I decided it would be a good activity when I am old my body can't take the climbing, freeriding and snowboarding.

Jeezus Christo dude! That is by far the best TR I have seen here. It is quite incredible all the routes you got in. This one report I will always go back and check out. Thanks. :pagetop: :pagetop: :pagetop:

Here is my list of favorite moderates that I have been on. Moby Grape, Cannon, NH Whitney Gilman, Cannon, NH Black Dike, Cannon, NH High E, Gunks, NY Modern Times, Gunks, NY Recompence, Cathedral, NH Repentance, Catherdral, NH Dracula, Frenkenstein, NH Ciley-Barber Route, Katahdin, ME Diedre, Cathedral, NH Direct Complete Exxum, Grand Teton, WY CMC Route, Tetons, WY West Ridge, Forbidden, WA Complete North Ridge, Stuart, WA The Book, Yosemite, CA Angel's Crest, Squamish, CAN North Ridge, Mt. Kenya, Kenya

Jeezuz Christ, living on the edge, you crazy mofo!

Have fun dude, there is some great looking climbng there. I got a chance to climb one route there and still think about returning someday.

Damn another year without sideslipping down the slope. This sucks! :cry:

Biodiesil will one day cost as much as regular diesel. Basically the best thing you can do is drive less. Right now manufactured biodiesel is causing a lot of food security issues. So if you are interested in switching to biodiesel for environmental reason, I do see it being better than other fuels out there. If you are doing because of cost in the long it may cost you more later. Offwhite and the rest of you whinner about fuel costs, need to wake up. You guys are spoiled rotten out there. The US has way cheaper fuel price than a lot of other countries. Guess what, it is going to keep getting more expensive so get used to it, and stop your bitching. Try $6.70 a gallon for diesel here in Rwanda, which happens to be more than most people here earn in a day.

I might have a place for you in Ballard area. I can let you know in a couple of weeks, it is dependant on whether or not we will make it back around that time.

Dood in south seatac near you there is some xc riding somewhat limited though. I used to go there for jumping. So are you riding your old rig or did you get something new? I was always surprised on the lack of local riding in and around the Seattle area given that there is such a hugh cycling community there. For the best mountain biking ever, you should come out here, this place has it all. It is definitely mountain biking heaven.

Wow this sounds like a lot of fun! (complete and utter sarcasm) I guess to each there own, but man all this crap for what? I would just rather get on my bike a ride, put my shoes on a run or grab the rack and go. Whether cycling or running is better, actually what I have notice is that if you commute on your bike or walk to and from work, that probably will help you more for climbing than getting out for a ride or run a couple of times a week.

I would agree with everything you said except for cycling being cheaper. All of my climbing equipment put together, that is ice gear, rock gear, technical clothing and climbing wall is probably around $6000. All of which hardly ever breaks or needs to be replace. I have over $7000 in just the bikes alone, not to mention all of the other tools, clothing, parts. Then there is the repairing of my mountain bike at least every month I am replacing or fixing something. At least my road bike I can get away with yearly maintenance. I still love cycling especially in a place when the opportunity to climb is not often enough.

No where, snowboarding is fun. Maybe some day he'll return to skiing.

Today I was trying to think of a quick enough response to some commandos who followed me on my way to pick up my daughter at daycare. I pulled out front of the daycare like I usually do to park, lots of other cars around, and they pulled up along side and said I could park there. For whatever reason I have no idea, I was caught off guard, of course when they pulled off I thought of million things to say, it was better that I didn't think of them at the time.

I'll be damned. This is probably the second time I've had to agree with Dru. But it's like kissing your sister. How you know that I really don't want to know!

Well this year we have gotten Simone out camping once, there are sure to be many more camping weekends. I also took her on her first safari. She was ok for the first four hours of game viewing. She was really cute, pointing out the animals, she especially liked the hippos and giraffes. I also need to finish her climbing wall, maybe this weekend.

First the piece with the tourquoise sling not really needed. If you intended it for stopping an upward pull on the other three pieces, then it might be better and easier to have it at the load point. If you are weighted on the anchor, then it would have to be a pretty severe fall inorder to generate enough force to lift your belayer from there stance and dislodge the other pieces. Simplify your your anchor, use only one cordlette (looks like two were used, hard to tell). If a piece or two is far from the rest, then use a sling clipped to that piece to bring them closer together. It would be best to use an equalette or what I like is the Alpine Cock Ring (ACR) system. Since you are new get familar with easier systems like sliding X and cordlette. In this case using the sliding X system, clip your cord to all the pieces, pull a loop down in between each piece, do a half twist in each loop you pull down except for the outer pieces loop, and clip the loops. Not using the tourquoise piece you should have three loops that you clip with a locker and then your rope clipped to the locker with an 8 or girth hitch (I prefer girth hitch because it is easily adjustable. To use the cordlette system is the same except guess the direction of pull with the three loops, tie preferably a figure 8 (or an overhand will do) to create a clip in point for your locker. Basically get used to using different systems and use a system that you are comfortable with and that is appropiate for the situation. If you are belaying off the anchor you got it somewhat right. Clip your rope into your locker with a girth hitch or figure 8 and use a seperate locker for your belay device. With a well equalized anchor you do not have to clip any of the other pieces. Being new I might reccomend belaying off your harness. It will be easier to lock off a falling partner. Also stay tight on your anchor inorder not to shock load the anchor. Again symplify your anchor use one cordlette. I would have extended the upper piece with a 2ft runner in order to bring that piece closer to the others. It appears that you could have maybe used a smaller nut on the second piece down so that it was not so close to the edge of the crack, but to have it placed deeper in the crack, tuft is not so tough. If the crack was not that deep it might have been better to place all your pieces in the the crack on the right since it appears that those pieces are well inside the crack. With the second piece down too I might have tried placing a small nut in the thin crack to the right. When placing pieces in a crack that is a block in the crack I like pieces on either side of that block (this does not seem to be one of those cases, just food for thought). Again sliding X or cordlette system until you familarize self more with other systems. Again I would reccomend belaying off your harness. Also stay tight on the anchor. On the top piece I would have used a biner instead of a draw. If you were trying to extend it to make equalization easier you should have used longer runner than a draw and from the looks of it you could have to extend both of the upper pieces to make equalization easier. In that section of rock I would have not been to worried about having those two pieces too close to each other. It appears to be somewhat solid rock with no factures around the crack. It appears the second piece down does not have a girth hitch in it, if the upper was to blow out, then the second piece would be shock loaded. The lowest pieces does not seem to be loaded, that means if your upper pieces ripped it would create a pretty good shock load for your lowest piece. Again simplify things by using a sliding X or cordlette system until you familarize yourself with better more complicated methods. Summary: * Practice more and study the book (not just read it) * Equalize your anchor and keep it loaded to prevent shock loading * Keep things simple it is easier make mistakes when you can't see what is going on

I could care less what they play, I'll be dead.

I thought you freaking hate skiing, I would think you would be happy about this one. I am in the same place and really hating my job and wishing I was in some sort of trade work where I can be outside. Someday maybe.

Sounds like more fun than Bill Ny the science guy.