Jump to content

ken4ord

Members
  • Posts

    3001
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

Posts posted by ken4ord

  1. Good workouts for dry tooling, won't do too much for swing tools on ice and prescision. Preseason ice climbing I usually like do to do tool swings with dumbells. I usually do 3 sets of 10 reps, repeated three times with each hand. I also do it front of the mirror so I can focus on swinging to the same location. First set of 10 I do directly overhead, 2nd out about 5 degrees out and 3 out another 5 degrees. Make sure to get your flicks in and 10lbs is generally good enough weight, any larger the weights tend to get in the way of the flicking action. I generally follow tool swings after doing sets of alternating dumbell curls. Pullups on PVC pipe (3") usually wrapped with grip tape. Calf raisees and stairs are also reall good fro preseason ice.

     

    I have thought about taping or fixing weight to my tools, but always end up using dumbells. Sometime I use my toools for pull up but I find it easier than PVC.

  2. I hope it was KGB,and not some ditch rag!I work in a Drug free zone(UAs)so don't par-take anymore. 010202011606010304200809074bdb2fa302f27791d5004c74.jpg010202011606010304200809074bdb2fa302f27791d5004c74.jpg

     

     

    You fucker! Damn that looks nice. There ain't anything around except for some barely smokeable herion (haven't tried it yet, but I guess it is really poor quality and cut with all kind of crap). Oh yeah if I was into needle, the like injecting some pharmacuetical compound, not really my style. No real 420 times for a while :cry:

  3. Please share any info you do have on Madagascar, I would really like to get there someday. I am curious on what info you have found so far. It suppose to be a beautiful country. The only thing I know about it there have been a few teams over the years that have gone and set up some climbs but everything I have seen so far about it is big wall climbing and then followed with freeing the climbs at a hard grade.

     

    * Lyn Hill set up a climb that was hard 12 or easy 13 can't remember.

    * These guys had a sucessful trip and established a 800 12a

    http://www.alardsbigwallclimbing.com/madagascar1.htm

    * This place looks awesome, sort of Thailand looking, though probably not as humid or well traveled. http://www.gdargaud.net/Climbing/Madagascar.html

    * Here is a collection of articles on climbing in Madagascar http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/list.lasso?search_idgenere=1&search_idtipoprod=&search_parola=madagascar&cl=1&id_marchio=&l=2&func=search&submitButtonName=Search

     

    If you were interested in more moderate stuff I would try to get in stock with local embassies or NGO's Generally in everyone of these developing countries a lot people from all over and I have found usually at least one or two non-local people who are not on the cutting edge, but that enjoy the sport who could lead you in the right direction.

     

    Some friends who have traveled around the country said it was amazing that there are several cliffs all over the country from big walls to single pitch size cliff. They do any climbing and were mainly there to go hiking and kiting.

     

    I'm having dinner with a friend tomorrow night who was living there for a few year and and ask him if he had heard of anything or set you up with some contacts.

     

    Cheers,

     

    Ken

     

  4. I love getting out and hiking ever since I could remember. As kids we went hiking up a small canyon that had climbs up in it, but never saw anyone climbing and couldn't imagine ever climbing. As I did more hiking, I kept on looking for challenges, finding it in distance hiking, bushwhacking and scrambles. Eventually I ran out of steep trails and was finally interested in getting over my fear of hieghts. I used to go out with a crew that was just learning to climb and we would toprope anything, 10 foot walls, buildings and quarries. I was scared shitless every time. I'd get up 10 feet and say "take and lower". Then my bud who took me and another newbie out and tooks us the 8 pitch long slab classic Sliding Board on Whitehorse. Never being more than 10 feet off the ground, I remember telling my friend Craig, "shouldn't we start off on something shorter?" We didn't, we just climbed the route. After that I remember all I could think about was climbing. I have pretty much thought about climbing every single day since then.

  5. The 2nd amendment is very brief, yet not exactly clear: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The interpretation of this is endlessly debated-- whether the authors of this amendment were referring specifically to the "militia",as the "well regulated" body authorized "to keep and bear arms", or "the people"(meaning the population at large), or both. And does "the State" refer to the individual states, or to the nation as a whole? Whereas a militia is usually thought of a a local or regional, therefore small 'state' level organization, the relatively small size of the entire nation in colonial times might mean that the founding fathers were referring to the entire country. So is this a local, "state" militia' like the colonial Minutemen, or a national military, like the present-day National Guard? We don't really know.

     

    One thing is for certain, and that is that an armed populace is a very strong deterrent to any government that might try to subjugate its citizens. In spite of the vast and overwhelming firepower of the U.S. Armed Forces, just imagine the bloodbath that would ensue if the federal government for some reason tried to put down an insurrection in, say, Montana, Idaho, Texas, Tennessee or Oklahoma, etc., where a very high percentage of the populace are conservative gun owners. Whereas a local "militia" would be hopelessly outmatched by tanks, warplanes, and disciplined troops, just the negative press such a conflict would engender, would make any administration think twice before entering into an action against it's own citizens which could potentially become inflamed into a large-scale revolt, even another civil war.

     

    You may remember the "Militia" group in central Montana a few years back, and the tragic ATF action against the David Koresh religious cult compound in Waco, Texas. These are people who have no trust in the government of any administration or party. Regardless of whether one thinks the federal government acted properly in those incidents (and many do not), the overall effect was to heighten the fear among gun owners that the government wants to take away your guns. And currently, Obama's election has triggered a huge spike in gun sales nationwide, as many fear that a more liberal administration will enact much stricter laws on gun purchasing, ownership and registration, particularly of semi-automatic and assault-type weapons, automatic pistols such as police-style Glocks,etc. (Personally, I think that with the economic crisis, global warming, the resurgence of Russia in Eastern Europe,etc., gun control is going to be a far lesser priority for the Obama administration. There are a thousand items to adress at the moment with far more immediate impact and seriousness.)

     

    Anyway, everyone knows that these are not guns for game hunting. So there is, I think, a very evident and demonstrable belief among the general public that there is indeed a personal, individual "right" to "keep and bear arms", that this "right is actually guaranteed in the Constitution, and that this "right" is a major part of what stands between individual freedom and potential dictatorship. I lived in Wyoming for over ten years, and while most people owned guns for hunting, you could talk to any number of people who were life-long NRA members, and who felt that firearms served a multi-faceted purpose: as hunting weapons, as personal security against home invasion and property theft, and if need be, as defense against their own regional, state, or national government. Many of the people I knew did support some sort of reasonable regulations--they didn't want to see nuts being able to get guns--, and the school shootings that began during the 80's made many hard-line gun owners rethink their ideas about regulation.

     

    My own position is that non-violence must be the starting point in all situations, whether local, regional, national, or international, and I have read and studied the teachings of Ghandi since the early 60's. As a kid, I saw on TV the appalling brutality of the clubbings, lynchings and shootings of black protesters and white civil rights workers in the South in the late 50's and early 60's. I was a junior in high school during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, and we went to bed that night wondering if we would be incinerated before the next morning. I shook John F. Kennedy's hand in Fort Worth, Texas, the day he was assassinated in 1963 ( an anniversary which is coming up soon this month), and the later killings of his brother Robert, and of Martin Luther King, and the loss of my boyhood friends in the Vietnam War, all of these things convinced me that violence and killing are never the answer.

     

    However, we all do have an inalienable right to defend ourselves from violence. And Ghandi himself is quoted by Thomas Merton as saying, in his book,"Ghandi On Non-Violence", that while you should use non-violent means to achieve your aims or to stand up for your rights and freedoms, as far as they will go, but if they are still not sufficient, and you are facing injury and death, that then, the man who hesitates to defend his home and family by the use of violence, is a coward. So even Ghandi, the originator of the principles of non-violence, recognized that there are times when you do have to fight. There is no reason to let anyone walk over you.

     

    I always liked Teddy Roosevelt's phrase, "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." And in a famous cartoon strip from the 60's, "Rick O'Shay" (modeled after the old "Gunsmoke" TV series), the character of the gunslinger, "Hipshot Percussion", has a discussion, during his target practice, on firearms with the preacher, Jubal Lation, who tells Hipshot that he places too much trust in his weapons. The preacher says that in II Corinthians, we're told to "face hardship and affliction with patience, purity, and love, as well as by the word of Truth and the power of God." And Hipshot says "That's a fact, Jubal... but it ALSO says, "by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left. ", as he emphasizes his point by twirling his revolvers Roy Rogers style and then sending them home in their holsters with a crisp "whack! whack!".

     

    In another strip, Hipshot's version of "A soft answer turneth away wrath.", becomes "A soft wrath turneth away answers.", when an aspiring, but young and foolish challenger calls Hipshot out for a gunfight by threatening to gun him into "dollrags". Hipshot, not wanting to needlessly gun down a hotheaded kid, says, "OK,

    now did you have anything else you want to say, Bub, or are you content for those to be your last words?".The youngster wisely backs down in the face of certain death. The creator of this cartoon strip was, by the way, a former cowboy from Red Lodge, Montana, named Stan Lynde, and about as peaceful, generous, and mild-mannered a fellow as you could hope to find. But Stan Lynde was also a WW II veteran who had a real steel in his character.

     

    So be peaceful, gentle, non-violent, and kind... and also be vigilant, strong, and prepared. Like the writer Ken Kesey used to say, "Kiss no ass...".

     

     

    Yeah I do have more to say, first I think we need to look at the 2nd amendment in the context of the time that it was written. Of course now-a-days our english that we use has changed so much that it make it quite easy to interpet the 2nd amendment a million different ways, given the time period and english that was used at the time, they were concerned more about outside forces trying to control the "State", the United States that is. They mention a "well regulated militia" which = military, not every Tom Dick and Harry. And the right for people to bear arms just like anything else there should be certain critrea met inorder to do this. Would you want a teenager without any drivers licenses or training driving a semi down the road, hell too dangerous. There should be limits what is reasonable, I jsut don't see how assualt guns reasonable for most people.

     

    Though the ATF may have made some poor decision in the cases you presented, I am glad they went in. In my book they are extremist no different than the Bin Ladens of the world, is there a place for extremist like them in the States, I hope not.

     

    I found you Ghandi parphrase very interesting I am going to have to look this one up.

     

    The point I really agree with you is that Obama's priorities are most likely going to be or should be at least on more important issues at hand. And your last paragraph, though I don't find strength or preparedness on a pistol grip.

  6. I would say Dru-spotter takes that prize.

     

     

    You really are as dumb as I think you are, if you think Dru's posts are similar to your worthless posts. I actually know of one person who used to be on this board regularly, but doesn't contribute anymore cause he so annoyed with your worthless drivel. I thought about doing the same myself, but miss the NW so much and reading the TR's climbs I have done or want to do, that I can't stay away from this damn forum. I guess it is the price of admission these.

  7. Waypoints are a great way to get around, but as mentioned above, it does you no good if the batteries die on the GPS or if you are not coming back the same direction. Another way to go about it is to use the GPS to pin point your location and then navigate by compass. This came in really handy two years ago when topping out Liberty Ridge in a white out. We were not positive where the descent to Emmons was and we could only see about 20-30 feet. We used the GPS to get our UTM coordinates, found where we were on the map, and proceeded to walk down with little problem.

     

    Same exact thing happened to me and my partner. My partner had everything GPS, Compass altimeter and some waypoints for the descent. Even then it was still difficult to navigate couldn't tell if we were on flat ground or slope and at time could barely see a few feet in front, the wind was blowing hard which made it difficult to walk and communicate. Compounded with exhaustion and fading light we found it better to dig in for the night. At that point if we would have had a crevasse fall it would have been very difficult and serious extraction with our state of exhaustion, it was muuch safer to stay put.

     

    Now if this would have happened under different circumstance then, like at the beginning of the climb it would have been much easier to keep going with all that gear that we had. So basically your decission should be dictated by the situation that you are in and what you are equipped with. I might not carry any navigation equipment with me but I have been prepared for whatever the mountain dishes out to me.

  8. To those who want safety and feel that outlawing guns is the answer: remember that drugs have been very illegal for many many years, and it has not slowed down drug availability at all. It has only made more criminals and filled up our jails with otherwise formerly honest people. Outlawing guns in anyway will do the same, AND reduce your political freedom.

     

     

     

    I am not sure if you can count guns and drugs in boat that is like compare oranges and potatos.

     

    First off I think guns for hunting definitely serve a purpose. Now guns designed for hunting humans in my opinion don't serve any purpose other than to kill an other person, yeah they can be fun shoot off and shit, but point blank there purpose is to kill another, that just just does not sit right with me. I don't believe that illegalization of those type of guns will make me feel much safer, realistically. I think it will keep society a little safer. And you keep going off about guns are for political freedom, I haven't bought it yet, as far as I can remember in any type of politcal action I have taken I have never used a gun, I used my voice, a pen, a phone, money, protest, sit-in, boycott, but never a gun.

     

    Now drugs on the other hand are not designed to kill. They are designed to enlighten and have fun. Yeah they do end up killing some, but hell a butter knife could kill ya if used improperly. Also not all drugs are illegal, some are perfectly legal and ones deemed more dangerous are not. And some that are legal there are restrictions on them to try and protect society as whole. I think there are a lot of drugs I would rather see legalized and controlled than there are now.

     

    The only think I can see that is similar between the two is that the restrictions on both are needed and those restrictions should be reassessed from time to time.

  9. If I bring anything it is a compass and knowledge of where I am going. I am going to get techno soon and get myself logger, just so I can start mapping mountain bike routes, but that is about as far I like to go. I love looking at maps and studying them, but rarely carry them with me. I owned a GPS unit for several years and never took it out of the box, finally I just gave it to a friend. I try to remember terrain features on the way up and in a white go with the feel of the terrain on the way down. I figure worst comes to worst I end up in the wrong valley and go up and over again. I guess I like the adventure.

     

    I have found the snowball trick useful a few times in mountain whiteouts. That is if you are unsure if you are at the edge of an abysis or crevasse throw a snowball what the terrain is before commiting. Or just kick clumps of snow ahead of myself. I always make it a habit to look back whenever I am traveling anywhere.

  10. 1) Increasing aid to Africa

     

    2) Preventing wars in India/Pakistan

     

    3) Dealing with N. Korea/ Libya re: Nuclear programs

     

    4) Taking out many of Al Queda's top leadership and driving them underground.

     

    5) Reduced Farm subsidies.

     

    6) Ousted Saddam, a tyranical dictator.

     

    7) No attacks since 9/11/01

     

     

    Only #1 and the latter half of #3 are a) true, b) attributable to Bush and c) positives. And the latter of these driven entirely by and for the interests of friends of Cheney's in the oil industry.

     

     

    I agree Joseph. Aksheet, first number 1 wasn't only in Africa it include other high risk countries in Asia, number 2 yeah right that shit is still stewing only a matter time he did nothing there, number 3 are you kidding you really think they have stopped their programs, number 4 they were already underground before he was president the ones taken out have just been replaced by others, number 5 don't know anything about (I don't much about it but I do seen how farmers live and it is not like they are rolling in the cash, number 6 just wait for the next dictator to arive I am sure he will be just as nice (hopefully things will change but we really won't know for at least 10-20 years), number 7 again are you kidding, oh yeah myopic view in the states yes as bad as 911 has happened, but look at what has happened in London, what is going on in Iraq. Dude open your eyes.

  11. W. is fairly popular in Africa for funding AIDS relief efforts.

     

     

    I agree there PEPFAR was a good initiative though there was a alot of stipulation to it. Mainly in that AIDS prevention needed education in abstenance and none of the funds could be used for condom promotion. Luckily there were other organization out there that could help in that arena. Beyond that I can't think of anything else that really was good that was done by that stupid monkey.

  12. I would agree with what other have said. The route picture that you posted from the col short cut is what it looked like when we did it. Also the descent from the col that I Dave and I would be fun two pitch snow and rock climb up if the the conditions really were not favorable. Furthermore I would would not expect full water ice conditions on that route ever, it is more neve than anything else in most conditions. There is not much above to feed water to create a nice water ice climb.

  13. http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/27/radio-interview-obama-laments-lack-supreme-court-ruling-redistributing-wealth/

     

    "And I think one of the tragedies of the civil rights movement was that the civil rights movement became so court-focused, I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and organizing activities on the ground that are able to bring about the coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change, and in some ways we still suffer from that," Obama said.

     

    It almost sounds like he's saying that the courts are a dead-end for "redistribution of wealth" schemes--which he clearly--supports--and that some form of raw populism is preferable? This guy gets scarier with each passing day.

     

    Why FOX? Because no one else in the media seems to care about "knowing" Barak Obama.

     

     

    Yeah and socialism is the worst thing that could ever happen. Could you imagine what that would mean, jeezs everybody in the states would have such a good life and not have it be such a struggle, trying to get by. The horror! I mean how could anyone think that any type of work has similar value? Come on folks don't you see sitting behind a CEO failing banking desk jobs should be worth the hundreds of thousands dollars a year and guy hauling off your garbage should be happy with his 45k a year?

     

     

    In regards to fairweather's new name: unfairestweather

  14. I would suggest bringing something that you don't care too much about, because it will get trashed. It doesn't matter if it is a pack or duffle since most of the porters carry everything on there heads, even the packs.

     

    Again I would suggest doing on of the other mountains in East Africa over doing Kilimanjaro. It is way overrate because of its size. Mt. Kenya is incredible for climbing, The Rwenzoris has such scenic trekking and you can get into some really remote places if you got the time and Mt. Meru again is very scenic climb. Kili I found dirty, overcrowded, too expensive, and not to scenic.

×
×
  • Create New...