marylou

I still climb like a guy. Not a good one, either, just a real mediocre guy. I did, however, recently see the light in terms of skiing. It wasn't from lessons (can't always find good female instructors), actually it was a complete fluke. I pulled a muscle in one of my hips very early in the ski season, and that injury, coupled with brand-new Rando gear, forced me to ski more "womanly." I really had to rely on grace and balance because of the injury and the touchy gear, and man oh man, after something like 30 seasons of skiing mostly like a guy, all of a sudden it was a whole new me on the slopes. What an improvement. I only hope some day I learn the same in climbing. I know this is total thread drift, but this is not a half bad topic. I would say that for sports like climbing and skiing, it would be great to see instruction geared toward refining technique to optimize use of feminine assets like balance and flexibility.

I was going to say something, but I am now laughing so hard I have apple juice coming out of my nose. Thanks for that, Forrest.

I've never heard anyone of either gender claim that women and men were alike in any conversation on this subject, ever.

Tyvek get a nice soft fabriclike "hand" to it after being run thru the washer too.

Women's climbing technique classes are probably a lot like women's ski clinics. The curriculum isn't all that different, but the boy/girl dynamic is gone, and women won't feel as stoopid asking dumb questions. Me, personally, not a big fan of these kinds of classes, because sometimes they teach to a little lower level than I'd like, but for some women, it's a way to get them interested in doing the sport without feeling so self-conscious. Nothing wrong with that, really.

Cool, thanks. Oh and Harry, I don't know or care who the remark was directed at. It's just kind of a dumb strawman argument, that's all.

This will only be true for weak women, who would never climb much of anything anyways. Seriously. Dude, that is just so wrong.

And if there's one brand you've never heard of that rivals both, check out Valandre.

I use Mozilla, and get logged out if I don't view the site for a few minutes. Sometimes I get logged out right in the middle of an active session. I have the auto login box checked, but that doesn't seem to help. I know, "it's just me" but thought I'd add my login problems to the pile anyway.

Well, maybe feminism is not dead. I just don't know what it means to be a feminist anymore. The word now has negative connotations, and multiple meanings, so I tend to avoid using it. FC, I think you might have misunderstood me. What I was trying to say is that when, for example, a man says women shouldn't still be dealing with gender inequity, well, I'd be more inclined the believe the women know better than the man if there is still discrimination against women.

As long as male climbers are insulting one another by calling them "women," the playing field will not be equal. I mean you guys answered your own question by like the third post or something. I'm not a big fan of "women making a bid geal about being women." To the end, I have avoided women's coalitions in my male-dominated profession. I don't want to be marginalized. Maybe that's progress. But what I dislike even more than women making a big deal about women is men telling them they are lame for doing so. Sorry, you may be a badass climber, but the women thing is not your area. Trust me on this. And Klenke, there are women out there like you describe, brush bagging, peak scrambling babes. I know a lot of them, actually. But hey guess what! They all look a lot more like me than they look like Ms. Bond. Sorry to break the bad news on that. I'm also the offspring of an unabashed feminist. I don't know if I am one myself or not, as the concept is somewhat antiquated.

Hey, didn't you get that Tyvek FOR FREE? Maybe you should give away the part you don't need.

It hasn't been in the snow yet, sorry.

Housewrap is sold by the roll, and besides, it's a bit on the heavy side. I got Kite Tyvek from this place for the floor of my Beta Light. 4 x 8' piece ran me 10 or 15 bucks and weighs 6.2 ounces.

If you DON't comment, then there is a one hundred percent chance that they will not consider your opinion.

Last I'd heard TNF let all of their tent designers go....so one could posit that, since they are owned by Vanity Fair, that they may have bra desingers designing their tents now. Heh. on topic: Patagonia=flawless REI=usually good but not always CD/MSR=excellent BD=excellent Marmot=excellent Deuter=mighty fine My favorite one of these stories is my Marmot Arroyo that I bought about three years ago. It never really kept me warm enough, and it had cold spots and stuff. It was just never quite the bag I'd hoped it would be. Well last year I was just about to shell out the cash for a new bag, but thought I'd give Marmot a try first. They put three ounces of down in the bag. Typical overfill is an ounce or two. They did it in just a couple of weeks door to door and paid the return shipping. It was after the company got bought too.

Someone who knows something about snow told me that this BS $#%!!!! warm weather killed the depth hoar that was causing all the problems in the hills. At least there's that, I guess. Screw skiing, I'm going to the South Pacific!

The annoying pop fiction writing style was enough to keep me from even starting the thing.

Whatever your take on this, here is another chance to comment. Apologies if it's already been posted elsewhere on the site. Revised Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Watershed Access and Travel Management Environmental Assessment Dear Reviewer: The Revised Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Watershed Access and Travel Management Plan is now available on the Forest’s website, www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/projects/. Alternative maps are 11”x17” and may be difficult to download and print at a readable size. In-office review copies of the complete EA are available at the Supervisor’s Mountlake Terrace Office and the Snoqualmie Ranger District Office in North Bend. We are requesting your review and comments on this plan. A 30-day comment period has been established. The period for comment is January 20 – February 22, 2005. The EA revises the March 2002 Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Access and Travel Management Environmental Assessment. The 2002 EA and associated Decision Notice/Findings of No Significant Impact were withdrawn in December 2003 to allow additional time to resolve private land and mining claim access issues. The revised EA proposes to decommission about 30.6 miles of National Forest System road no longer needed for administrative management of National Forest lands within the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River watershed. About 7.6 miles of these roads (Road 5600 from Dingford Creek to its terminus) would be decommissioned to a low-maintenance multi-use trail/private road and about 2.3 miles (Road 5600-50) would be decommissioned and converted to a multi-use trail open for hikers, pack and saddle and mountain bikes. Additionally, the proposed action would open the Middle Fork Trails 1003, 1003.01, 1003.1 and 1003.2 (about 13.8 miles) for mountain bike use on odd-numbered days on a seasonal basis, for a three year trial period. Five site-specific alternatives are analyzed in this EA. Alternatives include the No Action Alternative and four action alternatives. Alternative E is the preferred alternative. I believe it best meets the, purpose and need for the project, which includes: 1. Decommissioning roads no longer needed for administrative management of National Forest System lands within the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River watershed; 2. Providing more mountain bike user trails in the watershed. Through the analysis presented in the revised EA, we have determined that Alternative E would not be a major federal action that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment; therefore, an environmental impact statement is not needed. This determination was made considering the factors of significance, as defined in 40 CFR 1508.27 (Council of Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act). Please send your written comments to Doug Schrenk, Attention: MF ATM, Snoqualmie Ranger District, 42404 SE North Bend Way, North Bend, WA 98045. Oral, FAXED and email comments will also be accepted. If you wish to submit oral comments call (425) 888-1421, extension 233. Comments can also be FAXED to Doug Schrenk at (425) 888-1910 or emailed to dschrenk@fs.fed.us. For further information, please contact Doug at (425) 888-1421 extension 233, or e-mail at dschrenk@fs.fed.us. Comments on this document need to be postmarked by Thursday February 22, 2005. Sincerely, JIM FRANZEL District Ranger Snoqualmie Ranger District Please note: comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action and will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Part 215. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only vary limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service will inform the requester of the agency’s decision regarding the request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within 14 days.

Anyone found a good cheap source for this stuff? It's great but I want it to be cheaper than at Fred Meyer.

More slab, and more of that modular Entre Prises wall stuff. They used to have some in the Fremont VW and they may still have some at the Redmond VW, though I haven't been there in years. In any case, it's the best fake rock stuff I've climbed on. Several years ago I climbed at that gym in Dallas with the 100' routes in the grain silos, and there wasn't much I liked about it. The acoustics, the shape and (lack of) texture of the wall...me I'd rather climb something smaller a few more times....

My 1987 4WD GL is called Bridgit, and she likes boy cars.

Heh, I have a little free time at work this evening.

This is how I would have replied. I have made up some details for clarity. Dear (name deleted), Hey, sorry to hear of your frustration. A couple of things might need clarifying here, so let me address that first. The Climbing Club does not have XC boots available for rent, as stated in the XXXX. We’ll be adding this to the price list in the brochure and on the blackboard outside the gear room that lists the rental prices. Mike was in the Gear Room for his regularly scheduled shift on Wednesday. I dropped by and chatted with him myself. If you missed him, he may have stepped out to attend one of our mandatory safety meetings. Sandi is in the IMA at the climbing wall, which might explain why you couldn’t find it her in the HUB. I can’t be sure if we gave you the wrong information or if you perhaps went to the wrong spot by mistake. If you need anything from her in the future, she is there on Monday and Wednesdays from 3-3:15. As far as a refund, it’s possible, but will take 4-6 years to process. This is due to being part of a large beauracracy (the University) and is completely out of my hands. The UW Climbing Club has much to offer and I hope you will look into our programs before proceeding with your refund request. Let me know if there is anything else I can do. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you at our Exotic Meat Cookout and Jello Potluck this coming Sunday at the outdoor climbing wall. We’ll be firing up the grill at about 4 pm if it’s not raining. Sincerely, Gary Yngve

Seems like if people were so skeert of their kids learning about evolution, they might think about private school.