Plinko

For as short as teh piece was, they jammed a lot of info in there and did a good job of portraying you as a man on a mission, rather than some crazed lunatic with a pipe dream. Good exposure to the masses, even if it was breif. Best of luck as A-n-O continues on it's next leg of the journey!

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Is it just me, or does it look like his belayer is laughing after he falls?!?!

dats some scary isht! Hope u kept that OP Doval to teach 'em a lesson

C'mon, Yak&Yeti is the most posh digs ever! I wish I could afford to stay there every night of the week Dryad, way cool! I'm also lookin forward to those pics! BTW, OUTDOORSmagic had an article here and here that talk about independant trekking in Nepal. Cheers!

I've got a couple pair of North Face Apex pants, uses north face's propriatary softshell fabric. Yeeah, i swore to never buy anything TNF, but scored a killer deal on these things and managed to use a thread ripper to remove any trace as a TNF product. They fit as good as anything else, and are super durable, but since it's synthetic, they get a bit rank if yer sweatin a lot in em or wearing em for multi-day trips. It'll be nice when the garment makers finally perfect the softshell by adding magic antimicobial silver fiber thinymajigs (like some of the undergarment and socks that are on the market now) to keep the stink factor low.

we'll be in touch...

Yeah, I know it's completely non-technical and easy, but I'm headed to St. Helens either Saturday or Sunday. A quick slog up, and a good long slide down on the equipment of your choice. Probably the last chance I'll have to get up before climbing fees go in place next week.

Anyone headed to Cody, Wyoming in the next month or so (thru the 20th of April), shoot me a line, I'll be partnerless for a good chunk of the time. Heaps of world-class routs that are IN!

I've got a couple pair of the Mt. Baker Modular Mitts and have been real happy with the current version. The previous version used velcro for the wrist and gauntlet closures, and all of us here in the PNW know velcro sucks ass and gets all snow clogged and completly looses it's ability to stay secured, so you'd have flapping straps all day long. Eventually I reworked the glove and sewed on my own straps and buckles and cut off all the velcro and I wrote a scathing e-mail to O.R. about that paticular aspect of the design...and wouldn't you know it, they changed the design the following season (probably had nothing to do with my comments, but let me just pretend it did ). All the other gloves and mitts in their line up use Velcro still, but the Mt. Baker Mitt is where it's at, and uses ladder-lock buckles. They've outlasted any other gloves I've owned by atleast a factor of 10. I also use O.R. insulated water bottle parkas, and a couple pair of their gaiters, one made from stretch Schöeller material, and also a pair of H.D. Crocs. As mentioned, the 1000 denier nylon could go up higher on the instep side, but other than that, they've been bomber. Other local gear includes Feathered Friends Volant jacket, and Rock Wren sleeping bag. Montrail is local, and I've got a pair of Morrains, a pair of Diablos and a pair of Vitesses. Does REI junk count as "local"? Nah, didn't think so...

I think the University of Washington Physical Science Dept. should be required to clean up their shit left over from their abandoned seismology tests midway in the old Cascade Tunnel. The first time I walked thu there was proly around 1988 or so, and the UW laser measuring of seismic activity had been concluded many years (10)previous, and I was appalled at how much trash they just up and left behind. Science is good and all, but come on! When they make claims that eh environment will not be affected, just point to the point to the tunnel and say clean up yer shit from 30 years ago first.

SOLD....and what's with all those slanderous lies they're printing about u in Rock & Ice? Rock on...

pm sent...

I ended up with 96 feet of extra 5mm Tech Cord. It's like Spectra 5.5mm but easier to tie, has a way higher melting point, and it's stronger...great for making cordlettes, balancing anchors, tying hexes, prussic or as an emergency rap line. Specs, according to New England Ropes, are as follows: Diameter: 3/16" (5mm) Weight: 1.7 pounds per 100 feet Tensile Strength: 5000 pounds Elongation: 0 VERY resistant to UV and heat (930º) All or part, I'll sell it to you for what I paid, $0.45/foot (which is more than half-off what you'd pay for it at gearxchange or cmcrescue.com) Cheers~ Benno

The Contour IV is sold...Haiku is still available...it's a cool pack and strong, made with spectra reinforced nylon...

I can only HOPE that some day, after lots of hard work, I'll be as good as a mountie, and maybe even be lucky enough to be mistaken for one...*cough*bulshit*cough* If the date works out, I'd be in for a spring rainier ascent. What route did you all have in mind?

New England/Maxim ropes makes some stuff they call tech cord in a 5mm (5000 lb tensil strength) that's a bunch stronger than the 5.5mm Spectra you buy on a spool for threading hexes...they also have a 3mm version rated at 3,200 lbs. Insanly strong for something so thin. Do you know what the rating was/is for the cable that's originally attached to the fluke? One of the biggest advantage of this stuff over Spectra it's better hand, making knot tying easier. I know a guy that's often got spools of this stuff layin around, and he sells it for about 1/3 what you'd pay anywhere else. If interested, pm me and I'll shoot you his e-mail address.

I ski and snowboard, usually switch between the two depending on conditions...snowboards really shine on the steep and deep b.c. lines...you float better...and you never have a yard sale on a snowboard You can't skin up a slope with a snowboard though (unless u have a split board $$),so skis excel there, as well as on icy hard stuff and long approaches, etc. It's cool to have as many weapons in the arsonal as possible.

The last time I did Rainier last August I hooked up with a guy from that big state down south. Prior to our climb, we'd never hiked together and had no idea about each other's physical ability. He claimed to be in excellent shape, and was supposedly working out every day with a loaded pack, blah blah... He flew into town and got on the mountain, it took him 8 hours from Paradise to Muir in ideal conditions...in his situation, he should have been there in about 3. Next morning, typical alpine start, we short-hauled his ass (literally dragging him up the mountain) all the way to 12,5 before we finally cut him loose. In hindsight, we shoulda left his sorry ass at Muir cuz it turned what should have been a 8 hour max summit trip into a 14 hour slug-fest. If you're climbing with strangers, be careful...it's easy to get into some hairy situations that way

What's a metal beenie look like? And where can I get one to wear in local electrical storms??

Marko, I'm in for mid-week adventures as well...let's go play!

Here's the factory specs for this stuff: http://www.neropes.com/techdata/tech_cord.htm And from this site, http://sierramountainworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=rop-2104&Category_Code=webbing they say, "Originally designed for the military's special forces, Tech Cord is the strongest and lightest cordellete or chock cord available. Made from superior Technora fibers, Tech Cord boasts a whopping 5000 lbs tensile strength (50 percent stronger than Spectra) and a melting point of 932 °F (compared to Kevlar's melting point of 260 °F)." Sure, it's all heresay cuz I haven't marked up samples with temp chalk and tossed them in the furnace, but it looks safe to say that heat build up would NOT be an issue with this stuff...

The tech cord has a melting point of 932°F (compared to Kevlar's melting point of 260°F)...good point about the Kevlar tho. stfu plinko. youre out of your element. lumm, havin' a bad day? If it's over your head and you've got no clue (typical) and you can't answer the question then don't waste everyones time by taking up board space and talkin shit...if you wanna troll and throw down, that's what the Spray board is for. If anyone else has used Tech Cord, or knows more about it than lumm, I'd love to hear more...

I've had a Suunto Observer Ti (all the same functions of the Vector, but in a smaller package and way less geeky lookin') for 2+ years and it's been rock solid. I had a piece on the band break once...props to the Suunto people who got spare parts to me in the mail very quickly.

Ford Econoline with a Quigley or Salem Kroeger 4x4 conversion If it's pre-1993 look for the 300ci inline 6 cylinder...kinda gutless but that engine will run forever...if it's newer, look for the 5.4 liter Triton v-8...one of the better motors ford's ever made. For a difference of 2 or 3 mpg over an Astro you'll get heaps more space. I've owned an Astro, 2 E-series vans, an Aerostar, and more...4x4 vans kick ass