fenderfour

Wank you posters!

I really hate these right/left debates, but I like this quote... "If my beliefs were the opposite of what they are now, I wouldn't like XXXX either" Ummm, ok

Biker fox? Oh My!

I would like to volunteer to evaluate a free membership. I won't even charge you for my commute.

TDK CD's from Costco 16X burn, MusicMatch Nearly 100% success Are you just copying cd's, or making mix cd's from saved files?

Edgar Allen Poe is great for the 90+ degree temps in Seattle over the past couple of days. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a classic. I read it the first time a few years back, and now I'm hoping to get a little more out of it.

I'm 6'3" and My preferred axe is 65 cm. A long axe is fine on open glaciers, but bushwhacking with an 80cm monster tied to your pack will suck. You may also have some difficulty when the slopes get steeper. Not a big deal, you will just have to lift your axe higher when using it as a self-belay. I like to rely on balance and not on a walking stick. If I want a stick, I bring trekking poles. In the end, it's whatever you prefer.

Throw an elbow for me.

On Friday I went to FF to get some new, more technical crampons (I have BD Contact Straps). The red haired guy helped me out (I didn't get his name, I suck). We tried just about every crampon that they had on my size 15 Lowa Civettas (Double Plastics). We found that you can use the Black Diamond XL extender bar in any Grivel crampon to get extra-huge sizes. You can probably go up to a size 18 or 19 with that bar. The Grivel G-14 fit my boots without the BD bar once I moved the toe bail to the forward position. I can't wait to try them out this weekend. One more thing - the customer service at Feathered Friends kicks ass. They helped me for at least an hour while we futzed around with the crampons and discussed the pros and cons of each. Beers and cheers for FF.

That "woman" scares me...

Compared to a #5 camalot, that's down right reasonable. Thanks for the info.

MEC had a pretty good selection of colors last time I was up there. At least they had colors that REI in Seattle doesn't have.

Just because I'm curious - how much do the Valley Giants cost? He does a really limited run on them, doesn't he?

I heard a story on NPR last week that said only about half the people that started a low carb diet are still on it. Good timing on the part of the food companies now that we have C2 and low-carb tortillas.

A belay of climbers? How about a rack of climbers? Ahh! I know!! A clusterfuck of climbers!

What is "Sweat like Michael Moore at an NRA meeting"?

How's a bout some slight thread drift? Who uses Big Bros instead of the massive cams? They are quite a bit lighter and could cover the same expansion range. Thoughts?

Where is snobyrd? She might want it.

Send a PM to TimCB, he's been talking about this kind of trip for a while.

Brook Alongi is going to Cho-oyu as a non-guided trip. The cost is pretty reasonable as I recall. Check out his site at www.ogawa-mtnadv.com

NWMJ kicks some major ass. I too would like a PDF version. It would make it easier to print or easier to store for future reference.

You don't need accuracy to get up an 8,000m peak, just enthusiasm and other people to do all the work.

I have the TPS cover sheet right here...

I had my first visit to Squamish earlier this year. While there, we climbed Dierdre and came down broadway and through the boulders leading back to the road. Before we reached the boulders, my partner said "Shhh! We are entering the land of the mattress people." It sounded rather National Geographic, so here it is: The Matress People, Observations The Mattress People are a tribe dedicated to worshipping not mountains, as so many that came before have, but the castoffs from mountains, the boulders. The Greeks believed that the mountains were the domain of the gods, as did some tribes of Native Americans. This practice of deifying boulders originated with the worship of mountains as preparation to ascend to greater heights. Fairly recently, the Mattress People have broken away from the worshippers of the mountains en masse, recruiting new acolytes directly into their number. One might ask why they are called the Mattress People, and not the Rock People, or the Boulder People. They are usually seen carrying large rectangular foam mattresses of varying sizes. It appears as if these mattresses have a myriad of uses. Mattress People have been seen sleeping, falling, and even fornicating on these mattresses. Along with a small wire brush and a fabric bag containing white powder, the mattresses have become a symbol of this tribe. Their form of worship is both simple in design yet very difficult in form. The Mattress People will position themselves on and around the rocks, attempting to recite a sequence of moves, at times almost a dance, along the features of the boulders. The series of moves is generally established by a previous visitor to the same stone. While one member of the tribe attempts to repeat the sequence of moves, the others will stand nearby, arms outstretched, uttering phrases in the tribal dialect of modern English. Some of the phrases include: "Dude, Send it!" "That's a sick crimper" "mutanthandstregth4lyfe" Before starting a series of movements, the performer of the rock dance will cover their hands with a white powder in order to mark their progress. The marks left behind are a very primitive form of cave painting. While no recognizable forms have been discovered in these cave paintings, experts believe it is only a matter of time before the Mattress People are able to create simple line drawings of things in their environment. It is also believed that the rock dance may be an exercise in humility or a demonstration of salvation though pain. While some members of the tribe perform the dances barefoot, most don a pair of specialized slippers. These slippers appear to be smaller than the feet of the wearer as they are difficult to put on and they are usually removed shortly after the dance. This would cause a great deal of pain during the movements along the rock, which is why it is believed to be a right of passage through pain, much like the monk's hairshirts form the middle ages and the modern day flagellants throughout South America. In addition to the slippers, many performers will sustain injuries from the abrasive nature of the rock. Fingernails can become dislodged, patches of skin abraded and fingertips become raw. One observer belived this to be a badge of honor among the tribe after witnessing praise among members for a "nice gobie", further confirming the hypothesis that the dances are a way to find a higher meaning through suffering. In the future it would be beneficial to compare the behavior of the Matress People to some of the indigenous tribes of New Guinea or Irian Jaya. I believe that striking parallels will be uncovered.

The horror!