John Frieh

Blake: Yes they make them; quite a few actually. The pack size will be determined by how far/long you will be running/out. What kind of distances are you looking at? Generally, people start to carry packs/fanny packs when water and/or food isn’t readily accessible on the trail. Almost all ultramarathons (defined as any distance over 26.2 miles or a marathon) have aid stations throughout the course, so people generally don’t need to carry much. However, for your training runs, you will need to carry fuel. For distances under ~25 miles or under 2 hours I wear a fuel belt or I will carry two of these. For distances over ~25 miles or runs over 2 hours I carry a salomon xa pro packvest. Hot but carries great (see it on the site). Before that I wore a trail runner backpack from them; also carried well. Whatever you get, make sure it will carry just what you need (camelbak sleeve, etc.) and nothing more. Ultra running is a lot like alpine climbing; less on your back means faster on the trail. Shoe wise wear what fits. Go to a dedicated trail running shop (preferable with a treadmill) and get fitted. I wear montrail, but only because they fit. If you really get into trail running, here are some other links I found amazingly helpful as I first got into the sport. Excellent info/discussion and links on 100 milers: www.run100s.com Another excellent ultra site: www.ultrunr.com The ultimate in outdoor sports fuel (they sell ATP in a pill!): www.e-caps.com Races: www.ultrarunner.net Magazine/Books/Races: www.ultrarunning.com PM me if you need more (I get the feeling this is more than you wanted); or ever want to go running.

Sounds like some high maintence ex-girlfriends i have had. TB: Avatars can be deceiving. Take yours for example: it insinuates that you are actually capable of an erection.

Thanks for the clarification. I've never heard that one before... guess it's a Canada junior college thing...

Then why can't Dru lead WI7?

Word up Luke... glad you have a sense of humor (unlike a lot of people on this site). Congrats on 8 months; you definitely have what a lot of guys on this site would like too... a girl and mutant hand strength.

Michael: I'll drop you a pm soon. You gonna free Baring? I have a feeling you and I have a similar tick list for the summer. Holla! Distel: Don't speak too soon... once she figures out that minus the neck beard you would get carded at a PG-13 movie she might hop along the trail.

Ain't the sharpest marble in the baggie now are we? Scott: Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't marbles supposed to be round (you know like a hemisphere)? Why would one desire a "sharp" marble? Are you trying to make a point?

Fern: I may not hold a candle to Jean-Luke, but my phaser will definately stun... How did you I.D. me so quickly? Stalker?

Michael: First a disclaimer: I’m young, single and most importantly male. Because of this I am no where as qualified as a female to answer your questions. However, I will offer the small sampling of knowledge I have obtained from the numerous failures at attempts for intimacy. Hopefully some of this helps… First off I would caution against going anywhere women on this site suggest/approve as “acceptable for approaching.” Instead I would recommend places you are more likely to meet women you are interested in meeting. What am I trying to say? Take bars for example; a venue commonly employed for meeting potential partners. Though fished by many what are the odds of you actually meeting a girl that shares common interests, goals, etc in a random bar? Unless it’s a dedicated climber watering hole chances are slim to none. If anything you are more likely to meet a girl that likes going out often which, unless you like doing that (I’ll use me for an example… my weekends are almost always used for escaping the crowds, not seeking them out) it probably won’t work out in the end. Even though I’m a spring chicken in terms of the dating scene, I have only had one girl I meet at a bar turn into a dating situation (and it still didn’t work as I climbed too much… whatever that means…). So back to my point: if you like intellectual type girls; hit book stores and libraries (Powell’s on Burnside comes to mind). If you like athletic type (not necessarily climbers), get involved with some sports groups. Case in point: there are a number of clubs that run the wildwood trail in town 2-3 times a week (did I mention I love that trail?). If you insist on dating a climber, climbing areas, slide shows, gear shops, etc etc would be places to frequent. Chances are if you predetermine some qualities you prefer in a mate and use these to guide your selection in fishing holes, it will be that much easier to strike up conversation. Which brings me to my next point: fear of rejection. Boys are taught to be masculine. One of the supposed masculine qualities is successfulness which generally results in a fear of failure as we think failing makes us “less of a man.” I will be the first to admit I have ducked out of asking out numerous girls because I was afraid she’d laugh in my face even though my brain was screaming at me to do so. The thing I always tell myself is what is the worst thing that can happen? Though one might argue that she could start laughing or stand up on here chair and announce to everyone that you had the audacity to ask her out, but chances are she will say no (at worse). And seriously: how bad is that? In the grand scheme of things, you will be lucky to remember the time some girl said no to you 20 years from now… let alone the first and last name(s) of every partner you’ve had (can you name them all???). I would be a hypocrite if I said I ask out any girl I want too; generally I can only ask a girl out if it’s a one on one situation (I’m so chicken I won’t even do it in front of my friends). As a result I keep this in mind for selecting places to meet people. One on one situation in bars are slim to none; hence another reason to weed them out (for me at least). Climbing areas is another slim to none place for one on one situation. And I’m there to climb, not socialize! Keep you limitations in mind when selecting a place. Finally remember that if something’s meant to be it will happen. You can’t force a relationship between two people. If it’s meant to happen it will. It’s like trying to plan small talk; you shouldn’t have too… if you are generally interested in someone it will come naturally. If you are sitting there racking your brain for material, maybe you shouldn’t be. And we all have dry spells. Lord knows my dating life resembles something between a sine curve and an exponential decay function. Finally my dads advice: when it rains it pours (you will always meet 3 cool girls simultaneously when the week before you where working the ex-girlfriend circuit) and don’t shit where you eat (don’t date people you work with). And are we going to climb NNB or not Michael? I’ve got my other partner on board… what do you say?

Here's my wager: Fat Teddy = Martlet

Gotnoname: One of the best (if not the best) sources for ultra light bags: nunatak Custom made in the state of Washington at weights you can't beat. I have the very first orange alpinist he ever made (had it since 2000/1)... epic fabric... no zipper... 25 ounces... 20 degrees… stuffs to the size of a loaf of bread. Can't say enough good things about their products. I'm getting a double next for some alpine cuddle sessions. Don't scoff at the prices... you get what you pay for.

Check yo pms...

Idaho... mmmm... Did you climb on elephant's perch while you were in there? We need an Idaho Forum!

My bad... The inspiration will be safe for those well versed in glacier travel and how crevasses form. Realize that this time of year they are beginning to open, but just enough to swallow you and get covered by recent snow fall. Hmmm...

fender... it's not your fault; you just can't compete with pandora. the forecast is fairly suck this weekend.

Exactly. And the impact forces do increase greatly, hence the difficulty to get one certified as both a half and twin.

Word. Before June 15th (unless you already have a permit reservation). Kind of a bigger step, but start checking out the W. Ridge of Forbidden.

BD will hook you up! They did my entire rack (slings and cam pulls) for free! If you want to change the length they will do it for you also.

Stuart weather permitting.

Depends on your pounding technique. Generally most people with a descent swing and more upper body strength (i.e males... sorry not trying to be sexist) prefer something with a bit more weight behind it: the pika hammer is sweet. You might actually like the yos hammer from BD (though if you do, lengthen the keeper sling... stock it is the correct length to hit you in the ankles). I haven't heard much about the cassin tool.

No. It must pass both test separately. Look at the link.

Where are you looking? NOAA is predicting high pressure to build starting sat....

For all you physics nerds this might clear things up a little more (its a PDF).

The beal is certified as both a twin and a half rope. That means: It passed the half rope drop test which involves dropping a 55kg weight on ONE strand in a fall simulating a fall factor of 1.8. It also passed the twin rope drop test which involves dropping a 80kg weight on TWO strands (both) in a fall simulating a fall factor of 1.8. The UIAA specifies a maximum impact force of 2540 pounds for single ropes and 1760 pounds for double ropes. To pass each test, the rope (half) or ropes (twin) did not exceed 2540 lbs (twins) or 1760 lbs (double).

From http://www.aspiring.co.nz/standard.htm Dr. C: Basically any company that makes a rope system involving 2 ropes (twin or double) that can pass both the half and twin tests can sell/market them as both, like Beal did last year with the ice line. I emailed them for the twin drop test stats (not found on the site); when I get them I will post. The take home message is you need to decide the type of climbing you will be employing this rope system for (ice only or alpine rock and ice), which will dictate your rope diameter. Once you know this, pick based on 1st) impact force, 2nd) g/meter, and 3rd) number of falls. If you are unsure about this, post more q’s. Hope this helps!