Chad_A

If there is an argument that is weird- insurance is not required in Washington, this is a fact. Minimal insurance is cheap. If you finance a bike you probably need full insurance. As an aside, please don't finance a bike. This is "probably" a bad guess. I believe most if not all new bikes have emission control equipment on them, both of mine have. There is "probably" more info here if anyone wants to dig. Cool, thanks for that.

vw4ever, this is EXACTLY the kind of thing I wanted to learn more about. There's pros and cons for every option, and that is really what I want to bring out in the discussion so I can make an informed determination of what's best for me to do, not just to find the absolute best mpg ever in the world or the most environmentally perfect option in the world or whatever. Thanks! Ok, well, lets see if we can do some kind of a roundup, here. Motorcycles- Seems to be some kind of an argument about insurance. MPG can't be argued with; are probably reasonably "dirty" because of the lack of emissions equipment on them. Just a guess. Reasonable price of admission; bad prospects for surviving a crash uninjured, and not fun for the rainy months. Mopeds- Bad emissions, same for the crash prospect and weather issues. Great MPG, though the price of admission for a newer one that's nice or that will travel at a good speed is approaching, or the same, as a motorcycle. I've been told that the insurance is cheap. Bike- I can't remember what forum it's in, but there was an ongoing discussion about bike commuting here in one of the forums. From what I remember, seems like it wasn't too cheap, with the maintainance involved, and the price of a good bike. No insurance need. Slowest form of travel, unless you're in the inner city (I used to be able to travel faster than traffic when I bike commuted). Weather gets to be a pain in the ass, and discouraging. Or at least it was for me. Hybrids/Biodiesel- Not the same thing, but the cost of admission is high, and the upper end SUV/luxury hybrids don't really save you much as far as MPG. TDIs and the such are good for long hauls with good MPG, and are getting cleaner, especially with the growing availability of Biodiesel. I was told that VW isn't bringing the TDIs here for a bit, until they're revised for legal sale in California (they're making them cleaner yet, supposedly). TDIs are hard to find here in the PNW, and they don't depreciate much. If you buy early enough in the year, you're able to get tax breaks for owning a hybrid (though it's limited to a certain number of vehicles by the government). Also, it's a question that one of the chemists here might be able to answer....what's going to happen to all the batteries that are running around in the hybrids when they someday fail? Something I don't know much about, maybe someone can weigh in on that one who knows what they're talking about (that wouldn't be me). Then there's the standard Public Transportation. I've used that in Portland, and it's relatively manageable with some planning, and assuming you don't work a 12 hour day (it made my days into 14 hour days r/t travel time added). In your area you might be able to purchase a yearly pass that will save you some $$$ and hassle. Car pooling- is that an option? Anybody at work willing to put forth the effort? That can be a low impact (personally) option for you. Leaving the gas guzzler at home- My g/f and I have a Subie an a Cherokee, respectively. On the days that I'm going to do lots of commuting around town, I'll take her car (30 mpg). I do some traveling for work purposes, and If we're both working, I'll have her take the Jeep to her work where it will sit all night, and I'll have her car, which is more miserly in most respects. Just thoughts; sorry for the long post. Carry on

I was getting ready to respond, but then I thought, I don't know what the reason is for the "Alternative-Energy Transportation". Is it to cut personal costs (cheaper insurance, higher MPG, etc) or it is to be more envirionmentally friendly, in the vein of burning less fossil fuels? The reason I'm asking is that, recently, I saw an article on mopeds in the Willamette Weekly, covering mopeds. The MPG is great, and the running costs cheap, but even the most modern 4 cycle mopeds have a very high PPM of unburned hydrocarbons in the emissions. So high, in fact, that the big SUV they compared them to had a fraction of the hydrocarbon emission, due to (probably) better a better engine management system, and emission controls. The older 2-cycle versions of mopeds were awful in this regard. I'll see if I can come up with a link; not sure if the Willamette Weekly puts up their stories online.

My measly two cents worth is...go to an ice fest (one with real ice; no disrespect to John) and try out a bunch of tools, or when the ice comes in, start going out with a group of people and ask to do a pitch or two with as many different ice tools as you can get your hands on. Or, just wait until you find a good deal, and learn the style of swing the tool demands afterward. I have a set of Quarks, and they're great...but they don't swing naturally for me; I'm still learning how to use them most efficiently. I seem to have to hook down at the end of the swing. Maybe something, such as the Viper with a bit less of a curve, doesn't dictate this.

Great TR; fun to read

http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/about-cci/cci-i...Document_ID=112

Doh! BadaBING!

NOT TRUE ! Agreed...keep posting, Joe

I was told by an independent repairman that Dells are the easiest to fix; they come apart quickly, parts are easily replaced. They're designed to be fixed at your home, rather than sent into a repair shop in some other state, or even overseas. That said, I've been recommended mostly to Toshibas; we bought one six months ago, and thus far, it's rock solid. It's much faster than our new-ish Dell PC, and has had no issues; our Dell has had two motherboards replaced, and still doesn't run right. But, anyone can end up with a lemon...

What the hell are you talking about?

Mountain Soles in Portland recommends these guys; I have no experience with them, however. Please use Northwest Clean Gear 2038 SE Belmont St. #2 Portland, OR 97214 503-963-9700 www.nwcleangear.com

Sweet. At least they're wearing bright reflective colors so they're able to see each other.

I enjoyed reading this one, seriously. I started with tied slings, and have since gone the way of the skinny Mammuts. Out of curiousity, what is the accepted amounts of tail for tied slings and cordalettes?

Thank you, Mauri, for posting. Maybe we can find a way to send this to Dubya? Then again, he'd find a way to dispute it and grandfather in a way to make it reasonable.

Well, I'll be damned. Sounds like it might be a reasonable turnout. Looking forward to meeting whomever shows up.

Well, maybe I picked the right time to go somewhere, for once. I leave tomorrow morning for the CDN Rockies for 6-7 day stretch. Maybe I'll be able to do a TR for you folks

Fuck. Fuckity fuckity fuck fuck. Fuck. FUCK!

I feel weird about this thread...kind of like the meek kid, who has someone else draw the bullies away from them for a day. Seems to me, the way to enjoy this board is to not make yourself a target. In the meantime, I enjoy the pictures, TRs, and the faux personalities....well, most of them, anyway. I've gotten some pretty good beta off this board, and some awesome climbing partners, too. There's been a few times when I looked back at threads where people made fun of me, and I remember being disgruntled at the time...and realized that I would've made fun of me, too. I feel bad that I've never found a neutrino, or reviewed a windshirt, though, to identify myself with something. Hafta work on that one.

Did the same thing not too long ago; their website seems to be defunct. I'm betting that they're on their way out, if they're not already...

Awesome, Gretchen. Keep it up!

I give a second vote for the Belay Jacket. I've used it in cold conditions in the Cascades, BC, Alaska, South America and China. If that's too cold for you, then take a step down and go with the EP Jacket. Both are synthetic filled and use epic fabric for wate repellency. Third vote for the Belay Jacket. Worked great on the Grand this year. Very user friendly; the pull-tabs on the zippers/hood cinches are great for thick gloves.

I'd rather be an ass than an elephant. It's more fun.

Hi, Dan, My g/f bought us a Maxim 9.8 60m bi-line a couple of years ago, and it has held up superbly. Although, admittedly, I'm not familiar with the different styles of sheaths Anyone care to enlighten as to the types, and how to tell upon looking at a rope which type one has?

You sound like yet another condescending environmentalist with unacceptable manners and lagging intellect. Pick up the shit and STFU. You're a nice guy. I want to be just like you when I grow up...or, Hell no, scratch that.