Chad_A

It could go bad, but the snow is already fallin' up there real good in the Rockies, last time I heard. I suppose it could quit anytime, though.

Ouch! Hope you feel better. I don't know if you'll find too many people that have experience with this on this board...this is pretty rare in this demographic, I'd guess(?). Here's to a good recovery. I wonder what effect has on DVTs?

If it's a deep puncture, make sure you irrigate it first. Hydrogen Peroxide, Hibiclens, Iodine, whatever. If there's anything in there (dirt, whatever), you'll be sealing it in a nice enviromnent for bacteria to grow. I've used New Skin and Superglue with some athletic tape on top of it. Or, keep it clean and doused with triple antibiotic ointment until the morning of the outing, then glue it up. Don't really know of any 48 hour fixes though. Damaged tissue is damaged tissue

Oh, ok, since you're looking for strong opinions... I've climbed on Quarks for the last year or more. Like them, but had some good beta given to me by Marcus today on dropping the elbow with the wrist flick. It's not much of a realistic surface, but I keep a chunk of 2x8 screwed above my garage door to swing into as practice. As soon as I started dropping the elbow today, it made a difference (especially with my left arm that's not quite as good at swinging as my right). I hear rave reviews about Grivel picks (they seem to be stickier than the Petzl picks that I use), but that's only with a morning of screwing around with them. The best bang for the buck right now, seems to be either Vipers or Quarks. Both can be used leashed or leashless. I like the idea of the CF Cobras, but my smallish hands don't work real well with the larger grip. -Chad

Good info. I'm sure that if the cards are played right, a bike is the best way to go of all of this,IMHO. I have heard of the veggie diesel, the the "homemade" option is getting more scarce due to oil-giveaway by restaurants on the decline (why should they if they can sell it off?). That idea of running straight veggie oils is innovative in the way your friend is doing that. The toggle-switch idea is neat.

Just a quick note, (can't copy and past, it's in PDF format) "The current federal motorcycle standard is about 90 times the hydrocarbon standard for passenger cars" "the new regulations (2006) will only effect new motorcycles produced for the 2006 and later model years". Does that indicate that motorcycles, at least in the past, have been dirty? The PDF does point out that most motorcycles from 2002-2003 have had catalytic converters. http://www.epa.gov/OMS/regs/roadbike/420f03045.pdf

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.

Thanks for following up. I'm looking for a 0 degree bag; already have a 20 and a 32. Here's a bump for ya, anyway.

What temp are they rated to?

Still have it. Anybody, anybody? Ice season is coming! It's a great belay jacket, and it increases your stature next time some dumb monkey talks shit to you at the pub.

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.

Not abused; used occasionally, never stored stuffed. Robbed this off of Mountain Gear's site: Is non-hooded version. New is 165 bucks w/o Conduit; this one has Conduit, and I need 90 bucks for it, firm. Will find a way to get to anyone around PDX; anywhere else, buyer pays shipping. PM me or email at anderson7149ATcomcastdotnet

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.