Chad_A

Kevin, here you go- http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=413

I could be wrong, but I think he's getting at the less availability of food with the presence of more land being used to grow oilseed, or whatever. Hell, what do I know. Similar to what JayB states about hops. Hops prices are going through the roof because less land is being utilized to grow them, as it's more lucrative to grow other crops- and hops are more finicky to grow, and take more specialized equipment to do it. I've spoken to a couple of the local brewers and they've said that they're buying up the hops all they can. It's going to make the super hoppy West Coast IPAs pretty expensive to produce. I bet the beer prices in Canada didn't raise any, though, because there isn't much hops in Canadian beer...if any at all BTW, Kevin, I had a VW pal of mine tell me that VW will warranty up to 5% BD, but that may have changed- I haven't looked into it lately.

Cool TR- thanks for the report. That's a bit of a road trip, eh?

Again, as someone else has suggested, perhaps you can send a personal message to the individual of your concern, as opposed to adding to the "comments" on the TR. PS- I did enjoy the pics. Thanks for posting

Thanks for posting this It was nuking up there yesterday, so yeah, I'd imagine that things will change yet again. I can't believe it's April...yesterday it was nukin' up there at around noon.

Had a classic miscommunication last Saturday up at T-line, and ended up leaving my BD Alpine Carbon poles up in the main overnight lot. I was parked on the far right (east) side of the lot, up against the concrete barriers. I'm sure I'm hosed, but if anyone has found them, I'll gladly offer a six pack for your trouble. Cheers, Chad

That's really funnny.

Cool, I'll check this all out tomorrow, if this sore throat goes away. Too bad, looks like today would've been the nice day to go. I did buy a spring pass for T-line, so I'll bring that with me in case patrol has an issue with me being there. The whole point for me is to get out there with the stuff I bought and use it. Thanks for the input, all.

I'm trying to imagine that road on skis, and I'm having a hard time remembering if you'd have enough downhill to maintain momentum on it on the way down. Hmmm...

Coolio, Nate. Thanks for that one. I'll plan on taking a couple of faceplants...it'll make the beer afterwards taste so much better. Cheers, Chad

Coolio

I finally purchased an AT setup this year. So, in my ski newbie-ness, I'd like to skin up from Govy to, say, Silcox...but to do it, you have to ski through the Timberline ski area. What is the etiquette for going through that area when skiers and snowboarders are zipping downhill? Sorry about the silly question, but this whole ski thing is...totally unknown to me. I'd choose a different outing, but I'm afraid I'd kill myself going back down anything steeper, while going through a treed area . Yeah, I suck....but I'm trying to get better.

Peter- Thanks for posting. I can understand why you'd ask such questions in this time. I wish I had some answers for you, but nobody was there to see what happened. The "code" you speak of does (or should) exist, and I've learned a hard lesson or two in the past from my climbing partners, and the climbing community, what that means. I do not wish to speculate as to why this person did not take other action, or why he acted the way he did, but perhaps it was because he was simply stunned by the turn of events. Only his partner knows what truly happened up there. I suppose it is a possiblity that this "partner" may see this thread and respond- or, have you already spoken to this person, yourself? My condolences to you and your family for your loss- I can't imagine what it feels like.

Nice thread, makes me want to look into a career in metallurgy. (correct spelling?) I've never broken a pick, though my seasons on ice end up being short...I can only take so many road trips during the winter. This year, I switched from Petzl to BD. Petzl's picks are tough, for sure. My Quad picks seemed indestructible. The Cascades irritated me, though, because after two or three filings, it was already down to the first tooth. Though I did notice that, later on, the noses on them got a bit longer... I feel fortunate to have a pal in SLC that, because of his close proximity to the industry there, ends up with a set of the newest stuff every time it comes out. He's not a light-handed climber, either...he's all power. If something survives him, I know it will last. This year, he picked up a set of new BD tools, and his picks survived a full season of good SLC ice without a single breakage. That speaks volumes to me. Good info on this one, and enjoyable to read.

Hey, Bala, Feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call when you're in town. If nothing else, I could give meet you at one of the great brewpubs around here. I'll PM you my ph#. Cheers, Chad

I picked up one of those back in December, after I finally had a chance to see one in person. Even Patagonia was out of them at the time. I found one on backcountry.com, and it's been one of my most versatile pieces of clothing yet. It's really cool to have a nice lightweight fleece on, and have it zip up into a balacava when you need it.

I had been climbing on Quarks for a couple of years, then ran across a set of the new Cobras for a smokin' deal. This happened just before a nine-day trip to the Canmore area, so this is my humble impression (I climbed only leashless, no umbilicals). 1. The smaller grip of the Cobra is much easier to hang onto than the Quark...but I have small hands 2. They're very "head-light". Then, again, I climbed with micro-hammers on both tools- this could be helped with use of the larger hammer/adzes. Also, there were times when I didn't mind the lighter head weight; if the ice was real bad, the light weight allowed me to swing them many more times to clear the bad ice without tiring. 3. The Quarks hook better (no suprise there...compare the pick angles of the two). 4. The Cobras provide less feedback which is creepy at first, but I'd adjusted to it by the end of the first day...then I really liked the carbon dampening effect. 5. Yes, the BD picks are definitely easier to overdrive, especially after climbing the Quarks. And changing picks on the BD tools is a dream compared to the Quarks. Disclaimer "YRMV".

This probably wouldn't be an issue, if it weren't an unseasonably cold/snowy winter, but here it is, per Tom Kalakay email: "You'd best get your last skiing or ice climbing licks in before the annual closure of the Hyalite road on April 1. No, this is not a preemptive April Fools joke. This is a mandatory closure, from April 1 to May 15, that will occur each year during Spring break-up. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Please pass the word. Thank you, -Tom Kalakay" I imagine that most of us PNWers are done with ice for the season (except for me...I could climb ice in July) but it might be valid for the odd person who might read this. Cheers, Chad

curtveld- In the same family of that Mountain Hardwear 15 degree Phantom is their 32 degree Phantom. I believe it's under 1.5 pounds, and packs down to the size of a nalgene. I've owned mine for two years, and it's my favorite bag- even seems a bit warm for the rating...and I'm not a warm sleeper At any rate, my two cents worth. Cheers, Chad

Sounds fun! I need to make it there someday...thanks for the TR

Good for you for sticking it out up there, David. Here's to another shot at it for ya.

Great to read your TR, and yes, the avy conditions have historically had the same effect on my trips. If I have to go to the Weeping or Haffner one more time.... Looks like you had fun. Looking forward to going there one last time myself in a week or so. Cheers, Chad

I'm assuming you're speaking of the Evo Extreme GTX? If so, I can look tonight when I get home.

Glad you guys are ok. Scary...