StephenBecker

For all things Mt. Whitney related, there are some very active forums: http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=1

You might try gookinaid. It has very mild flavors in comparison to gatoraid. I used it for cross-country racing and now use it in low-concentrations for climbs. You can order online: http://www.gookinaid.com/

Redledge pants are extremely light and extremely cheap. They claim that their "TH4" fabric is WP/B. I have a pair and sliced through it easily with a crampon, but that's a price to pay for the light-weight. Haven't been in real wet or sweaty conditions yet to verify the WP/B. I think their website is temporarily down. I got the pants at the Army Surplus store in Boulder, CO for $30. Not a bad deal if you think you'll be keeping them in your pack most of the time. redledge.com

Can anyone recommend a pair of goggles that has good anti-fogging qualities? I don't care about weight or anything other than how little it fogs up.

I'm trying to buy my first pair of ice tools and I'm looking for advice on used tools. For example, I found a Chouinard X15 for $50/ea. at http://www.alpineadven.com/recentandcurrent/gearsale.html which seems like a good deal, but I don't know much about the Chouinards (I've heard they're "classic" and "terrible for steep ice"). My end goal is alpine ice, so I don't mind the straight shaft. Anyone have suggestions on models or places to buy them? Anyone want to sell an old pair?

My college has a small climbing wall in a gym. The athletic director has set it up with static 10mm ropes and claims, that because of insurance, all belayers must be clipped into a ground anchor. I think this sounds very dangerous, because there is nothing dynamic in the system. Even though it is only for top-roping, a small fall with slack in the system will result in a large force. I have never seen a commercial climbing gym require belayers to clip into the ground, nor have I seen static top ropes that often. Anyone else agree with me? Is this system safe?