goslow

It's also all about classical and operant conditioning. I'm pretty sure there are good physiologic explanations for making control of basic autonomic functions a learned response. If it's framed in new age rubric, well that may help some and hinder others, but physiologically it's the same thing.

FYI: Biofeedback isn't your body adapting to new environments. Biofeedback is learning to gain volitional control over certain aspects of your autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that usually functions automatically, i.e. blood vessel dilation, heart rate, digestion, etc). There are different techniques and technologies that help people learn to do this. It's used medically for lots of different things. Of interest to climbers would probably be that people have learned to dilate and/or constrict blood vessels in their extremeties, warming up surface temps. of one hand 5-10 degrees while the other stays a normal temperature, all w/out muscle contraction. But before all you alpine climbers get too excited, I think there are some limitations, one being that it requires being calm, meditative and relaxed...which is hard to do when you're gripped on a climb. Might be useful at a bivi though? If you're interested, I think it's technically considered part of psychophysiology.

There's a WFR course I'm taking up at silver lake (north of bellingham) in two weeks. Check with the Whatcom County parks dept. (google it) to see if there are spots still open. It aint cheap though.

minx, Where was it stolen from? That'd help us keep an eye out for it in the near future. (i.e. reader boards, ebay, etc) Like others here, I'm a gear slut, so I tend to keep close tracks of used gear for sale in my neighborhoods.

Sure, us guys have lots of tricks up our sleeves for warming up cold nights, but what about the ladies...why haven't they chimed in on this thought provoking thread?

Pro Ski Service on Aurora (Hwy99) has always done good work for me. There website is www.proguiding.com

I concur.

Although something like the Freerides look "beefier" I highly question whether they actually are...I've seen A LOT of broken fritschi's out there. I can't say for sure, but don't be deceived into thinking just because something has more metal and plastic on it that makes it beefier. If you're talking about something that will be less of a culture shock when switching over from an alpine set up, then it would make sense to go with the freerides, naxos, (the new garmonts?), etc. And that might be a good option if you're mostly doing lift-access touring. But, Dynafit's are definately "beefy."

JK: It might be that they're not quite setup right for your boots? (i.e. the pins in the back aren't in far enough?). Or there could be other things that are wrong with them if they have a lot (200+) days on them. There is a little nylon/plastic cap on the springs in the heel piece that gets worn out eventually, but it's easy to replace. If you're in the Seattle area you can always take them to the guys at Pro Ski Service on Hwy99 and have them look at them, they know Dynafit bindings pretty well.

I don't think pure static is a good idea, and clipping into the ground is probably neither here nor there (if you're a gym employee, pick your battles...). They do make gym specific climbing ropes. Some of these are "semi-static," offering something like 3-5% elongation and a good amount of durability. Of course you can't lead on these, but they are much more durable than a lot of static line out there (from what I remember, many static's wear quickly depending on how it is woven), which'll save your gym money in the long run. They also market "gym specific" lead ropes, but I can't think of any reason these are better than just a normal dynamic lead rope. I can't think of any brands off hand, but a quick google would probably turn up something you could buy on a spool and cut for your needs.

For what it's worth, I'm about 180lbs and haven't pre-released from mine. I've never skied them lift-serve, but I've torqued on them pretty hard before. If anybody's interested: I am selling some Dynafit skis and bindings, check out The Yardsale, make an offer. (also, I have some Dyanfit boots and another pair of unmounted Dynafit skis as well not listed in The Yardsale) PM me or email if you're interested. cheers, slow.